KR20230094788A - Lidar sensor apparatus and electronic apparatus including thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lidar sensor device, and relates to a light emitting unit that emits light, a reflector that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting unit toward an object, and reflects back the light reflected by the object, and reflected back from the reflector. A first view of light emitted from the light emitter to the reflector including a light concentrator for condensing the collected light, a linear pipe penetrating a hole located at the center of the light condenser, and a light receiver for sensing the light collected by the condenser. It is a lidar sensor device that matches the second optical path of light reflected from the furnace and the subject.

Description

LIDAR SENSOR APPARATUS AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS INCLUDING THEREOF}

The present disclosure relates to a lidar sensor device and an electronic device including the same, and more particularly, to a lidar sensor device minimizing interference by other light sources and an electronic device including the same.

With the development of small robot technology, various real-life assistive robots that assist human life have appeared. Examples of real-life assistance robots include cleaning robots, serving robots, and information providing robots. Such a real-life assistant robot may include a driving unit to freely move to various positions inside or outside the house, and may include a sensor device to move smoothly while avoiding obstacles. A representative example of the sensor device is a lidar sensor device.

A real-life assist robot may be equipped with a plurality of sensor devices for more accurate and efficient movement. In addition, a plurality of real-life assistant robots may be used in one space to simultaneously perform various tasks.

In this way, an interference phenomenon may occur due to a plurality of sensor devices included in one robot or a light source generated from a plurality of sensor devices included in a plurality of robots. area may be damaged.

Therefore, there is a need to minimize interference caused by other light sources that may occur in a sensor device introduced into a real-life assistance robot.

Here, it is required to seek a method of allowing only light reflected from a subject to reach the light receiving unit while preventing light generated from other light sources from reaching the light receiving unit of the sensor device.

The present disclosure has been devised to solve the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a lidar sensor device having a structure that minimizes interference caused by other light sources and a control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the lidar sensor device according to the present embodiment includes a light emitting unit that emits light, reflects light emitted from the light emitting unit toward a subject, and reflects back light reflected by the subject. It includes a reflector, a light collector for condensing light re-reflected from the reflector, a linear pipe passing through a hole located in the center of the light collector, and a light receiver for detecting the light collected by the light collector, , A first optical path of light emitted from the light emitting unit to the reflecting unit may coincide with a second optical path of light reflected from the subject.

Meanwhile, the lidar sensor device detects light other than the light reflected from the subject through the second optical path so that light other than the light reflected from the subject and returned does not reach the light receiving unit. A blocking member may be further included.

Meanwhile, the blocking member may be formed in a form surrounding the light emitting part, the reflective part, the light collecting part, and the light receiving part.

Meanwhile, the light concentrating unit may be a concave mirror disposed so that a focal point faces the light receiving unit.

On the other hand, the light collecting unit may include a hole located between the light emitting unit and the reflecting unit and located in the center so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit passes through the light collecting unit and reaches the reflecting unit. Meanwhile, the light collecting unit may include a mirror coating part located between the light emitting unit and the reflecting unit, and on a first region of a surface of the light collecting unit.

On the other hand, the light collecting unit includes a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) coating so that light emitted from the light emitting unit passes through the light collecting unit and reaches the reflecting unit in a second area other than the first area of the surface of the light collecting unit. can include

On the other hand, the reflector may be a micro-mirror capable of adjusting an angle.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device including a lidar sensor device includes a lidar sensor device and a processor that obtains information on a subject using the lidar sensor device, and the electronic device irradiates light A light emitting unit, a reflector for reflecting the light emitted from the light emitting unit toward a subject and re-reflecting the light reflected by the subject, and a light concentrating unit for condensing the light re-reflected from the reflector, the light collecting unit A linear pipe penetrating a hole located in the center and a light receiving unit for detecting the light condensed by the light concentrating unit, wherein the light emitted from the light emitting unit to the reflecting unit is reflected from a first optical path and the subject and returns. The second optical path of incoming light can be matched.

