"The mainstream point of view believes that laser radar has become a key sensor for automatic driving. On the market, Velodyne 64 laser radar" is unhappy ", increased to 100,000 people, there is also a company to do not mistaken. However, this rotation The big flower pot is ushering in a strong competition - those companies that want the laser radar do not need to turn, they are quietly set off a solid laser radar.
First, the three major technical routes of the same platform competition
At present, the car laser radar visible on the market is basically mechanical, and the typical characteristics are the mechanical components, which rotates, such as Velodyne's famous large flower pot HDL 64. Of course, there is also a mixed solid state laser radar, that is, the outside is not turned, but there is still a type of laser emitter to rotate.
The mechanical design directly constitutes a few shortcomings in the current laser radar:
1. Optical road debugging, complex assembly, long production cycle, and high cost is high.
2. The reliability of mechanical rotary components is not high in driving, it is difficult to meet the stringent requirements of the car.
In order to significantly reduce the cost of laser radar, in order to reduce the reliability of the movable components, meet the requirements of the car, the development direction of the laser radar is smoothly turned from mechanical laser radar to solid-state laser radar, and the implementation path is the reform Some need to manually assemble the optical path design, and reduce or cancel the mobile part.
As a result, solid state laser radar is currently formed by three technology routes: MEMS, OPA and Flash. The MEMS and OPA are scanned, while Flash is non-scanning.
1) MEMS
MEMS (Micro-Electro-MeChanical System), micro-electromechanical system, refers to miniaturizing mechanisms, electronic design, and integrates the original volume of mechanical structure through the microelectronic process on a silicon-based chip, Large-scale production.
For solid state laser radar, MEMS maximum value is that the laser emitter must be rotated in mechanical laser radar in order to achieve scanning. The MEMS microelectromechanical system can integrate a very intriguational microscope on the silicon-based chip, by reflecting the light of the laser by a rotatable microscope, thereby achieving scanning.
In this way, the laser radar itself does not have to rotate much more, and can effectively reduce the chances of problems in the driving environment. In addition, after the main components use the chip process production, the mass production capacity is greatly improved, which is conducive to reducing the cost of laser radar, which can be reduced from thousands or even 10,000 US dollars.
2) OPA
OPA (Optical Phased Array) Optical Pharmaceutical Array Technology. Readers who have been known for military, they should know that the lamrads, the US Navy Zeus ship, the honeycomb "board" is it.
The optical phase array is the same technique as the principle. OPA uses coherence principle (similar to the two-way water wave overlay, some direction will cancel each other, some will enhance each other), using a plurality of light sources to form an array, by controlling the light source of each light source, synthesizing a main beam with a particular direction . Then control, the main beam can be scanned in different directions.
Relative to MEMS, this technology is more complete, there is no mechanical structure at all, and there is no rotation.
3) Flash
Flash originally means flash. The principle of Flash laser radar is also flash, it is not like MEMS or OPA solutions to scan, but a large number of lasers covers the detection area in a short time, and then complete the environment with a highly sensitive receiver. Drawing of the surrounding image.
In a sense, it is some similar to the camera in the night, and the light source is issued by himself.
Second, the acquisition, investment Tier1 Qiqi fight
According to its background, the car is divided into three major factions from dozens of companies that offer laser radar products: car companies, automotive suppliers, and startups. They cut into the direction of solid state laser radar in different characteristics, and bring their own characteristics and technical direction.
Automotive parts suppliers are trader of solid laser radar war. Because of their strong position in the automotive industry, the automatic driving of laser radar will still be probably needed to be applied to automatic driving. Therefore, Tier1's movements in the field of laser radar are often more concerned.
Before the laser radar, the Tier1 layout is more in millimeter wave radar. In the auxiliary driving of the information particle size, millimeter wave radar is widely used. In this field, OttoLov, Bosch, Continental, Delph (Delph) formed the "ABCD" four mountain mastered the market, which is strong in Bosch.
When the laser radar started to rise, four major companies that occupied the initiative in the millimeter wave radar market, and they aimed at no exception of solid laser radar. The reason has been explained above - the solid-state laser radar is the correct choice to satisfy the regulatory requirements or lower cost.
Because the solid-state laser radar technology is too new, most Tier1 does not have a deep accumulation, so the important means they cut into this area are investment or mergers, and the capital is collected from the entrepreneurial company, or buy a company directly. Technology and team.
On October 7, AutoLiv had just acquired the Swedish laser radar company Fotonic, and the latter's 35-person technical team.
The mainland bought the US 3D Flash Laser Radar in March last year Advanced Scientific Concepts. Previously, the continent provides laser radar support for many car companies, but the performance is limited and does not meet the high requirements of automatic driving. After Advanced Scientific Concepts, the mainland shouted the slogan of the laser radar in 2020.
Delphi is in the form of a large number of investment in the form of multi-party betting. Delphi initially participated in QuaNergy - the technical route of the car. On September 12 this year, Delphi also announced the investment of two startup of LEDDARTECH and Innoviz, and the former is also the same as the coherent light technology route, and the latter uses MEMS technology.
Bosch is a little special. The world's largest Tier1 not only invests Tetravue, but also has its own semiconductor factory to accumulate in MEMS. Therefore, the Bosch has introduced MEMS-based solid laser radar in addition to MEMS in 2017 in addition to betravue's Flash technology.
