AUTONOMY SENSORS
Quanergy predicts market transformation with solid state LiDAR
The LiDAR market is set to see a potential divergence in mining with the onset of OPA-based solid state technology versus existing MEMS and Flash technologies . Tony Rigoni , Quanergy Director of Industrial Markets told IM : “ I think we are going to see more LiDAR adoption in mining . Of course , the challenge to date in its use in mobile mining equipment has been the conditions – vibration , shock and dust . And this remains the LiDAR Achilles heel in mining – it has a rotational mechanical turret , there are bearings , so there are eventually going to be failures and typically these LiDARs are having to be replaced as often as every few months . The holy grail in mining LiDAR is using solid state technology with no mechanical parts – ultrareliable plus eliminating wear , misalignment and recalibration needs – and that ’ s what all the mining equipment OEMs and the mines themselves want . When it reaches production at scale is will also significantly bring down LiDAR cost as it is based on a silicon chip .”
Quanergy says it is the only provider that is in advanced development of a 100 % CMOS silicon , solid state LiDAR based on optical phased array ( OPA ) technology . It is already the result of eight years and over $ 100 million of investment in silicon photonics technology with all key silicon components developed in-house leveraging Quanergy ’ s photonics and ASIC design team . Rigoni described LiDAR is the optical analogue of phased array radar – a technology that has achieved low cost , large scale commercial deployment in the automotive radar market .
“ We are the only LiDAR company that has commercialised OPA technology for people counting applications . The outdoor range performance is also very rapidly improving for the mobility market . Last year our LiDARs were reaching 15 m in full sunlight , in July we announced 100 m and by end-2021 we predict 200 m at 10 % reflectivity , meaning we can see a very ‘ dark ’ object at 200 m . Thanks to this performance , our solid state technology will be able to provide the range and reliability for autonomous mobile mining equipment – and that will be a game changer .”
Rigoni said it is not new to mining and that it already has safety related mechanical LiDAR running underground at several mining operations in South America but that these are still covered by NDAs . And it is now in discussions with these and other customers plus the big mining equipment OEMs about application of its OPA solid state tech .
He agrees that sensor fusion is coming but that it needs to get more focused . “ The challenge today is that there is still too much data from all the sensors whether GPS , radar , LiDAR , cameras – all being delivered at once . Our new products are edge computing based . We only want the point cloud data if the truck ‘ sees ’ something that needs to be interpreted – AI and pattern recognition – so that the data that is delivered only when its needed . Quanergy is also differentiated as one of very few LiDAR manufacturers to commercially produce an integrated software and hardware platform solution , enabling an entirely new level of smart awareness . LiDAR sensors use lasers that send pulses that reflect off objects to measure directly the distance and shape , creating a detailed 3D map of the physical world . However , in order to perceive what these objects are and where they are located additional technology is needed to interpret the 3D data from the sensor .” Quanergy says its QORTEX software has been developed to accomplish this feat with high accuracy and ensures “ a flexible , modular and scalable approach to deploying LiDAR-enabled applications .”
Tony Rigoni , Quanergy Director of Industrial Markets
robust , capable models we see today .”
He agrees that sensor fusion is key to automated systems , combining the strengths of a number of systems . “ A good example of this is camera and radar , which when combined provide a very strong sensor suite for the mining industry . Radar delivers reliable , all weather sensing whilst cameras can detect RGB information ( colour ) and have extremely high angular resolution .”
Adoption of radar for mission critical applications is rising . Radars from companies like Navtech are now being used to protect airports and other high value sites around the world , along with becoming key technology enablers to making the world ’ s highways safer . “ In all these applications it is critical that the system is available all the time and in any weather condition , a reliability not ensured by other sensors such as cameras and lasers . This need to rely on the data from sensors puts pressure on other industries to adopt radar for times when it is most needed .”
Wood adds : “ Radar ’ s ability to detect long range stable objects in all weather conditions makes it a valuable sensor for autonomous mining fleets . Navtech has found that rather than trying to treat the radar data like it has come from a laser which has been the traditional approach – a far more powerful method is to include as much of that radar information as possible in autonomy . To take full advantage of this complex data rich sensor , super-fast and low energy intelligent algorithms are utilised .”
Early 24 GHz radars from the automotive industry do not provide enough valuable data for advanced automation task , limiting the benefits of automation . Modern 77 GHz Imaging Radars advance safety and productivity in mining automation . Autonomous systems must be available anytime and in all weather conditions . “ Therefore , imaging radars such as the Navtech radar are key to the strategy of the next generation of autonomous mining fleets .”
Recent development by companies like Navtech ' s Terran360 Wood says show the range of applications possible when using radar for automation . “ Not only this , but that radar can ensure the safety of processes far beyond that of a person ’ s capability to do so . From a single Navtech radar the vehicle ’ s position can be provided to centimetre level accuracy . With unrivalled availability , the Navtech solution will work in all-weather and light conditions so a mine site can operate 24 / 7 safely and efficiently . For GPS-denied autonomous fleets such as underground loaders , this technology can replace laser and camera-based localisation systems that are prone to performance degradation caused by constant dust and debris exposure . Whilst for overground fleets this technology can provide an alternative to existing GPS systems where performance could be compromised such as when near walls or at the bottom of pits . By increasing the availability of these systems to perform everywhere , every time , mine operators can reap the benefits of increased productivity and safety whilst autonomous fleet manufacturers can gain the competitive edge .”
Sanmina to mass produce AEye ’ s LiDAR for industry
One of the other high performance LiDAR majors , AEye , recently announced that Sanmina Corporation , a leading integrated manufacturing solutions company that manufactures some of the world ’ s most complex and innovative electronic , optical and mechanical products , will begin production of AEye ’ s 4Sight M LiDAR sensor for industrial and mobility markets in September . The transfer from AEye ’ s pilot line in Dublin , California to Sanmina ’ s commercial production lines will take place over the next few months , as the company prepares for volume production .
AEye says its “ uniquely intelligent ” LiDAR
International Mining | SEPTEMBER 2021