RU2798363C2 - Lidar systems and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: lidar systems.

SUBSTANCE: present technology relates to lidar detection and ranging systems (LiDAR, Light Detection and Ranging) and to methods for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle, in particular to lidar systems and methods for detecting objects in an area of interest of the surrounding space. SUBSTANCE: lidar system for detecting objects contains a radiation source for emitting output beams, a scanner for directing output beams in the field of view, and a controller. The scanner contains a scanning surface having reflective zones with reflective surfaces. Each reflective surface can receive output rays and transmit them as rays propagating along the propagation axis to determine the area of interest within the field of view. At least two different reflective surfaces may form different regions of interest with different propagation axes. The controller is capable of relative movement of the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with the reflective area to radiate the output beam to the desired region of interest.

EFFECT: ensuring fast transfer of scanning from one area of interest to another.

17 cl, 10 dwg

Description

Technical field

[01] The present technology relates to lidar detection and ranging systems (LiDAR, Light Detection and Ranging) and to methods for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle, in particular, to lidar systems and methods for detecting objects in a region of interest of the surrounding space.

State of the art

[02] In the known solutions proposed and implemented computer navigation systems that facilitate navigation and/or control of vehicles. Various systems of this kind are known, ranging from simple map-based location solutions using a computer system to assist the driver in navigating a route from origin to destination, to more complex solutions such as computerized and/or autonomous driving systems.

[03] Some of these systems are implemented in the well-known cruise control system. In this case, the computer system installed on the vehicle maintains the vehicle speed set by the user. Some cruise control systems implement an intelligent distance control system, allowing the user to set the distance to the vehicle in front (for example, selecting a value expressed in terms of the number of vehicles). The computer system then controls the speed of the vehicle, at least in part, depending on its approach to the vehicle ahead by a predetermined distance. Some of the cruise control systems are additionally equipped with a collision avoidance system, which, when a vehicle (or other obstacle) is detected in front of a moving vehicle, slows or stops it.

[04] Some of the most advanced systems provide a fully autonomous movement of the vehicle without the direct participation of the operator (ie driver) in control. Such autonomous vehicles contain systems capable of accelerating, decelerating, stopping, changing lanes, and self-parking the vehicle.

[05] One of the main technical problems encountered in the implementation of the above systems is the ability to detect objects around the vehicle. For example, such systems may need to detect another vehicle in front of the system-installed vehicle that may pose a risk to that vehicle and require the system to take corrective action, such as braking or otherwise changing speed, stopping, or changing lanes. In another example, such systems may need to detect pedestrians or animals crossing the road in front of the vehicle or otherwise moving in the vehicle's surroundings.

[06] Object detection using lidar typically involves transmitting light rays into a region of interest and detecting reflected light rays, in particular from objects in that region, to form a representation of the region of interest containing any objects. Lasers are often used as a source of radiation (light), emitting light pulses in a narrow wavelength range. The position of the object and its distance can be determined, among other things, by calculating the time of flight of the emitted and detected light beam. By calculating positions such as "data points", a multi-dimensional digital representation of the surrounding space can be formed.

[07] In general, from the point of view of the physics of detecting objects by lidar systems, one of the currently known methods is based on the use of pulsed radiation and is implemented by "time of flight" (ToF, Time of Flight) lidar systems. In time-of-flight lidar systems, each lidar sensor emits a short pulse of a given wavelength, and then determines the time required for this pulse to be reflected by an object in the surrounding space and return to the corresponding lidar sensor. A 360-degree rotation of the TOF lidar system, located on top of the vehicle and containing a plurality of lidar sensors, makes it possible to form a three-dimensional image of the vehicle's surroundings.

[08] This three-dimensional image is partly formed by the reflected rays received by the lidar, which generates data points representing objects in the surrounding space. These points form clouds that characterize the surrounding space and form a three-dimensional map. Each point in this point cloud is associated with coordinates in coordinate space. In addition, each point can be associated with some additional information, such as the distance from the self-driving vehicle to the object. Other information can be associated with points in a point cloud.

[09] The more points of acceptable quality obtained, the better. In this case, the self-driving vehicle computer can use such a point cloud to perform tasks of varying cognitive complexity, such as filtering, clustering or sampling points, merging point clouds, object recognition, etc. The quality of these individual tasks affects the overall quality of the positioning and navigation of an unmanned vehicle. Accurate information about surrounding objects improves driving safety.

[010] Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to detect objects in areas of interest with different locations relative to the vehicle. It is useful to be able to quickly and efficiently switch from one area of interest to another.

Disclosure of invention

[011] Therefore, systems and methods are required to eliminate, reduce or overcome the shortcomings of known technical solutions.

[012] In known technical solutions, a number of methods have been proposed to solve the above problem.

[013] Patent application US2019162947A describes a microelectromechanical (MEMS) device comprising a base and a plurality of mirror surfaces located on the base. Each of the many mirror surfaces is fixed relative to the base. Each of the plurality of mirror surfaces is located at a corresponding angle to the base. The corresponding angles of at least some of the mirror surfaces are different from the corresponding angles of at least some of the other mirror surfaces.

[014] Patent application US2020049819 describes an optical scanner comprising at least one light source capable of emitting light, a guiding device capable of scanning in a first direction using light emitted by at least one light source, and a polygonal mirror capable of by rotating it, scan using the light output from the guiding device in a second direction different from the first direction. The guiding device includes a plurality of first prisms, each of which contains an input face capable of transmitting light emitted by at least one light source, and an output face capable of refracting and outputting light. The polygonal mirror contains a plurality of reflective faces, each of which is capable of reflecting light output from the guiding device.

[015] Patent application US2020150247A describes lidar systems that use a rotating polygon with a polyhedral mirror. Such polyhedral mirror galvanometric designs create a point map with reduced curvature.

[016] In accordance with the first broad aspect of the present technology, a lidar system is implemented for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle. The system contains a radiation source capable of emitting output beams along the internal radiation path, a scanner located on the internal radiation path, capable of directing output beams into the field of view (FOV, Field Of View) of the surrounding space and containing a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces, including at least a first zone with a first reflective surface for receiving at least part of the output beams and transmitting it as a first beam propagating along the first propagation axis, in order to determine the first region of interest (ROI, Region Of Interest) within the field view and a second zone with a second reflective surface for receiving at least a portion of the output beams and transmitting it as a second beam propagating along the second propagation axis in order to determine the second region of interest within the field of view, the first propagation axis being different from the second axis propagation, as well as a controller connected to the source of radiation and to the scanner, capable of providing relative movement of the output beams and the scanner for selective contact of the output beams with a reflective zone from a plurality of reflective zones in order to radiate the output beam to the desired region of interest.

[017] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller is able to move the scanner in a direction parallel to the elongated flat surface of the scanning element to selectively contact the output beams with one of the plurality of reflective zones.

[018] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller is able to move the output beams to selectively contact the output beams with the first and second reflective surfaces.

[019] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller is able to selectively cause the scanner to oscillate about different axes of oscillation to selectively cause output beams to contact different reflective areas from a plurality of reflective areas.

[020] In some embodiments of the invention, the scanner is an oscillating mirror and is capable of oscillating about the axis of oscillation.

[021] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller is able to modulate the oscillation amplitude of the oscillating mirror.

[022] In some embodiments of the invention, the scanner is an oscillating mirror and is capable of selectively oscillating about various axes of oscillation, including at least a first axis of oscillation located at a first position relative to the first reflective surface, and a second axis of oscillation located at a second position relative to the second reflective surface.

[023] In some embodiments of the invention, the first position is centered relative to the first reflective surface.

[024] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller is able to keep the oscillating mirror oscillating, causing it to oscillate around various axes of oscillation.

[025] In some embodiments of the invention, the scanning surface is non-planar, and the first and second reflective surfaces are placed at an angle to each other.

[026] In some embodiments, the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface are made of different materials to impart different optical properties to the first propagating beam and the second propagating beam.

[027] In some embodiments of the invention, the scanner is a rotating prism with a plurality of surfaces, at least one of which contains a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces.

[028] In some embodiments of the invention, at least one of the reflective surfaces contains a material capable of changing the optical properties of the output beam incident on the at least one reflective surface.

[029] In some embodiments of the invention, the scanner is an oscillating galvanometric mirror, in which at least one front surface contains a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces.

[030] In some embodiments of the invention, the lidar system further comprises a receiver for receiving reflected output beams from the region of interest.

