KR20220153804A - LIDAR apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a Lidar device. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a Lidar device includes: a laser light source unit for outputting a plurality of line lasers arranged to cover different horizontal angular ranges among the total 360 degree horizontal angular ranges in a target space; an image sensor unit for generating a detection image by sensing an image formed by reflection of the plurality of line lasers within the target space; and an image processing unit for processing the detection image and extracting a laser pattern corresponding to the plurality of line lasers. Accordingly, it is possible to generate accurate 3D coordinate information about an object in the target space by correcting image distortion which may occur when a fisheye lens is used.

Description

LIDAR apparatus {LIDAR apparatus}

The present invention is an image analysis-based 3D image analysis capable of providing 3D coordinate information of an object in a target space in a wide horizontal angular range (eg, 360 degrees, etc.) without the need for rotation or interlocking of two or more devices. It's about lidar devices.

A laser (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation, LASER) is light amplified by stimulated emission, and is used in many fields such as electronics, optical communication, medicine and pharmacy, and national defense.

In addition, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device refers to a technology for measuring a distance to an object using a laser, and has recently been attracting attention as a core technology for autonomous vehicles, mobile robots, drones, and the like.

Recently, lidar devices are used in security fields that require accurate detection of people or objects within a certain target space, fields such as smart factories that need to control whether safety movements are detected, and distance// It is expected to be widely used in the field of unmanned mobile vehicles (AGVs, unmanned robots, etc.) that find their own direction, and the field of virtual reality (VR) service.

However, since the conventional lidar device applies the Time of Flight (TOF) method that calculates the distance through the time of flight of the laser, it has the advantage of being able to measure with high precision and high resolution, but the price is expensive and the overall device size is large. There are disadvantages such as

1A illustrates a conventional rotating mirror scan type 2D TOF type LIDAR device 1 for obtaining 2D coordinate information of an object or the like in a target space. In this device, a laser beam ( B) is scanned in a range of approximately 180 degrees in the horizontal direction. In addition, FIG. 1B illustrates a 4-channel 2-dimensional vertically-arranged TOF type lidar device 2, which uses a 4-channel line laser C.

In addition to the high cost and large size of the TOF method, these prior art lidar devices do not provide 2D or 3D coordinate information such as objects in the target space in a wide horizontal angular range (eg 360 degrees), so the target space There is a limit that blind spots occur within.

In the LiDAR device 3 of FIG. 1C, the entire distance measurement TOF module 4 rotates through rotation motor control and rotates a two-dimensional lidar vertically arranged at a predetermined angle, and has a wide horizontal angular range of 360 degrees. 3D coordinate information can be obtained to solve the problem of blind spots in the target space, but a control circuit for driving a rotating motor must be provided in the device, which is also a TOF method, which is expensive and the size of the entire device is small. There are downsides to being bigger.

Publication No. 10-2019-0059823

On the other hand, in order to overcome the problems of the TOF method and implement a low-cost, small-sized lidar device, a lidar device of a method of deriving 3-dimensional coordinate information such as an object in the target space by analyzing an image obtained by an image sensor element, etc. , has been proposed by the present inventors as shown in FIG. 1d (Application No.: 10-2020-0169382). However, in this case, although it is possible to analyze 3D coordinate information such as an object within the target space, the provided horizontal angular range is only about 100 to 180 degrees, resulting in blind spots within the target space, and it is difficult to solve such a problem. However, there is a limitation that two or more devices must be used in conjunction with each other.

Therefore, the present invention is an image analysis-based 3D coordinate information capable of generating 3D coordinate information in a wide horizontal angular range (eg, 360 degrees, etc.) so as to eliminate or minimize the occurrence of blind spots in the target space. It is to provide a lidar device.

The present invention provides an image analysis-based 3D lidar device capable of generating 3D coordinate information in a wide horizontal angular range (eg, 360 degrees, etc.) without the need for rotation or linkage of two or more devices. it is for

The present invention is to provide an omnidirectional non-rotating 3D lidar device capable of easily correcting image distortion that may occur when a fisheye lens is used.

