When the domestic replacement of lidar is carried out!
| new strategy
Lidar is a radar system in which the detection signal is transmitted to the target, and then the received signal reflected back from the target (target echo) is compared with the transmitted signal to obtain information about the target.
At present, lidar is widely used in various fields such as unmanned driving, robotics, drones, AR/VR, 3D printing, and marine engineering. In the field of robotics, continental service robots have basically realized the domestic substitution of lidar, but in terms of industrial application robots (AGV/AMR), due to accuracy requirements, the currently used lidar is mostly foreign brands, and there is still a long way to go from realizing domestic substitution.
Founded in 2014, Xingsong Robot is an independent innovation enterprise specializing in the design, production, sales and provision of AGV vehicle motion control solutions, and is also the earliest enterprise in China to enter the core control field of AGV vehicles. Since its inception, Xingsong Robot has been determined to promote the localization of lidar and achieved good results. At present, the lidar of Xingsong Robot has been very maturely applied in the fields of obstacle avoidance protection of mobile robots, area protection of mechanical equipment operation, and path navigation of mobile robots.
From obstacle avoidance to navigation, the song is deeply layered
In the process of moving the robot from point A to point B, obstacle avoidance and navigation are two indispensable modules. Xingsong robots from obstacle avoidance laser mines to navigation lidar, is gradually expanding their camp.
In the early days, Xingsong robots were mainly based on obstacle avoidance type lidar. The main products are SE series 270 TOF laser sensors. According to Luo Min, director of xingsong robot marketing center, the minimum angle resolution of this series of laser sensors is 0.1, and the farthest detection distance is 10m (90% reflectance); up to 64 selection channels, each channel contains 3 area protection, support sensor Error output; support 3 switching signal output, output NO/NC configurable, optional PNP output; Micro-USB connection configuration, visual debugging interface; provide perfect software function configuration.
After the series of products was launched on the market, it was widely recognized by customers, and subsequently, Xingsong Robot began the research of navigation lidar and launched related products in 2020. Its LE series laser sensor 360 ° two-dimensional detection and 50 meters detection radius can cover most of the applications, the use of high-speed optical communication technology can achieve fast and stable transmission of data, 200KHZ industry-leading measurement frequency, up to 0.018 ° angle resolution, can realize the mobile robot navigation and obstacle avoidance function two-in-one.
From obstacle avoidance to navigation, what are the considerations of Xingsong robots? What happened in the middle? Here Luo Min said: From the market point of view, the demand for mobile robots for obstacle avoidance lidar is far greater than that of navigation lidar, the proportion of the two is about 8:1, coupled with the development of foreign lidar enterprises for a long time, product performance is relatively stable, in terms of navigation positioning, customers are more inclined to use foreign brands, domestic brands are not strong.
Therefore, in this context, Xingsong Robot chose to start with obstacle avoidance lidar and then gradually expand to navigation lidar. "From obstacle avoidance laser to navigation lidar, it is not only conducive to the rapid accumulation of capital and market expansion in the early stage, but also conducive to polishing technology in the later stage and forming technical barriers," Luo Min said.
In addition, Luo Min also said that the transition from obstacle avoidance lidar to navigation lidar is not an easy task and requires a long period of accumulation. "In the beginning, when we launched the obstacle avoidance lidar, the customer would only buy a few to test, and only after the performance was fully up to standard, the purchase quantity would be increased. Now the same is true for navigation lidar, customers have increased the demand for use, I believe that the future will gradually adopt domestic brands. ”
After the SE series and LE series have been introduced to the market, in 2021, Xingsong has launched the latest HE series -320 ° TOF laser sensor and a newly upgraded DE series laser obstacle avoidance sensor.
Luo Min introduced, HE series laser sensor is a small volume high-performance laser navigation sensor, the maximum scanning angle of 320 °, with a maximum measurement radius of 30 meters, the minimum angle resolution of 0.025 °, the sensor is equipped with a high-resolution LED display, support a variety of status information real display, support for the object surface noise filter level settings, can make the small AGV / AMR get more stable and more realistic point cloud data. "This product is specially launched for small AMRs and service robots, and the 320° scanning angle will be more fault tolerant than similar products with a 270° scanning angle on the market."
