Lidar sensors for autonomous driving

We present an overview of autonomous driving with examples of real world problems. Core to this technology are lidar sensors. Lidar provides three dimensional maps with depth perception on targets with a range of reflectivity in a scene. Sensors need to provide high angular resolution, large field of view, and low latency. We review different lidar technologies and discuss the tradeoffs with laser performance. In particular, we discuss the implications on output power, short pulse operation, and etendue for high power semiconductor lasers.