KR20240057029A - Lidar device - Google Patents

Abstract

LiDAR device is launched. A LiDAR device according to an aspect of the present invention is a LiDAR device for recognizing an object located in a detectable area, and the detection is possible by adjusting a transmitter that emits a transmission light to the detectable area and a divergence angle of the transmission light. A transmission module including a divergence angle adjustment unit provided on one side of the transmission unit to adjust the range of the area; a light separation module that separates the received light reflected by the object into first received light and second received light; a first receiving module configured to receive the first received light; and a second receiving module configured to receive the second received light.

Description

Lidar device {Lidar device}

The present invention relates to a LiDAR device, and more specifically, to a LiDAR device that can obtain accurate information about an external object.

LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) is a type of sensor that emits laser light and then receives reflected waves that are reflected by obstacles and calculates the distance to the obstacle through the traveling time of the laser.

LIDAR is similar in function to RADAR (Radio Detection And Ranging), but the difference is that it uses light, unlike radar, which uses radio waves. In this respect, LIDAR is sometimes called ‘video radar.’ Due to the difference in the Doppler effect between light and microwaves, lidar has superior azimuth resolution and distance resolution compared to radar.

Such LIDAR can be used with various other sensors (e.g., cameras, radar, etc.) to implement advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles.

Conventional solid state Lidar has a specific measurement range, such as a narrow measurement range (Field of View (FoV)) for detecting distant objects or a wide measurement range for detecting close objects. It has been configured and used individually according to necessary situations.

However, in this conventional LiDAR, the LiDAR for detecting distant objects and the LiDAR for detecting close objects must be installed at different locations in the vehicle, so the optical axes of the received light received by each LiDAR are inevitably formed differently.

Therefore, in order to obtain accurate information about objects, these conventional LIDARs require individual calibration for mounting each LIDAR, synchronized calibration for point cloud mapping, and compatibility with other sensors. There is a problem in which calibration must be performed for .

In addition, since multiple LiDARs must be installed at various locations in the vehicle, the space utilization of the vehicle is reduced, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance costs may increase, and miniaturization of the LiDAR system is difficult.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide a lidar device that can increase space utilization, reduce manufacturing, installation and maintenance costs, and be easily miniaturized. will be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a LiDAR device that can precisely detect both distant and near objects.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a LIDAR device that can accurately obtain information about external objects.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a LiDAR device that can minimize the individual calibration process for mounting and the calibration process for point cloud mapping.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a LiDAR device that can minimize the calibration process to be compatible with other sensors that use light, such as cameras.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is a LIDAR device for recognizing an object located in a detectable area, comprising a transmitter that emits transmission light to the detectable area and a range of the detectable area by adjusting the divergence angle of the transmission light. A transmission module including a divergence angle adjustment unit provided on one side of the transmission unit to adjust . a light separation module that separates the received light reflected by the object into first received light and second received light; a first receiving module configured to receive the first received light; and a second receiving module provided to receive the second received light.

At this time, the divergence angle adjusting unit includes at least one lens provided on one side of the transmitting unit to diverge the transmission light emitted from the transmitting unit; and an actuator capable of moving the lens to adjust the divergence angle of the transmitted light.

At this time, the actuator may be made of a voice coil motor or a step motor.

At this time, the light splitting module may include a light splitting unit configured to propagate the first received light and the second received light in a first direction and a second direction, respectively.

At this time, the light separation module may include an actuator capable of moving the light separation unit to adjust at least one of the first direction and the second direction.

At this time, the light separator receives the received light and emits the first received light in a first direction so that the received light is separated into the first received light and the second received light and the second received light in a second direction. It may include a prism that emits received light.

At this time, the prism has an incident surface on which the received light is incident; a first emission surface on which the received light passing through the incident surface is incident, and on which one of the first received light and the second received light is emitted; and a second emission surface through which the other of the first received light and the second received light is emitted, and the first emission surface may be disposed at an angle with respect to the incident surface.

At this time, at least a portion of the first emission surface may be provided with a reflective layer capable of selectively reflecting either the first received light or the second received light.

At this time, the first receiving module includes a first receiving unit disposed on one side of the light separation module to receive the first received light; And it may further include a first viewing angle adjusting unit provided between the light separation module and the first receiving unit so that the first receiving unit can adjust a viewing angle at which the first receiving light can be received.