DE series laser obstacle avoidance sensor is a cost-effective product launched by Xingsong in 2021, "It is the smallest rotating multi-line scanning lidar at present, mainly for some occasions where the requirements for obstacle avoidance are not so high, and there is a great advantage in price." ”
Capacity improvement, Xingsong three steps to ensure quality
At the same time as the series of products have been launched, with the continuous advancement of the business, in order to better meet the needs of customers for mass procurement, Xingsong is also continuously improving its lidar production capacity.
"With the existing resource allocation, our planned production capacity next year is 50,000." Luo Min mentioned.
In addition, Luo Min also said that due to the tight supply chain, the price of some lidar raw materials has begun to rise, some have doubled several times, and the delivery cycle is getting longer and longer, which will have a certain impact on the production capacity and price of lidar. However, everything is still within the controllable range, most companies keep the price unchanged, and some also take the initiative to reduce prices.
"For Xingsong, our most important purpose is to maintain market share, if a customer purchases our products in bulk, we can average the risk of rising raw material prices." Although the profit of the individual product will decline, it is still beneficial for the overall market share. After all, increasing the share of products is the ultimate goal we need to achieve." Luo Min said.
From obstacle avoidance laser lightning to navigation lidar, Xingsong Robot is increasing market share through a series of measures to achieve domestic substitution. Among them, capacity and quality are key. So, how to maintain the consistency and stability of lidar on the basis of capacity increase? Here, Luo Min lists three points, which are as follows:
1, strengthen the management of suppliers, the implementation of strict product control of materials, especially non-standard materials, to set up special personnel to monitor the supplier's production and processing process, to ensure that the incoming material is no problem.
2. In terms of product research and development, we will continuously optimize the design, including circuits, machinery and so on. Ensure that the product does not make any mistakes during the assembly test.
3. Strengthen personnel training, in view of the previous problems, it is necessary to meet and summarize every week to ensure that the old can bring the new and the new can be quickly started. In addition, it is necessary to make some non-standard tools that are conducive to assembly testing to improve efficiency.
Optimistic about the mobile robot industry
In terms of special lidar for mobile robots, Xingsong Robot has been deeply cultivated for many years, and this is the case. What do Xingsong robots think? Here, Luo Min believes: "The mobile robot industry is a non-standard industry, and the attention of each application scenario to introduce mobile robots is different, and it is possible to subdivide more tracks in the future." Therefore, "specialized" and "refined" must be the future development direction of the mobile robot industry, which is also in line with the country's positioning of small and medium-sized enterprises. Because, now many enterprises are large but not strong, strong but not refined, which is very inconsistent with the development trend of the times. At the same time, as a parts and components enterprise, we should learn more about the field application of the mobile robot industry, and then accumulate experience, only in this way can we be closer to customers, understand customer needs, and bring more convenience to customers. ”
In addition, according to Luo Min's prediction, while lidar is gradually replaced by localization, some companies will also face the danger of being eliminated. After all, the competition in the industry is very fierce, the strong are always strong, and the situation of the weak is further expanded. At the same time, according to him, there may be only 4 to 5 lidars that can gain a foothold in the mobile robot industry in the future.
Conclusion: Because of concentration, so professional. Since 2014, xingsong robot business has become stronger and stronger, more and more refined. According to Luo Min, compared with 2020, the sales of Xingsong Robot in 2021 achieved a 40% increase, and in 2022, Xingsong Robot will continue to deepen technology, optimize the structure, and expand the scope of business. What achievements will be made by Xingsong Robot in the future, let us wait and see!
On March 30th, China Mobile Robot (AGV/AMR) Industry Alliance will hold the "11th China (Shenzhen) Industrial Logistics and Warehousing Intelligent Development Engineering Conference and South China Industrial Application Mobile Robot Promotion Conference" in Shenzhen, in addition to a series of wonderful speeches, the "2021-2022 China Mobile Robot (AGV/AMR) Industry Development Report" will be officially released at the meeting, so stay tuned!