Of course, Tier1 interested in solid state laser radar is not only ABCD four. Coifer, which did not have a share of the share of the share of the share of the IBEO40% equity in millimeters, and quickly entered the field of laser radar.
Magna also chooses to invest in Innoviz to ensure that they are in the laser radar market.
Fareion has reached a cooperation with IBEO and LEDDARTECH, and the target mass produces low-cost laser radar.
Third, the new old "entrepreneur company" competes solid laser radar
It is a startup company that set off the biggest wind and waves. Or more accurately, professional laser radar equipment manufacturers. Because some of them, the experience of manufacturing laser radar has been more than ten years. However, for solid-state laser radar, they are new companies that are not unclosed. Among them, the oldest car laser radar company Velodyne has entered the market in the car laser radar in 2007, but also started research and development of solid-state laser radar in 2016.
As far as it is, it is not so urgent to develop solid-state laser radar - because of its 64-wire laser radar alone, it is not selling. But the price of its $ 70,000 is both a medal of its success, and it is dangerous because there is no automatic driving company will be willing to configure such expensive sensors on the mass production vehicle.
If you don't actively carry out the development of solid state laser radar, then the price of Velodyne will become a disadvantage after the other company has a first time. Therefore, Velodyne actively leverages his life and announces that the solid laser radar is being studied. Have to say, it is quite a bit.
First, talk about solid state laser radar, we must mention QuaNergy, which is the concept of Silicon Valley, which has hot solid laser radar. However, before this, their main products were still on CES in 2016. QuaNergy demonstrated the first solid laser radar S2, shouting out the slogan of the laser radar price to a hundred US dollars. Subsequent attention, the solid laser radar became a phased.
Of course, the research and development of solid-state laser radar is not so easy. QuaNergy then launched S3, and the mass production time is this fall.
Innoviz, Israel, founder is from Israeli intelligence technology department. In January A, A round of A round, Rongsheng, USA, B-round financing 65 million US dollars, behind Delphi, Magna. The product is innovizpro and innovizone.
At the end of September, Leddar Tech has gained $ 110 million in Ou Si, Delphi, Magna. In 2014, LedDar Tech was separated from Canadian Optics. In addition to competitiveness in artificial intelligence, Canada has ranked first in the world.
In addition to providing complete solid state laser radar VU8, LedDartech also provides LedDarcore chips for calculating point cloud data.
German companies IBEO is the old rivers and lakes of the laser radar market, which was previously part of another laser radar company Sick, independent of 2009. IBEO is a laser radar company with "Tier1". First of all, I look at it is Ferreio. In 2010, Fareo and IBEO began to develop 4-wire laser radar Scala, and this laser radar most conspicuous application is Audi with automatic driving function new A8, using it 4 The 8-wire laser radar has been used in the car. After the automatic driving technology crash, IBEO caused attention to the attention of EF. In 2016, Evper acquired IBEO40% equity.
ORYX VISION has just received $ 50 million in B-round financing in August, and the detection method used by their solid state laser radar is slightly different from others. The mainstream laser radar detection scheme is to process the light in the form of a particle, while the ORYX Vision is treated into a wave, and the nano-antenna is specially specialized instead of an existing photoelectric sensor to receive optical waves.
Taking light in the form of wave means that the laser radar of the ORYX Vision can detect real-time speed of the object according to the Doppler effect.
In addition, ORYX Vision also refers to their solutions with higher resolution and farther probe distances than existing laser radar.
Fourth, quietly layout for the initiative car company
In the traditional sense, the identity of the vehicle factory is like the vehicle assembly, and the parts suppliers, especially Tier1, in which the words are very vowel, some at the "parts supplier provide," car enterprises What is the state of ", the vehicle is slightly passive.
At the time of automatic driving, the vehicle is also regarding this wave of opportunities, and wants to directly master the automatic key components of the laser radar, improve the right to speak itself in dialogue with Tier1.
We are most familiar may be Ford United Baidu's $ 150 million in Velodyne. This investment makes Ford's exclusive freight factories in Velodyne 64 laser radar in a quite a long time. After Velodyne starts to develop solid-state laser radar, this investment will have greater value.
What we are not familiar is, FCA, Fiat Chrysler, also participated in the investment of LedDartech in September this year. Although the first five car companies in this global sales have recently been in bad assets, the automatic driving investment has never given up. Previously, FCA first worked with Google Waymo, and then joined Intel's Automatic Driving Alliance.
The new round of car enterprises that have just happened to acquire laser radar events is that General acquisition of start-up enterprise strobe. Like universal acquisition of Cruise, 11 employees in Strobe also add universal work. Although universal does not disclose too many messages, it is claimed to reduce the cost of laser radar by 99%, and the direction of its direction is also a solid laser radar.
Conclusion: Laser radar is moving toward solidification
Although the mainstream of the car laser radar is still mechanical laser radar, in the long run, it is difficult to meet the large-scale, low-cost and car level requirements proposed by automatic driving popularization. Therefore, the solid state laser radar has been syndrome into this great, which has become the next developmental form of the car laser radar.
Whether it is a car, or Tier1, or is a startup company, there are a large number of players in the layout. At present, the three technical directions of MEMS, OPA, and Flash have not yet set the conclusions, and the company with solid laser radar is still unknown.
The industry believes that in 2019, the solid-state laser radar in the three major technical directions will be concentrated, and when the laser radar will also usher in the true solid tide. And let the laser fly a while.
Original link: https://www.eeboard.com/news/leida-2/2/
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