[031] In accordance with the second broad aspect of the present technology, a method for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle is implemented, performed by a controller connected to a radiation source and a scanner of a lidar system. The method includes acting on a radiation source to emit output beams along the internal radiation path of the lidar system, acting on a scanner to direct the output beams into the field of view of the surrounding space, while the scanner contains a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces, including at least a first zone with a first reflective surface for receiving at least a portion of the output beams and transmitting it as a first beam propagating along the first propagation axis in order to determine the first region of interest within the field of view and a second zone with a second reflective surface for receiving along at least a portion of the output beams and transmitting it as a second beam propagating along a second propagation axis to determine a second region of interest within the field of view, wherein the first propagation axis is different from the second propagation axis, and the direction of the output rays in the field of view includes providing relative movement of the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a reflective area of the plurality of reflective zones to radiate the output beam to a desired region of interest.

[032] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller is capable of relative movement of the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a reflective area from a plurality of reflective areas in accordance with one or more of the following rules: (a) on a predetermined schedule, (b) when determining from a sensor signal that it is necessary to scan an area of interest within the field of view, (c) when certain geographical conditions occur, and (d) when a certain environment occurs.

[033] In some embodiments of the invention, providing relative movement includes causing the controller to move the scanner in a direction parallel to the elongated flat surface of the scanner.

[034] In some embodiments of the invention, providing relative movement includes allowing the controller to change the direction of the output beam.

[035] In some embodiments of the invention, providing relative movement includes selectively providing oscillations of the scanner about various axes of oscillation with modulation of the oscillation amplitude.

[036] As used herein, the term "light source" generally refers to any device capable of emitting, for example, a signal in the form of a beam, including, but not limited to, a beam of light with one or more wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum. . In one embodiment of the invention, the light source may be a laser source. Thus, the light source may comprise a laser, such as a solid state laser, a laser diode, a high power laser, or an alternative light source, such as a light emitting diode light source. Some (non-limiting) examples of a laser source are a Fabry-Perot diode laser, a quantum well laser, a Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) laser, a Distributed FeedBack (DFB) laser, a fiber laser, or surface-emitting laser with a vertical cavity (VCSEL, Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser). In addition, the laser source can emit light beams in various formats, such as light pulses, continuous oscillations, quasi-continuous oscillations, and so on. In some non-limiting examples, the laser source may comprise a laser diode capable of emitting light at a wavelength in the range of approximately 650-1150 nm. Alternatively, the light source may comprise a laser diode capable of emitting light in the wavelength range of about 800-1000 nm, about 850-950 nm, about 1300-1600 nm, or any other suitable range. Unless otherwise indicated, the term "approximately" in relation to a numerical value is defined as a deviation not exceeding 10% from the specified value.

[037] In the context of this description, the term "output beam" can also refer to a beam of radiation, for example, to a beam of light formed by a radiating element and directed towards the region of interest. The output beam can be characterized by one or more parameters, such as radiation duration, beam angular divergence, wavelength, instantaneous power, photon density at different distances from the light source, average power, beam power density, beam width, radiation pulse repetition rate, sequence of emitted pulses, duty cycle, wavelength, phase, etc. The output beam may be unpolarized or randomly polarized, may have no defined or permanent polarization (eg, the polarization may change over time), or may have a defined polarization (eg, linear, elliptical, or circular polarization).

[038] In the context of the present description, the "input beam" is the radiation or light entering the system, usually after reflection from one or more objects in the region of interest. The input beam may also be referred to as a radiation beam or a light beam. The term "reflected" means that at least a portion of the output beam is incident on and reflected from one or more objects in the region of interest. The input beam may be characterized by one or more parameters such as time of flight (i.e., time from emission to detection), instantaneous power (i.e., power signature), mean backpulse power, distribution of photons in the signal over the backpulse period, and etc. Depending on the particular use, some of the radiation or light in the input beam may come from sources other than the reflected output beam. For example, at least some of the input beam may represent a glitch of light noise from the surrounding space (including scattered sunlight) or from other light sources external to the system.

[039] In the context of the present description, the term "environment" or "environment" of a vehicle refers to the area or volume around this vehicle, including part of its current environment, available for scanning using one or more sensors installed on this vehicle. means, for example, for creating a three-dimensional map of the surrounding space or for detecting objects in it.

[040] In the context of the present description, the term "region of interest" in the General case may include part of the observed surrounding space of the lidar system, in which one or more objects can be detected. It should be noted that the region of interest of the lidar system can be affected by various conditions, such as the orientation of the lidar system (for example, the direction of the optical axis of the lidar system), the position of the lidar system in the surrounding space (for example, the distance above the ground, as well as terrain and obstacles in close proximity to the system), operating parameters of the lidar system (eg, radiation power, computational settings, target operating angles), etc., but not limited to. The area of interest of the lidar system can be defined, for example, by a flat or solid angle. In one example, the area of interest can also be defined by a range (eg, up to about 200 m).

[041] As used herein, a "server" is a computer program executing on appropriate hardware that is capable of receiving requests over a network (eg, from electronic devices) and of executing or initiating those requests. The corresponding hardware may be implemented as a single computer or a single computer system, which is not essential to the present technology. In this context, the expression "server" does not mean that every task (e.g. received command or request) or some particular task is received, executed or started by the same server (i.e. the same software and/or hardware ). This expression means that any number of software or hardware can receive, send, execute or start the execution of any task or request or the results of any tasks or requests. All of these software and hardware may be a single server or multiple servers, both of which are meant by the expression "at least one server".

[042] As used herein, an "electronic device" is any computer hardware capable of executing software suitable for a given task. In the context of the present description, the term "electronic device" implies that the device can function as a server for other electronic devices, however, this is not necessary for the present technology. Thus, some (non-limiting) examples of electronic devices include self-driving devices, personal computers (desktops, laptops, netbooks, etc.), smartphones and tablets, and network equipment such as routers, switches and gateways. It should be understood that in the present context, the fact that a device functions as an electronic device does not mean that it cannot function as a server for other electronic devices.

[043] In the context of the present description, the expression "information" includes information of any kind or type that can be stored in a database. Thus, information includes visual works (for example, maps), audiovisual works (for example, images, films, sound recordings, presentations, etc.), data (for example, location data, weather data, traffic data, numerical data, etc.), text (eg, opinions, comments, questions, messages, etc.), documents, spreadsheets, etc., but not limited to.

[044] In the context of the present description, the term "database" means any structured set of data, regardless of its specific structure, database management software or computer hardware for storing this data, using them, or providing them with use in another way. The database may reside on the same hardware as the process for storing or using the information stored in the database, or the database may reside on separate hardware such as a specialized server or multiple servers.

[045] In the context of the present description, the numerals "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only to indicate the difference between the nouns they refer to, but not to describe any specific relationship between these nouns. Also, as occurs here in another context, referring to a "first" element and a "second" element does not preclude that the two elements may in fact be the same element.

[046] Each embodiment of the present technology relates to at least one of the above objectives and/or aspects, but not necessarily all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology, associated with an attempt to achieve the above goal, may not meet this goal and/or may meet other goals not explicitly mentioned here.

[047] Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the present technology are contained in the following description, in the accompanying drawings, and in the claims.

Brief description of the drawings

[048] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present technology are contained in the following description, in the appended claims, and in the following drawings.

[049] In FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an example computer system capable of implementing certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[050] In FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a networked computing environment suitable for use with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[051] In FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an example of a lidar system implemented in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[052] In FIG. 4 is a plan view of the scanning surface of the scanning element of the lidar system shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[053] In FIG. 5 is a plan view of the scanning surface of the scanning element of the lidar system shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with certain other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[054] In FIG. 6 is a side view of the scanning element shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 in accordance with certain other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[055] In FIG. 7 is a side view of the scanning element shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, which shows in more detail the reflective areas of a scanning surface, in accordance with some other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[056] In FIG. 8 is a side view of the scanning element shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with certain other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[057] In FIG. 9 is a side view of the scanning element shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 in accordance with certain other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[058] In FIG. 10 is a schematic representation of a method for detecting an object located in the environment of a vehicle in the networked computing environment shown in FIG. 2 based on data obtained by the lidar system shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

Implementation of the invention

[059] The examples and conventions provided herein are intended to provide a better understanding of the principles of the present technology, and not to limit its scope to such specifically given examples and terms. It is obvious that specialists in the art are able to develop various methods and devices that are not explicitly described or shown, but implement the principles of the present technology within its essence and scope.

[060] In addition, to facilitate a better understanding, the following description may contain simplified implementations of the present technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments of the present technology may be significantly more complex.

