Continental AG , the German auto-parts supplier, acquired a division of Advanced Scientific Concepts Inc. that makes an imaging sensor used in autonomous vehicles.

Continental wouldn’t divulge the value of the deal, which includes employees and technology. Santa Barbara, Calif.,-based ASC develops laser technologies for enhanced imaging.

Hanover, Germany-based Continental is best known for tires, but also supplies electronics for advanced driver-assistance systems like automatic emergency braking and auto-steering. It provides the components for Mercedes-Benz’s automated driving gear but didn’t previously have its own high-definition, three-dimensional laser sensor.

As auto makers hurtle toward offering cars that can drive themselves, researchers believe that lidar—for light detection and ranging—will be a requirement. ASC’s sensor has no moving parts, a feature car makers prefer to avoid breakdowns. It blasts beams of light that reflect back to the sensor and provide data on the distance to objects in its field of view.

Unlike cameras, which rely on image-recognition algorithms, a lidar’s calculations are based on simple geometry, which computers can interpret with speed and accuracy. Nissan Motor Co. ’s autonomous Leaf electric car uses several ASC’s sensors located around a vehicle, to construct a nearly 360-degree field of vision.