The future of LiDAR is 4D, using Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave technology.

Current LiDAR technology measures the laser signal’s ‘time of flight’ to establish location and distance. Frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR does this too, however, by working more like radar, it measures the Doppler shift of the signal’s frequency, to establish velocity. The FMCW signal is transmitted coherently and received coherently, giving it a longer range. The resulting LiDAR device is more effective in adverse weather conditions, such as fog, mist, rain, and glare, as well as being less susceptible to interference from other LiDAR systems.

Producing FMCW LiDARs using conventional production technology has been prohibitively expensive, due to the complex assembly and optical coupling of the multiple discrete components required. However, OpenLight’s photonic, application-specific, integrated circuits (PASICs) offer a revolutionary integration of lasers, electro-absorption modulators and semiconductor amplifiers, reducing costs and making 4D-LiDAR viable.

4-D LiDAR benefits include:

• Long Range Performance: Detect, classify, and track dynamic objects such as vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians at long distances.
• Ultra Resolution: A real-time, camera-level image that provides up to 20 times the resolution of conventional, 3D LiDAR sensors.
• Road Hazard Detection: Spotting small objects on the roadway with greater confidence at up to twice the distance of conventional, 3D LiDAR sensors.
• 4D Localization: Estimating vehicle motion in real-time with six degrees of freedom for accurate positioning and navigation, without the need for additional sensors, such as IMU or GPS.

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