The present invention enables efficient generation of three-dimensional coordinate information in a wide horizontal angular range through a low-cost, small-sized image sensor type lidar device, thereby enabling security, smart factories, unmanned mobile vehicles (AGV, unmanned robots, etc.), It is intended to provide a method that can be used more widely in the field of virtual reality (VR) services.

LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention, a laser light source unit for outputting a plurality of line lasers arranged to cover different horizontal angular ranges, respectively, among a total 360 degree horizontal angular range in a target space; an image sensor unit generating a detection image by sensing an image formed by reflection of the plurality of line lasers within the target space; And it may include an image processing unit for processing the detection image to extract a laser pattern corresponding to the plurality of line lasers.

Here, the laser light source unit may include a plurality of laser modules outputting the plurality of line lasers, and the plurality of line lasers may be radially arranged in a horizontal direction.

Here, the laser light source unit includes a plurality of laser modules that output the plurality of line lasers, and when the horizontal angular ranges covered by the plurality of line lasers are added together, a total 360-degree horizontal angular range within the target space is obtained. It may be to set the installation direction of each of the plurality of laser modules to be covered.

Here, the laser module includes a laser diode outputting a dot laser; and a primary lens that converts the dot laser into the line laser.

Here, the laser light source unit may further include a secondary lens including the plurality of laser modules therein and extending an angular range of the line laser in a horizontal direction, and the secondary lens may be an aspherical lens.

Here, the laser module includes a plurality of laser diodes outputting dot lasers; a holder for fixing a vertical angle of each of the plurality of laser diodes to a preset angle; and a primary lens individually provided on each of the plurality of laser diodes to convert the dot laser into the line laser.

Here, the laser light source unit, a first laser module for outputting a line laser forward; and a second laser module for outputting a line laser backward, wherein the first laser module and the second laser module output line lasers covering a horizontal angular range of 180 degrees forward and 180 degrees backward, respectively, so that the target The line laser can be output so that the entire horizontal angular range of 360 degrees within the space is covered.

Here, the laser light source unit includes the first laser module and the second laser module therein, and may include a secondary lens that expands an angular range of the line lasers in a horizontal direction by 180 degrees.

Here, the image sensor unit may include a fish-eye lens that senses an image formed by reflection of the plurality of line lasers within the target space.

Here, the image sensor unit may include a plurality of fisheye lenses, and may set an installation direction of each of the plurality of fisheye lenses to capture an image by the line lasers obtained from a horizontal angular range of 360 degrees in the target space. .

Here, the image processing unit may correct image distortion appearing in the image captured by the fish-eye lens.

Here, the image processing unit generates a binary image by binarizing the detection image based on a threshold value, and extracts a laser pattern corresponding to the line laser from the binary image, Virtual pixels are added for regions where pixel data is insufficient due to distortion, and while the threshold value is gradually increased, the binary image pixel values of the virtual pixels are obtained from each pixel value of the binary image obtained based on each threshold value. By deriving, a final binary image may be obtained by supplementing the lack of pixel data with binary image pixel values of the virtual pixels.

In addition, the solution to the above problem does not enumerate all the features of the present invention. Various features of the present invention and the advantages and effects thereof will be understood in more detail with reference to specific embodiments below.

Since the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention can generate 3D coordinate information in a wide horizontal angular range (eg, 360 degrees, etc.) even with a low-cost, small-sized image sensor type lidar device, the target It can eliminate or minimize the occurrence of blind spots in space, so it can be widely used in areas such as security, indoor space safety, robots, and VR services.

According to the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily obtain 3D coordinate information of an object in a target space without the need for driving a rotary motor or linking two or more devices.

According to the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to generate accurate 3D coordinate information about an object in a target space by correcting image distortion that may occur when a fisheye lens is used.

