Headlamp Lidar Boost for Driverless Vehicle Design

Buried under a raft of technological debuts at this year’s Beijing auto show is a development that makes a huge change to future autonomous vehicle design: headlamp-mounted lidar systems.

Italian automotive electronics company Marelli partners with lidar specialist Hesai to showcase their system hidden inside the headlamps of a vehicle fitted with Level 2 and above automated driving capabilities and raises the prospect for designers to ditch unsightly sensor pods from vehicle roofs.

This uniquely integrated system combines Hesai’s new ATX lidar into Marelli’s top-draw automotive lighting while claiming optimal object detection and enhancing overall vehicle safety, without impacting vehicle aesthetics or aerodynamics, and at an affordable cost. The ATX lidar is compact enough to fit inside the headlamps thanks to being nearly 60% smaller than previous systems.

Marelli has produced two customized options to meet the various preferences of different automotive brands to fit both cost-effective and luxury car models. One obvious advantage of headlamp lidars is the ability to keep the sensors clean using the vehicle’s own lamp self-cleaning systems to cope with all weather conditions.

Peter Cao, head of Marelli Automotive lighting and sensing business in APAC, says, “By combining our expertise in headlamp design with Hesai's industry-leading lidar safety technology, we have co-created a truly integrated solution that elevates safety, style and simplifies option management for future vehicles.”