At this time, the second receiving module includes a second receiving unit disposed on the other side of the light splitting module to receive the second received light; And it may include a second viewing angle adjusting unit provided between the light separation module and the second receiving unit so that the second receiving unit can adjust a viewing angle at which the second receiving light can be received.

At this time, it may further include a control module provided to adjust the range of the viewing angle in response to the range of the divergence angle adjusted by the divergence angle adjusting unit.

At this time, the first received light includes non-visible light, the first receiving module includes a dToF sensor capable of detecting non-visible light, the second received light includes visible light, and the second receiving module includes It may include an RGB image sensor capable of detecting visible light.

In the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention, each component that generates light and separates and receives light is modularized for each function, so manufacturing and maintenance costs can be dramatically reduced, and miniaturization of the LiDAR device can be achieved. can be achieved.

In addition, the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a divergence angle control unit in which the transmission module can adjust the divergence angle range of the transmitted light so that it can detect both distant and near objects, so that the Lidar device for detecting distant objects and There is no need to separately provide LiDAR for short-range object detection, which can increase space utilization, reduce manufacturing, installation, and maintenance costs, and achieve miniaturization of the LiDAR device.

In addition, the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention can narrow the divergence angle range of the transmitted light so that the divergence angle adjuster can detect a distant object, or increase the divergence angle range of the transmitted light so that it can detect a nearby object. The detection distance of the Ida device can be adjusted in various ways, allowing it to precisely detect both distant and near objects.

In addition, since the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a viewing angle adjustment unit capable of adjusting the range of the viewing angle of the receiving module, the resolution of the LiDAR device can be adjusted to accurately obtain information about both distant and near objects. can do.

In addition, the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention can precisely detect both distant and near objects because the control module adjusts the range of the viewing angle to correspond to the range of the divergence angle of the transmitted light. You can obtain accurate information about

In addition, the LIDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention corrects or filters the information acquired by the first receiver using the information acquired by the second receiver, thereby obtaining information about external objects more accurately. can do.

In addition, the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a divergence angle control unit that can adjust the divergence angle range of the transmitted light so that the transmission module can detect both distant and near objects, so that the Lidar device for detecting distant objects and Since there is no need to have separate LiDARs for close-range object detection, the individual calibration process for mounting and the calibration process for point cloud mapping can be minimized.

In addition, in the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention, an optical separation module separates one received light into a first received light and a second received light having the same optical axis, and the first receiver and the second receiver receive the first receiver. Since information is acquired by receiving the new light and the second received light respectively, the calibration process for compatibility between the first and second receivers can be minimized.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description or claims of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a diagram briefly showing how a LIDAR device acquires information about an object within a detectable area according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram briefly showing the transmission module of the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention emitting transmission light.
Figure 3 is a diagram briefly showing the divergence angle adjustment unit of the transmission module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 briefly shows how the light separation module, the first receiving module, and the second receiving module of the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention separate the received light into the first received light and the second received light and receive them. This is the drawing shown.
Figure 5a is a diagram showing how the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention adjusts the divergence angle and viewing angle so that it can accurately detect objects located at a relatively close distance.
FIG. 5B is a diagram briefly illustrating a first detectable area that can be detected by the LiDAR device shown in FIG. 5A.
Figure 6a is a diagram showing the divergence angle and viewing angle adjusted so that the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention can accurately detect an object located relatively far away.
FIG. 6B is a diagram briefly illustrating a second detectable area that can be detected by the LiDAR device shown in FIG. 6A.

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. The present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention, parts not related to the description have been omitted in the drawings, and identical or similar components are given the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

The words and terms used in this specification and claims are not to be construed as limited in their usual or dictionary meanings, but according to the principle that the inventor can define terms and concepts in order to explain his or her invention in the best way. It must be interpreted with meaning and concepts consistent with technical ideas.

In this specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to describe the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to describe the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that it does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

A component being “in front,” “rear,” “above,” or “below” another component means that it is in direct contact with the other component, unless there are special circumstances. This includes not only those placed at the “bottom” but also cases where another component is placed in the middle. In addition, the fact that a component is "connected" to another component includes not only being directly connected to each other, but also indirectly connected to each other, unless there are special circumstances.