[061] In some cases, useful examples of modifications to the present technology are provided. They contribute to understanding, but also do not define the scope or boundaries of the present technology. The presented list of modifications is not exhaustive and the person skilled in the art can develop other modifications within the scope of this technology. In addition, if modifications are not described in some cases, this does not mean that they are impossible and / or that the description contains the only possible implementation of one or another element of the present technology.

[062] The description of principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to cover their structural and functional equivalents, whether they are currently known or will be developed in the future. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any block diagrams described herein correspond to conceptual representations of illustrative circuit diagrams that implement the principles of the present technology. It should also be understood that any flowcharts, process diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocodes, and the like. correspond to various processes that may be represented on a computer-readable physical storage medium and may be performed by a computer or processor, whether such a computer or processor is explicitly shown or not.

[063] The functions of the various elements shown in the drawings, including any functional block designated as "processor", can be implemented using specialized hardware, as well as hardware capable of executing the corresponding software. If a processor is used, these functions may be performed by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or multiple individual processors, some of which may be shared. In addition, explicit use of the term "processor" or "controller" should not be construed as referring solely to the hardware capable of executing the software and may refer to, but is not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, ASIC (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Software ROM, RAM and NVRAM. Other general purpose and/or custom hardware may also be contemplated.

[064] Software modules, or simply modules that are intended to be implemented in software, may be represented here as any combination of flowchart elements or other elements that indicate the steps of a process and/or contain a textual description. Such modules may be implemented in hardware, as shown or implied.

[065] In the following, in light of the foregoing principles, some non-limiting examples are provided to illustrate various embodiments of aspects of the present technology.

computer system

[066] In FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a computer system 100 suitable for use with some embodiments of the present technology and comprising various hardware elements including one or more single or multi-core processors collectively represented by processor 110, a solid state drive 120, and memory 130, which may be RAM. or memory of any other kind.

[067] Communication between elements of computer system 100 may be via one or more internal and/or external buses (not shown), such as a PCI bus, USB bus, IEEE 1394 FireWire bus, SCSI bus, Serial-ATA bus, etc. to which various hardware elements are electronically connected. In accordance with embodiments of the present technology, the solid state drive 120 stores program instructions suitable for loading into memory 130 and execution by processor 110 to determine the presence of an object. For example, software instructions may be included in a vehicle control application executed by processor 110. It should be noted that computer system 100 may include additional and/or optional elements (not shown), such as network communication modules, location modules, etc. .d.

networked computing environment

[068] In FIG. 2 depicts a networked computing environment 200 suitable for use with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. Networked computing environment 200 includes an electronic device 210 associated with vehicle 220 and/or a user (not shown) that is associated with vehicle 220 (specifically, an operator of vehicle 220). The networked computing environment 200 also includes a server 235 connected to the electronic device 210 via a communication network 240 (eg, via the Internet, etc., as described in more detail below).

[069] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the networked computing environment 200 may include a GPS satellite (not shown) transmitting a GPS signal to and/or receiving a GPS signal from the electronic device 210. It should be understood that the present technology is not limited to the GPS system and may use a location technology other than the GPS system. It should be noted that the GPS satellite may not be available at all.

[070] The vehicle 220 with which the electronic device 210 is associated can be any vehicle for recreation or other purposes, such as a car for personal or commercial use, a truck, a motorcycle, and so on. While vehicle 220 is shown as a ground vehicle, this is not required for every non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, vehicle 220 may be a waterborne vehicle, such as a boat, or an aircraft, such as a flying drone.

[071] Vehicle 220 may be driven by a user or be a self-driving vehicle. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, it is contemplated that vehicle 220 may be implemented as a Self-Driving Car (SDC). It should be noted that no restrictions are imposed on specific parameters of the vehicle 200, such as vehicle manufacturer, vehicle model, vehicle year, vehicle weight, vehicle dimensions, vehicle weight distribution, vehicle surface area, vehicle height, transmission type (for example, two or four wheel drive), tire type, brake system, fuel system, mileage, vehicle identification number and engine displacement.

[072] According to the present technology, the implementation of the electronic device 210 is not subject to any specific restrictions. For example, the electronic device 210 may be implemented as a vehicle engine control unit, a vehicle central processing unit, a vehicle navigation device (eg, TomTom™, Garmin™), a tablet, a personal computer built into the vehicle 220, etc. . It should be noted that the electronic device 210 may or may not be associated with the vehicle 220 in a permanent manner. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device 210 may be implemented as a wireless communication device such as a mobile phone (eg, smartphone or cordless phone). In some embodiments, the electronic device 210 includes a display 270.

[073] Electronic device 210 may include some or all of the elements of computer system 100 shown in FIG. 1, depending on the specific embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, the electronic device 210 is an on-board computing device and includes a processor 110, a solid state drive 120, and a memory 130. In other words, the electronic device 210 includes hardware and/or software and/or firmware, or a combination thereof, for processing data, as described in more detail below.

[074] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, communication network 240 is the Internet. In alternative non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, communications network 240 may be implemented as any suitable local area network (LAN, Local Area Network), wide area network (WAN, Wide Area Network), private communications network, and the like. Obviously, the embodiments of the communications network 240 are for illustrative purposes only. Between the electronic device 210 and the communication network 240, a communication link (not specifically indicated) is provided, the implementation of which depends, among other things, on the implementation of the electronic device 210. By way of a non-limiting example only, in those embodiments of the present technology where the electronic device 210 implemented as a wireless communication device such as a smartphone or a navigation device, the communication link may be implemented as a wireless communication link. Examples of wireless links include a 3G network link, a 4G network link, and the like. Communication network 240 may also use a wireless connection to server 235.

[075] In some embodiments of the present technology, server 235 is implemented as a computer server and may contain some or all of the elements of computer system 100 shown in FIG. 1. In one non-limiting example, server 235 is implemented as a Dell™ PowerEdge™ server running the Microsoft™ Windows Server™ operating system, but it may also be implemented using any other suitable hardware, software, and/or firmware or a combination thereof. In the present non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the server 235 is a single server. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology (not shown), the functions of the server 235 may be distributed among multiple servers.

[076] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the processor 110 of the electronic device 210 may be associated with the server 235 to receive one or more updates. Such updates may include, but are not limited to, software updates, map updates, route updates, weather data updates, and the like. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, processor 110 may also send some operational data, such as routes travelled, traffic data, performance data, and the like, to server 235. Some or all of the data transmitted between vehicle 220 and server 235 may be encrypted and/or anonymized.

[077] It should be noted that the electronic device 210 may use a variety of sensors and systems to collect information about the environment 250 of the vehicle 220. As shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 220 may be equipped with a plurality of sensor systems 280. It should be noted that various sensor systems from the plurality of sensor systems 280 may be used to collect various types of data about the environment 250 of the vehicle 220.

[078] In one example, the plurality of sensor systems 280 may comprise various optical systems, including one or more camera-type sensor systems mounted on vehicle 220 and coupled to processor 110 of electronic device 210. In general, one or more multiple camera sensor systems may collect image data about various parts of the environment 250 of vehicle 220. In some cases, image data provided by one or more camera sensor systems may be used by electronic device 210 in performing object detection procedures. For example, the electronic device 210 may transmit image data provided by one or more camera-type sensor systems to an Object Detection Neural Network (ODNN) trained to locate and classify potential objects in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220.

[079] In another example, the plurality of sensor systems 280 may include one or more radar sensor systems mounted on vehicle 220 and coupled to processor 110. In general, one or more radar sensor systems may use radio waves to collect data about various parts of the environment 250 of the vehicle 220. For example, one or more radar sensor systems may collect radar data about potential objects in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220 and such data may relate to distance from the radar sensor system. to objects, orientation of objects, their speed, etc.

[080] It should be noted that the plurality of sensor systems 280 may include other types of sensor systems in addition to the examples described above, within the scope of the present technology.

Lidar system

[081] In accordance with the present technology, as shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 220 is equipped with at least one laser sensing and ranging (lidar) system, such as lidar system 300 for collecting information about the environment 250 of vehicle 220. Although lidar system 300 is described here only as being mounted on vehicle 220, it is also contemplated that it may operate autonomously or be connected to another system.

[082] Depending on the embodiment of the invention, the vehicle 220 may contain more or less lidar systems 300 than shown in the drawings. Depending on the particular embodiment of the invention, the decision on the number of specific sensor systems 280 from a plurality of such systems may depend on the particular embodiment of the lidar system 300. The lidar system 300 may be installed on the vehicle 220 initially or when it is upgraded in various locations and / or in various versions.

