DE102020212323A1 - lidar system - Google Patents

Abstract

Lidar system (100), having:- a housing with at least one pane, which has pane sections (11, 12) arranged at a defined angle to one another;- a first transmit/receive module (20);- a second transmit/receive module (21 ); and - a rotating mirror (30) with two mirror surfaces (31, 32) arranged opposite one another, measuring beams (S1 .. . Sn) are decoupled by one of the pane sections (10, 11) in each case, with different areas of a field of view of the lidar system (100) being able to be covered by means of the measuring beams (S1...Sn) of the two transmission/reception modules (20, 21). .

Description

The invention relates to a lidar system. The invention also relates to a method for producing a lidar system.

State of the art

In the next few years, lidar sensors will establish themselves in the implementation of highly automated driving functions on freeways and in urban environments. An essential property of these sensors is that the expected performance can only be achieved if the optical exit window to the environment is essentially free of contamination and/or obstructions.

Today, only mechanical laser scanners are known to cover large horizontal detection angles between approximately 150° and approximately 360°. In a first form, the rotary mirror laser scanners, whose maximum detection range is limited to around 120°, only a motor-driven deflection mirror rotates. For larger detection ranges of up to 360°, all electro-optical components are located on a motor-driven turntable.

Lidar sensors with a rotating transmission and reception path emit one or more light beams into the space to be observed. A fanned-out beam of light is "panned across the room". This light beam is radiated divergently into space by the transmitter unit and therefore requires an exit window that is larger than the area occupied by the emitters.

DE 10 2015 013 710 A1 discloses a sensor device for detecting environmental information. It is disclosed that the sensor device for capturing environmental information has a transmitter unit, a receiver unit and a rotatable unit, with the transmitter unit being able to emit light pulses in an angular range of the environment to be scanned by means of the rotatable unit, with the light pulses having a rectangular or rectangular-like beam cross-section, and in which the receiving unit can receive light pulses reflected from objects in the angular range to be scanned.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved lidar system.

• - ein Gehäuse mit wenigstens einer Scheibe, die in einem definierten Winkel zueinander angeordnete Scheibenabschnitte aufweist;
• - ein erstes Sende-/Empfangsmodul;
• - ein zweites Sende-/Empfangsmodul; und
• - einen Rotationsspiegel mit zwei gegenüberliegend angeordneten Spiegelflächen, wobei von jeweils einem der Sende-/Empfangsmodule emittierte, auf jeweils eine der Spiegelflächen auftreffende Messstrahlen durch jeweils einen der Scheibenabschnitte ausgekoppelt werden, wobei mittels der Messstahlen der beiden Sende-/Empfangsmodule jeweils unterschiedliche Bereiche eines Sichtfelds des Lidarsystems abdeckbar sind.

According to a first aspect, the invention creates a lidar system, comprising:

• - A housing with at least one disk, which has disk sections arranged at a defined angle to one another;
• - a first transceiver module;
• - a second transceiver module; and
• - a rotating mirror with two mirror surfaces arranged opposite one another, with measuring beams emitted by one of the transmitter/receiver modules and striking one of the mirror surfaces in each case being coupled out through one of the pane sections in each case, with different areas of a field of view being measured by means of the measuring beams of the two transmitter/receiver modules of the lidar system can be covered.

In this way, a large field of view is provided while at the same time eliminating the need for a mechanically operated turntable. In this way, the proposed lidar system can advantageously be integrated in corner areas of a vehicle, with the system largely being prevented from protruding from a contour of the vehicle. As a result, it is possible with the proposed lidar system to scan the surroundings forwards and backwards in a very wide area.

The proposed lidar system advantageously has a small-sized rotating mirror. This is achieved in that only a defined, small angular range of the field of vision per playing surface of the rotating mirror has to be covered. As a result, the entire lidar system can be implemented in a small construction. With the proposed lidar system, measurements can advantageously be carried out in different angular ranges by changing the position of the rotating mirror.

• - Bereitstellen eines Gehäuses mit wenigstens zwei in einem definierten Winkel zueinander angeordnete Scheibenabschnitten;
• - Bereitstellen eines erstes Sende-/Empfangsmodul;
• - Bereitstellen eines zweites Sende-/Empfangsmodul; und
• - Bereitstellen eines Rotationsspiegels mit zwei gegenüberliegend angeordneten Spiegelflächen, wobei von jeweils einem der Sende-/Empfangsmodule emittierte, auf jeweils eine der Spiegelflächen auftreffende Messstrahlen durch jeweils einen der Scheibenabschnitte ausgekoppelt werden, wobei mittels der Messstahlen der beiden Sende-/Empfangsmodule jeweils unterschiedliche Bereiche eines Sichtfelds des Lidarsystems abdeckbar sind.

