Autonomous and electrically powered vehicle solutions provider dSPACE (Paderborn, Germany) and LeddarTech (Quebec City, QC, Canada), which develops level 1-5 advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving sensing technology, have entered into a partnership to jointly drive forward the development of lidar technologies for autonomous driving. The close cooperation will enable the two companies to provide high-precision simulation models and interfaces for lidar sensors, enabling OEMs and suppliers to integrate lidar innovations into ready-for-application solutions faster.
The cooperation will support the emulation of new LeddarTech laser sensors in simulation solutions at an early development stage. Moreover, dSPACE will provide simulation models for testing and validation, as well as the sensor simulation environment for validating camera, lidar, and radar sensors throughout the development process, accelerating customers’ projects.
The dSPACE simulation solution generates point clouds in real time to simulate objects. The simulation models help determine the most-effective positioning of the sensor on the vehicle (sweet spot), as well as the sensor limits (corner cases). LeddarTech will be able to seamlessly incorporate dSPACE’s sensor models into its development projects.
“This partnership will enable our customers to accurately and quickly perform validation tasks for lidar applications,” states Christopher Wiegand, Product Manager at dSPACE. “Without reliable simulations, automated driving systems (SAE Levels 3-5) cannot be achieved.”
“Enabling the validation of environmental sensors material properties and weather condition is crucial in simulations,” explains Michael Poulin, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Development at LeddarTech. “LeddarTech and dSPACE will work together on (further) developing and modeling sensor-specific environmental effects; e.g., rain, fog, spray, etc.”