LIDAR offerings accelerate the future of autonomous driving

Analog Devices is collaborating with First Sensor AG to produce products targeted at speeding the launch of autonomous sensing technology assisting unmanned automotive, aerial and underwater vehicles in transportation, smart agriculture, industrial manufacturing and other industries. As part of the collaboration, the companies are creating offerings that reduce the LIDAR signal chain to allow higher system performance as well as decrease size, weight, power and cost for manufacturers producing sensing and perception technology into their autonomous safety systems. The companies also intend to develop other LIDAR products that will serve automotive and industrial manufacturing applications.

“The first step in our working together is to optimize ADI’s industry-leading trans-impedance amplifiers (TIAs) with First Sensor’s avalanche photodiodes (APDs) so we can offer our customers more powerful and efficient LIDAR solutions, and better support the mass commercial launch of LIDAR systems into the autonomous transportation market,” said Stewart Sellars, general manager, LIDAR, Analog Devices.

“The market for LIDAR systems is maturing with customers expecting a renewed focus on implementing economically and technically compatible solutions,” said Dr. Dirk Rothweiler, CEO of First Sensor. “Adapting APDs and TIAs to each other is a logical next step in this evolution. By expanding our cooperation with Analog Devices, our customers will benefit from better LIDAR receiver performance.”