Unveiling the Mystery of LiDAR Qualification for Automotive Applications
Lidar is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be used to make digital 3-D representations of areas on the earth's surface and ocean bottom by varying the wavelength of light. It has terrestrial, airborne, and mobile applications.
Introduction
LiDAR systems have become a hot topic for autonomous vehicle applications. The opportunity to provide solutions for large fleets of self-driving vehicles has spurred a wave of competing LiDAR companies and technologies. As these solutions mature and seek to enter the commercial market, their focus will shift from performance to manufacturability and quality that meet automotive OEM standards.
Automotive industry quality and safety requirements are rigorous and must be applied from the system down to the component level. Automotive OEMs put their systems through a battery of functional tests that can take up to 1 to 2 years. They also demand that all their systems’ components are qualified to automotive standards. The LiDAR system is a key element of an autonomous vehicle. Knowledge of qualification and certification standards and procedures is essential for their designers and manufacturers.
Established LiDAR suppliers to the automotive market most likely are familiar with these complex requirements. But industrial suppliers and start-up companies new to the market may underestimate the extent of component and system qualification efforts.
I. Development and production process certification – according to automotive standards
II. Qualification testing – for specific groups of automotive products
III. Robustness validation – testing under accelerated conditions that extrapolate failure rates to parts-per-million levels
IV. Functional safety – Incorporating product features that reduce the risk of failure or, when failure does occur, ensures no harm will come to people within the vehicle.
In this paper, we will review the four pillars and explain how LiDAR system suppliers must apply them in the automotive qualification process.
by Dr. Marc Schillgalies Paul Sharman First Sensor AG First Sensor, Inc.
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