Another lidar acquisition: ADI acquires Vescent beam-steering technology

Dec. 6, 2016

ADI acquired solid-state laser beam steering technology from Vescent Photonics for more robust lidar systems.

On the heels of related light detection and ranging (lidar) acquisitions, Analog Devices (ADI; Norwood, MA) acquired solid-state laser beam steering technology from Vescent Photonics (Golden, CO) to enable more robust integrated lidar systems that overcome many of the major drawbacks associated with today's bulky mechanical offerings such as reliability, size, and cost. ADI says the acquisition strengthens its position as a major automotive safety system technology partner for next-generation advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications and builds on ADI's 20-year history in advancing automotive safety.

RELATED LIDAR ACQUISITIONS AND FUNDING:

Infineon acquires lidar-maker Innoluce to strengthen autonomous vehicle market position

Ford and Baidu lead $150M investment in Velodyne lidar for self-driving cars

Innoviz $9M funding targets $100 autonomous vehicle lidar by 2018

Quanergy raises $90M to fund autonomous life-saving lidar technology

"From inertial MEMS sensors used in airbag and electronic stability control applicationsto 24 GHz and 77 GHz automotive RADAR, ADI solutions have helped save lives for over two decades," said Chris Jacobs, general manager of Automotive Safety, Analog Devices. "And now, this innovative technology will play an important role in making LIDAR systems more compact, more robust, and an affordable feature in every new car worldwide."

Today's ADAS systems must rely on a suite of sensor technologies that include cameras, RADAR, and lidar to effectively provide advanced safety features such as forward collision warning, blind spot detection, pedestrian detection, and autonomous driving functions. Scanning LIDAR systems can be used to detect objects on or near the roadway and fill the blind spots known to exist when using RADAR & cameras.

Vescent Photonics, a privately held company founded in 2002, specializes in developing and manufacturing electro-optics, tunable lasers, and electronics for precision laser control.

SOURCE: Analog Devices; http://www.analog.com/en/about-adi/news-room/press-releases/2016/11-17-2016-adi-acquires-laser-beam-technology.html

About the Author

Gail Overton | Senior Editor (2004-2020)

Gail has more than 30 years of engineering, marketing, product management, and editorial experience in the photonics and optical communications industry. Before joining the staff at Laser Focus World in 2004, she held many product management and product marketing roles in the fiber-optics industry, most notably at Hughes (El Segundo, CA), GTE Labs (Waltham, MA), Corning (Corning, NY), Photon Kinetics (Beaverton, OR), and Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA). During her marketing career, Gail published articles in WDM Solutions and Sensors magazine and traveled internationally to conduct product and sales training. Gail received her BS degree in physics, with an emphasis in optics, from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA in May 1986.