New Lidar Firmware v1.12: Retroreflector Fixes, Corrected IMU Axis Directions

Stop sign
Photo credit: http://hashtag-bg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/stop-collaborate-and-listen-resume-stop-anchor-marketing-design.jpg

We’re happy to announce the release of the latest update to our sensor firmware, version 1.12 (click here to download).

Here’s what’s new in v1.12:

Retroreflector Fixes

The most substantial change with v1.12 is in how our sensors react to retroreflectors. Prior to v1.12, when our sensors encountered retroreflectors (most commonly in the form of street signs), we were finding two issues: (1 – “Range Bias”) retroreflective objects would appear 20-40cm closer to the sensor than their true distance, and (2 -”Blooming”) false positives occurred in the data around the edges of retroreflectors.

We are pleased to report we have corrected both issues. You’ll see the point clouds generally, and specifically street signs, are much clearer and cleaner (if you look carefully in the gif below you can see what types of sign they are) as a result of the update.

Here’s the full 20 second clip with the 1.10 firmware:

And here’s the same driving route with the new 1.12 firmware update:

Corrected IMU Axis Directions to Match Lidar Sensor Coordinate Frame

We have flipped the signs on our IMU data so that the coordinates coming from the internal IMU match the coordinates coming from the lidar sensor. There are no changes to the IMU or lidar sensor themselves.

*One additional note: once you have upgraded to v1.12, you will not be able to downgrade your sensor back to a prior firmware version.