In recent years, the world has witnessed a remarkable transformation in the automotive industry, with a major focus on 'intelligent connected vehicles' and 'autonomous vehicles.' This evolution is guided by a series of policies and strategies aimed at shaping the future of autonomous driving. In 2020, two pivotal plans, the Intelligent Vehicle Innovation and Development Strategy and the Automobile Driving Automation Classification, were introduced by the nation to provide strategic clarity and direction to the autonomous driving landscape.

The Lidar Revolution: A Market on the Rise

According to Yole Development, a renowned consulting firm, the lidar market in the automotive field is poised to reach a staggering 5.7 billion US dollars by 2026. With an expected compound annual growth rate exceeding 21% in the next five years, it's clear that lidar technology is a key player in the automotive industry's future.

The Battle of Vision: Visual vs. Sensor Fusion

In the realm of automotive self-driving, two major schools of thought emerge: the pure visual approach and sensor fusion schemes like Lidar. Increasingly, Lidar is gaining favor among enterprises due to its unparalleled advantages in range, high resolution, and resistance to interference. It serves as a vital complement to cameras, millimeter-wave radar, and other detection methods.

The Crucial Role of Lidar

Often dubbed the 'eye' of automotive vision, the performance of Lidar is of paramount importance, directly impacting the safety of self-driving and assisted-driving technologies. Higher peak power in Lidar transmission translates to extended detection ranges, improved spatial resolution, and enhanced detection sensitivity, all while reducing the impact of adverse weather conditions.

The Challenge of Traditional Lidar

In the automotive laser lidar market, the EEL type 905nm semiconductor laser, with its simplicity, compact structure, and cost-effectiveness, has emerged as the dominant Lidar laser source. However, it faces limitations in meeting human eye-safety wavelength requirements and operating at high frequencies with narrow pulses, hampering its ranging capabilities.

The Rise of VCSEL Laser

With its unique circular beam transmission capability, the VCSEL laser holds promise in enhancing radar resolution and simplifying beam shaping at a lower cost. However, its relatively short development history and limited transmitting power have constrained its application in the Lidar domain.

The Three Pillars of Autonomous Driving

In the development of autonomous vehicles, three core aspects take center stage: environmental perception and localization, decision planning, and execution control. To achieve mature and safe autonomous technology, the initial hurdle lies in overcoming challenges related to environmental perception. Traditional Lidar systems employed 905nm wavelength near-infrared lasers, which are cost-effective but have limitations due to human eye safety concerns and restricted detection distances.

The Game-Changing 1550nm Micro Pulsed Fiber Laser

In recent years, Lumispot Tech introduced the 1.5μm Micro pulsed fiber laser, further optimizing volume, weight, power consumption, and other technical indicators based on small-sized pulsed fiber lasers. It stands out with its compact structure and lower power consumption compared to similar products, making it the ideal laser light source for Automotive Lidar.

Core Technologies Employed:

Laser Integration Technology

Narrow Pulse Shaping Technique

ASE Noise Suppression Technology

Compact Space Disk Fiber Process

The Paradigm Shift to 1550nm Fiber Lasers

In conclusion, the choice of laser source plays a pivotal role in determining Lidar system performance. While traditional semiconductor lasers at 905nm have dominated the landscape, they come with limitations that hinder Lidar's full potential. In contrast, the adoption of 1550nm wavelength fiber lasers represents a significant trend in high-end Lidar system development.

These lasers offer eye-safe operation, resistance to interference, extended detection ranges, and improved image quality. Moreover, the use of coherent techniques enhances signal quality, enabling Lidar systems to excel in various applications, including autonomous driving, laser rangefinding, remote sensing, and security surveillance. The evolution of laser sources towards 1550nm is set to revolutionize Lidar technology, paving the way for safer, more efficient, and high-performance applications.

1550nm Fiber Laser Power Amplification Simple Flowchart

LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. These light pulses—combined with other data recorded by the airborne system — generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.

LiDAR surveying is a fast and effective way to capture 3D data. Using laser pulses to calculate distances, capture precise measurements and measure ranges is growing in popularity. This simple way to collect data is accurate, quick, and flexible.

In a LiDAR system, a pulsed laser source is the key part to emitt light, LumiMetriC developed Erbium fiber lasers in MOPA configuration offers customers a constant high peak power over a wide range of pulse repetition rate values for stable high performance. With low weight and small size, these lasers are easily deployed. 

Related products: 

1550nm Pulsed Erbium Fiber Laser

This product series are mainly used in distributed temperature measurement. Our "Laser Solution- Distributed Temperature Sensing  " discussed the basics of laser application in DTS.

The LiDAR Source is a 1550nm “eye-safe”, single mode nanosecond-pulsed Erbium fiber laser. Based on Master Oscillator Power Amplifier (MOPA) configuration and optimized design of multi-staged optical amplification, it can reach high peak power and ns pulse width output. It is a versatile, ready-to-use and durable laser source for various LiDAR applications as well integration to OEM system.LumiMetriC developed Erbium fiber lasers in MOPA configuration offers customers a constant high peak power over a wide range of pulse repetition rate values for stable high performance. With low weight and small size, these lasers are easily deployed. At the same time, the solid construction is maintenance free and reliable, ensuring long-life operation at low operation cost.

1550nm Compact Pulsed Fiber Laser