At CES, Benewake unveiled their new 512-line, automotive-grade AD2 lidar. They demonstrated their technology in a high-definition vehicle road test, enabling participants to experience the real-time perception function.
Safety is the most important thing for intelligent driving, and how to allow sufficient observation and response time for intelligent driving users is a critical factor which is considered by most lidar companies. Benewake developed the AD2 to give high-performance detection capability to provide a safer driving experience.
CEO Dr. Yuan Li gave an example: at 100 km/h, the AD2 will identify small targets like a like 22-cm flat tire much earlier than a previous-generation 128-line lidar, giving an additional 2.1 seconds for the intelligent driving system to perceive and control. This means human- or self-driven cars can slow down sooner, without emergency braking, or switch to another lane to bypass the obstacle, thusly avoiding accidents.
As the primary lidar product from Benewake, the AD2 has a 120° × 25.6° field of view, 10-Hz frame rate, and 200-metre detection range. The AD2 targets high-resolution detection in regions of interest, so it can detect and identify multiple targets over its large view field. 0.05° × 0.05° angular resolution enables it to detect obstacles with 10-per-cent reflectivity at 200 metres, and to clearly identify the outline and shape of small targets from up to that same distance away. This significantly improves the recognition rate at the software level, and reduces the risk of system misclassifications and errors.
Benewake has innovated the scanning and optical transceiver with laser and detector array technology of the Horn platform. Through 2D high-precision scanning technology, 512-line high performance can be achieved without large-scale arrayed light sources and receivers. And the AD2 has digital motor technology from Benewake’s in-house research, to accurately control the speed and moving position of the prism and galvanometer for accurate perception of space. Optimization of the architecture means the unit is small and easy to embed in the car body.
Through an agreement with manufacturing outfit Jabil, Benewake will achieve mass production delivery of 180,000 automotive lidar by the end of 2023. CEO Dr. Yuan Li has said mass production is the threshold that must be crossed for lidar commercialisation.
DVN comment
Benewake was founded in Beijing in 2015. They are a technology company focusing on autonomous driving, CV2X, rail transit, civil aviation, shipping, and industrial applications. Benewake’s business covers 60 countries and regions around the world, and the products are exported all over the world. Their new AD2 lidar will be mass-produced by Jabil in the USA this year, but so far no news about which automakers are looking at buying them.