According to a second aspect, the object is achieved with a method for producing a lidar system, having the steps:

• - providing a housing with at least two disk sections arranged at a defined angle to one another;
• - Providing a first transmit/receive module;
• - Providing a second transmit/receive module; and
• - Providing a rotating mirror with two mirror surfaces arranged opposite one another, with measuring beams emitted by one of the transmitting/receiving modules and impinging on one of the mirror surfaces being decoupled by one of the disk sections in each case, with the measuring tahlen of the two transmit / receive modules are each different areas of a field of view of the lidar system can be covered.

Preferred embodiments of the lidar system are subject of dependent claims.

An advantageous development of the lidar system is characterized in that the two pane sections are arranged at an angle of approximately 80° to approximately 100°, preferably approximately 90°, to one another. Advantageously, sub-areas of the entire field of view can be efficiently covered in this way for each transmission/reception module.

A further advantageous development of the lidar system is characterized in that the thickness of the rotating mirror is such that the measuring beams of the transmitter/receiver modules do not impinge on a corner area of the two panes. In this way, operation of the proposed lidar system that is as trouble-free as possible is advantageously supported, since an optically inactive area in the form of the corner area is left out.

A further advantageous development of the lidar system is characterized in that a continuous field of view is covered by the measurement beams of the two transmission/reception modules. This advantageously supports a large, continuous field of view of the proposed lidar system, with which efficient operation of the lidar system is possible.

A further advantageous development of the lidar system provides that the transmission/reception modules can be controlled permanently or in a clocked manner. This advantageously provides different operating modes of the lidar system, with electrical energy savings being possible in the latter case.

A further advantageous development of the lidar system provides that the corner area of the two pane sections is rounded off in a defined manner. In this way, the proposed lidar system can advantageously be integrated even better in corner areas of a vehicle.

A further advantageous development of the lidar system provides that the housing has two panes arranged at a defined angle to one another. This provides a further alternative for the technical realization of the disc.

The invention is described in detail below with further features and advantages on the basis of several figures. Components that are the same or have the same function have the same reference symbols. The figures are intended in particular to clarify the principles which are essential to the invention and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For the sake of a better overview, only elements that are essential for the proposed lidar system are shown in the figures.

Device features disclosed result analogously from corresponding disclosed method features and vice versa. This means in particular that features, technical advantages and embodiments relating to the lidar system result in an analogous manner from corresponding embodiments, features and advantages of the method for producing a lidar system and vice versa.

• 1-4 vier Draufsichten eines vorgeschlagenen Lidarsystems zu unterschiedlichen Zeitpunkten; und
• 5 ein Ablaufdiagramm eines vorgeschlagenen Verfahrens zum Herstellen einer vorgeschlagenen Lidarsystems.

In the figures shows:

• 1-4 four top views of a proposed lidar system at different times; and
• 5 a flow chart of a proposed method for manufacturing a proposed lidar system.

Description of Embodiments

A core idea of the present invention consists in particular in realizing an improved lidar system, in particular with regard to a geometric aspect and a field of view that can be provided without using a motor-driven turntable for all components.

It is proposed to expand the detection range of a lidar system with a rotating mirror, without having to accept the complexity and susceptibility to failure (e.g. regarding electrical energy supply, data transmission, etc.) of a motor-driven turntable for all components of the lidar system. In particular, the proposed lidar system can be placed in corner areas of a vehicle without protruding from it. As a result, it is not necessary to arrange the proposed lidar system on a vehicle roof, and this can be done in a much more space-saving and fluidically efficient manner.

A core concept of the invention is a lidar system based on a rotating mirror, which provides an increased field of view.

• - Verringerung einer Anzahl an Lidarsensoren (z.B. in einem Fahrzeug)
• - Verbau des Lidarsystems ist in Eckbereichen eines Fahrzeugs möglich
• - Kleiner Rotationsspiegel durch reduzierten Sichtbereich pro Sende-/Empfangsmodul

The following advantages in particular can be realized with the proposed lidar system:

• - Reduction of a number of lidar sensors (e.g. in a vehicle)
• - The lidar system can be installed in corner areas of a vehicle
• - Small rotating mirror due to reduced field of view per transmitter/receiver module

The proposed lidar system 100 is described in more detail below with reference to a few figures, a lidar system 100 for different angles of the rotating mirror 30 being shown in four figures.

