Continental, the Auburn Hills-based autonomous vehicle parts provider, has effectively integrated AEye’s long range autonomous LiDAR driving technology, 10 months since the beginning of their partnership.
The LiDAR system that has now been integrated into vehicles is available for level 2 through 4 level autonomous driving applications and systems.
AEye’s LiDAR solutions support the radar, camera, and ultrasonic technologies in Continental’s sensor system. The upgrades allow for a reliable autonomous driving platform and experience for detecting difficult traffic scenarios and harsh weather conditions.
With Continental’s network of communicating systems to operate a self-driving vehicle, it solidifies its ability to handle situations where the weather conditions may not be ideal; such as low sun, heavy rain, dense fog, and cold or hot temperatures.
Finding a way for mass marketing the system at an affordable price while also making it accessible for all manufactures was one problem that Continental and AEye faced. To overcome it, Continental plans on industrializing the AEye LiDAR technology to mass produce it, therefore allowing the business to make it widely accessible while retaining the quality and affordable price of the technology. Continental plans to manage the entire product life cycle.
For the past 20 years Continental has been introducing new automotive technology to the public while retaining affordable prices. In 1999, it was the emergency assist brake introduced to the market, and last year, it was the high-resolution 3D Flash LiDAR. Both technologies are mass produced and used in the automotive industry.
The two companies have started creating sample vehicles with the integrated system. The samples will act as templates for the incoming productions of the systems at the start of production by 2024. For a smooth production timeline, Continental has already started preparations for build ups for the new autonomous vehicle driving systems.