Figure 1 is a diagram briefly showing how a LIDAR device acquires information about an object within a detectable area according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a diagram briefly showing the transmission module of the LiDAR device according to an embodiment of the present invention emitting transmission light. Figure 3 is a diagram briefly showing the divergence angle adjustment unit of the transmission module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 briefly shows how the light separation module, the first receiving module, and the second receiving module of the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention separate the received light into the first received light and the second received light and receive them. This is the drawing shown.

Referring to FIG. 1, the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention emits a predetermined light L1 to the outside and receives the light L2 reflected from the external object M to detect the external object M. It is a device for obtaining information about (M).

As an example, the LIDAR device 1 according to this embodiment may be installed in a vehicle and used to implement an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and an autonomous vehicle. However, the LiDAR device 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to a vehicle LiDAR device installed in a vehicle.

The LiDAR device 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing 2, a transmission module 10 and 20, an optical separation module 30 and 40, a first reception module 50 and 60, and a second reception module 70. ,80) and a control module 90.

The housing 2 accommodates a transmission module 10, 20, an optical separation module 30, 40, a first reception module 50, 60, a second reception module 70, 80, and a control module 90. It is a box-shaped member for protection and may be made of a material such as metal or plastic with a certain rigidity.

At this time, one side of the housing 2, for example, the front side as shown in FIG. 1, may be open to the outside. While it is possible to prevent moisture, dust, etc. from penetrating into the open portion of the housing 2, the light emitted from the transmitting modules 10 and 20, which will be described later, or the receiving modules 50, 60, 70, A cover member (not shown) through which the light L2 that can be received at 80) can pass may be provided.

The transmitting modules 10 and 20 emit predetermined light L1 to the outside, and the first receiving modules 50 and 60 and the second receiving modules 70 and 80 receive light (L1) reflected from the external object (M). By receiving L2), various information about the external object (M) can be obtained.

In this way, the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can acquire information from the reflected light L2 using a plurality of receiving modules 50, 60, 70, and 80, so that external objects You can obtain more information about (M).

In addition, the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention uses information obtained by one of the first receiving modules 50 and 60 and the second receiving modules 70 and 80 to receive information obtained by one of the other receiving modules 50 and 60. Since information can be corrected or filtered, more accurate information about the external object (M) can be obtained.

At this time, in the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the lights L2a and L2b received by the first reception modules 50 and 60 and the second reception modules 70 and 80, respectively, are one light. (L2) is formed by being separated by the optical separation modules 30 and 40, and since the optical axes are the same, calibration between the first receiving modules 50 and 60 and the second receiving modules 70 and 80 is performed. The process can be minimized.

The external object (M) may be an object that the vehicle may encounter while driving or stopping on the road, such as a pedestrian, vehicle, bicycle, tree, or electric pole located in the detectable area. The detectable area refers to an area in space where the LiDAR device 1 can acquire information by emitting light. The detectable area will be described in detail later along with a description of each configuration of the present invention.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, the Lidar device 1 according to the present embodiment may be configured as a solid state Lidar, but is not limited thereto, and may include a transmission module according to the present embodiment ( 10, 20), optical separation modules 30, 40, first receiving modules 50, 60, and second receiving modules 70, 80 are mechanical scanning lidars including a rotating part using a motor. It may also be applied to other types of LiDAR devices, such as:

Below, each configuration of the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the transmission modules 10 and 20 of the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be composed of a transmission unit 10 and a divergence angle adjustment unit 20.

The transmitter 10 is configured to emit a transmission light (L1) to the outside of the LiDAR device 1, and includes an LD (laser diode), an edge emitting laser, and a vertical resonance type surface emitting laser. Cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) may include light sources such as distributed feedback laser, LED (light emitting diode), and SLD (super luminescent diode). This light source may be made of a semiconductor-based laser device, such as a diode.

At this time, the transmission light L1 emitted by the transmitter 10 may include non-visible light. For example, the transmitted light (L1) includes Infrared Radiation (IR), Near Infrared Radiation (NIR), Short Wave Infrared Radiation (SWIR), UltraViolet (UV), and LASER BEAM. ), etc. may be included. Of course, the transmitter 10 may be configured to emit transmission light L1 including visible light (VL).

The divergence angle adjusting unit 20 may be disposed in front of the direction in which the transmission light L1 is emitted from the transmitting unit 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 2. The divergence angle control unit 20 is configured to adjust the divergence angle of the transmission light L1.

To this end, the divergence angle adjusting unit 20 includes a transmission-side barrel 22, at least one transmission-side lens 26 disposed within the transmission-side barrel 22, and a transmission-side actuator for moving the transmission-side lens 26. It can be done as (24).