[083] For example, depending on the implementation of the vehicle 220 and the lidar system 300, the lidar system 300 may be mounted on the inner top of the windshield of the vehicle 220. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, installation of the lidar system 300 in other locations, including the rear window, side windows, front hood, roof, front grille, front bumper, or side of the vehicle 220, is within the scope of the present technology. In some cases, the lidar system 300 may be mounted in a special case mounted on top of the vehicle 220.

[084] In some non-limiting embodiments of the invention, such as shown in FIG. 2, one lidar system 300 of a plurality of such systems is mounted on the roof of vehicle 220 and is rotatable. For example, lidar system 300, mounted on vehicle 220 and capable of rotation, may include at least some elements capable of rotating 360 degrees about the axis of rotation of lidar system 300. Lidar system 300, mounted with the ability to rotate, can collect data on most the surrounding space 250 of the vehicle 220.

[085] In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, such as shown in FIG. 2, the lidar system 300 is mounted on a side or front array and is not capable of rotation. For example, lidar system 300, mounted on vehicle 220 and not capable of rotation, may include at least some elements that are not capable of 360 degrees rotation, but capable of collecting data on specified parts of the environment 250 of vehicle 220.

[086] Regardless of the particular location and/or particular implementation, the lidar system 300 is capable of collecting data about the environment 250 of the vehicle 220, for example, to build a multidimensional map of objects in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220. The following describes how the lidar system 300 collects data about the surrounding space 250 of the vehicle 220.

[087] It should be noted that while the lidar system 300 is implemented as a "TOF lidar system" in the description herein, and as such contains appropriate elements inherent in such an implementation, other implementations of the lidar system 300 are also possible without deviating from the essence and scope of this technology. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, lidar system 300 may be implemented as a Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) lidar system according to one or more embodiments and based on the respective elements as set forth. in the patent application "LiDAR detection methods and systems" ("Lidar systems and detection methods") of the same applicant with the case number of the patent attorney 102691-023 (not yet published), the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

[088] FIG. 3 is a diagram of one particular embodiment of lidar system 300 implemented in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[089] In general, the lidar system 300 comprises a plurality of internal elements, including (1) a light source 302 (also referred to as a “laser source” or “radiation source”), (2) a light splitter element 304, (3) a scanning element 308 (also referred to as "scanning node"), (4) but not limited to receiving element 306 (also referred to as "detection system", "receiving node" or "detector"), and (5) controller 310. It is contemplated that, in addition to the internals listed above, lidar system 300 may include a plurality of sensors (such as a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, etc.) that are not shown in FIG. 3 for simplicity.

[090] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, one or more internal elements of the lidar system 300 may be implemented in a common housing 330, as shown in FIG. 3. In some embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may be located outside the common housing 330 and associated with the elements located therein.

[091] In general, the lidar system 300 operates as follows: the light source 302 of the lidar system 300 emits pulses of light to form an output beam 314, the scanning element 308 scans the surrounding space 250 of the vehicle 220 with the output beam 314 to detect or obtain data about those in it. a priori unknown objects (such as object 320), for example, to create a multi-dimensional map of the surrounding space 250, where objects (including object 320) are represented as one or more data points. Light source 302 and scanning element 308 are described in more detail below.

[092] In some non-limiting examples, object 320 may include, in whole or in part, a person, vehicle, motorcycle, truck, train, bicycle, wheelchair, stroller, pedestrian, animal, road sign, traffic light, marking lanes, pavement markings, parking space, pylon, guardrail, road barrier, pothole, railroad crossing, obstacle on or near the road, curb, stopped vehicle on or near the road, pole, house, building, trash can , mailbox, tree, any other suitable object, or any suitable combination, in whole or in part, of two or more objects.

[093] Let an object 320 be located at some distance 318 from the lidar system 300. When the output beam 314 reaches the object 320, then in general, the light of the output beam 314 may be at least partially reflected from the object 320, while some of the reflected light rays may return back to lidar system 300 as input beam 316. The term "reflected" means that at least a portion of the light from output beam 314 is reflected from object 320. Some of the light from output beam 314 may be absorbed or scattered by object 320.

[094] Thus, the input beam 316 is captured and detected by the lidar system 300 using the receiver element 306. In this case, the receiver element 306 may generate one or more representative data signals. For example, receiver element 306 may generate an output electrical signal (not shown) that represents input beam 316. In addition, receiver element 306 may transmit the thus generated electrical signal to controller 310 for further processing. Finally, by measuring the time between the moment the output beam 314 is emitted and the moment the input beam 316 is received, the controller 310 calculates the distance 318 to the object 320.

[095] As described in more detail below, the light splitting element 304 directs the output beam 314 from the light source 302 to the scanning element 308 and the input beam 316 from the scanning element to the receiving element 306.

[096] The use and implementation of these elements of the lidar system 300 in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology are described below.

Light source

[097] The light source 302 is coupled to the controller 310 and is capable of emitting light at a predetermined operating wavelength. To this end, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light source 302 may comprise at least one laser tuned to operate at a given operating wavelength. The operating wavelength of the light source 302 may be in the infrared, visible, and/or ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, the light source 302 may include at least one laser with an operating wavelength in the range of approximately 650-1150 nm. Alternatively, the light source 302 may comprise a laser diode capable of emitting light at a wavelength in the range of about 800-1000 nm, about 850-950 nm, or about 1300-1600 nm. In some other embodiments of the invention, the light source 302 may comprise a light emitting diode.

[098] Typically, the light source 302 of the lidar system 300 is an eye-safe laser, or in other words, the lidar system 300 can be classified as an eye-safe laser system or laser product. In general, an eye-safe laser, laser system, or laser product can be a system with some combination of the following characteristics: emission wavelength, average power, peak power, peak intensity, pulse energy, beam size, beam divergence, exposure time, and output scan characteristics. beam, in which the probability of visual impairment of a person when exposed to the light emitted by this system is small or equal to zero.

[099] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the operating wavelength of the light source 302 may lie in the region of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to the light of the Sun. Therefore, in some cases, sunlight may act as background noise capable of masking the light signal detected by the lidar system 300. This solar background noise may lead to false positive detections and/or otherwise affect measurements made by the lidar system 300. Although in some cases it may be desirable to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, Signal-to-Noise Ratio) of the lidar system 300 by increasing the power of the output beam 314, in at least some situations this may not be desirable. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, it may be undesirable to increase the power level of the output beam 314 to a level that exceeds the eye-safe threshold.

[0100] The light source 302 comprises a pulsed laser capable of producing or emitting pulses of light of a certain duration. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, light source 302 may emit pulses with a duration (ie, pulse width) in the range of 10 ps to 100 ns. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light source 302 may emit pulses with a repetition rate in the range of approximately 100 kHz to 5 MHz, or with a pulse repetition period (i.e., with a time interval between adjacent pulses) in the range of approximately 200 ns to 10 µs. However, in general, light source 302 may generate output beam 314 with any suitable average optical power, and output beam 314 itself may be optical pulses with any pulse energy or peak optical power suitable for a given application.

[0101] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light source 302 may comprise one or more laser diodes, such as a Fabry-Perot laser diode, a quantum well laser, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser, a distributed feedback laser. (DFB) or vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), but not limited to. By way of example only, the laser diode in the light source 302 may be an aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) laser diode, an indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) laser diode, an indium gallium arsenide phosphide (InGaAsP) laser diode, or any other suitable laser diode. It is also contemplated that the light source 302 may comprise one or more laser diodes modulated by current to generate optical pulses.

[0102] In some non-limiting embodiments of the invention, the light source 302 is typically capable of emitting an output beam 314 that is a collimated optical beam, but it is contemplated that this beam may have any divergence suitable for a given application. In general, the divergence of output beam 314 is an angular measure of the increase in beam size (eg, its radius or diameter) as output beam 314 moves away from light source 302 or lidar system 300. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, output beam 314 may have an almost circular cross section.

[0103] It is also contemplated that the output beam 314 emitted by the light source 302 may be unpolarized or randomly polarized, may not have a specific or constant polarization (for example, its polarization may change over time), or may have a specific polarization (for example, the output beam 314 can be linear, elliptical, or circularly polarized).

[0104] In at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, output beam 314 and input beam 316 may be substantially coaxial. In other words, output beam 314 and input beam 316 may at least partially overlap or share a common propagation axis, with input beam 316 and output beam 314 following substantially the same optical path (albeit in opposite directions). In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, output beam 314 and input beam 316 may not be coaxial or, in other words, they may not overlap or share a common propagation axis within lidar system 300 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology.

