WO2017094975A1

WO2017094975A1 - Lidar and method for controlling same

Info

Publication number: WO2017094975A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/002956
Authority: WO
Inventors: 정영대
Original assignee: 한화테크윈 주식회사
Priority date: 2015-11-30
Filing date: 2016-03-24
Publication date: 2017-06-08
Also published as: KR20170063196A

Abstract

Disclosed are a LIDAR and a method for controlling the same, the LIDAR being capable of scanning a wide range and precisely scanning external environments, thereby being capable of obtaining accurate data. The present invention comprises: a body part; a laser irradiation part, which is installed on the body part, for irradiating a laser to an external two-dimensional plane-shaped irradiation area; and a sensor part, which is installed on the body part, for simultaneously receiving and sensing the laser which is reflected by colliding with an external object disposed in the irradiation area.

Description

Lidar and its control method

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method, and more particularly, to a lidar and a control method thereof.

In general, a lidar may acquire data on an external environment by measuring a laser that is reflected back after colliding with an external object, a structure, or the like by irradiating a laser. Such a rider may be installed to be fixed to the outside, and installed on a moving vehicle to scan an external environment. The data scanned as described above may be transmitted to a controller and implemented as an image, and such an image may be displayed through a display unit.

Such a lidar can be utilized in various industrial fields. For example, the lidar may be utilized in a device that implements the terrain as a 3D image by scanning the terrain. In addition, the rider may be mounted on an aircraft or the like and used to scan the shape of the enemy enemy. In addition to the above cases, the rider may be installed in a cave, a tunnel, or the like to scan the interior of the cave, the interior of the tunnel, and the like.

Such a lidar is specifically disclosed in Korean Patent No. 1427364 (name of the invention: a scanning system for generating a 3D indoor map using a Lidar device, and a patent holder: Asia Sea Port side).

Embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a lidar and a control method thereof.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a body portion, a laser irradiation portion installed on the body portion to irradiate a laser to an external two-dimensional planar irradiation region, and an external object disposed on the body portion and disposed on the irradiation region A lidar including a sensor unit configured to simultaneously receive and detect the laser reflected by the collision may be provided.

Embodiments of the present invention are capable of scanning a wide range. In addition, embodiments of the present invention can be accurately obtained by the accurate scan of the external environment.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the control flow of the lidar shown in FIG.

3 is a plan view illustrating a sensor unit illustrated in FIG. 2.

4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a scan method of the lidar shown in FIG. 1.

The body portion may be rotatable in a first direction and in a second direction different from the first direction.

In addition, the first direction may be a direction parallel to the ground.

In addition, the second direction may be a direction perpendicular to the ground.

The apparatus may further include a driving part connected to the body part to rotate the laser irradiation part and the sensor part in at least one of a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction.

The apparatus may further include a controller for implementing an external image based on the data detected by the sensor unit.

The control unit may control the driving unit to rotate the laser irradiation unit and the sensor unit by a predetermined angle in at least one of the first direction and the second direction.

In addition, the sensor unit may include a plurality of sensors arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns.

According to another aspect of the invention, the step of rotating the laser irradiation unit and the sensor unit in at least one of a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, the external object disposed in the scanning area of the two-dimensional form in the laser irradiation unit And projecting the light reflected on the external object and simultaneously receiving and detecting the laser beam reflected from the external object.

In addition, the laser irradiation unit may rotate by a predetermined angle in at least one of the first direction and the second direction.

In addition, at least a portion of the scan areas adjacent to each other in at least one of the first direction and the second direction may overlap each other.

The first direction may be a direction parallel to the ground, and the second direction may be a direction perpendicular to the ground.

The invention will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various forms. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Meanwhile, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. As used herein, “comprises” and / or “comprising” refers to the presence of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements. Or does not exclude additions. Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish one component from another.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing the control flow of the lidar shown in FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a sensor unit illustrated in FIG. 2. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a scan method of the lidar shown in FIG. 1.

1 to 4, the lidar 100 includes a support 110, a body 120, a laser irradiator 131, a laser generator 132, a transmission 141, a light receiver 142, and a sensor. The unit 150 may include a driving unit 160, a power supply unit 170, and a controller 180.

The support 110 may have a space formed therein and may be formed to be fixed or movable outside. Specifically, when the support 110 is fixed to the outside, the support 110 may include a support having a plurality of frames, or may be fixed to an external object or fixed through a separate fixing member. On the other hand, when the support 110 is movable, the support 110 may be equipped with a separate engine, a driving motor, and the like, and a wheel (not shown) may be provided. However, hereinafter, the description will be made with reference to the case where the support 110 is fixed for convenience of description.

