Koito and Quanergy to Collaborate on Advanced Driver Headlights With Solid-State Lidar Sensors

Automotive headlight manufacturer Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and lidar sensor provider Quanergy Systems Inc. will be collaborating to design an advanced automotive headlight concept with built-in, solid-state lidar sensors. “We are excited to be working with Koito on this groundbreaking headlight,” said Louay Eldada, Quanergy CEO. “We believe that headlights with integrated lidar sensors will help accelerate the commercialization of cars with autonomous driving capability and will help reinvent the driving experience.”

The headlights, which will be located on the corners of a vehicle, incorporate two compact Quanergy S3 solid-state lidars that perform sensing forward and to the side, providing real-time, long-range 3D views of the environment around the vehicle and the ability to recognize and track objects. The sensors are seamlessly embedded inside the headlights and do not protrude or alter the exterior look of the headlights or the vehicle. Additionally, the headlight protects the sensors from dust, dirt and water, and headlight lens washers can be used to help ensure an unobstructed view for the sensors.

The lidars embedded in the headlights have the function of primary sensors in advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicle systems. As primary sensors, the lidars are used for perception, mapping, localization, occupancy grid detection, path planning and navigation.

Koito is a developer of lighting equipment and components for the transportation industry, which includes automobiles, aviation, railways, shipping and traffic systems. Quanergy is a developer of lidar sensors and software for the capture and processing of 3D spatial data, and object detection, tracking and classification.