1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional rotating mirror scan type two-dimensional TOF type LiDAR device.
Figure 1b is a schematic diagram illustrating a prior art 4-channel, 2-dimensional vertically-arranged TOF type lidar device.
Figure 1c is a schematic diagram illustrating a lidar device of a method of rotating a vertically arranged two-dimensional lidar while the entire distance measuring TOF module of the prior art rotates through rotation motor control.
1D illustrates an image-based lidar device that derives three-dimensional coordinate information of an object in a target space by analyzing an image obtained by an image sensor device, etc., in order to implement a low-cost, small-sized lidar device.
Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a three-dimensional lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic diagram showing emission of a line laser in a target space using a 3D LIDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an exemplary view showing a laser light source including a laser module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exemplary view showing a laser light source including a laser module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an exemplary view showing a laser light source including a laser module and a secondary lens according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a schematic diagram showing a laser module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an exemplary diagram illustrating distortion of a detected image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an exemplary view showing a distortion area in a binary image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a binary image in which image distortion is corrected according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is an exemplary diagram for explaining image distortion correction using multiple thresholds according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a binary image when an object is located in a target space.
13 is an exemplary diagram in which a reference pattern is removed from a binary image.
14 is an exemplary view showing binary images sequentially irradiated into a target space by adjusting the vertical direction angle of one line laser.
15 is an exemplary diagram illustrating binary images sequentially irradiated into a target space by adjusting vertical angles of a plurality of line lasers.
16 is an exemplary diagram illustrating object detection in a target space using a binary image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
17 is an exemplary diagram illustrating three-dimensional coordinate information generated using a LIDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily practice the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in describing a preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings for parts having similar functions and actions.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be 'connected' to another part, this is not only the case where it is 'directly connected', but also the case where it is 'indirectly connected' with another element in between. include In addition, 'including' a certain component means that other components may be further included, rather than excluding other components unless otherwise stated. In addition, terms such as “~unit” and “module” described in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the emission of a line laser in the target space using the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the lidar apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a laser light source unit 110, an image sensor unit 120 and an image processing unit 130.

Hereinafter, a lidar apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The laser light source unit 110 may output a plurality of line lasers arranged to cover different horizontal angular ranges among the total 360 degree horizontal angular ranges in the target space A. Here, the laser light source unit 110 may include a plurality of laser modules outputting a plurality of line lasers, and the plurality of line lasers output from the laser modules may be radially arranged in a horizontal direction. At this time, if the horizontal angular ranges covered by the plurality of line lasers are combined, it is also possible to implement the entire 360-degree horizontal angular range within the target space A to be covered.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the laser light source unit 110 may include a plurality of laser modules 10, and the laser modules 10 in the laser light source unit 110 are each line laser ( L) can be set to the installation direction so that they are output in the 360-degree orientation around the lidar device (100).

Here, the laser module 10 may include a laser diode 11 and a primary lens 12 . The laser diode 11 may output a dot laser having a point-shaped cross section, and the primary lens 12 may be individually provided in each laser diode 11, and in the laser diode 11 The outputted dot laser can be converted into a line laser. That is, the primary lens 12 can convert the dot laser into a parallel line laser form in the horizontal direction. In this case, the primary lens 12 generates a line laser output in the range of 100 to 120 degrees in the horizontal direction. can do.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the laser light source unit 110 is implemented using a first laser module that outputs a line laser forwardly and a second laser module that outputs a line laser backward, the first laser module and the second laser module The laser module can output a line laser covering a horizontal angular range of 180 degrees forward and 180 degrees backward, respectively. That is, the line laser can be output so that the entire horizontal angular range of 360 degrees within the target space A is covered.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, it is also possible to use four laser modules to output line lasers in a range of 360 degrees. In this case, each laser module covers a horizontal angular range of at least 90 degrees. can output At this time, the installation direction of the four laser modules may be set so that these line lasers cover the entire 360 degrees.

In addition, the number of laser modules 10 included in the laser light source unit 110 can be variously changed according to embodiments.

However, when two laser modules 10 are used as shown in FIG. 4 , line lasers output from the laser modules 10 may not sufficiently cover 360 degrees. In order to prevent this, the lidar apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, may further include a secondary lens 20 to expand the horizontal angular range of the line laser.

The secondary lens 20 may be integrally formed so that a plurality of laser modules 10 are included therein, and each line laser emitted through the secondary lens 20 may extend an angular range in the horizontal direction. have. Here, the secondary lens 20 may be designed so that the line lasers are extended to an angular range of 180 degrees through the primary lens 12 .