The body part 120 may be connected to the support part 110. The body part 120 may rotate in at least one direction of the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 about the support 110. In this case, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 may be directions different from each other. In detail, the first direction D1 may be a direction parallel to the ground (XY plane), and the second direction D2 may be a direction perpendicular to the ground (Z-axis direction).

The body part 120 may include a transmission part 141 and a light receiving part 142. In this case, the transmission unit 141 and the light receiving unit 142 may be formed of a transparent material. In particular, the transmission unit 141 and the light receiving unit 142 may respectively refract or straighten the laser.

The transmission unit 141 as described above may include a diffusion lens for diffusing the laser. In addition, the light receiving unit 142 may include a light receiving lens for receiving a laser.

The laser irradiator 131 may be installed in the body 120. In this case, the laser irradiator 131 may irradiate the laser to the outside and may be disposed to correspond to the transmission unit 141.

The laser irradiator 131 may irradiate a laser to the scan area S having a predetermined area outside. In this case, the laser irradiation unit 131 may irradiate a laser formed as one. In another embodiment, the laser irradiator 131 may spectroscopically irradiate a plurality of lasers to the outside. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the laser will be described in detail with reference to a case where the laser is irradiated to the outside by plural spectra.

The laser generator 132 may generate a laser and supply the laser to the laser irradiator 131. In this case, the laser generation unit 132 may be disposed in the body 120, and may be connected to the laser irradiation unit 131 by an optical fiber or the like.

The sensor unit 150 may simultaneously detect a laser that is irradiated to an external irradiation area through the transmission unit 141 by the laser irradiation unit 131 and then reflected by an external object to be incident on the light receiving unit 142. In this case, the sensor unit 150 may simultaneously detect a plurality of lasers incident through the light receiving unit 142. In detail, the sensor unit 150 may detect a laser having a predetermined area by having sensors arranged to have rows and columns. For example, the sensor unit 150 may include a plurality of sensors arranged in NxM form as shown in FIG. 3. Here, N and M are both natural numbers, and N and M may vary depending on the irradiation range of the irradiated laser, the range in which the laser is received, the size of the light receiving lens, and the like. In this case, each sensor may generate data by sensing lasers corresponding to coordinates related to rows and columns, respectively. In particular, the sensor unit 150 may include a 2D Avalanche photodiode (APD) sensor. In addition, the sensor unit 150 may improve scan speed by providing a plurality of rows and columns of sensors.

The driving unit 160 may be connected to at least one of the body 120 and the support 110. The driving unit 160 may rotate the body 120 in at least one of the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. In more detail, the driving unit 160 may include a first driving unit 161 for rotating the body 120 in the first direction D1 and a second driving unit 162 for rotating in the second direction D2.

The first driver 161 as described above may be formed in various forms. For example, as an example, the first driver 161 may include a motor that is directly connected to the body 120. In another embodiment, the first driving unit 161 may include a gear unit connected to the body unit 120 and a motor connected to the gear unit. In another embodiment, the first driving unit 161 may include a speed reducer connected to the body 120 and a motor connected to the reducer. In this case, the first driving unit 161 is not limited to the above, and may include all devices and structures connected to the body 120 to rotate the body 120 in the first direction D1. However, hereinafter, the first driving unit 161 will be described in detail with reference to a case including a motor for convenience of description.

The first driving unit 161 as described above may be installed on the support 110, and the body 120 may be connected to the first driving unit 161. According to the operation of the first driving unit 161, the body 120 may rotate in the first direction D1.

The second driver 162 may be connected to the body 120 to rotate the body 120 in the second direction D2. In this case, the second driver 162 may be formed in the same or similar to the first driver 161. However, hereinafter, for convenience of description, the second driving unit 162 will be described in detail with reference to a case including a motor.

The second driving unit 162 as described above may be installed in the body unit 120 to rotate the transmission unit 141, the light receiving unit 142, the laser irradiation unit 131, and the sensor unit 150 in the second direction D2. have. In another embodiment, the second driver 162 may connect the body 120 and the support 110 to rotate the body 120 in the second direction D2. In another embodiment, the second driving unit 162 may be connected to the first driving unit 161 and the body unit 120 to rotate the body unit 120 in the second direction D2. In this case, the first driver 161 and the second driver 162 may be connected by a separate bracket or the like. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the second driver 162 will be described in detail with reference to a case where the second driver 162 is connected to the first driver 161.

The power supply unit 170 may be disposed in at least one of the body 120 and the support 110. In this case, the power supply unit 170 may include a rechargeable battery that is in a chargeable form. In addition, the power supply unit 170 may include a connector connected to the outside.

