Keysight Technologies extends its autonomous driving validation portfolio with the introduction of the E8717A Lidar Target Simulator. This innovative solution is set to redefine lidar sensor testing for autonomous vehicles, offering new standards in efficiency, accuracy, and automation.
What’s Happening
Keysight Technologies, Inc. is taking its renowned portfolio of autonomous driving validation test solutions a step further. The firm is launching the E8717A Lidar Target Simulator (LTS), a groundbreaking innovation designed to assist carmakers and lidar sensor manufacturers in testing and validating lidar sensors for autonomous vehicles (AV).
Why It Matters
Lidar, initially employed in fields like meteorology and topography, is gaining traction as an automotive sensing technology. This sensor allows AVs to “see” and safely maneuver through intricate driving scenarios. However, as with radar-based systems, there is a pressing need to ensure that lidar systems are reliable and promptly detect objects, which is crucial for the proper functioning of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) before their commercial deployment. Current sensor testing practices require large floor spaces and traditional target boards, and the industry is grappling with reducing sensor costs and scaling to mass production.
Key Points
The E8717A Lidar Target Simulator from Keysight offers a solution to these challenges. It simulates test targets at defined distances and reflectivity within a compact, standardized bench setup, thereby streamlining and expediting the testing, validation, and production process of automotive lidar sensors.
The notable features of Keysight’s LTS include a compact bench setup that covers large distances and simulates surface reflectivity, powerful testing software that generates insightful analytics for design and performance improvements, and an automated test setup powered by Keysight PathWave Test Executive for Manufacturing for test automation.
Thomas Goetzl, Vice President and General Manager for Keysight’s Automotive & Energy Solutions, commented, “Keysight sees an exciting role that lidar can play in enabling autonomous vehicles to navigate more accurately with an extra sensor that complements cameras and radars.”
Bottom Line
Keysight is ushering in a new era of lidar sensor testing for autonomous vehicles with the E8717A Lidar Target Simulator. This game-changing solution brings standardization, efficiency, and automation to lidar sensor testing, offering a scalable manufacturing test solution. The company will demonstrate the E8717A Lidar Target Simulator’s capabilities at the Automotive Testing Expo Europe 2023 in Stuttgart, Germany.