At this time, in the present disclosure, the divergence angle of the transmission light (L1) is the angle at which the transmission light (L1) emitted from the transmitter 10 diverges as it passes through the transmission side lens 26, and is the direction in which the transmission light (L1) travels. It means the angle measured in the direction perpendicular to .

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the transmission side barrel 22 is a cylindrical member disposed in the direction in which the transmission light L1 travels and may have a predetermined accommodation space therein. The transmission-side lens 26 may be disposed inside the transmission-side barrel 22.

At this time, when there are a plurality of transmission-side lenses 26, the plurality of transmission-side lenses 26 may be arranged in a row in a direction parallel to the direction of travel of the transmission light L1. When the transmitting-side lens 26 moves and the distance to the transmitting unit 10 changes, or the transmitting-side lens 26 rotates and the angle formed with the traveling direction of the transmitting light (L1) changes, the transmitting light (L1) diverges. The angle can change.

The divergence angle of the transmitted light L1 may function as one of the factors that can determine the detectable area, detection distance, and resolution of the above-described LiDAR device 1.

For example, as the divergence angle of the transmission light (L1) increases, the photons that make up the transmission light (L1) are distributed and emitted over a wider area in front, so a wider area can be detected, and the area of the detectable area is It can become wider.

However, since the amount of light incident per unit area of the detectable area is reduced, the resolution may be lowered, and the detection distance may be reduced because the decrease in the amount of light with distance increases.

Conversely, as the divergence angle of the transmitted light L1 increases, the amount of incident light per unit area of the detectable area increases, so resolution can be increased, and the detection distance can be increased because the decrease in light amount with distance is small.

However, since the photons constituting the transmission light L1 are concentrated and emitted in a narrow area in front, a narrower area can be detected, and the area of the detectable area can be narrowed.

A transmission-side actuator 24 may be provided on the side of the transmission-side lens 26. The transmitting-side actuator 24 may be configured to move or rotate the transmitting-side lens 26 in the forward and backward, left and right, and up and down directions. Accordingly, the divergence angle of the transmission light L1 can be adjusted.

At this time, the transmitting-side actuator 24 may be made of a voice coil motor (VCM) or a stepping motor (SM).

If the transmission-side actuator 24 is made of a voice coil motor, a fast response speed for adjusting the divergence angle of the transmission light (L1) can be obtained, and the size of the divergence angle of the transmission light (L1) can be finely adjusted linearly. there is.

When the transmission-side actuator 24 is made of a step motor, the size of the divergence angle of the transmission light L1 can be set in stages, and the detectable area can be controlled with specifications at regular intervals. For example, by configuring the divergence angle specifications of the transmitted light (L1) only in the far object detection mode for detecting objects located relatively far away and the near object detection mode for detecting objects located relatively close, the required cost and The convenience of system application can be improved.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, inside the housing 2, on the sides of the transmitting modules 10 and 20, for example, on the right side as shown in FIG. 1, there are optical separation modules 30 and 40, and a first receiving module. Modules 50 and 60 and second receiving modules 70 and 80 may be disposed.

The light separation modules 30 and 40 are configured to receive the light L2 reflected from the external object M and separate it into a plurality of lights L2a and L2b. Hereinafter, the light reflected from the external object (M) is referred to as received light (L2).

At this time, the received light L2 may include light formed by reflecting the transmitted light L1 emitted from the transmitting modules 10 and 20 from the external object M. Additionally, the received light L2 may include light emitted from a light source other than the LiDAR device 1 (eg, the sun, a street light, etc.) and reflected from an external object M. In other words, the received light L2 may include non-visible light and visible light.

The light separation modules 30 and 40 split the received light L2 into a first received light L2a traveling backward in a first direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, and a second direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 4. As shown, it can be configured to be separated into the second received light L2b traveling in the right direction.

To this end, the light separation modules 30 and 40 may include a light separation unit capable of separating light incident from the outside. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the light separation unit may be formed of a prism 30.

The prism 30 may be made of a polyhedron made of a material through which the received light L2 can pass. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the prism 30 may be made of glass and may have a polyhedral shape with a right triangle cross section.

An incident surface 31 may be provided on one side of the prism 30, for example, the front part with reference to FIG. 4. The incident surface 31 may be arranged perpendicular to the direction in which the received light L2 travels. Accordingly, the received light L2 is perpendicular to the incident surface 31 and can travel inside the prism 30.

