Laser Beam Scanning LiDAR: MEMS-Driven 3D Sensing Automotive Applications from the Interior to the Exterior

Don’t just think outside the box.
See outside the box.
Laser Beam Scanning LiDAR: MEMS-Driven 3D Sensing
Automotive Applications from the Interior to the Exterior
Jari Honkanen
(Jari_Honkanen@MicroVision.com)
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarihonkanen)
Rev. 1.0; Nov 9, 2017

11/14/20172 MICROVISION, INC. COPYRIGHT 2016. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Agenda
• Introduction
• What is a 3D Depth Sensor?
• Automotive Applications Utilizing 3D Depth Sensors
• Exterior 3D Depth Sensor Technologies
• Interior 3D Depth Sensor Technologies
• MEMS-Driven Laser Beam Scanning (LBS) Technology
• MEMS
• HUD and LiDAR
• Future MEMS-Driven Scanning LiDAR Opportunities
• Conclusion – Path to Autonomous Vehicles

3 MICROVISION, INC. COPYRIGHT 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.11/14/2017
3D Depth Sensor – what is it?
 3D sensors allow devices to observe the
environment in 3 dimensions
 3D imagers measure distance for every pixel
within detection field.
Number of
measurements
within detection
field of view
Depth
Sensor/Imager
X
Y
Distance,
Z
Depth Map Point Cloud
 3D imagers produce a 2D addressable array, a
depth map, or further a 3-dimensional collection
of points, a point cloud

ADAS Applications utilizing exterior 3D depth sensors
Image Source: Design News, April 2016 Image Source: Continental
Augmented Reality HUD

Automotive Gesture Recognition Applications utilizing
interior 3D depth sensors
Image Source: Continental
• Touchless controls
• Infotainment
• Navigation
• Interior lighting
• Climate control
• Windows
• Driver monitoring
• Driver identification / Facial Recognition
• Gaze detection
• Driver awareness
• Head drooping
• Eyes closing

Exterior sensor technologies enabling Vehicles to “see”
Image Source: Delphi
Camera & Stereo Camera
• Camera records video interpreted by computer
vision algorithms. Stereo cameras can be used to
add 3D Depth information.
• Pros: Can distinguish and classify objects, such
as signs, lane markings, traffic lights. May also be
able to classify more complex objects such
as animals and pedestrians.
• Cons: Can only see what camera can
see, challenges in low light or bright
sun light`

Radar
• Car transmits radio waves and interprets the
back reflection from objects
• Pros: Can detect large objects and can easily
calculate speed and distance. Works in all
weather and lighting conditions, day or night.
•
Cons: Cannot distinguish color or differentiate
between objects. All same size objects look the
same.

LiDAR
• Car transmits light pulses and interprets the
back reflection from objects
• Pros: Can detect specific objects and calculate
distance. Can detect lines and edges of the road.
Works during day and in the dark at night,
•
Cons: In inclement weather, the light can reflect
from rain, snow, or fog, reducing the
effectiveness and detection range.

Depth Sensing Key Performance Metrics
Range (z)
Precision (Δz)
Accuracy (|zmeasured – zactual|)
FOV (H◦, V◦)
Resolution(x, y)
Frame Rate (fps)y (#rows)
V◦
H◦
zmeasured
zactual
Δz

Interior Sensor technologies for gesture recognition
TX – Omnidirectional illumination
Rx – Directional 1:1 mapping of solid angle
TX – Directional analog sweep of stimulus
Rx – Omnidirectional
Flash
Image forming optic
Image sensor
(e.g., 640 x 480 ToF Imager)
Scanner
Si PIN PD (or) APD (or) SiPM
IR LED/LD
ToF Imager based depth sensing Scanning LiDAR based depth sensing

11 11/14/2017 MICROVISION, INC. COPYRIGHT 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Spatial or Angular Resolution of a sensor is
its ability to resolve features or details of a
target.
Ex: Minimum required spatial resolution
based on anthropometric data:
• Ears on side of head : 3.2 mm
• Fingers relaxed/spaced : 3 mm
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HeadAnthropometry.JPG
Spatial Resolution Requirements

MEMS-Driven
Laser Beam Scanning (LBS)
Technology

Laser Beam Scanning Bi-axial MEMS Mirror Platform
Flexures
PZRs
Coil
Mirror
~Φ1mm

SLOW SCAN AXIS
(Vertical）
FAST SCAN AXIS
(Horizontal）
Laser Beam Scanning Technology - MEMS

Laser Beam
Laser Beam Scanning Technology – MEMS Horizontal Scan

Laser Beam Scanning Technology – MEMS Vertical Scan

Coil Vertical
Drive Input
(Ramp Drive)
Magnetic Field
Laser Beam Scanning Technology – MEMS Electromagnetic Actuation

Coil Horizontal
Drive Input
(Sinusoidal drive)
Fast scan resonant scanner
f = 26.5 ～ 29.0 kHz
Magnetic Field
Laser Beam Scanning Technology – MEMS Electromagnetic Actuation