[0105] It should be noted that in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light source 302 can rotate, for example, 360 degrees or less about a rotation axis (not shown) of the lidar system 300 if the lidar system 300 able to rotate. In other embodiments of the invention, the light source 302 may be stationary, even if the lidar system 300 is capable of rotation, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology.

light splitting element

[0106] As shown in FIG. 3, a light splitter element 304 is further provided located in the housing 330. For example, as mentioned earlier, the light splitter element 304 is capable of directing the output beam 314 from the light source 302 to the scanning element 308. The light splitting element 304 is also capable of directing the input beam 316 reflected from the object 320 , to the receiving element 306 for further processing by the controller 310.

[0107] However, in accordance with other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitting element 304 may split the output beam 314 into at least two components of lower intensity, including a scanning beam (not shown separately) for scanning environment 250 of the lidar system 300 and a reference beam (not shown separately), which is then directed to the receiving element 306.

[0108] In other words, it can be said that in these embodiments of the invention, the light splitting element 304 is able to share the intensity (optical power) of the output beam 314 between the scanning beam and the reference beam. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitter element 304 may equally share the intensity of the output beam 314 between the scanning beam and the reference beam. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitter element 304 may split the intensity of the output beam 314 between the scanning beam and the reference beam with any given splitting factor. For example, the light splitter 304 may use up to 80% of the intensity of the output beam 314 to form the scanning beam, and the remainder, up to 20% of the intensity of the output beam 314, to form the reference beam. In addition, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitting element 304 is capable of varying the splitting ratio for generating the scanning beam (eg, from 1% to 95% of the intensity of the output beam 314).

[0109] In addition, it should be noted that some (for example, up to 10%) of the intensity of the output beam 314 may be absorbed by the material of the light splitting element 304, depending on its design.

[0110] Depending on the implementation of the lidar system 300, the light splitter element 304 may be provided in various forms, including a glass prism light splitter, a semi-silvered mirror light splitter, a dichroic mirror prism light splitter, a fiber optic light splitter. element, etc., but not limited to this.

[0111] Thus, in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, an open list of adjustable parameters associated with the light splitting element 304, based on its particular application, may contain, for example, an operating wavelength range that may vary from a finite number wavelengths up to the extended light spectrum (for example, 1200-1600 nm), input angle of incidence, the presence or absence of polarization, etc.

[0112] In a specific non-limiting example, the light splitter element 304 may be implemented as a fiber optic light splitter element manufactured by OZ Optics Ltd., 219 Westbrook Rd Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1L0 Canada (Canada). It is obvious that the light splitting element 304 can be implemented in the form of any other suitable equipment.

Internal beam paths

[0113] As shown schematically in FIG. 3, the lidar system 300 defines a plurality of internal beam paths 312 along which the output beam 314 (generated by the light source 302) and the input beam 316 (received from the surrounding space 250) pass. In particular, the light propagates along the internal beam paths 312 as follows: light from the light source 302 passes through the light splitting element 304 to the scanning element 308, and the scanning element 308 in turn directs the output beam 314 outward into the surrounding space 250.

[0114] Similarly, input beam 316 follows a plurality of internal beam paths 312 to receiver element 306. In particular, input beam 316 is directed by scanning element 308 to lidar system 300 through light splitter element 304 to receiver element 306. In some embodiments, lidar system 300 may include beam paths that direct input beam 316 directly from ambient space 250 to receiver element 306 (without passing input beam 316 through scanning element 308).

[0115] It should be noted that in various non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the plurality of internal beam paths 312 may comprise various optical elements. For example, lidar system 300 may include one or more optical elements capable of normalizing, shaping, filtering, modifying, redirecting output beam 314 and/or input beam 316. For example, lidar system 300 may include one or more lenses, mirrors, filters (e.g., band pass or interference filters), optical fibers, circulators, light splitters, polarizers, polarizing light splitters, wave plates (e.g., half wave or quarter wave plates), diffractive elements, microelectromechanical (MEM) elements, collimator elements, or holographic elements.

[0116] It is contemplated that in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, one and some other internal beam paths of the plurality of internal beam paths 312 may share at least some common optical elements, but this is not mandatory for all embodiments of the present technology.

Scanning element

[0117] In general, the scanning element 308 directs the output beam 314 in one or more directions into the surrounding space 250. The scanning element 308 is connected to the controller 310. Thus, the controller 310 can control the scanning element 308 to direct the output beam 314 in the desired direction from the source and / or in accordance with the specified characteristic of the scan. In general, in the context of the present description, a "scan characteristic" may be the pattern or path along which the scanning element 308 directs the output beam 314 during operation.

[0118] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, controller 310 may act on scanning element 308 to scan output beam 314 in multiple horizontal and/or vertical angular ranges. The total set of angles at which scanning element 308 directs output beam 314 is referred to herein as the field of view. It is contemplated that its particular shape, orientation, and/or angular ranges may depend on the particular implementation of the lidar system 300. Typically, a field of view contains a plurality of regions of interest defined as part of the field of view, and may contain objects of interest in particular. In some embodiments, the scanning element 308 may further scan a selected area of interest 325. The area of interest 325 of the lidar system 300 may be an area, volume, area, angular range, and/or portion(s) of the surrounding space 250 where the lidar system 300 may scan and /or collect data.

[0119] It should be noted that the location of the object 320 in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220 may overlap with, be covered by the area of interest 325 of the lidar system 300, or at least partially cover the area of interest.

[0120] In accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, scanning element 308 can scan output beam 314 horizontally and/or vertically and, accordingly, region of interest 325 of lidar system 300 can be oriented horizontally and vertically. For example, the region of interest 325 may be defined by an angular sector of 45° in the horizontal direction and 45° in the vertical direction. In some embodiments, the scan axes may have different orientations.

[0121] In some embodiments, the scanning element 308 includes a mirror 309 coupled to a galvanometer (not shown separately, also referred to herein as a galvanometer mirror) that controls it. Accordingly, the controller 310 rotates the mirror around its associated perpendicular axis using a galvanometer to scan the area of interest 325 according to a predetermined scan characteristic.

[0122] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, scanning element 308 may further comprise a plurality of other optical elements and/or mechanical elements for scanning with output beam 314. For example, scanning element 308 may include one or more mirrors, prisms, lenses, microelectromechanical elements, piezoelectric elements, optical fibers, splitters, diffractive elements, collimator elements, etc. It should be noted that the scanning element 308 may also include one or more additional actuators (not shown separately) that actuate at least some other optical elements, for example, to rotate, tilt, rotate or angular movement around one or more axes.

[0123] Thus, the lidar system 300 can use a predetermined scan characteristic to generate a point cloud that substantially overlaps the area of interest 325 of the lidar system 300. As described in more detail below, the point cloud of the lidar system 300 can be used to render a multidimensional map of objects in the surrounding space. 250 vehicle 220.

[0124] From the description below, it will be understood that in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the scanning surface of a mirror may be associated with an appropriate scanning frequency.

receiving element

[0125] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the receiving element 306 is connected to the controller 310 and can be implemented in a variety of ways. In accordance with the present technology, the receiving element 306 includes a photodetector, but may include, but is not limited to, a photodetector, an optical receiver, an optical sensor, a detector, an optical detector, optical fibers, and the like. As noted above, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the receiving element 306 may receive or detect at least a portion of the input beam 316 and generate an electrical signal corresponding to the input beam 316. For example, if the input beam 316 is an optical pulse, the receiving element 306 may generate an electrical current or voltage pulse corresponding to an optical pulse detected by receiving element 306.

[0126] It is assumed that in various non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the receiving element 306 can be implemented using one or more avalanche photodiodes (APD, Avalanche Photo Diode), one or more single-photon avalanche diodes (SPAD, Single-Photon Avalanche diode), one or more PN photodiodes (for example, a photodiode structure formed by a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor), one or more PIN photodiodes (for example, a photodiode structure formed by an undoped region of an intrinsic semiconductor located between the regions p-type and n-type), etc.

[0127] In some non-limiting embodiments of the invention, the receiving element 306 may also include circuit elements that perform signal amplification, sampling, filtering, waveform conversion, analog-to-digital conversion, time-to-digital conversion, pulse detection, threshold detection, rising edge detection, falling edge detection, etc. In particular, the receiving element 306 may include electronic elements capable of converting the received photocurrent (eg, the current produced by the APD diode when receiving an optical signal) into a voltage signal. Receiver element 306 may also include additional circuitry for generating an analog or digital output signal corresponding to one or more characteristics (eg, leading edge, trailing edge, amplitude, duration, etc.) of the received optical pulse.