A first emission surface 33 may be provided on the other side of the prism 30, for example, the left side with reference to FIG. 4. The first emission surface 33 may be disposed at a slight angle to the entrance surface 31. Accordingly, the received light L2 passing through the incident surface 31 and inside the prism 30 may be incident on the first emission surface 33 in a direction slightly inclined to the normal line of the first emission surface 33. there is.

The received light L2 incident on the first emission surface 33 may be separated into the first received light L2a and the second received light L2b. To this end, at least a portion of the first emission surface 33 may be provided with a reflective layer that selectively reflects either the first received light L2a or the second received light L2b.

In the illustrated embodiment, the reflective layer is configured to selectively reflect the second received light L2b and transmit the first received light L2a. Accordingly, the first received light L2a is emitted to the outside of the prism 30 through the first emission surface 33.

The reflective layer may be made of visible light, for example, a dichroic film layer that selectively reflects visible light. Accordingly, the first received light L2a emitted to the outside through the first emission surface 33 may include non-visible light, for example, infrared rays, near infrared rays, shortwave infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, laser beams, etc.

At this time, the first received light L2a may include the transmitted light L1 emitted from the transmission modules 10 and 20. The transmitted light L1 included in the first received light L2a may include information about the external object M.

Meanwhile, the second received light L2b reflected from the reflective layer of the first emission surface 33 may include visible light, for example, visible light, as described above. The second received light L2b passing inside the prism 30 may be incident on the second emission surface 35. The second received light L2b incident on the second emission surface 35 may pass through it and be emitted outside the prism 30.

According to the above-described process, the light splitting modules 30 and 40 can separate the received light L2 into the first received light L2a and the second received light L2b. At this time, the first received light L2a and the second received light L2b are separated from one received light L2 and thus have the same optical axis.

Meanwhile, a prism side actuator 40 may be provided on one side of the prism 30 to move or rotate the prism 30 left and right, up and down, or forward and backward.

The prism side actuator 40 moves or rotates the prism 30 in the above-mentioned direction, thereby controlling the traveling direction of the first received light L2a, that is, the first direction, and the traveling direction of the second received light L2b, that is. At least one of the second directions can be adjusted.

For example, when the prism side actuator 40 rotates the prism 30 counterclockwise based on FIG. 4, the travel direction of the first received light L2a and the second received light L2b is counterclockwise. may be somewhat inclined.

The prism-side actuator 40 may be made of a voice coil motor or a step motor, in the same way as the above-mentioned transmission-side actuator 24 (shown in FIG. 2), and a detailed description thereof is given in the transmission-side actuator 24. Please replace it with an explanation.

Meanwhile, the light splitting modules 30 and 40 according to this embodiment are only an example, and in another embodiment, the light splitting modules 30 and 40 split the received light L2 into three lights traveling in different directions. It may be configured to separate.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4 , first receiving modules 50 and 60 for receiving the first received light L2a may be disposed on the first direction side of the light splitting modules 30 and 40. The first receiving modules 50 and 60 may include a first receiving unit 50 and a first viewing angle adjusting unit 60.

The first receiver 50 may be comprised of a sensor that detects the first received light L2a and converts it into an electrical signal. The converted electrical signal can be sent to the control module 90, which will be described later, and used to obtain information about the external object (M).

In the illustrated embodiment, the first received light L2a consists of non-visible light including the transmitted light L1 emitted from the transmission modules 10 and 20, so the first receiver 50 is configured to measure the arrival time of the non-visible light. It may be comprised of a dToF (direct time of flight) sensor that can measure and calculate the distance to an external object (M).

A first viewing angle adjusting unit 60 may be provided between the first receiving unit 50 and the light separation modules 30 and 40. The first viewing angle adjusting unit 60 is configured to adjust the first viewing angle.

At this time, in the present disclosure, the first viewing angle refers to the angle in which the first receiver 50 receives the first received light L2a from the outside measured in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the first received light L2a. do.

The first viewing angle may function as another one of the factors that can determine the detectable area, detection distance, and resolution of the LiDAR device 1.

For example, as the first viewing angle increases, the first receiver 50 receives the first reception light L2a from a wider area in front, so it can detect a wider area, and accordingly, the first receiver 50 ) The area of the detectable area can be expanded.

