Nissan test-fitted LiDAR unit helps automakers avoid pedestrian accident
Nissan Motor Co. s prototype automobile equipped with a LiDAR unit stops after detecting a pedestrian model on April 18 in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. Junichi Kamiyama Automakers are trying to lower costs for next-generation sensors that are expected to make self-driving vehicles safer on the streets.
A light detection and ranging system called a LiDAR uses laser light to precisely scan the shapes and locations of objects surrounding the vehicle.
LiDAR is the eye for automatically operated cars because of the technology's cognitive capability is higher than those of cameras and conventional radar sensors, which are based on radio waves.
The LiDAR will be used by all automakers because it can prevent accidents that may still occur with existing technology, said Kazuo Shimizu, a journalist who is familiar with automatically operated automobiles. One hurdle to widespread use will be how to cut production costs while ensuring the safety of the system. A LiDAR device can cost more than 1 million yen $7,700 to produce.
Nissan is working with Luminar Technologies Inc., a U.S. startup, to develop a highly accurate LiDAR that can detect things 300 meters or more ahead.
They said their technology can reproduce the forms and positions of obstacles with the precision seen in data prepared for 3 - D printers.
They said that the computation control feature has been improved to allow LiDAR-equipped vehicles to respond quickly to events that occur over the wide area.
Even in unmapped zones, the LiDAR device will allow automobiles to operate even in high-precision maps, which are necessary for driverless vehicles to run correct routes.
On April 18 Nissan held a demonstration of its LiDAR-equipped test vehicle in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The car has a LiDAR unit on its roof, as well as seven radars and 10 cameras to improve its data-collecting accuracy.
When another automobile jutted out of a road shoulder, the trial model shifted to the right lane to avoid the danger. It stopped safely when a pedestrian suddenly appeared.
LiDAR also recognized a distant wooden pallet on the road and automatically changed lanes.
A Nissan representative said that the vehicle's LiDAR instantly recognizes objects, enabling it to deal with multiple developments.
Sony Group Corp., Toshiba Corp. and Denso Corp., both of which are affiliated with Toyota Motor Corp., have begun developing LiDAR.
The system has only been adopted for pricey models because more than 1 million yen is needed to make a standard LiDAR unit.
Toyota put LiDAR on its luxury model, Lexus and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle.
Honda Motor Co. installed five LiDAR units on the self-driving Legend sedan, which costs 11 million yen after tax. The production of the Legend ended last year.
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Inc. is not relying on LiDAR. It is refining a camera-based mechanism to scan the surroundings.