The lidar sensor device according to the present disclosure prevents light generated from other light sources from reaching the light receiver, and allows only light reflected from a subject to be sensed to reach the light receiver, so that a robot using the sensor device can obtain an accurate sensing image. make it possible

1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a lidar sensor device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
2A is a diagram for explaining an optical path of a lidar sensor device and another light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
2B is a diagram for explaining an optical path of a conventional lidar sensor device and another light source.
3A is a diagram for explaining a sensing image of a lidar sensor device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
3B is a diagram for explaining a sensing image when another light source exists around the conventional lidar sensor device.
4A is a perspective view illustrating a light concentrating unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
4B is a cross-sectional view of a light collecting unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
5 is a view for explaining an optical path of light scattered in a hole of a light collecting unit of a lidar sensor device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
6 is a perspective view of a light collecting unit for explaining a linear pipe penetrating a hole located in a center of the light collecting unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration and an optical path of a lidar sensor device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
8A is a diagram for explaining a light concentrating unit according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
8B is a side view of a light collecting unit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device including a lidar sensor device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Since the present embodiments can apply various transformations and have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the scope to the specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for like elements.

In describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the following embodiments may be modified in many different forms, and the scope of the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the spirit of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

Terms used in this disclosure are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope of rights. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present disclosure, expressions such as “has,” “can have,” “includes,” or “can include” indicate the presence of a corresponding feature (eg, numerical value, function, operation, or component such as a part). , which does not preclude the existence of additional features.

In this disclosure, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and/and B,” or “one or more of A or/and B” may include all possible combinations of the items listed together. . For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A or B” (1) includes at least one A, (2) includes at least one B, Or (3) may refer to all cases including at least one A and at least one B.

Expressions such as "first," "second," "first," or "second," used in the present disclosure may modify various elements regardless of order and/or importance, and may refer to one element as It is used only to distinguish it from other components and does not limit the corresponding components.

A component (e.g., a first component) is "(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to" another component (e.g., a second component); When referred to as "connected to", it should be understood that an element may be directly connected to another element, or may be connected through another element (eg, a third element).

On the other hand, when an element (eg, a first element) is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element (eg, a second element), it is referred to as a component different from a component. It may be understood that there are no other components (eg, third components) between the elements.

The expression “configured to (or configured to)” as used in this disclosure means, depending on the situation, for example, “suitable for,” “having the capacity to.” ," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured (or set) to" may not necessarily mean only "specifically designed to" hardware.

Instead, in some contexts, the phrase "device configured to" may mean that the device is "capable of" in conjunction with other devices or components. For example, the phrase "a processor configured (or configured) to perform A, B, and C" may include a dedicated processor (eg, embedded processor) to perform the operation, or by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device. , may mean a general-purpose processor (eg, CPU or application processor) capable of performing corresponding operations.

In an embodiment, a 'module' or 'unit' performs at least one function or operation, and may be implemented with hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, a plurality of 'modules' or a plurality of 'units' may be integrated into at least one module and implemented by at least one processor, except for 'modules' or 'units' that need to be implemented with specific hardware.

Meanwhile, various elements and regions in the drawings are schematically drawn. Therefore, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by the relative size or spacing drawn in the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement it.

1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a lidar sensor device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure includes a light emitting unit 110 that emits light, a reflector 120 that reflects light emitted from the light emitting unit toward a subject, and reflects back light reflected by the subject. ), a light collecting unit 130 that collects light re-reflected from the reflector 120, and a light receiving unit 140 that senses the light collected by the light collecting unit 130. The light collecting unit 130 is located between the light emitting unit 110 and the reflecting unit 120, and allows light emitted from the light emitting unit 110 to pass through the light collecting unit 130 and reach the reflecting unit 120. It may include a hole located in.

Here, the light emitting unit 110 may be a laser light emitting unit, the reflecting unit 120 may be a micro mirror capable of adjusting an angle, and the light concentrating unit 130 may be a concave mirror disposed such that a focus is directed toward the light receiving unit 140 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , the light emitting unit 110 of the LIDAR sensor device 100 may emit light in the direction of the reflecting unit 120, and the irradiated light is reflected by the reflecting unit 120 to form a target object 310. can reach Here, an optical path from irradiation by the light emitting unit 110 to reaching the subject 310 may be defined as the first optical path 210 .

Light reaching the object 310 may be reflected from the surface of the object 310 toward the reflector 120 , and may be re-reflected by the reflector 120 to reach the light collecting portion 130 . Here, a second optical path 220 may be defined as an optical path that is reflected from the surface of the subject 310 and reaches the light concentrating unit 130 .

Here, the first optical path 210 of light irradiated from the light emitter 110 to the reflector 120 may coincide with the second optical path 220 of light reflected from the subject.

