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Analog Devices (ADI) has collaborated with leading sensor solutions expert, First Sensor AG, to develop products enabled with autonomous sensing technology. The offerings would be aimed at serving the unmanned automotive, aerial and underwater vehicles in transportation, smart agriculture, industrial manufacturing and other industries.

As part of the collaboration, ADI and First Sensor are developing offerings that shrink the LIDAR signal chain to enable higher system performance as well as reduce size, weight, power and cost for manufacturers designing sensing and perception technology into their autonomous safety systems. The companies also plan to develop other LIDAR products that will serve automotive and industrial manufacturing applications.

And according to ADI, the first step in the collaboration will be to optimize ADI’s industry leading transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) with First Sensor’s avalanche photodiodes (APDs) so that they can offer customers more powerful and efficient LIDAR solutions, and better support the mass commercial launch of LIDAR systems into the autonomous transportation market.

For more than 25 years, Analog Devices has been developing sensor technology for transportation safety. Recent developments include multi-channel TIAs specifically designed to convert wide dynamic range photocurrent into a low-impedance voltage signal. First Sensor also has more than 25 years of experience manufacturing LIDAR APDs, which are highly sensitive detector arrays that convert light into photocurrent. Optimizing the interconnection between the APDs and TIAs is critical as it significantly influences the noise floor and bandwidth achieved. Improvements in these two parameters directly translate to LIDAR systems which can detect objects at longer range and with higher precision.

LIDAR is a growth driver for First Sensor. The company is preparing for the requirements of volume production with forward integration and an accelerated cost roadmap in line with its strategy for profitable growth. First Sensor and Analog Devices will each offer a common evaluation board with which system manufacturers can test the combined solution. This cooperation with First Sensor marks Analog Devices’ next phase in implementing its Drive360 autonomous driving solutions strategy. ADI’s Drive360 suite of technologies leverages ADI’s core competencies in high performance MEMS, RF/mmWave, and photonics/optics technologies, allowing the company to provide the automotive industry with holistic solutions and be a dedicated partner for highly automated and autonomous driving technology needs.