WO2021235640A1 - Dispositif lidar - Google Patents

Dispositif lidar Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2021235640A1
WO2021235640A1 PCT/KR2020/018097 KR2020018097W WO2021235640A1 WO 2021235640 A1 WO2021235640 A1 WO 2021235640A1 KR 2020018097 W KR2020018097 W KR 2020018097W WO 2021235640 A1 WO2021235640 A1 WO 2021235640A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
laser beam
time point
unit
detector
emitter
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PCT/KR2020/018097
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English (en)
Korean (ko)
Inventor
김동규
임찬묵
박상우
Original Assignee
주식회사 에스오에스랩
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
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Priority claimed from KR1020200096822A external-priority patent/KR102633680B1/ko
Application filed by 주식회사 에스오에스랩 filed Critical 주식회사 에스오에스랩
Publication of WO2021235640A1 publication Critical patent/WO2021235640A1/fr

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/48—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S17/00
    • G01S7/481—Constructional features, e.g. arrangements of optical elements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/48—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S17/00
    • G01S7/491—Details of non-pulse systems
    • G01S7/4912—Receivers
    • G01S7/4913—Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out
    • G01S7/4914—Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out of detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for controlling an emitter array included in a lidar device, and more particularly, to a method of improving a frame rate of a lidar device by controlling a laser beam output timing of emitters included in an emitter array is about
  • LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging
  • LiDAR is a device that acquires distance information around a laser using a laser, and thanks to its excellent precision and resolution, and the advantage of being able to grasp objects in three dimensions, it is being applied not only to automobiles but also to various fields such as drones and aircraft.
  • One object of the present invention relates to a method of controlling a laser output timing of emitters included in an emitter array.
  • a lidar device includes an emitter array including a first emitter and a second emitter for outputting a laser beam, a first detector for receiving a laser beam reflected from the first region, and a reflection from the second region a detector array including a second detector for receiving the laser beam, and a processor for determining characteristics of the first region and the second region based on a histogram in which an output signal of the detector array is accumulated, the processor comprising: In order to determine the characteristics of the first region and the second region, a plurality of data sets based on the output signal of the first detector are accumulated, and a plurality of data sets based on the output signal of the first histogram and the second detector are accumulated.
  • a second histogram is formed by accumulating the sets, and the first histogram includes a first data set generated based on an output signal of the first detector after a first time point when the first emitter outputs a laser beam and the second histogram. a second data set generated based on the output signal of the first detector after a second time point at which the first emitter outputs the laser beam, and the second histogram includes a second data set at which the second emitter outputs the laser beam.
  • a third data set generated based on the output signal of the second detector after three time points may be included, and the third time point may exist between the first time point and the second time point.
  • a control method of a lidar device includes an emitter array for irradiating a laser beam to an object and a detector array for receiving the laser beam reflected on the object, In the control method of the lidar device for determining the characteristic of the object based on the histogram in which the data set is accumulated, the first region is moved to the first region at the first time point and the second time point through the first emitter included in the emitter array.
  • Irradiating a laser beam receiving the laser beam reflected from the first area through a first detector included in the detector array, and a first data set based on an output signal of the first detector after the first time point and forming a first histogram including a second data set based on the output signal of the first detector after the second time point, and a second region at a third time point through a second emitter included in the emitter array.
  • irradiating a laser beam to the detector receiving the laser beam reflected from the second region through a second detector included in the detector array, and a third based on the output signal of the second detector after the third time point and forming a second histogram including the data set, wherein the third time point may exist between the first time point and the second time point.
  • a lidar device having an improved frame rate may be provided by controlling the laser output timing of the emitters included in the emitter array.
  • a method for controlling a lidar device in which a frame rate is improved by controlling a laser output timing of emitters included in an emitter array.
  • FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a lidar device according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a laser output unit according to an exemplary embodiment.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a VCSEL unit according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a VCSEL array according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a VCSEL array and a metal contact according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a VCSEL array according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 13 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram for describing a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • 15 and 16 are diagrams for explaining a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • 17 is a diagram for describing a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 18 is a diagram for describing a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • 19 is a view for explaining a metasurface according to an embodiment.
  • 20 is a view for explaining a metasurface according to an embodiment.
  • 21 is a view for explaining a metasurface according to an embodiment.
  • 22 is a view for explaining a rotating multi-faceted mirror according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 23 is a top view for explaining a viewing angle of a rotating multi-faceted mirror in which the number of reflection surfaces is three and the upper and lower portions of the body are equilateral triangles.
  • 24 is a top view for explaining a viewing angle of a rotating multi-faceted mirror in which the number of reflective surfaces is four and the upper and lower portions of the body have a square shape.
  • 25 is a top view for explaining a viewing angle of a rotating multi-faceted mirror having five reflective surfaces and having upper and lower portions of a body in a regular pentagonal shape.
  • 26 is a view for explaining an irradiating portion and a light receiving portion of the rotating multi-faceted mirror according to an embodiment.
  • 27 is a view for explaining an optic unit according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 28 is a diagram for describing an optic unit according to an exemplary embodiment.
  • 29 is a diagram for describing a meta component according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 30 is a diagram for describing a meta component according to another embodiment.
  • 31 is a view for explaining a SPAD array according to an embodiment.
  • 32 is a diagram for explaining a histogram of SPAD according to an embodiment.