In the lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure, the light other than the light reflected from the subject through the second optical path 220 does not reach the light receiving unit 140, so that the subject passes through the second optical path 220 It may further include a blocking member 150 that blocks light other than light reflected from and returned.

The blocking member 150 has a shape surrounding the light emitting part 110, the reflecting part 120, the light collecting part 130, and the light receiving part 140, and has a first optical path 210 and a second optical path 220. By preventing light other than light from reaching the light receiving unit 140, an accurate sensing image without interference can be obtained.

Here, the blocking member 150 may be formed in a form surrounding the light emitting unit 110 , the reflecting unit 120 , the light collecting unit 130 , and the light receiving unit 140 . Specifically, the blocking member 150 passes the light having the first optical path 210 irradiated from the light emitting unit 110 and the light having the second optical path 220 reflected from the subject 310 and returning. It may be formed in a form surrounding the light emitting unit 110 , the reflecting unit 120 , the light collecting unit 130 , and the light receiving unit 140 except for portions.

2A is a diagram for explaining an optical path of a lidar sensor device and another light source according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2A , the light having the second optical path 220 may reach the light receiving unit 140, but the light emitted from the light emitting unit 110 of the LIDAR sensor device 100 is the surface of the subject 310. The light 320 that is reflected in the other direction and is reflected back on the surface of the external object 320 is blocked by the blocking member 150 and cannot reach the light receiving unit 140 of the LIDAR sensor device 100. It is not affected by the light 230 reflected by the object 320 .

In addition, the light 240 irradiated by the external light source 330 is blocked by the blocking member 150 and cannot reach the light receiving unit 140 of the LIDAR sensor device 100. It is not affected by light 240 .

Even when an external light source that is not blocked by the blocking member 150 enters the inside of the blocking member, light that does not coincide with the second optical path 220 cannot reach the light receiving unit 140 . Only the light irradiated along the first optical path 210 is reflected on the subject 310 and returns to the second optical path 220, so that the light irradiated by the external light source is not affected.

2B is a diagram for explaining an optical path of a conventional lidar sensor device and another light source.

Referring to FIG. 2B , the light receiving unit 140 is exposed to the outside and has non-directional properties. Therefore, not only the light having the second optical path 220 emitted by the light emitting unit 110 and reflected by the subject 310 but also the light radiated from the light emitting unit 110 of the lidar sensor device 100 The light 320 reflected from the surface of the subject 310 in a different direction and reflected back to the surface of the external object 320 and the light 240 irradiated by the external light source 330 are all included in the light receiving unit 140 , and interference occurs.

As described above, the lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure, unlike the conventional lidar sensor device, has a second optical path 220 that is irradiated by the light emitting unit 110 and reflected by the subject 310 and returns. Interference can be minimized by allowing only the light to reach the light receiver 140, and an accurate sensing image can be obtained. A comparison of the sensing image of the lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure and the conventional lidar sensor device will be described together with FIGS. 3A and 3B.

3A is a diagram for explaining a sensing image of a lidar sensor device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3A , in the lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure, the light irradiated from the light emitting unit 110 is reflected from the surface of the subject 310 in a different direction to detect an external object 320. The light 320 that is re-reflected on the surface of ) and the light 240 irradiated by the external light source 330 do not reach the light receiver 140, so that a highly accurate sensing image can be obtained.

3B is a diagram for explaining a sensing image when another light source exists around the conventional lidar sensor device.

Referring to FIG. 3B , in the lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure, the light irradiated from the light emitting unit 110 is reflected from the surface of the subject 310 in a different direction to detect an external object 320. The light 320 that is re-reflected on the surface of the ) and the light 240 irradiated by the external light source 330 reach the light receiving unit 140, and noise 300 may occur due to interference. Therefore, an error may occur in a value sensed through the lidar sensor device 100, and a problem may occur in the driving performance of a robot moving using the lidar sensor device 100.

As described above, the lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure can obtain a sensing image with higher accuracy than conventional lidar sensor devices.

However, in the lidar sensor device 100 according to the present disclosure, a sensing error may occur due to a scattering phenomenon in a hole located at the center of the light collecting unit 130, and thus the structure of the light collecting unit 130 is to solve this problem. will be described in detail with FIGS. 4 to 8 .

