Osram's Lasers And Photodiodes Used In Phantom Intelligence's Automotive LIDAR System

In the race to create the world's first self-driving car, Osram and Phantom Intelligence, a startup company specializing in LIDAR (light detection and ranging), are helping to pave the way with their low-cost LIDAR detection system to meet 2018 Euro NCAP Automatic Emergency Braking requirements. LIDAR works on the principle of radar but uses light from a dedicated infrared pulsed laser. Existing systems are large and expensive. Phantom Intelligence's Automotive Wideview LIDAR is a compact, less expensive unit that has proven to be reliable for low-speed obstacle detection in city driving.

Phantom Intelligence developed the weather-resistant LIDAR system using Osram infrared pulsed laser diodes (2x SPL LL90_3) and photodiodes (7 x SFH2400FA), which work to detect objects on the road and help to prevent a collision. The lasers deliver high efficiency of up to 40% at 70 watt peak output power, achieving a long operating lifetime. The photodiodes are especially suitable for automotive applications, given their short switching time. Original equipment manufacturers that incorporate Phantom's LIDAR into their vehicles to enable active safety features can realize cost savings and obtain better performance, it is claimed.

LIDAR can be mounted inside the windshield and behind the rearview mirror, which provides better performance consistency than on the vehicle's front bumper and reduces replacement costs in case of damage to the vehicle. The product is suitable for low-end vehicles to meet Euro NCAP Automatic Emergency Braking requirements for urban driving. As safety technologies evolve with regulations and autonomous driving, LIDAR – complemented by cameras and radar – could give auto makers enough information on the surrounding environment to navigate fully autonomous vehicles, it is reckoned.

"Osram understands the preoccupations of high-volume automotive and consumer industries," says Phantom Intelligence's president Jean-Yves Deschenes. "They create affordable, highly reliable and robust performance products that do not have any overkill specs and are simple to integrate," he adds.