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of laser diodes 11 may be vertically arranged in each laser module 10. Here, since the holder 13 fixes the vertical angles of the plurality of laser diodes 11 at preset angles, the LiDAR device 100 outputs a plurality of line lasers at each preset vertical angle. It is possible. That is, depending on the embodiment, the laser light source unit 110 may scan the target space A with a plurality of channels instead of a single channel. At this time, since the secondary lens 20 can be designed so that the line lasers output from each laser diode 11 are individually expanded in the horizontal direction, multi-channel line lasers can be produced with one secondary lens 20. it is possible to support

Additionally, the secondary lens 20 may be an aspherical lens. In this case, the line lasers output from the laser diode 11 may diverge while being kept parallel without being refracted by the secondary lens 20 or changing an angle.

Here, the wavelength of the line laser output from the laser light source unit 110 may be set in advance, and depending on embodiments, it is also possible to set the wavelength of the line laser to an infrared wavelength range. That is, by radiating an infrared line laser, people located in the target space A may not recognize the line laser.

Also, line lasers can be energy designed to meet Eye-safety 1 class standards. For example, the laser light source unit 110 may emit laser light in a pulsed manner according to a preset energy design, thereby reducing the risk of accidents such as eye injuries caused by the line laser emitted within the target space A. can be minimized.

On the other hand, the target space (A) where the line laser is output may be a security area such as a private house or a store, or a space around a driving or parked vehicle. However, it is not limited thereto, and any space may correspond thereto as long as the space in which the lidar device 100 is installed to irradiate the line laser.

The image sensor unit 120 may sense the reflected line laser within the target space A to generate a detection image. The image sensor unit 120 may include a plurality of pixels arranged in a predetermined shape, and may generate a detection image by detecting light in the target space A through pixel values of each pixel. For example, the image sensor unit 120 may be implemented as a sensor array such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. can be converted into signals. That is, a 2D detection image may be generated by converting the luminance value of the line laser reflected in the target space A into pixel values of corresponding pixels.

Here, the image sensor unit 120 may include a fisheye lens (not shown), and may detect an image formed by reflection of a plurality of line lasers in the target space A using the fisheye lens. That is, in order to simultaneously receive the 360-degree omnidirectional line laser output from the laser light source unit 110, the image sensor unit 120 may utilize a fish-eye lens. Depending on the embodiment, it is also possible to use a plurality of fisheye lenses, and by setting the installation direction of the fisheye lenses, it can be implemented to capture images by line lasers obtained from a horizontal angular range of 360 degrees in the target space (A). have.

For example, two fish-eye lenses capable of detecting an image of a line laser in a range of 180 degrees of the target space A may be disposed so as to come into contact with each other so as to capture images of the entire 360 degrees. Depending on the embodiment, it is also possible for the image sensor unit 120 to generate a single detection image by synthesizing detection images generated by input from a plurality of fish-eye lenses.

The image processing unit 130 may process the detected image to extract a laser pattern corresponding to a plurality of line lasers. Depending on the embodiment, it is also possible for the image processing unit 130 to generate a binary image by binarizing the detected image based on a threshold value, and to extract a laser pattern corresponding to the line laser from the binary image. Here, by using a laser pattern, it is possible to measure the distance to an object in the target space (A), and according to an embodiment, coordinate information for each point in the target space (A) is generated to target the target space ( It is also possible to create a three-dimensional coordinate map for A).

Specifically, the image processing unit 130 may generate x-axis coordinates and y-axis coordinates for each point using the horizontal and vertical positions of the laser pattern shown in the binary image. In addition, since the distance to a corresponding point can be measured by using triangulation using the geometric distance and angle between the laser light source unit 110 and the image sensor unit 120, z for each point can be measured using this. Axis coordinates can be created. That is, the image processing unit 130 may generate 3D coordinates for each point in the target space A, and may generate a 3D coordinate map for the target space A by collecting the respective 3D coordinates. have.