Red laser
Green laserBlue laser
2D MEMS
Micro mirror
How PicoP® Scanning Technology Works for HUD Displays
A single MEMS
scanning mirror
in an extremely tiny,
low power package

2D MEMS
Micro mirror
IR laser
IR Photodetector
How PicoP® Scanning Technology Works for Depth Sensing
• X,Y location of object known because of
knowledge of MEMS pointing angle. No
computation required.
• Z determined by Time-of-Flight

IR laser
MEMS-Driven LBS LiDAR:
Dynamic Programmable Resolution and Frame rate
IR Photodiode
IR laser
IR Photodiode
IR laser
IR Photodiode
128×720 @60Hz 256×720 @30Hz 384×720 @20HzReturn delay +
Analog chain
relaxation time

1 2 3
1 2 3
Optical bandpass filter
(Each PD sensitive to 1 λ)
MEMS-Driven LBS LiDAR:
High Definition Depth Sensing
IR Laser Diodes
2D MEMS
Example IR λs:
830 nm, 885 nm, 940 nm
IR Photodiodes
Detect
2048×1080 @ 7.5Hz
384×720 @ 60Hz

Future MEMS-Driven Scanning LiDAR
for Automotive Applications

Today’s LiDARs: Autonomous Vehicle Prototypes
• Single long-range LIDAR
• Typically mounted on the roof of the car
• Environmental mapping and modeling
Today’s Representative LIDAR Specs
• Range: 100 – 150m
• FOV: 360° x 30°
• Data rate: 300k – 2.2M points/sec
• Frame rate: 5 – 20Hz
• Horizontal Resolution: 900 – 3,600
• Vertical Resolution: 16 – 64
• Price: $5K - $80K

Future Opportunity: Mid-Range Exterior LiDAR
• Multiple cost effective mid-range LIDARs for performing
different functions
• High resolution point cloud
• Multiple sensors for redundancy and safety
Mid-Range LIDAR Target Specs
• Range: 10-15m
• FOV: 90° x 30°
• Measurement rate: 5.5M points/sec
• Frame rate: 30Hz
• Horizontal Resolution: 512
• Vertical Resolution: 360
Blind Spot Detection
Blind Spot Detection
Rear collision warning
Parking Assist
Curb Detection
Stop and GoLane Assist and
Departure warning

Future Opportunity: Short-Range Interior LiDAR
• High resolution point cloud for gesture recognition
and driver monitoring
Short-Range LIDAR Target Specs
• Range: 0.2-2m
• FOV: 90° x 50°
• Measurement rate: 16.5M points/sec
• Frame rate: 30Hz
• Horizontal Resolution: 768
• Vertical Resolution: 720
Image Source: SAE.org

MEMS-Driven Scanning LiDAR Benefits
Cost Effective
(Re-uses mature LBS
technology)
Enables use of multiple
and redundant sensors
High
Resolution
(~5.5M – 16.5M
points/sec)
Ability to resolve small
features
Small Size
(Thin)
Enables new class of
form factors
Dynamic
(Programmable
Resolution and Frame
Rate)
Adapt latency and
fidelity to the
application or driving
situation

Conclusion – Path to Autonomous
Vehicles
Image Source: Wired, August 2017

Challenges ahead for Autonomous Vehicles
• Vehicle innovations tend to be realized more slowly than other technological advances due to their
high costs, slow fleet turnover and strict safety requirements. Technical obstacles that need to be
addressed:
• Software reliability
• Car’s sensing and navigation systems susceptibility to different types of weather conditions
or deliberate interference (jamming and spoofing)
• Securing car’s central computer from hacking
• Availability to high-quality, accurate, and up to date maps
• Availability of radio spectrum for V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) and V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure)
communications
• Legislation and regulations need to catch up:
• Implementation of legal framework and establishment of government regulations for
autonomous vehicles.
• Insurance, who is liable for accidents of autonomous vehicles?
• Individual perceptions and attitudes need to evolve:
• Resistance by individuals to forfeit control of their cars
• Customer concern about the safety of driverless cars
• Loss of driving-related jobs. Resistance from professional drivers and unions.

But also BIG opportunities …
• The value of cars are shifting from chassis and drivetrain to electronics,
sensors, and software.
-> Large opportunity for Sensors Industry
• And finally, automation in cars can bring significant benefits to the society in
large: reduced accidents and traffic fatalities, less pollution, increased
productivity.
-> Opportunity for Sensor industry to do good and do well at
the same time
• However, designing sensors to meet automotive quality standards can
be challenging
-> Consider automotive requirements from the beginning
• Automotive supply chain can be complex and difficult to penetrate
-> Look to partner with established OEM, Tier 1, or Tier 2
companies (depending on the application)

DON’T JUST THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.
SEE OUTSIDE THE BOX.
© 2017 MICROVISION, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PICOP IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF MICROVISION, INC. ALL OTHER TRADEMARKS ARE
THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

Laser Beam Scanning LiDAR: MEMS-Driven 3D Sensing Automotive Applications from the Interior to the Exterior

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