The controller 180 may be disposed in at least one of the body 120 and the support 110. In another embodiment, the controller 180 may be disposed outside the body 120 and the support 110. At this time, the control unit 180 and other components of the lidar 100 may be connected by wireless or wired.

The controller 180 as described above may be formed in various forms. For example, the controller 180 may be formed in the form of a circuit board. In another embodiment, the controller 180 may include a personal computer, a notebook computer, a portable terminal, a mobile phone, a PDA, and the like.

On the other hand, looking at the operating state of the lidar 100 as described above, first, the lidar 100 can be arranged in a desired place. In this case, the lidar 100 may be mounted on a movable object such as a car, a ship, or an airplane. In this case, the support 110 may be a body of a car, a ship, an airplane, and the like. In another embodiment, the lidar 100 may be seated or fixed on the ground, a building, or the like.

After the installation as described above, the controller 180 may start the operation of the lidar 100. In this case, the laser generator 132 may generate a laser and transmit the laser to the laser irradiator 131, and the laser irradiator 131 may irradiate the laser to the outside.

In this case, the laser irradiator 131 may irradiate a plurality of lasers to the outside, and the plurality of lasers may be diffused through the transmission unit 141 to be irradiated to the outside. In this case, the plurality of lasers irradiated to the outside may form a scan area S that is a constant area from the outside.

Various objects, terrains, and the like may be disposed in the scan area S. FIG. In this case, the laser may be reflected after being irradiated to various objects, terrain, and the like. The reflected laser may be incident to the sensor unit 150 through the light receiving unit 142.

The sensor unit 150 may acquire 3D data in the scan area S based on the incident laser as described above. In detail, the sensor unit 150 may simultaneously detect a plurality of lasers reflected from the scan area S. FIG. At this time, the sensor unit 150 may calculate the coordinates of the laser incident on each sensor through the array-type sensor as described above. For example, in the case of the first sensor, the controller 180 may set 1 to reference coordinates based on a rotation angle of the body 120 in the first direction D1 and a rotation angle in the second direction D2. The X and Y coordinates of the laser incident on the sensor can be calculated. In addition, the controller 180 may calculate the Z-coordinate based on the time from the irradiation of the laser incident to the first sensor to the reflected and detected by the first sensor or the intensity of the laser. In this case, the controller 180 may store a data table or a relational expression for measuring the coordinates of the reflected laser as described above.

The above operation may be performed for a plurality of sensors, respectively. Therefore, the sensor unit 150 may detect an external object based on the value detected by each sensor.

After the above operation is completed, the controller 180 may drive one of the first driver 161 or the second driver 162 to rotate the laser irradiator 131 and the sensor unit 150.

In this case, the controller 180 may configure various rotation directions and methods of the laser irradiation unit 131 and the sensor unit 150. For example, as an example, the controller 180 operates the first driver 161 to rotate the laser irradiator 131 and the sensor unit 150 in the first direction D1 by a first angle, and then operates the laser. The first scan area S1 may be irradiated. In addition, the controller 180 operates the first driving unit 161 again to rotate the laser irradiation unit 131 and the sensor unit 150 in the first direction D1 by a second angle, and then rotates the laser in the first scan area ( The second scan area S2 adjacent to S1 may be irradiated. In this case, at least a portion of the first scan area S1 and the second scan area S2 may overlap each other, and in another embodiment, the boundary between the first scan area S1 and the second scan area S2 coincides with each other. It is also possible. The controller 180 may irradiate a laser to connect the scan areas S to each other in the first direction D1 by performing the above operation a plurality of times. The laser irradiated as described above may be reflected to an object, a terrain, or the like disposed in each scan area S and may be incident to the sensor unit 150 through the light receiving unit 142. The sensor unit 150 may sequentially detect the laser reflected in each scan area S by moving at the same angle with the laser irradiator 131. Accordingly, the controller 180 may acquire data corresponding to scan areas S connected to each other. After the above operation is completed, the controller 180 may control the second driver 162 to rotate the laser irradiation unit 131 and the sensor unit 150 by a third angle in the second direction D2. In addition, the controller 180 controls the first driver 161 to sequentially acquire data while rotating the laser irradiator 131 and the sensor unit 150 in the first direction D1 as described above. Such control may be performed based on data previously set in the controller 180 or input from the outside. In more detail, the controller 180 may perform the above control based on a set time, a set area, a set angle, and the like. In addition, the controller 180 may perform the above control based on an input signal input through the input unit 190 from an external user.