4A is a perspective view illustrating a light collecting unit according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the light collecting unit according to an exemplary embodiment.

The light collecting unit 130 is located between the light emitting unit 110 and the reflecting unit 120, and allows light emitted from the light emitting unit 110 to pass through the light collecting unit 130 and reach the reflecting unit 120. It may include a hole (130-1) located in. Here, the light concentrating unit 130 may be formed of a concave mirror to condense light that is reflected from the subject and returns.

5 is a view for explaining an optical path of light scattered in a hole of a light concentrating unit of a lidar sensor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Light radiated from the light emitting unit 110 of the lidar sensor device 100 is designed to pass through the hole 130-1 of the light collecting unit 130 and head to the reflecting unit 120, but some of the light passes through the light collecting unit 130. The light 510 may be scattered by hitting the inner surface of the hole 130 - 1 of the hole 130 , and the scattered light 510 may directly reach the light receiving unit 140 . That is, the light 510 scattered by hitting the inner surface of the hole 130-1 of the concentrator 130 together with the light having the second optical path 220 reflected from the subject and returned reaches the light receiver 140. can do.

Since the light 510 scattered by hitting the inner surface of the hole 130-1 of the light collecting unit 130 reaches the light receiving unit 140 immediately after being irradiated from the light emitting unit 110, there is a large error in acquiring a sensing image. can act as

The problem caused by the scattered light 510 as described above can be solved by using a linear pipe member passing through the hole 130 - 1 of the light collecting unit 130 .

6 is a perspective view of a light collecting unit for explaining a linear pipe penetrating a hole located in a center of the light collecting unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The light collector 130 of the LIDAR sensor device 100 may include a linear pipe 130-2 penetrating the hole 130-1 located in the center. The light irradiated from the light emitting unit 110 of the LIDAR sensor device 100 passes through the linear pipe 130-2 penetrating the hole 130-1 located in the center of the concentrating unit 130 to reflect the light reflective unit 120. will be directed towards

Here, the linear pipe 130-2 may have various cross-sectional shapes such as circular, polygonal, and amorphous shapes, and when the light concentrating part 130 is a concave mirror, it has a length greater than the thickness and length of the concave mirror.

7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration and an optical path of a lidar sensor device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The light emitted from the light emitting unit 110 of the LIDAR sensor device 100 passes through the linear pipe 130-2 penetrating the hole 130-1 located in the center of the light collecting unit 130 and passes through the reflector 120. will be directed towards At this time, some of the light irradiated from the light emitter 110 is scattered on the inner surface of the end of the linear pipe 130-2, and the scattering position is moved toward the reflector 120, so the light receiver 140 has an optical path that does not reach Therefore, only the light reflected from the subject 310 and having the second optical path 220 reaches the light receiver 140, so that the lidar sensor device 100 can obtain an accurate sensing image.

As described above, the linear pipe 130-2 may be introduced to prevent interference caused by light scattered from the inner surface of the hole 130-1 located at the center of the light collecting unit 130, but as another embodiment. A method of utilizing PBS coating may also be considered.

8A is a view for explaining a light collecting unit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 8B is a side view of a light collecting unit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

The light collecting unit 130 of the LIDAR sensor device 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure allows light emitted from the light emitting unit 110 to pass through the light collecting unit 130 and reach the reflecting unit 120. A polarizing beam splitter (PBS) coating unit 810 located in the center and a mirror coating unit 820 located in an area other than the PBS coating unit 810 may be included.

By placing the PBS coating part 810 at the center of the light collecting part 130 of the lidar sensor device 100, the light irradiated from the light emitting part 110 is scattered to the surroundings and directly reaches the light receiving part 140. can do. The mirror coating unit 820 is positioned in an area other than the PBS coating unit 810 so that the light having the second optical path 220 reflected from the subject 310 and returning is reflected by the mirror coating unit 820 to the light receiving unit ( 140) direction.

9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electronic device including a lidar sensor device according to an exemplary embodiment.

An electronic device including the lidar sensor device 100 may include the lidar sensor device 100 and a processor 910 that acquires information about a subject using the lidar sensor device.

Here, the processor 910 controls the overall operation of the electronic device. Specifically, the processor 910 is connected to the lidar sensor device 100 through wired/wireless communication to control the overall operation of the electronic device. In particular, the processor 910 may be implemented as one processor 910 or as a plurality of processors 910 .

