Velodyne takes wild ride in uncharted industry

Lidar patent

David Hall’s lidar patent has been the centerpiece of lawsuits. He received a patent appeal board ruling.

Essential dates and developments in the history of lidar technological know-how organization Velodyne

1983: David Hall founds Velodyne Acoustics Ltd., a organization centered on audio and acoustic technological know-how.

2007: Five of the six motor vehicles that finish the DARPA Grand Problem use Hall’s rotating lidar prototypes.

June 28, 2011: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Place of work awards Hall Patent 7,969,558, which handles rotating lidar models and will turn out to be the centerpiece of multiple lawsuits.

Jan. fifteen, 2016: Velodyne Lidar Inc. is developed, splitting the organization from the authentic Velodyne Acoustics.

Aug. sixteen, 2016: Ford and Baidu each and every make investments $seventy five million in Velodyne. At an function announcing the expense, then-Ford CEO Mark Fields suggests the technological know-how will empower Ford to generate totally autonomous autos by 2021.

Sept. thirteen, 2016: Rival lidar organization Quanergy files accommodate versus Velodyne Lidar, asserting it was the rightful inventor of rotating lidar.

May well 23, 2019: The U.S. Patent Trial and Charm Board challenges a ruling affirming Hall’s rightful assert to rotating lidar technological know-how. 

Aug. thirteen, 2019: Velodyne files lawsuits versus 2 Chinese suppliers, Hesai and Suteng, alleging they infringed on the company’s patented rotating lidar technological know-how.

Jan. six, 2020: Hall appoints a new CEO, Anand Gopalan, who experienced earlier been chief technological know-how officer. Hall carries on as the company’s entire-time chairman.

April three, 2020: A course-action lawsuit is submitted versus Velodyne, alleging the organization violated federal labor law by not serving right detect when it laid off approximately a hundred and forty personnel March 20.