As another example, the controller 180 may control the second driver 162 first to acquire data while rotating the laser irradiator 131 and the sensor unit 150 in the second direction D2. In this case, when the above operation is completed, the controller 180 may control the first driving unit 161 to rotate the laser irradiation unit 131 and the sensor unit 150 in the first direction D1 by a predetermined angle. Thereafter, the controller 180 may control the second driver 162 again to acquire data while rotating the laser irradiator 131 and the sensor unit 150 in the second direction D2. In this case, the above operation may be repeatedly performed as described above until it corresponds to a value set in the controller 180.

That is, the controller 180 may divide the entire scan area A into a two-dimensional scan area S and proceed with the scan. In this case, the entire scan area A may include all of the peripheries of the lidar 100. For example, the entire scan area A may include all 360 degrees of the lidar 100 with respect to the lidar 100. In another embodiment, the entire scan area A may be limited to only a certain angle with respect to the lidar 100. In another embodiment, the entire scan area A may include only a front portion of the lidar 100. In this case, the entire scan area A and the scan area S may be the same.

As described above, the controller 180 may control the first driver 161 and the second driver 162 in various ways. For example, as an example, the controller 180 may calculate the rotation angles of the laser irradiation unit 131 and the sensor unit 150 based on the operating time of the first driving unit 161 and the second driving unit 162. have. In another embodiment, the controller 180 may calculate rotation angles of the laser irradiation unit 131 and the sensor unit 150 based on encoder values of the first driver 161 and the second driver 162.

Meanwhile, when data is input to the controller 180 as described above, the controller 180 may generate 3D data based on the data. In this case, the controller 180 may delete one as the data of the overlapped area B overlapping between the adjacent scan areas S is overlapped. In another embodiment, the controller 180 may compare the data of the overlapped areas B overlapping with the adjacent scan areas S and use the same to remove noise.

The overall operation as described above may be performed a plurality of times. That is, the controller 180 can scan the same scan area S a plurality of times. For example, the controller 180 may control the lidar 100 to scan the set range once again after the scan-in is completed in the set range.

The measured data as described above may be formed in the form of a three-dimensional image and displayed on the external output unit 191. In this case, the output unit 191 may include a display panel, a printer, a portable terminal, and the like.

Accordingly, the lidar 100 can process a large amount of data at the same time by scanning the scan area S in a planar shape and dataizing the lasers received at the same time. In addition, the lidar 100 scans the plurality of scan areas S to form three-dimensional data of a setting range, thereby enabling accurate generation of scan data.

The lidar 100 can scan a wide range by scanning the two-dimensional scan area (S). In addition, since the lidar 100 can be precisely scanned, it is possible to calculate data on an accurate external environment.

The lidar 100 can be scanned quickly by simultaneously scanning the two-dimensional scan area S and processing data. In addition, the lidar 100 scans the laser irradiation unit 131 and the sensor unit 150 while rotating in at least one of the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. The laser irradiated from the lens may overcome the limitation of the field of view (FOV) of the laser irradiation unit 141 according to the fixing.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, it is possible to make various modifications or variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the appended claims will include such modifications and variations as long as they fall within the spirit of the invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, by providing a lidar and a control method thereof, the external environment can be scanned, and embodiments of the present invention can be applied to industrial lidar, military lidar, medical lidar, and the like. .

Claims

Body portion;

A laser irradiator installed on the body to irradiate a laser to an external two-dimensional planar irradiation area; And

And a sensor unit installed at the body unit to simultaneously receive and detect the laser reflected by colliding with an external object disposed in the irradiation area.
The method of claim 1,

The body portion is rotatable in a first direction and in a second direction different from the first direction.
The method of claim 2,

The first direction is a direction parallel to the ground.
The method of claim 2,

The second direction is a direction perpendicular to the ground.
The method of claim 1,

And a driving part connected to the body part to rotate the laser irradiation part and the sensor part in at least one of a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction.
The method of claim 5,

And a controller for implementing an external image based on the data sensed by the sensor unit.
The method of claim 6,

The control unit controls the driving unit to rotate the laser irradiation unit and the sensor unit by a predetermined angle in at least one of the first direction and the second direction.
The method of claim 1,

The sensor unit includes a plurality of sensors arranged in a plurality of rows and columns.
Rotating the laser irradiation part and the sensor part in at least one of a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction;

Projecting the laser onto an external object disposed in a scan area having a two-dimensional shape in the laser irradiation unit; And

And receiving and detecting the laser beam reflected from the external object at the same time in the sensor unit.
The method of claim 9,

And the laser irradiator rotates at a predetermined angle in at least one of the first direction and the second direction.
The method of claim 10,

The scan areas adjacent to each other in at least one of the first direction and the second direction are at least partially overlapping each other.
The method of claim 9,

And the first direction is a direction parallel to the ground, and the second direction is a direction perpendicular to the ground.