Controller

[0128] Depending on the implementation, the controller 310 may include one or more processors, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and/or other suitable circuit elements. . Controller 310 may also include non-volatile computer-readable memory for storing instructions executed by controller 310 as well as data that controller 310 may generate based on signals received from other internal elements of lidar system 300 and/or provided to other internal elements of lidar system 300. The memory may include volatile (eg, RAM) and/or non-volatile (eg, flash memory, hard disk) elements. The controller 310 may generate data during operation and store it in memory. For example, the data generated by the controller 310 may be associated with data points in the point cloud of the lidar system 300.

[0129] It is contemplated that in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, controller 310 may be implemented similar to electronic device 210 and/or computer system 100 without departing from the spirit and scope of present technology. In addition to collecting data from the receiving element 306, the controller 310 can also provide control signals to the light source 302 and the scanning element 308 and receive diagnostic data from them.

[0130] As previously stated, controller 310 is connected to light source 302, scanning element 308, and receiving element 306. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, controller 310 may receive electrical trigger pulses from light source 302, where each electrical the trigger pulse corresponds to the emission of an optical pulse by the light source 302 . Controller 310 may further issue commands, a control signal, and/or a trigger signal to light source 302 indicating when light source 302 should generate optical pulses, such as output beam 314.

[0131] By way of example only, the controller 310 may output an electrical trigger signal representing electrical pulses, with the light source 302 emitting an optical pulse represented by an optical beam 314 in response to each electrical pulse of the electrical trigger signal. It is also contemplated that the controller 310 can act on the light source 302 to adjust one or more characteristics of the output beam 314 produced by the light source 302, such as frequency, period, duration, pulse energy, peak power, average power, and wavelength of the optical pulses, but not limited to them.

[0132] According to the present technology, the controller 310 is able to determine the "time of flight" value of the optical pulse to calculate the distance between the lidar system 300 and one or more objects in the region of interest, as described below. The time-of-flight is based on time information associated with (1) a first time when an optical pulse (eg, output beam 314) was emitted by light source 302, and (2) a second time when a portion of that optical pulse (eg, input beam 316) has been detected or received by receiver 306. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the first time may correspond to the time controller 310 generates an electrical pulse associated with the optical pulse, and the second time may correspond to the time controller 310 receives from receiving element 306 of an electrical signal generated in response to receiving a portion of the optical pulse from the input beam 316.

[0133] In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, where the light splitter element 304 may split the output beam 314 into a scanning beam (not shown) and a reference beam (not shown), the first time point may be the reception point from the receiving element 306 of the first an electrical signal generated in response to receiving part of the reference beam. Accordingly, in these embodiments of the invention, the second time point can be defined as the moment when the controller 310 receives from the receiving element 306 a second electrical signal generated in response to receiving a different part of the optical pulse from the input beam 316.

[0134] In accordance with the present technology, the controller 310 is able to determine, based on the first and second points in time, the time-of-flight value and/or the phase shift value of the emitted pulse of the output beam 314. The time-of-flight value T , in a certain sense, is backward" of the transmitted pulse from the lidar system 300 to the object 320 and back to the lidar system 300. Thus, the controller 310 is able to roughly determine the distance 318 by the following formula:

where D is the distance 318, T is the time of flight, c is the speed of light (approximately 3.0×10 ⁸ m/s).

[0135] As previously stated, the lidar system 300 can be used to determine the distance 318 to one or more other potential objects located in the surrounding space 250. By scanning the output beam 314 over an area of interest 325 of the lidar system 300 in accordance with a given scan characteristic, the controller 310 is capable of displaying the distance (similar to the distance 318) to the respective data points in the area of interest 325 of the lidar system 300. Based on this, the controller 310 is typically able to visualize these successive data points (eg, point clouds) as a multidimensional map. In some implementations, data associated with a particular time-of-flight and/or distance to an object may be displayed in a different information format.

[0136] For example, this multidimensional map may be used by the electronic device 210 to detect or otherwise identify objects, or to determine the shape or distance of potential objects in the region of interest 325 of the lidar system 300. It is contemplated that the lidar system 300 is capable of multiple/iterative acquisition and /or forming point clouds at any rate suitable for a given application.

Scanning element 308

[0137] Described in more detail below are some embodiments of the scanning element 308 in accordance with FIG. 4-9. In some embodiments of the present technology, the scanning element 308 is capable of selectively directing the output beam 314 to determine different regions of interest 325 within a field of view. Therefore, using some embodiments of the invention, switching from one region of interest 325 to another may be performed in a faster and/or more efficient manner. In addition, the scanning element 308 enables fast and/or efficient adaptation of a given scan characteristic when one or more conditions are met, which are described in more detail below.

[0138] To do this, the scanning element 308 is provided with a scanning surface 340 with a plurality of reflective zones 342 (FIG. 4 and FIG. 5). Each reflective zone 342 includes a reflective surface 344 for receiving the output beam 314 and transmitting it as a propagating beam 346 along the propagation axis 348 to define a region of interest 325 within the field of view. At least some of the reflective zones 342 are capable of transmitting other propagating beams 346 with different propagation axes 348.

[0139] In the example shown in FIG. 6, a first reflective area 343 of the reflective areas 342 is provided on the scanning surface 340 of the scanning element 308, having a first reflective surface 347 for receiving the output beam 314 and transmitting it as the first propagating beam 355 along the first propagation axis 363 to determine the first area of interest 359 within the field of view, and a second reflective zone 345 having a second reflective surface 349 for receiving at least a portion of the output beams 314 and transmitting it as a second propagating beam 357 along the second propagation axis 365 to determine the second region of interest 361 within the field of view. In some embodiments, the first propagation axis 363 is different from the second propagation axis 365. The respective regions of interest 359, 361 defined by the first and second propagating beams 355, 357 may or may not overlap.

[0140] There are no restrictions on the shape of each reflective zone 342, so each reflective zone 342 can be any suitable shape and size according to the desired region of interest 325. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, at least a portion of the perimeter of one of the reflective zones 342 may have straight lines. In some embodiments of the invention, the entire perimeter of the reflective zone 342 has straight boundaries, and the reflective zone 342 has a trapezoidal shape. In another example, at least one of the reflective zones 342 has at least a portion of its perimeter arcuate.

[0141] The number of reflective zones 342 on the scanning surface 340 can be any. In some embodiments of the invention, scanning surface 340 is provided with at least two reflective zones 342.

[0142] In some embodiments of the invention, the scanning surface 340 is non-planar. In other words, the scanning surface 340 may be multifaceted. We can say that at least one of the many reflective surfaces 344 is different from the other reflective surfaces 344 of this set.

[0143] In some embodiments of the invention, at least one of the reflective surfaces 344 is flat. In some embodiments of the invention, at least one of the reflective surfaces 344 is non-planar and may be curved, such as concave or convex.

[0144] In embodiments with flat reflective surfaces 344, at least some of the reflective surfaces 344 may be angled to each other. The term "at an angle" implies that the reflective surfaces 344 are not in the same plane. The angle 350 between the at least two reflective surfaces 344 may be in the range of about 0.1-180°, more preferably in the range of about 0-90° (FIG. 7). In other words, each flat reflective surface 344 can be considered to be at a reference angle to the reference plane. Thus, the reflective zones 342 can be said to comprise a plurality of reflective surfaces 344, at least two of which are located at different reference angles to the reference plane.

[0145] In this case, the output beam 314 intersects with at least two reflective surfaces 342 located at an angle to each other, at different angles of incidence 352 (as shown in Fig. 7), forming propagating beams 346 with different propagation axes 348.

[0146] As shown in FIG. 6, in some embodiments of the invention, the scanning element 308 is at least partially configured as an oscillating mirror 354, such as an oscillating galvanometer mirror, capable of rotating about an oscillating axis 356.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, scanning element 308 is at least partially configured as a prism 358 with multiple prism surfaces 360. At least one of the surfaces 360 of the prism is a scanning surface 340 with multiple reflective zones 342. The prism 358 may be capable of rotating about an axis 362 of rotation.

[0148] In some embodiments of the invention, the scanning element 308 is made in the form of a prism 358 and an oscillating mirror 354. Thus, the scanning surface 340 contains the reflective zones 342 of the prism 358 and/or the oscillating mirror 354.

