SBIR Phase I: Affordable Multi-Wavelength Lidar and Thermal Imager for Autonomous Vehicles

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to provide a low cost Lidar+Thermal camera to the autonomous car market that will eventually enable level 4 and level 5 autonomy. The proposed innovation incorporates both a Lidar and a thermal detector to locate objects but also classify them, as this is the most crucial aspect of autonomous vehicles. The dual polarity Lidar+Thermal photodetector solves a few major issues in the current Lidar industry. First, current Lidars have to use advanced algorithms to classify the objects, whereas a Lidar+Thermal detector can easily distinguish between animate and inanimate objects, while continuing to establish their location. This is done due to the drastic heat signature of animate objects. Second, the dual polarity detector is able to detect and locate hazards on the road such as snow or puddles, which is vital if autonomous vehicles are used in northern regions. In addition, the frame rate of the Flash Lidar+Thermal is up to 200 Frames per second, which will drastically reduce smearing effects and allow for driving at speeds of 70+ MPH. Lastly, the high thermal resolution of the camera will ensure operation in bad weather conditions including fog and rain. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will provide a proof-of-concept of the dual polarity Lidar+Thermal detector. An array of 32x32 pixels will demonstrate that in one polarity, a thermal hot-mid-wave image and in the other polarity the pixels will operate in a time-of-flight mode for Flash Lidar operation. The pixel?s spectral response will range from 500nm up to 3.5?m in the Lidar mode. Characterization of the detector array will use the eye-safe 1550nm laser. The goal is to show a 200m Lidar operation with a high resolution of a few centimeters and thermal imaging with a thermal sensitivity of 4mK. The transition to Phase II will include an array size of 1000x500 with 10?m pixel pitch. The detector will be evaluated outdoors to demonstrate the detection of animate objects, snow and puddles and will be tested under fog conditions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.