However, since the amount of first received light L2a incident per unit area of the detectable area is reduced, the resolution of the first receiver 50 may be lowered, and since the amount of light decreased with distance increases, the first receiver 50 )'s detection distance may be reduced.

Conversely, as the first viewing angle increases, the amount of incident light per unit area of the detectable area increases, so the resolution of the first receiver 50 can be increased, and the decrease in light amount according to distance is small, so the detection of the first receiver 50 can be improved. Distance can increase.

However, since the photons constituting the first received light L2a are concentrated and incident from a narrow area in the front, a narrower area can be detected, and the area of the detectable area by the first receiver 50 can be narrowed. there is.

Meanwhile, the first viewing angle adjusting unit 60 may be composed of a first receiving side barrel 62, a first receiving side actuator 64, and at least one first receiving side lens 66. At this time, the first receiving side barrel 62, the first receiving side actuator 64, and the first receiving side lens 66 are respectively the above-described transmitting side barrel 22, transmitting side actuator 24, and transmitting side lens ( 26), the detailed description thereof will be replaced with the description of the transmission-side barrel 22, transmission-side actuator 24, and transmission-side lens 26.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4 , second reception modules 70 and 80 for receiving the second received light L2b may be disposed on the second direction side of the light splitting modules 30 and 40. The second receiving modules 70 and 80 may include a second receiving unit 70 and a second viewing angle adjusting unit 80.

The second receiver 70 may be comprised of a sensor that detects the second received light L2b and converts it into an electrical signal. The converted electrical signal can be sent to the control module 90, which will be described later, and used to obtain information about the external object (M).

In the illustrated embodiment, the second received light L2b consists of visible light reflected from the reflective layer of the first emission surface 33, so the first receiver 50 is an RGB image sensor capable of detecting visible light. It can be done.

A second viewing angle adjusting unit 80 may be provided between the second receiving unit 70 and the light separation modules 30 and 40. The second viewing angle adjusting unit 80 is configured to adjust the second viewing angle.

At this time, in the present disclosure, the second viewing angle refers to the angle in which the second receiver 70 receives the second received light L2b from the outside measured in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the second received light L2b. do.

The second viewing angle may function as another one of the factors that can determine the detectable area, detection distance, and resolution of the LiDAR device 1.

For example, as the second viewing angle increases, the second receiver 70 receives the second reception light L2b from a wider area in front, so it can detect a wider area, and accordingly, the second receiver 70 ) The area of the detectable area can be expanded.

However, since the amount of second received light (L2b) incident per unit area of the detectable area is reduced, the resolution of the second receiver 70 may be lowered, and the amount of decrease in the amount of light depending on the distance increases, so the second receiver 70 )'s detection distance may be reduced.

Conversely, as the second viewing angle increases, the amount of incident light per unit area of the detectable area increases, so the resolution of the second receiver 70 can be increased, and the decrease in light amount according to distance is small, so the detection of the second receiver 70 can be improved. Distance can increase.

However, since the photons constituting the second received light L2b are concentrated and incident from a narrow area in the front, a narrower area is detected, and the area of the detectable area by the second receiver 70 may be narrowed.

Meanwhile, the second viewing angle adjusting unit 80 may be composed of a second receiving side barrel 82, a second receiving side actuator 84, and at least one second receiving side lens 86. At this time, the second receiving side barrel 82, the second receiving side actuator 84, and the second receiving side lens 86 are respectively the above-described transmitting side barrel 22, transmitting side actuator 24, and transmitting side lens ( 26), the detailed description thereof will be replaced with the description of the transmission-side barrel 22, transmission-side actuator 24, and transmission-side lens 26.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 to 4, the control module 90 according to an embodiment of the present invention obtains an electrical signal from the first receiver 50 and the second receiver 70 and transmits the signal to the external object M. Information can be obtained.

The control module 90 may be implemented in hardware, software, and/or a combination thereof. For example, the control module 80 is implemented using an electrical circuit processed by hardware, a processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a controller, an arithmetic logic unit, an arithmetic logic circuit, a digital signal processing unit, a micro It may include a device implemented by a computer, FPGA, system-on-chip (SoC), programmable logic unit, microprocessor, or any device capable of performing the functions described below.

The control module 90 may be configured to use one of the information acquired through the first receiver 50 and the information acquired through the second receiver 70 to correct or filter the other.

