What is LiDAR Sensor SoC : Top Manufacturers

A LiDAR Sensor SoC (System on Chip) integrates signal processing, laser control, data acquisition, and computational functions onto a single semiconductor platform. These chips enable compact, energy efficient, and high performance LiDAR systems used in autonomous vehicles, smart infrastructure, industrial automation, robotics, and environmental monitoring applications. The popular manufacturers of Lidar sensor SoCs include Ouster, LeddarTech and RoboSense.

Introduction to LiDAR

LiDAR is an optical sensing technique used to determine the range of distant objects along with other parameters.

LIDAR stands for LIght Detection And Ranging. It uses NIR (near infrared) and VL (visible light) frequencies to image targets.

Figure: Generic LiDAR Block Diagram

The figure above depicts a generic LiDAR block diagram. It consists of a laser emitter, photodetector, and digital data processing circuits.

LiDAR has numerous applications, including military, transportation, geology, robotics, astronomy, meteorology, and agriculture.

Example: Ouster, Inc.

Ouster, Inc. develops digital Lidar solutions used as sensors to provide 3D vision to vehicles, machines, robots, and more. The L2X chip delivers twice the signal processing power and twice the data output per pixel with a smaller size and lower power consumption.

The L2X is the latest in the CMOS SoC (System on a Chip) series. The on-chip SPAD detectors count about one trillion photons per second.

It outputs about 5.2 million points per second using signal processing capabilities. This lidar sensor can provide high-quality data under high levels of vibration, shock, water, dust, and solar interference.

Manufacturers of Lidar SoC

The following table lists Lidar SoC vendors and manufacturers.

Company	Description
Ouster, Inc., SAN FRANCISCO, US	L2X digital lidar chip • Visit Website: ouster.com for more information
LeddarTech Inc. Canada	Model: LCA2 LeddarCore SoC Features/specifications: 48 Input channels, Quad SPI Data, up to 48K waveforms per second, 200 meters instrumented range etc. Application: Used in automatic and other applications for object detection/distance measurement. • Visit Website: leddartech.com for more information
RoboSense, Shenzhen, China	Model: RS-LiDAR-M1 Features: Automatic grade MEMS LiDAR, 905 nm laser wavelength, 200 m range, +/-5 cm accuracy etc. • Visit Website: www.robosense.ai for more information

Summary

A LiDAR Sensor SoC is an integrated semiconductor solution that processes LiDAR sensing data for object detection and mapping. Leading manufacturers develop LiDAR SoCs for automotive, robotics, industrial, and smart infrastructure applications.