SICK’s new sensors will incorporate Aeva’s CoreVision lidar-on-chip module, which houses transmitter, detector and optical processing functions in a fiberless, silicon photonics package. [Image: Aeva]
Expanding on a multi-year partnership, next-generation sensing and perception systems company Aeva Technologies Inc., USA, announced on 2 December that it will make its first deliveries of frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) lidar devices to the German sensor solutions company SICK by July 2025. SICK will use the FMCW tech to power various sensor-based applications that use distance and motion control to automate manufacturing processes.
“We have been working closely with Aeva for several years and are pleased to see their FMCW technology mature for industrial sensing applications,” said Simon Brugger, senior vice president of research and development at SICK.
What it is, how it works
Aeva’s FMCW lidar uses chirped frequencies of light, rather than pulses, to determine the location and velocity of surrounding objects. The technology is best known for its potential to enable self-driving cars, but it could be used for any application that requires devices to scan their environments, such as automated production lines or product defect detection.
In this next-generation form of lidar, low-powered, frequency-chirped laser light at 1550 nm reflects off an object to give the distance of the measurement point as an interferometrically determined frequency shift, while radial velocity is deduced from a Doppler frequency shift.
According to the new announcement, Aeva will provide its CoreVision lidar-on-a-chip technology to SICK, along with digital signal-processing algorithms. SICK will use them to provide micrometer-accurate distance sensing at large stand-off distances and precise velocity detection. SICK sensors are expected to work on a variety of surfaces and across a range of lighting conditions. The two companies did not disclose any specific financial terms or order volumes.
Reducing cost and complexity
According to SICK, Aeva’s technology provides unique perception advantages over other sensing technologies like cameras and legacy 3D lidar sensors.
Advanced lidar is one of several avenues being pursued—along with radar and camera-based systems—to enable autonomous vehicles, although currently not many companies are focused on FMCW. In September 2024, for example, Israel-based firm Mobileye announced its plans to discontinue internal development of the technology.
The move away from FMCW lidar may be partly attributable to the complexity involved in creating tiny sensors that are both reliable and affordable. But the technology’s expected entry into the commercial marketplace, along with Aeva’s growing partnership with major industry player SICK, suggest that could be changing.
“This selection by SICK is a validation of the industry-leading capabilities, versatility and the economies of scale for our FMCW technology,” said Mina Rezk, cofounder and chief technology officer at Aeva. “We are excited about the expansion of our collaboration and the potential for disrupting the multi-billion-dollar precision sensing market together.”
Power partnership
Aeva and SICK first came together in August 2022, when they announced a strategic collaboration to bring Aeva’s signature FMCW 4D lidar technology to a variety of industrial sensing applications. SICK makes sensors, safety systems, machine vision and automatic identification products for applications in factory, logistics and process automation.
According to SICK, Aeva’s technology provides unique perception advantages over other sensing technologies like cameras and legacy 3D lidar sensors, including better dynamic range performance to perceive low- and high-reflectivity targets within the same measurement without edge effects. This allows automated machinery to easily transition from indoor to outdoor operation. Possible outdoor applications could include mining vehicles or logistics cranes that load containers at ports, for example.
SICK says that because Aeva’s technology is immune to blooming and ghosting from retroreflectors, automated machines using the lidar will have clear perception when highly reflective objects such as safety vests, cones and tape are in the sensor’s field of view.
“Every day, many of the world’s leading manufacturers and industrial companies rely on sensors from SICK to automate their factory production processes and ensure their products meet strict quality standards,” said Rezk.