For example, in this embodiment, the dToF sensor included in the first receiver 50 detects the first received light L2a and forms 3D spatial information, for example, 3D point cloud data. can do.

At this time, the RGB image sensor included in the second receiver 70 may have relatively high resolution compared to the same viewing angle by applying relatively small-sized pixels.

Therefore, the second receiver 70 detects the accurate two-dimensional shape of the external object M and uses it for noise filtering of the three-dimensional spatial information, thereby improving the precision of the three-dimensional spatial information. there is.

In this way, the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of receiving modules 50, 60, 70, and 80, and uses the information obtained therefrom to communicate with the external object M. More accurate information can be obtained.

At this time, when the received lights received by a plurality of receiving modules have different optical axes, calibration of the one-side angle of view is required in order to use the information acquired by each receiving module together.

However, as described above, in this embodiment, the first received light L2a and the second received light L2b separated by the light separation modules 30 and 40 have the same optical axis. Therefore, the LIDAR device 1 according to this embodiment does not require calibration according to the difference in the optical axis of the received light incident on the first receiving modules 50 and 60 and the second receiving modules 70 and 80. The calibration process between the plurality of receiving modules 50, 60, 70, and 80 can be minimized.

Figure 5a is a diagram showing how the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention adjusts the divergence angle and viewing angle so that it can accurately detect objects located at a relatively close distance. FIG. 5B is a diagram briefly illustrating a first detectable area that can be detected by the LiDAR device shown in FIG. 5A. Figure 6a is a diagram showing the divergence angle and viewing angle adjusted so that the lidar device according to an embodiment of the present invention can accurately detect an object located relatively far away. FIG. 6B is a diagram briefly illustrating a second detectable area that can be detected by the LiDAR device shown in FIG. 6A.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 5A, and 5B, the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a wide width in front of the LiDAR device 1, but a short detection range, in order to detect a short-distance object. A first detectable area S1 having a distance may be formed.

To this end, the control module 90 may control the divergence angle adjusting unit 20 so that the transmission light L1 emitted forward has a relatively large divergence angle α1. Accordingly, the LIDAR device 1 according to this embodiment can detect a short-distance object located in the front wide first detectable area S1.

In addition, the control module 90 allows the first receiver 50 and the second receiver 70 to detect the received light L2 formed by the transmitted light L1 emitted at a large divergence angle α1. To this end, the first viewing angle adjusting unit 60 and the second viewing angle adjusting unit 80 can be controlled so that the first receiving unit 50 and the second receiving unit 70 have a large viewing angle (β1).

In this way, the LIDAR device 1 according to this embodiment adjusts the viewing angle range of the receiving modules 50, 60, 70, and 80 in response to the divergence angle range of the transmitting modules 10 and 20, thereby detecting nearby objects. It can be detected precisely with appropriate resolution.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 6A, and 6B, the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a narrow width in front of the LiDAR device 1, but has a long detection range, in order to detect distant objects. A second detectable area S2 having a distance may be formed.

To this end, the control module 90 may control the divergence angle adjusting unit 20 so that the transmission light L1 emitted forward has a relatively small divergence angle α2. Accordingly, the LIDAR device 1 according to this embodiment can detect a distant object located in the second detectable area S2 formed at a long distance in front.

In addition, the control module 90 allows the first receiver 50 and the second receiver 70 to detect the received light (L2) formed by the transmitted light (L1) emitted at a narrow divergence angle (α2). To this end, the first viewing angle adjusting unit 60 and the second viewing angle adjusting unit 80 can be controlled so that the first receiving unit 50 and the second receiving unit 70 have a narrow viewing angle (β2).

In this way, the LIDAR device 1 according to this embodiment adjusts the viewing angle range of the receiving modules 50, 60, 70, and 80 in response to the divergence angle range of the transmitting modules 10 and 20, thereby eliminating distant objects. It can be detected precisely with appropriate resolution.

In this way, the LiDAR device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention can adjust the range of the divergence angle and the viewing angle so that it can detect both far and near objects, and thus Lidar for detecting distant objects and Lidar for detecting near objects. There is no need to have each lidar.

Therefore, the LiDAR device 1 according to this embodiment can minimize the individual calibration process for mounting the LiDAR and the calibration process for point cloud mapping, increase space utilization, and enable manufacturing, installation, and Maintenance costs can be reduced, and miniaturization of the LiDAR device can be achieved.

