Velodyne files patent complaints against Hesai and RoboSense

20 Aug 2019

California firm claims that imported Chinese auto lidar systems violate US competition law.

Velodyne Lidar, which provides solutions for car autonomy and driver assistance, has filed a patent infringement complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against Hesai Photonics Technology and Suteng Innovation Technology (a.k.a. RoboSense) for violations of section 337 of the (US) Tariff Act of 1930 which makes “unfair methods of competition and importation of certain products into the United States unlawful.”

Earlier last week, Velodyne also filed patent infringement complaints against Hesai and RoboSense, both China-headquartered companies, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Seeking investigation

Velodyne is asking the ITC to investigate these lidar manufacturers for unlawfully importing and selling lidar sensors that, it says, infringe Velodyne’s patented lidar technology (U.S. Patent 7,969,558).

The company is requesting that the ITC issue permanent limited exclusion orders and cease and desist orders against Hesai and RoboSense to stop the importation and sale of rotating 3D lidar devices and products in the United States that, it says, infringe Velodyne’s patented lidar technology.

David Hall, Velodyne’s Founder & CEO, commented, “Velodyne Lidar is the inventor of surround view lidar. We are an invention-based company and vigorously defend our intellectual property to enable us to keep investing in and innovating our technology.”

Portfolio

Headquartered in San Jose, Velodyne has a portfolio of lidar sensor technologies. Founder and CEO Hall, invented real-time surround view lidar systems in 2005 as part of Velodyne Acoustics. Hall’s invention is said to have “revolutionized perception and autonomy for automotive, new mobility, mapping, robotics, and security.”

Velodyne’s portfolio includes a range of sensing solutions, including the cost-effective Puck, the versatile Ultra Puck, the autonomy-advancing Alpha Puck, the ADAS-optimized Velarray, and Vella software for driver assistance.