However, since the image sensor unit 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention generates a detection image using a fish-eye lens, image distortion may be included in the detection image as shown in FIG. 8 . In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the image distortion is reflected in the binary image generated from the detection image. Here, it is also possible to correct image distortion through image processing of the detection image of FIG. desirable.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 8, the P1 area and the P2 area correspond to areas of the same size in the actual target space (A), but due to the image distortion caused by the fisheye lens, the P1 area and the P2 area are separated in the detection image. Sizes may appear different. If binarization is performed in this state, it may appear as shown in FIG. 9 . In this case, it can be confirmed that the line laser L outputted in parallel in the horizontal direction within the target space A is also distorted in a curved form on the binary image. Referring to FIG. 9, it can be seen that the P1 area and the P2 area actually correspond to areas of the same size, but the number of pixels in the vertical direction used to represent them is different. That is, since pixel data for area P1 is missing compared to area P2 due to image distortion, it is necessary to add pixel data for area P1 through interpolation or the like for correction. Thereafter, when correction for image distortion is completed in the image processing unit 130, the binary image of FIG. 10 may be generated from the binary image of FIG.

Depending on the embodiment, the image processing unit 130 may add virtual pixels to a region of the detected image in which pixel data is insufficient due to image distortion, and then gradually increase the threshold value, and obtain based on each threshold value. Binary image pixel values of virtual pixels may be derived from each pixel value of the binary image. That is, the image processing unit 130 may correct image distortion of the binary image by generating a final binary image in which the lack of pixel data is supplemented with binary image pixel values of virtual pixels.

More specifically, for example, there are 6 pixels in the detection image area of FIG. 8 corresponding to the area P2 in which the pixel data is not insufficient in FIG. 9, and each pixel value is 255, 30, 24, 12, 6, 3 , if the threshold is set to 150, only the pixel with a pixel value of 255 crosses the threshold, so only that pixel is given a binary value of 1, and the rest of the pixels do not cross the threshold, so a binary value of 0. Given this, it is possible to obtain a binary image capable of accurately distinguishing a laser pattern with high resolution.

However, in FIG. 9, as the area is reduced due to image distortion, in the case of the area P1 lacking pixel data, the binary image of FIG. 10 finally lacks data. If the area is 1/2 compared to the area P2 where the pixel data is not insufficient, the number of pixels is only 1/2. Fig. 11 illustrates this situation. In the left column of the chart, the data of 3 pixels in the 2nd to 4th rows from the top (i.e., 255, 40, 10) is the data of the 6 pixels of Fig. 9 illustrated above (i.e., 255, 40, 10). 255, 30, 24, 12, 6, 3).

The first pixel at the top and the pixel at the bottom of the left column of the diagram in FIG. 11 have pixel values of 80 and 5, respectively, which are data of pixels adjacent to the data of the three pixels above in FIG. That is, a case in which three pixels in the vertical direction of the area P1 lacking pixel data in FIG. 8 and two data adjacent to the three pixels in the vertical direction respectively have pixel values of 80, 255, 40, 10, and 5, respectively, is exemplified. . At this time, as shown in the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th columns of Table 11, a total of six virtual pixels may be formed by dividing pixels having pixel values of 255, 40, and 10 into two.

In the specific processing process for obtaining a binary image for this region, first, 20 is set as the first threshold value to binarize 5 pixel values of 80, 255, 40, 10, and 5. In this case, each pixel The value can be set to 1, 1, 1, 0, 0 (see the second column of the table in FIG. 11). Here, the first threshold may be a threshold having a minimum size for removing noise. In this case, pixel values for virtual pixels may be set to 1, 1, 1, 0.5, 0.5, and 0, respectively ( see Figure 11, column 3 of the diagram). That is, a pixel value of a virtual pixel may be set using an average of binarized pixel values of adjacent pixels.

Then, if the second threshold value is gradually raised and set to 50, each pixel value for the above five pixels can be set to 1, 1, 0, 0, 0 (see the fourth column of the table in FIG. 11). , At this time, the pixel value of each virtual pixel may be set to 1, 0.5, 0.5, 0, 0, 0 in the same manner as in the previous step (see the fifth column of the table in FIG. 11).