Meanwhile, in FIGS. 5A to 6B, the first viewing angle of the first receiving unit 50 and the second viewing angle of the second receiving unit 70 are shown to be formed at the same angle, but the first receiving unit 50 and the second receiving unit ( Considering the characteristics of 70), the first viewing angle and the second viewing angle may be formed to have different angles.

In addition, in the illustrated embodiment, the control module 90 includes a transmission module 10 and 20, an optical separation module 30 and 40, a first reception module 50 and 60, and a second reception module 70 and 80. Although it is shown as being provided inside the housing 2 as a separate configuration, it is not limited to this, and the control module 90 is configured separately outside the housing 2 or as part of the receiving modules 50, 60, 70, and 80. It may be implemented in various ways, such as being configured as a configuration.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented in this specification, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can add or change components within the scope of the same spirit. , deletion, addition, etc., other embodiments can be easily proposed, but this will also be said to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented in this specification, and those skilled in the art who understand the spirit of the present invention can add or change components within the scope of the same spirit. , deletion, addition, etc., other embodiments can be easily proposed, but this will also be said to fall within the scope of the present invention.

1: Lidar device 2: Housing
10,20: Transmission module 10: Transmission unit
20: divergence angle control unit 30,40: optical separation module
30: Prism 40: Prism side actuator
50,60: first receiving module 50: first receiving unit
60: first viewing angle adjustment unit 70,80: second receiving module
70: second receiving unit 80: second viewing angle adjusting unit
90: Control module M: Object
L1: Transmitted light L2: Received light
L2a: 1st received light L2b: 2nd received light
S1: First detectable area S2: Second detectable area

Claims (12)

A LIDAR device for recognizing objects located in a detectable area,
A transmission module including a transmitter that emits transmission light into the detectable area and a divergence angle adjuster provided on one side of the transmitter to adjust the range of the detectable area by adjusting the divergence angle of the transmission light;
a light separation module that separates received light reflected from the object into first received light and second received light;
a first receiving module configured to receive the first received light; and
A LiDAR device comprising a second receiving module configured to receive the second received light. According to clause 1,
The divergence angle control unit
At least one lens provided on one side of the transmitter to diverge the transmission light emitted from the transmitter; and
Lidar device including an actuator capable of moving the lens so that the divergence angle of the transmitted light is adjusted. According to clause 2,
The actuator is
Lidar device consisting of a voice coil motor or a stepping motor. According to clause 1,
The optical separation module is
A LIDAR device comprising a light separation unit provided to allow the first received light and the second received light to proceed in a first direction and a second direction, respectively. According to clause 4,
The optical separation module is
LiDAR device comprising an actuator capable of moving the light separation unit to adjust at least one of the first direction and the second direction. According to clause 4,
The optical separation unit
A prism that receives the received light and emits the first received light in a first direction and emits the second received light in a second direction so that the received light is separated into the first received light and the second received light. LiDAR device, including. According to clause 6,
The prism is
an incident surface on which the received light is incident;
a first emission surface on which the received light passing through the incident surface is incident, and on which one of the first received light and the second received light is emitted; and
It includes a second emission surface through which the other one of the first received light and the second received light is emitted,
The LiDAR device wherein the first emission surface is disposed at an angle with respect to the incident surface. According to clause 7,
A LIDAR device wherein at least a portion of the first emission surface is provided with a reflective layer capable of selectively reflecting the other of the first received light and the second received light. According to clause 1,
The first receiving module is
a first receiving unit disposed on one side of the light splitting module to receive the first received light; and
The lidar device further includes a first viewing angle adjusting unit provided between the light separation module and the first receiving unit so that the first receiving unit can adjust a viewing angle at which the first receiving light can be received. According to clause 1,
The second receiving module is
a second receiving unit disposed on the other side of the light splitting module to receive the second received light; and
The lidar device further includes a second viewing angle adjusting unit provided between the light separation module and the second receiving unit so that the second receiving unit can adjust a viewing angle at which the second receiving light can be received. According to any one of claims 9 and 10,
Lidar device further comprising a control module provided to adjust the range of the viewing angle in response to the range of the divergence angle adjusted by the divergence angle adjustment unit. According to clause 1,
The first received light includes non-visible light,
The first receiving module includes a dToF sensor capable of detecting non-visible light,
The second received light includes visible light,
The second receiving module is a LiDAR device including an RGB image sensor capable of detecting visible light.

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