As autonomous vehicle makers continue to work on systems that can create a self-driving future, improving lidar will be paramount to their success. VIAVI today launched new bandpass optical filters for lidar systems that improve how self-driving and driver-assist systems accurately sense and react to their surrounding environments.

VIAVI will display the optical filters at its booth (#35) during the AutoSens Conference in Brussels, Belgium, being held today through Sept. 20. The company said it will show how optical filters are adapting to take on the challenges of lidar systems, including:

• Inoperability in high ambient light conditions
• Insufficient light capture
• Stringent durability standards

VIAVI said its optical filters have “mastered the challenges associated with lidar for self-driving car designs,” by filtering the light so signal-to-noise ratio can be significantly improved. The company also said its filters pass rigorous testing for heat soaking, temperature cycling, manufacturability, and MIL-C hardness and adhesion tests.

“The VIAVI OSP business is uniquely positioned to provide one of the best and most sophisticated optical filter technologies for the automotive industry’s mission to adapt lidar systems for vehicles of the future,” said Markus Bilger, product line manager of consumer products at VIAVI, in a press statement. “With a 70-year heritage of rich innovation, VIAVI will continue to gain momentum in its role as being a lead supplier of advanced optical solutions.”

The company said it has produced more than 1 billion optical filters since 2012. In addition to showing filters for lidar for external measurements, VIAVI will demonstrate how manufacturers can integrate optical filter technology into external and interior-sensing systems on self-driving car designs. The company said it expects that beginning in 2020, lidar systems will be “an integral part of Class 4 vehicles arriving on the market that offer fully autonomous capabilities.”