Like other major OEMs and car manufacturers, Valeo has decided to reduce its in-person presence at CES 2022. The press conference will now be held virtually on CES Press Day (Jan. 4th) at 9 AM PT.
One of the top leaders in the ADAS market, Valeo will showcase its latest LiDAR technologies during the show.
Valeo third-generation scanning LiDAR
A month ago, Valeo announced its brand new third-generation scanning LiDAR, a key technology that enables ADAS and autonomous driving. Today, Valeo’s laser-based scanning LiDAR 3rd Gen is making its debut at CES before hitting the market in 2024 (watch the video above, LiDAR demo movie starts at 1 min 39).
According to the company, the laser allows the new LiDAR to detect objects located at 200+ meters from the sensors, invisible to the human eye, cameras, and radars. The LiDAR adapts to all light conditions, from extremely bright to pitch black. Furthermore, the innovative detection system is able to measure the density of raindrops to calculate the right braking distance on wet roads.
Valeo, which designs the entire system (hardware, software, and associated AI), claims that its 3rd-gen LiDAR reconstructs a 3D real-time image of the car’s surroundings with a computing power of 4.5 million pixels per second and a 25 fps frame rate. Compared to the previous generation, the resolution is 12 times higher, the range is 3 times larger and the viewing angle is 2.5 times wider.
The Valeo LiDAR algorithms manage emergency situations autonomously by predicting surrounding vehicles’ trajectories and triggering maneuvers to prevent collisions. Just like some of the competitive ADAS technologies, the new Valeo LiDAR Gen 3 powers autonomous driving level 2 and above, including on the highway at speeds up to 130 km/h.
What sets Valeo apart from its competitor and market pioneer, Velodyne, is its ability to mass-produce a scanning LiDAR at an industrial scale. In early 2021, due to Velodyne’s mass production issues, Hyundai reportedly switched to Valeo’s LiDAR for its level 3 autonomous Genesis G90 vehicle, despite having invested over $54.3 million in Velodyne.
The tier-one automotive supplier claims to have manufactured over 150,000 units and 99% of cars equipped with a scanning LiDAR scanner worldwide are equipped with a Valeo scanning LiDAR.
Today, the competitive battle in the LiDAR industry focuses on cost reduction, with a number of key players emerging in recent years, including Robosense, Hesai, Livox, Innoviz, and Luminar Technologies.
Valeo’s new NFL LiDAR with 360°, near field vision
To accompany its long-range sibling, Valeo is launching the Valeo NFL, a LiDAR dedicated to near-field vision. The Valeo NFL aims at equipping droids and robotaxis with near-field 360°, computer vision that creates a safety sphere around the vehicle. The autonomous devices will be able to navigate their surroundings while steering clear of pedestrians, animals, and other obstacles.
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