[0149] In some embodiments of any of the above versions of the scanning element 308, at least two reflective surfaces 344 may be made of different materials with different optical properties or may contain one or more layers of different materials. Such materials may, for example, change the optical properties of the output beam 314, such as its polarization, wavelength, frequency, and so on. As a result, the propagating rays may have different optical properties.

[0150] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller 310, connected to the light source 302 and the scanning element 308, is able to provide relative movement of the output beam 314 and the scanning element 308 to selectively contact the output beam 314 with a certain reflective zone 342 of the plurality of reflective zones 342 in order to emitting the output beam 314 to the desired area of interest 325.

[0151] In this case, the controller 310 is able to move the scanning element 308 or the output beam 314, or activate other light sources directed to the specified reflective surfaces 344.

[0152] In the first example, the controller 310 may move the scanning element 308 in a direction 353 parallel to the elongated flat surface 355 of the scanning element 308 (FIG. 7). It should be understood that in this case, the output beam 314 does not move, but the scanning element 308 moves to ensure that the reflective surface 344 contacts the output beam 314.

[0153] In a second example, the output beam 314 can be directed to the reflective surface 344 by moving the light source or by using optical elements such as mirrors or MEMS to change the direction of the light source.

[0154] In a third example, the lidar system 300 may comprise a plurality of light sources, at least some of which are directed at at least some of the reflective surfaces 344. It should be understood that the light source associated with the reflective surface 344 may be activated as needed. .

[0155] In addition to the first example, in some embodiments of the invention with scanning element 308 implemented as an oscillating mirror 354, scanning element 308 can selectively oscillate around different axes of oscillation. This is shown in FIG. 9, where the first reflective zone 343 borders the second reflective zone 345, and the axis of rotation 356 is the first axis of rotation 351 for the first reflective surface 347 and the second axis of rotation 353 for the second reflective surface 349.

[0156] In some embodiments, the first axis of rotation 351 is centrally located relative to the first reflective surface 347, and the second axis of rotation 353 is centrally located relative to the second reflective surface 349. Accordingly, to determine the desired portion of the region of interest 325 associated with the reflective zone 342 , the controller 310 is able to shift the axis of rotation 356 so that it is substantially central to the reflective area 342. The output beam 314 then hits the reflective surface 344 of the reflective area 342.

[0157] In other embodiments of the invention, in order for the output beam 314 to hit the reflective surface 344, the controller 310 is able to shift the rotation axis 356 to a predetermined position on the scanning surface 340. This position is not necessarily adjacent to the corresponding reflective surface. In fact, it can be located anywhere within the body of the scanning element 308.

[0158] In some embodiments of the invention, the shift of the position of the axis of rotation is provided using a linear actuator. In other embodiments of the invention, the shift in the position of the axis of rotation can be provided by any other mechanical system. The rotation axis position shift can be changed by the controller 310.

[0159] The controller 310 can also modulate the amplitude of the oscillation of the oscillating mirror 354. Modulation refers to changing the amplitude or maintaining it at a given level. In some embodiments of the invention, the controller 310 is able to maintain the amplitude of oscillation when the position of the axis of rotation is changed by the controller 310.

[0160] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller 310 may determine the sequences of reflective surfaces 344 in contact with the output beam 314 to generate a given scan characteristic. This may be performed by the controller 310, for example, using certain relationships between one or more parameters such as the angle between the reflective surface 344 and the reference plane 362, the angle of incidence on the reflective surface 344, and the angle of reflection of the propagation axis 348 with respect to the reflective surface 344.

[0161] To work out possible conditions for selective contact of output beams 314 with a given reflective area 342, in some embodiments of the invention, the controller 310 may provide selective contact of output beams 314 with reflective zones 342 on a predetermined schedule. Such a schedule may contain one or more predetermined sequences of contact with reflective surfaces 344 of predetermined duration for each reflective surface 344.

[0162] In some other embodiments of the invention, the condition of selective contact of the output beam 314 with the reflective zone 342 occurs when determining by any means the need to scan the region of interest within the field of view.

[0163] In this case, each reflective surface 344 may correspond to a part of the region of interest. This information may be stored in a database accessible to the controller 310 so that when determining whether to scan an area of interest, the controller 310 may contact the output beam 314 with the appropriate reflective surface 344.

[0164] One example of this scenario is the detection of an unidentified object by the lidar system 300 in one area of the vehicle 220's field of view, requiring further investigation. Another example is the detection of an unidentified object after a cursory preliminary scan (for example, foreign objects on the road). In this case, the controller 310 may determine whether to scan the area(s) of interest in which the foreign objects are located and make the output beam 314 contact the reflective surface 344.

[0165] In some other embodiments, the selective output beam contact condition is a predetermined geographic condition. The controller 310 may determine whether a predetermined geographic condition has been met, such as a GPS location, and so on. In particular, the predetermined geographic condition may include the location of a known dangerous place, such as a sharp curve in the road, a sharp uphill, a steep downhill, a closed turn, a windy crossing, a school crossing, an animal crossing, a busy intersection, an area with high-rise buildings, an area without high-rise buildings, but not limited to this. The controller 310 may cause a predefined scan to be performed based on a predefined geographic condition. For example, at a school crossing, the output beam 314 may contact reflective surfaces 344 to scan those areas of interest in the field of view that match the height of the children and their speed of movement. In another example, when the vehicle 220 is in an area without tall buildings, the output beam 314 may contact those reflective surfaces 344 that provide scanning of lower regions of interest in the field of view.

[0166] In some other embodiments of the invention, the condition for selective contact of the output beam is the occurrence of a certain environment. When the sensor detects certain environmental conditions, such as heavy rain, the controller 310 can initiate a relative movement of the scanning element 308 and the output beam 314, ensuring that the output beam 314 hits a predetermined reflective surface 344 of a plurality of reflective surfaces to scan a predetermined region of interest.

[0167] In some embodiments, controller 310 may perform a method 1000 of operating a lidar system, such as lidar system 300, to switch to different areas of interest within a field of view to detect objects in different parts of the vehicle 220's environment.

Computer methods

[0168] In FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a method 1000 in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. Method 1000 may be performed by controller 310.

[0169] Step 1010: acting on the emitter to emit output beams along the internal emission path of the lidar system.

[0170] Method 1000 includes influencing a radiation source to emit output beams along an internal radiation path of the lidar system. The lidar system may be an embodiment of the lidar system 300, include a light source 302, and provide an output beam 314.

[0171] Step 1020: Operating the scanner of the lidar system to direct the output beams to an area of interest within the field of view of the lidar system, wherein the scanner is provided with a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces, and providing the direction of the output beams in the field of view provides for the relative movement of the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a certain reflective zone from a plurality of reflective zones in order to radiate the output beam to the desired region of interest.

[0172] In step 1020, method 1000 includes influencing the scanner, such as scanning element 308, to direct output beams 314 to a given reflective surface 344 to determine a region of interest 325. In some embodiments, regions of interest 325 defined by different reflective surfaces 344 may overlap. In some other embodiments, these regions of interest 325 do not overlap. In other embodiments, some of the regions of interest 325 may overlap and some may not.

[0173] In some embodiments, the scanning element 308 comprises a scanning surface 340 having a plurality of reflective zones 342 with corresponding reflective surfaces 344, including a first reflective zone 343 with a first reflective surface 347 for receiving at least a portion of the output beams 314 and transmitting as a first beam 355 propagating along a first propagation axis 363 to define a first observation area 359 as well as a second reflective area 345 with a second reflective surface 349 for receiving at least a portion of the output beams 314 and transmitting it as a second beam 357 propagating along the second axis 365 propagation, in order to determine the second area 361 of observation within the field of view. The first propagation axis 363 differs from the second propagation axis 365, wherein the direction of the output beams in the field of view provides for the relative movement of the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a certain reflective area from a plurality of reflective areas in order to radiate this output beam to the desired region of interest.

[0174] In some embodiments of the invention, the controller 310 is capable of relative movement of the output beams 314 and the scanning element 308 to selectively contact the output beams 314 with a specific reflective zone 342 of the plurality of reflective zones 342 in accordance with one or more of the following rules: (a) according to a predetermined schedule, (b) when a sensor signal determines to scan an area of interest within the field of view, (c) when certain geographic conditions occur, and (d) when a certain environment occurs.

[0175] In some embodiments of the invention, providing relative movement includes causing the controller 310 to move the scanning element 308 in a direction parallel to the elongated flat surface of the scanning element 308.

[0176] In some other embodiments of the invention, providing relative movement includes causing the controller 310 to change the direction of the output beam 314.