Due to the fact that both transmission/reception modules 20, 21 only have to cover a limited field of view of the lidar system 100, the rotating mirror 30 can advantageously be realized significantly smaller and therefore more cost-effectively compared to conventional systems. This also supports a compact design of the proposed lidar system 100 .

The proposed lidar system 100 includes two transmit / receive modules 20, 21 and a rotating mirror 30 with oppositely arranged mirror surfaces 31, 32. A distance between the two mirror surfaces 31, 32 of the rotating mirror 30 or a thickness d of the rotating mirror 30 is such that in Position in which the two transmit/receive modules 20, 21 illuminate the same angle, measuring beams S1 . . . Sn do not impinge on a corner region 12 or exit through it. This supports consistent and low-interference operating characteristics of the proposed lidar system 100 .

Depending on the position of the rotating mirror 30 , the proposed lidar system 100 can be used to carry out measurements in different angular ranges or field of view ranges, which are covered either by the first transceiver module 20 or by the second transceiver module 21 .

In the following, a pane is understood to be a device that is transparent to lidar radiation and is capable of coupling out radiation from the lidar into the environment.

1 shows a plan view of a proposed lidar system 100. It can be seen that a housing (not shown) has a disk with a first disk section 10 and a second disk section 11, which are at a defined angle, for example approx. 80° to approx. 100°. are preferably arranged about 90 ° to each other. In this way, the two pane sections 10, 11 form a corner area 12 that cannot be used optically. Other angles at which the pane sections 10, 11 are arranged relative to one another are also conceivable, with the corner area 12 (e.g. in the area of indicators, headlights , etc.) can also be rounded off in a defined manner. In this way an integral disc with two disc sections 10, 11 is provided. Alternatively, two disks arranged at a defined angle to one another are also conceivable.

A first transmitter/receiver module 20 and a second transmitter/receiver module 21 are arranged inside the lidar system 100, which emit measuring beams S1...Sn, for example by means of a laser diode, onto a rotating mirror 30 arranged so as to be rotatable about an axis of rotation (not shown). The rotating mirror 30 can be driven clockwise and/or counterclockwise, for example, by an electric drive motor (not shown).

It is conceivable, for example, for the transmission/reception modules 20, 21 to be driven permanently or in cycles at suitable times from defined positions of the rotating mirror 30 relative to the transmission/reception modules 20, 21. In the latter case, electrical energy can be saved in a simple manner, as a result of which efficient operation of the lidar system 100 is supported.

It can be seen that the first transmit/receive module 20 emits a first measurement beam S1 onto the first mirror surface 31 , as a result of which the measurement beam S1 exits the lidar system 100 through the first pane section 10 . For the sake of clarity, a measurement beam of the second transmit/receive module 21 in clocked operation is shown in 1 not shown.

2 shows the lidar system 100 at a later point in time, in which case a second measurement beam S2 is emitted by the first transceiver module 20 onto the rotating mirror 30, with the measurement beam S2 reflected by the mirror surface 31 exiting through the first pane section 10. For the sake of a better overview, also in 2 a measuring beam of the second transmit/receive module 21 provided in clocked operation is not shown.

3 shows a top view of the proposed lidar system 100. It can be seen that the second transmit/receive module 21 emits a measurement beam S3 onto the rotating mirror 30, which is reflected by the mirror surface 32 of the rotating mirror 30 and exits the lidar system 100 through the second disk section 11 . For the sake of clarity, a measuring beam of the first transceiver module 20 in clocked operation is shown in 3 not shown.

In 4 you can see that the second transmit / receive module 21 emits a measuring beam S4 on the rotating mirror 30, whereby the measurement ray S4 is reflected by the mirror surface 32 of the rotating mirror and exits the lidar system 100 through the second disc section 11 . For the sake of clarity, a measuring beam of the first transceiver module 20 in clocked operation is shown in 4 not shown.

