Laser scanners for obstacle detection in automotive applications

In the automotive sector, a strong need for external sensors has developed to gather data about the vehicles environment, e.g., for collision avoidance or vehicle guidance. Laser scanners are an ideal choice for a stand-alone sensor system or to supplement an existing system. IBEO has introduced the LD A AF, a sensor being cost-effective and easy to use, while offering long range and high precision. This sensor creates a high-resolution image of the surrounding area. The built-in signal processing includes a complete object detection and tracking algorithm. This algorithm converts the measured data into objects with parameters like size and speed. The objects are sent to the host computer via a CAN interface. Several configurable parameters allow an easy adaption to different environmental situations, e.g., indoor or outdoor use with low or high vehicle speeds, and multiple output formats.