Subsequently, if 100, which is higher than the third threshold, is applied, each pixel value for the above 5 pixels is set to 0, 1, 0, 0, 0 (see the 6th column of the table in Fig. 11) , At this time, in the same manner as in the previous step, the pixel value of each virtual pixel can be set to 0.5, 0.5, 0, 0, 0, 0 (see the 7th column of the table in FIG. 11).

Finally, when 150, which is higher than the fourth threshold, is applied, each pixel value for the above 5 pixels is set to 0, 1, 0, 0, 0 (see the 8th column of the table in Fig. 11) , At this time, the pixel values of each virtual pixel may be set to 0.5, 0.5, 0, 0, 0, 0 in the same manner as in the previous step (see the ninth column of the table in FIG. 11).

Here, since the value of the two virtual pixels corresponding to the pixel whose pixel value is 255 is finally high, it can be determined that the laser pattern is located among them, but it is difficult to determine whether it is the first virtual pixel or the second virtual pixel. can Depending on the embodiment, during the process of obtaining the above-described binary image, the laser pattern is finally located in the first virtual pixel (ie, 1 Given the binary value of ), it can be determined. Through this, even when virtual pixels are added in the binary image, it is possible to set an accurate laser pattern with a higher probability.

Additionally, the image processing unit 130 may detect the shape of the target space A or an object such as an object or person located in the target space A using the distortion-corrected binary image of FIG. 10 .

Specifically, when an object does not exist in the target space A, a laser pattern in which a single line laser is displayed may appear as shown in FIG. 10, and the laser pattern at this time may be set as a reference pattern.

On the other hand, when an object exists in the target space (A), there may be a target pattern that is disconnected from the reference pattern and appears at a distance as shown in FIG. 12, and the location of the object in the target space (A) , it is possible to extract the size of the object, etc. Depending on the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, it is also possible to extract the target pattern by obtaining a difference image between the reference pattern and the target pattern.

Here, the laser light source unit 110 can repeatedly output while adjusting the irradiation angle in the vertical direction for one line laser, and in this case, as shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of binary binary patterns having different target patterns in vertical directions. images can be created. That is, in order to obtain information about the vertical position of the object, a plurality of line lasers having different vertical irradiation angles may be output into the target space A. Here, line lasers corresponding to respective vertical irradiation angles correspond to respective channels for measuring an object.

Depending on the embodiment, it is also possible for the laser light source unit 110 to simultaneously output the plurality of line lasers by adjusting the vertical irradiation angles. In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, each vertical position is A plurality of binary images having a plurality of different target patterns may be generated. That is, an object within the target space A can be simultaneously detected using a plurality of channels.

Meanwhile, the image processing unit 130 may indicate the horizontal position of the target pattern using a range of 0 to 360 degrees or -180 to +180 degrees based on a preset origin. The horizontal position of the target pattern can be represented using this, and corresponds to the x-axis coordinate of the object.

In addition, since the separation distance between the target pattern and the reference pattern is proportional to the distance from the lidar device 100 to the object, it is possible to determine the distance information from the lidar device 100 to the object by measuring the separation distance. Here, the separation distance may be measured by the number of pixels between the target pattern and the reference pattern, and in this case, an actual distance value corresponding to each pixel number may be stored in advance. The distance information to the object corresponds to the z-axis coordinate of the object.

In the case of the y-axis coordinate, it can be determined by the vertical direction output angle of each line laser output from the laser light source unit 110 and the distance information to the object. That is, the y-axis coordinate may be determined corresponding to each channel.

Thereafter, the image processing unit 130 may combine detection images obtained by simultaneously or sequentially outputting a plurality of line lasers to generate one detection image including a total of N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 1) channels, You can create a binary image for it. Depending on the embodiment, the image processing unit 130 determines which channel each target pattern appearing in the binary image corresponds to, the horizontal position of the target pattern, and the number of pixels corresponding to the separation distance d. It is also possible to create a matrix representing

For example, as shown in FIG. 16(a), when target patterns spaced apart by 40 pixels in the range of 140 degrees to 142 degrees with respect to the first channel are detected, a matrix may be generated as shown in FIG. 16(b). Here, the x-coordinate of the object and the width of the object can be specified using the horizontal position, and the y-coordinate of the object and the height of the object can be specified using the channel where the target pattern appears. In addition, it is possible to specify the z-coordinate of the object and the distance to the object using the separation distance d.