As a result, with the proposed lidar system 100 it is not necessary for a single transmit/receive module 20, 21 to cover the entire field of view of the lidar system 100, rather the field of view of both transmit/receive modules 20, 21 is partially covered. An entire field of view of the lidar system 100 of approximately 150 degrees, for example, can be divided into two fields of view of approximately 75 degrees each, which are each covered by one of the transmit/receive modules 20, 21.

As a result, a large field of view, which can be larger than 120°, can be covered by the entirety of the measurement beams S1 . . . S4 from the lidar system 100 . The proposed lidar system 100 can advantageously be installed in the front and/or rear corner areas of a motor vehicle. Due to the specific operation of the rotating mirror 30 explained above, it is possible to make the rotating mirror 30 small. A thickness d of the rotating mirror 30 should be such that the measuring beams S1 to S4 do not impinge on the optically inactive corner region 12 or pass through it. This advantageously supports an interference-free detection behavior of the lidar system 100 .

As a result, a continuous field of view can be provided by means of all measuring beams S1 .

For example, angles of the measuring beams S1...Sn can be designed such that a central area in front of the vehicle equipped with the lidar system 100 can be scanned particularly frequently, in particular twice as often, using measuring beams S1...Sn, resulting in good detection characteristics of the proposed lidar system 100 is supported.

5 shows a basic sequence of an embodiment of the proposed method for producing a proposed lidar system 100.

In a step 200, a housing is provided with a disk with disk sections 11, 12 arranged at a defined angle to one another.

In step 210, a first transceiver module 20 is provided.

A second transceiver module 21 is provided in step 220.

In a step 230, a rotating mirror 30 is provided with two mirror surfaces 31, 32 arranged opposite one another, with measurement beams S1 . . one of the pane sections 10, 11 can be decoupled, with the measuring beams S1 .

The sequence of steps 200 to 230 can advantageously also be reversed.

The proposed lidar system is advantageously particularly easy to integrate into a vehicle because the exit aperture to be concealed (e.g. in the radiator grille) can be significantly smaller than in conventional lidar devices, so that the proposed lidar system 100 is essentially not visible from the outside.

The proposed lidar system 100 can be used, for example, as an optoelectronic 3D scanner in the form of a lidar sensor for a motor vehicle. For example, it is also conceivable to provide the proposed lidar system 100 for other uses, e.g. in an application for building surveillance, etc.

Those skilled in the art will thus recognize that a large number of modifications are possible without departing from the essence of the invention.

QUOTES INCLUDED IN DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent Literature Cited

• DE 102015013710 A1 [0005]

Claims (9)

Lidar system (100) comprising: - a housing with at least one disc, which has disc sections (11, 12) arranged at a defined angle to one another; - a first transceiver module (20); - a second transmission/reception module (21); and - a rotating mirror (30) with two mirror surfaces (31, 32) arranged opposite one another, measuring beams (S1... Sn) are coupled out by one of the pane sections (10, 11) in each case, with the measuring beams (S1...Sn) of the two transmission/reception modules (20, 21) being able to cover different areas of a field of view of the lidar system (100). lidar system claim 1 , characterized in that the two disk sections (11, 12) are arranged at an angle of approximately 80° to approximately 100°, preferably approximately 90°, to one another. Lidar system (100) according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that a thickness (d) of the rotating mirror (30) is such that the measuring beams (S1...Sn) of the transmitter/receiver modules (20, 21) do not fall on a corner area (12) of the two panes (11 , 12) strike. Lidar system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a continuous field of view is covered by means of the measuring beams (S1...Sn) of the two transmission/reception modules (20, 21). Lidar system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmit/receive modules (20, 21) can be controlled permanently or in a clocked manner. Lidar system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the corner area (12) of the two pane sections (10, 11) is rounded off in a defined manner. Lidar system (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing has two panes arranged at a defined angle to one another. Use of a lidar system (100) according to one of the preceding claims in at least one front and/or at least one rear corner area of a vehicle. Method for producing a lidar system (100), comprising the steps: - providing a housing with at least two disk sections (11, 12) arranged at a defined angle to one another; - Providing a first transmit/receive module (20); - Providing a second transmit/receive module (21); and - Provision of a rotating mirror (30) with two mirror surfaces (31, 32) arranged opposite one another, measuring beams (S1 .. . Sn) are decoupled by one of the pane sections (10, 11) in each case, with different areas of a field of view of the lidar system (100) being able to be covered by means of the measuring beams (S1...Sn) of the two transmit/receive modules (20, 21). .

Images