Processor 910 can be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, the processor 910 may include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an embedded processor, a microprocessor, hardware control logic, a hardware finite state machine (FSM), a digital signal processor Processor, DSP) may be implemented as at least one.

Meanwhile, in the present disclosure, the processor 910 includes a central processing unit (CPU) for processing digital signals, a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, and an application processor. processor (AP)), communication processor (communication processor (CP)), or one or more of an ARM processor, or may be defined by the term. In addition, the processor 910 may be implemented as a System on Chip (SoC) having a built-in processing algorithm, a large scale integration (LSI), or may be implemented in the form of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The processor 910 may perform various functions by executing computer executable instructions. In addition, the processor 910 may include at least one of a graphics-processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), and a visual processing unit (VPU), which are separate AI processors, in order to perform artificial intelligence functions. there is.

An electronic device includes a light emitting unit that emits light, a reflector that reflects light emitted from the light emitting unit toward a subject and reflects back light reflected by the subject, and a collector that collects the light re-reflected from the reflector. It may include a light receiver and a light receiver that detects the light collected by the light collector and the light collector. A first optical path of light irradiated from the light emitting unit to the reflecting unit may coincide with a second optical path of light reflected from the subject.

The electronic device may further include a blocking member blocking light other than light reflected from the subject through the second optical path to prevent light other than light reflected from the subject and returning through the second light path from reaching the light receiver. can

Here, the light emitting unit may be a laser light emitting unit, the reflecting unit may be a micro mirror capable of adjusting an angle, and the light concentrating unit may be a concave mirror disposed such that a focus is directed toward the light receiving unit.

The electronic device may include a Time to Digital Converter (TDC) that converts a time value at which an optical signal is detected by a light receiver into a digital signal.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and is common in the technical field belonging to the present disclosure without departing from the gist of the present disclosure claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications and implementations are possible by those with knowledge of, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present disclosure.

100: lidar sensor device
110: light emitting unit
120: reflector
130: light collector
140: light receiving unit
150: blocking member

Claims (9)

In the lidar sensor device,
a light emitting unit that emits light;
a reflector for reflecting light emitted from the light emitting unit toward a subject and re-reflecting light reflected by the subject;
a concentrating unit condensing the light re-reflected from the reflector;
a linear pipe penetrating a hole located in the center of the light collecting unit; and
A light receiving unit configured to sense the light collected by the light collecting unit;
A first optical path of light irradiated from the light emitting unit to the reflecting unit coincides with a second optical path of light reflected from the subject. According to claim 1,
The lidar sensor device,
and a blocking member blocking light other than the light reflected from the subject through the second optical path so that light other than the light reflected from the subject and returned through the second optical path does not reach the light receiving unit. , lidar sensor device. According to claim 2,
The blocking member,
A lidar sensor device formed in a form surrounding the light emitting part, the reflecting part, the light collecting part, and the light receiving part. According to claim 1,
The light collector,
A lidar sensor device, which is a concave mirror disposed so that the focus is directed toward the light receiving unit. According to claim 4,
The light collector,
Located between the light emitting part and the reflecting part,
A lidar sensor device including a hole located at a center so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit passes through the light collecting unit and reaches the reflecting unit. According to claim 1,
The light collector,
Located between the light emitting part and the reflecting part,
A lidar sensor device comprising: a mirror coating portion on a first region of a surface of the light collecting portion. According to claim 6,
The light collector,
A polarizing beam splitter (PBS) coating unit so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit passes through the light collecting unit and reaches the reflecting unit in a second area other than the first area of the surface of the light collecting unit; a lidar sensor device. According to claim 1,
the reflector,
Lidar sensor device, which is a micro-mirror with adjustable angle. In an electronic device including a lidar sensor device,
lidar sensor device; and
A processor for acquiring information on a subject using the lidar sensor device; includes,
The electronic device,
a light emitting unit that emits light;
a reflector for reflecting light emitted from the light emitting unit toward a subject and re-reflecting light reflected by the subject;
a concentrating unit condensing the light re-reflected from the reflector;
a linear pipe penetrating a hole located in the center of the light collecting unit; and
A light receiving unit configured to sense the light collected by the light collecting unit;
The electronic device, wherein a first optical path of light emitted from the light emitting unit to the reflecting unit coincides with a second optical path of light reflected from the subject.

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