Paper 12572-30
Paper 12572-30
Direct measurement of the maximum detection range of an automotive lidar with a table-top setup for series production
On demand | Presented live 26 April 2023 
Abstract
Recent development in the field of advanced driver assistant system (ADAS) has shown that Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) sensors are essential for 3D object detection. One of the key parameters of automotive lidar is the maximum detection range, which is dependent on background light as well as the lidar signal itself. To make lidar sensors widely accessible for the automotive market, high-volume series production becomes a necessity. Since today's sensors have a maximum detection range far beyond a hundred meters it is neither economically nor logistically viable to build a long-range setup for series production. In this work we will present a table-top setup with a length no longer than one meter, directly measuring the maximum detection range of a lidar sensor - with similar precision (about two meters for one sigma) compared to the long-range distance measurement. This setup can be used to verify the maximum detection range and execute other complementary tests like beam quality and straylight simultaneously. This is particularly important considering the cycle time restriction in series production of the automotive lidar. Our setup mainly consists of a triggerable laser and a background light source. Using the fact that the intensity of the back-scattered light is inversely proportional to the distance squared, it is possible to imitate a far-away object by tuning a laser to a reduced intensity.
Presenter
Pascal E. Blessing
Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Friedrich-Schiller-Univ. Jena (Germany)
Pascal E. Blessing studied physics at Heidelberg university, where he specialized in experimental atomic physics. He wrote his bachelor’s thesis at the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics on “implementation of an optical dipole trap for lithium atoms”. During his time at CERN for his master’s thesis he developed, designed and built a “resonant detection system with single particle sensitivity for efficient sub-thermal cooling of antiprotons in a Penning trap”, where he intensified his knowledge in electrical engineering and sensor development. Since 2020 he conducts his doctoral studies with the university Jena and Robert Bosch GmbH on the topic “developing optical testing and calibration processes for the series production of the automotive lidar”.