That is, when generating a matrix for each detected image, it is possible to generate a point cloud for the target space A using information in the matrix. In this case, as shown in FIG. 17, it is possible to generate 3D coordinate information corresponding to each of the irradiated line lasers in the target space, and each 3D coordinate is displayed on the 3D space, thereby corresponding to the target space. A point cloud can be created.

The present invention is not limited by the foregoing embodiments and accompanying drawings. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the components according to the present invention can be substituted, modified, and changed without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

100: lidar device 110: laser light source
120: image sensor unit 130: image processing unit

Claims (13)

a laser light source unit outputting a plurality of line lasers arranged to cover different horizontal angular ranges among the total 360 degree horizontal angular ranges in the target space;
an image sensor unit generating a detection image by sensing an image formed by reflection of the plurality of line lasers within the target space; and
LIDAR device comprising an image processing unit for processing the detection image to extract a laser pattern corresponding to the plurality of line lasers.
The method of claim 1, wherein the laser light source unit,
Including a plurality of laser modules for outputting the plurality of line lasers,
LiDAR device, characterized in that the plurality of line lasers are arranged radially in the horizontal direction.
The method of claim 1, wherein the laser light source unit,
Including a plurality of laser modules for outputting the plurality of line lasers,
When the horizontal angular ranges covered by the plurality of line lasers are combined, the installation direction of each of the plurality of laser modules is set so that the total horizontal angular range of 360 degrees in the target space is covered.
The method of claim 3, wherein the laser module,
a laser diode that outputs a dot laser; and
LiDAR device comprising a primary lens for converting the dot laser into the line laser.
The method of claim 4, wherein the laser light source unit,
The lidar device further comprises a secondary lens including the plurality of laser modules therein and extending an angular range in a horizontal direction of the line laser.
The method of claim 5, wherein the secondary lens,
LiDAR device, characterized in that the aspherical lens.
The method of claim 3, wherein the laser module,
a plurality of laser diodes outputting dot lasers;
a holder for fixing a vertical angle of each of the plurality of laser diodes to a preset angle; and
LiDAR device, characterized in that it comprises a primary lens that is provided individually on each of the plurality of laser diodes, converting the dot laser into the line laser.
The method of claim 1, wherein the laser light source unit,
A first laser module that outputs a line laser forward; and
Including a second laser module that outputs a line laser to the rear,
The first laser module and the second laser module output line lasers covering a horizontal angular range of 180 degrees forward and 180 degrees backward, respectively, and output line lasers to cover a horizontal angular range of 360 degrees in the target space. Lidar device, characterized in that for doing.
The method of claim 8, wherein the laser light source unit,
LiDAR device comprising the first laser module and the second laser module therein, characterized in that it comprises a secondary lens for extending the angular range of the horizontal direction of the line lasers to 180 degrees.
The method of claim 1, wherein the image sensor unit,
LiDAR device characterized in that it comprises a fish-eye lens for detecting the image formed by the reflection of the plurality of line lasers in the target space.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the image sensor unit,
LiDAR device comprising a plurality of fish-eye lenses, and setting the installation direction of each of the plurality of fish-eye lenses to capture images by the line lasers obtained from a horizontal angular range of 360 degrees in the target space. .
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the image processing unit,
LiDAR device, characterized in that for correcting the image distortion appearing in the image captured by the fish-eye lens.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the image processing unit,
The detection image is binarized based on a threshold value to generate a binary image, and a laser pattern corresponding to the line laser is extracted from the binary image,
In the binary image generation, each pixel value of the binary image obtained based on each threshold value is added by adding virtual pixels to a region in which pixel data is insufficient due to image distortion in the detection image and gradually increasing the threshold value. Deriving binary image pixel values of the virtual pixels from the LIDAR device, characterized in that to obtain a final binary image in which the lack of pixel data is compensated for by the binary image pixel values of the virtual pixels.

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