[0177] In some other embodiments of the invention, providing relative movement includes allowing scanning element 308 to selectively oscillate about different oscillatory axes, optionally with amplitude modulation.

Aspects and Embodiments

[0178] 1. A lidar system for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle, comprising a radiation source capable of emitting output beams along an internal radiation path, a scanner located on the internal radiation path and capable of directing output beams into the field of view of the surrounding space, containing a scanning a surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces, including at least a first zone with a first reflective surface for receiving at least a portion of the output beams and transmitting it as a first beam propagating along the first propagation axis, in order to determine the first region of interest in within the field of view, as well as a second zone with a second reflective surface for receiving at least part of the output beams and transmitting it in the form of a second beam propagating along the second propagation axis in order to determine the second region of interest within the field of view, while the first propagation axis different from the second propagation axis, and a controller connected to the source of radiation and to the scanner, capable of providing relative movement of the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a certain reflective zone from a plurality of reflective zones in order to radiate this output beam to the desired region of interest.

[0179] 2. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of moving the scanner in a direction parallel to the elongated flat surface of the scanning element to selectively contact the output beams with one of the plurality of reflective zones.

[0180] 3. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of moving the output beams to selectively contact the output beams with one of the plurality of reflective zones.

[0181] 4. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of selectively oscillating the scanner about different oscillation axes to selectively contact the output beams with different reflective areas from a plurality of reflective areas.

[0182] 5. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-4, in which the scanner is an oscillating mirror and is capable of oscillating about the axis of oscillation.

[0183] 6. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, in which the controller is able to modulate the oscillation amplitude of the oscillating mirror.

[0184] 7. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein the scanner is an oscillating mirror and is capable of selectively oscillating about various axes of oscillation, including at least a first axis of oscillation located at a first position relative to the first reflective surface and a second axis of oscillation, located in a second position relative to the second reflective surface.

[0185] 8. The lidar system of claim 7, wherein the first position is centered on the first reflective surface.

[0186] 9. The lidar system of claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the controller is capable of keeping the oscillating mirror oscillating while allowing it to oscillate around various oscillatory axes.

[0187] 10. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-9, in which the scanning surface is non-planar, and the first and second reflective surfaces are placed at an angle to each other.

[0188] 11. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-10, in which the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface are made of different materials to impart different optical properties to the first propagating beam and the second propagating beam.

[0189] 12. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-11, in which the scanner is a rotating prism with a plurality of surfaces, at least one of which contains a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces.

[0190] 13. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-12, in which at least one of the reflective surfaces contains a material capable of changing the optical properties of the output beam incident on the at least one reflective surface.

[0191] 14. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-13, in which the scanner is an oscillating galvanometric mirror, in which at least one front surface contains a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces.

[0192] 15. Lidar system according to any one of paragraphs. 1-14, further comprising a receiver for receiving reflected output beams from the region of interest.

[0193] 16. A method for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle, performed by a controller connected to a radiation source and a scanner of the lidar system, including affecting the radiation source to emit output beams along the internal radiation path of the lidar system and affecting the scanner to directions of the output rays in the field of view of the surrounding space, while the scanner contains a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces, including at least a first zone with a first reflective surface for receiving at least a portion of the output rays and transmitting it in the form of a first beam , propagating along the first propagation axis, in order to determine the first region of interest within the field of view, as well as the second zone with the second reflective surface for receiving at least part of the output beams and transmitting it as a second beam, propagating along the second propagation axis, in order to determining a second area of interest within the field of view, wherein the first propagation axis is different from the second propagation axis, and the direction of the output beams in the field of view includes providing a relative movement of the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a certain reflective zone from a plurality of reflective zones for the purpose of emitting the output beam to the desired region of interest.

[0194] 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the controller is capable of relatively moving the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a reflective area of a plurality of reflective areas according to one or more of the following rules: (a) according to a predetermined graph, (b) when a sensor signal determines the need to scan an area of interest within the field of view, (c) when certain geographical conditions occur, and (d) when a certain environment occurs.

[0195] 18. The method of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein providing the relative movement includes causing the controller to move the scanner in a direction parallel to the elongated flat surface of the scanner.

[0196] 19. The method of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein providing the relative movement includes causing the controller to change the direction of the output beam.

[0197] 20. The method of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein providing the relative movement includes selectively causing the scanner to oscillate about different oscillatory axes with amplitude modulation.

Claims (25)

1. A lidar system for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle, comprising: - a radiation source capable of emitting output beams along an internal radiation path; - a scanner located on the internal radiation path, capable of directing output rays into the field of view of the surrounding space and containing a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces, including at least a first zone with a first reflective surface for receiving at least a part of the output rays and transmitting it as a first propagating beam along a first propagation axis to define a first region of interest within the field of view, and a second zone with a second reflective surface for receiving at least a portion of the output beams and transmitting it as a second propagating beam along a second propagation axis to define a second region of interest within the field of view, wherein the first propagation axis is different from the second propagation axis; And - a controller connected to the source of radiation and to the scanner, capable of providing relative movement of the output beams and the scanner for selective contact of the output beams with a reflective zone from a plurality of reflective zones by moving the scanner in a direction parallel to the elongated flat surface of the scanning element, in order to emit the output beam to the area of interest moreover, the scanner is an oscillating mirror capable of selectively oscillating around various axes of oscillation, including at least a first axis of oscillation located at a first position relative to the first reflective surface, and a second axis of oscillation located at a second position relative to the second reflective surface. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of moving the output beams to selectively contact the output beams with a reflective area from a plurality of reflective areas. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of selectively oscillating the scanner about different oscillation axes to selectively contact the output beams with different reflective zones from a plurality of reflective zones. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of modulating the oscillation amplitude of the oscillating mirror. 5. The system according to claim 1, in which the first position of the first axis of oscillation of the oscillating mirror is centered relative to the first reflective surface. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is capable of maintaining oscillation of the oscillating mirror by causing the oscillating mirror to oscillate about various axes of oscillation. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanning surface is non-planar and the first and second reflective surfaces are placed at an angle to each other. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface are made of different materials to impart different optical properties to the first propagating beam and the second propagating beam. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner further comprises a rotating prism with a plurality of surfaces, at least one of which comprises a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the reflective surfaces comprises a material capable of changing the optical properties of the output beam incident on the at least one reflective surface. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner is an oscillating galvanometric mirror, wherein at least one front surface comprises a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces. 12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a receiver for receiving reflected output beams from the region of interest. 13. A method for detecting objects in the surrounding space of an autonomous vehicle, performed by a controller connected to a radiation source and to a lidar system scanner, including: - impact on the radiation source to emit output beams along the internal radiation path of the lidar system; And - impact on the scanner to direct the output rays in the field of view of the surrounding space, while the scanner contains a scanning surface having a plurality of reflective zones with corresponding reflective surfaces, including at least a first zone with a first reflective surface for receiving at least a part of the output rays and transmitting it in the form of a first propagating beam along the first propagation axis in order to determine the first area of interest within the field of view and a second zone with a second reflective surface for receiving at least part of the output rays and transmitting it as a second propagating beam along the second propagation axis in order to determine second region of interest within the field of view, the scanner is an oscillating mirror capable of selectively oscillating around various axes of oscillation, including at least the first axis of oscillation located in the first position relative to the first reflective surface, and the second axis of oscillation located in the second position relative to the second reflective surface, wherein the first propagation axis is different from the second propagation axis, and the direction of the output beams in the field of view includes the relative movement of the output beams and the scanner for selectively contacting the output beams with a reflective zone from a plurality of reflective zones in order to radiate the output beam to the desired region of interest, and the scanner move in a direction parallel to the elongated flat surface of the scanning element. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controller is capable of relatively moving the output beams and the scanner to selectively contact the output beams with a reflective area of the plurality of reflective areas in accordance with one or more of the following rules: (a) on a predetermined schedule, ( b) when a sensor signal determines the need to scan an area of interest within the field of view, (c) when certain geographical conditions occur, and (d) when a certain environment occurs. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the relative movement includes causing the controller to move the scanner in a direction parallel to the elongate flat surface of the scanner. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the relative movement includes causing the controller to change the direction of the output beam. 17. The method of claim. 14, in which providing relative movement includes selectively providing oscillations of the scanner about different axes of oscillations with modulation of the amplitude of oscillations, including at least a first axis of oscillations located in a first position relative to the first reflective surface, and a second axis of oscillations located in the second position relative to the second reflective surface.

Images