  • SiPM 34 is a diagram for explaining a histogram of SiPM according to an embodiment.
  • 35 is a diagram for explaining a semi-flash lidar according to an embodiment.
  • 36 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a semi-flesh lidar according to an exemplary embodiment.
  • FIG. 37 is a diagram for explaining a semi-flash lidar according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • 38 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a semi-flesh lidar according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • 39 is a diagram for explaining operations of an emitter array and a detector array according to an embodiment.
  • 40 is a diagram for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to an embodiment.
  • 41 is a diagram for explaining an operation sequence of an emitter array and a detector array according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 42 is a view for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to another embodiment.
  • 43 to 46 are diagrams for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • 47 is a flowchart for explaining a method of controlling a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • an emitter array including a first emitter and a second emitter for outputting a laser beam, a first detector for receiving a laser beam reflected from the first region, and a laser beam reflected from the second region a detector array including a second detector receiving
  • a plurality of data sets based on the output signal of the first detector are accumulated to accumulate a plurality of data sets based on the output signal of the first histogram and the second detector to form a second histogram
  • the first histogram includes a first data set generated based on an output signal of the first detector after a first time point at which the first emitter outputs a laser beam
  • the first emitter includes a second data set generated based on the output signal of the first detector after a second time point at which the laser beam is output
  • the second histogram is after a third time point at which the second emitter outputs the laser beam
  • a lidar device may be provided that includes a third data set generated generated based on an output signal of the first detector after a first time point
  • the processor may determine the characteristics of the first region and the second region, respectively, based on peaks of the first histogram and the second histogram.
  • the interval between the first time point and the third time point may be half of the interval between the first time point and the second time point.
  • the second histogram includes a fourth data set generated based on the output signal of the second detector after a fourth time point at which the second emitter outputs the laser beam, and the second time point is the third time point It may exist between the time point and the fourth time point.
  • the interval between the third time point and the fourth time point may be the same as the interval between the first time point and the second time point.
  • the interval between the first time point and the third time point may be greater than half of the interval between the first time point and the second time point.
  • the first detector may be in an off state between the third time point and the second time point
  • the second detector may be in an off state between the first time point and the third time point
  • the emitter array may be a VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) array.
  • the detector array may be a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array.
  • SPAD single-photon avalanche diode
  • the lidar device irradiates the first laser beam output from the first emitter to the first region
  • optics for irradiating the second laser beam output from the second emitter to the second region may include
  • the optic may be at least one of a lens, a prism, a microprism array, and a meta surface.
  • the first histogram includes a fourth data set generated based on the output signal of the first detector after a fourth time point when the first emitter outputs the laser beam, and the first emitter includes the first
  • the laser beam may be output so that the interval between the viewpoint and the second viewpoint becomes the first interval, and the interval between the second viewpoint and the fourth viewpoint becomes a second interval different from the first interval.
  • the first data set is generated based on the output signal of the first detector in a first time interval
  • the second data set is generated based on the output signal of the first detector in a second time interval
  • the third data set may be generated based on the output signal of the second detector in a third time period, and the third time period may at least partially overlap the first time period and the second time period.
  • a histogram including an emitter array irradiating a laser beam to an object and a detector array receiving a laser beam reflected by the object, in which a plurality of data sets based on an output signal of the detector array are accumulated
  • the control method of the lidar apparatus for determining the characteristics of the object based on , receiving the laser beam reflected from the first area through a first detector included in the detector array, a first data set based on an output signal of the first detector after the first time point, and a first data set after the second time point forming a first histogram including a second data set based on an output signal of the first detector; irradiating a laser beam to a second area at a third time point through a second emitter included in the emitter array Step, receiving the laser beam reflected from the second region through a second detector included in the detector array, and a third data set based on an output signal of the second detector after the third time point
  • a method of controlling a lidar device may be provided, including
  • a recording medium in which a code that is read and executable by a computer in which a program is recorded to perform the above-described methods is stored.
  • the lidar device is a device for detecting a distance from an object and a position of the object using a laser.
  • the lidar device may output a laser, and when the output laser is reflected from the object, the reflected laser may be received to measure the distance between the object and the lidar device and the position of the object.
  • the distance and position of the object may be expressed through a coordinate system.
  • the distance and position of the object are determined in the spherical coordinate system (r, ⁇ , ) can be expressed as
  • the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be expressed in a rectangular coordinate system (X, Y, Z) or a cylindrical coordinate system (r, ⁇ , z).
  • the lidar device may use a laser output from the lidar device and reflected from the object to measure the distance of the object.
  • the lidar device may use a time of flight (TOF) of the laser from outputting the laser until it is detected in order to measure the distance of the object.
  • TOF time of flight
  • the LIDAR device may measure the distance to the object by using a difference between a time value based on an output time of an output laser and a time value based on a detected time of a laser reflected and sensed from the object.
  • the LIDAR device may measure the distance of the object by using a difference between a time value in which the output laser is detected immediately without passing through the object and a time value based on a detected time of the laser detected by being reflected from the object.
  • the lidar device sends a trigger signal for emitting the laser beam by the controller and the actual emission time, which is the time at which the laser beam is output from the actual laser output device. Since the laser beam is not actually output between the timing of the trigger signal and the actual emission timing, when included in the flight time of the laser, the precision may decrease.
  • the actual emission time of the laser beam may be used.
  • an optic is disposed above the laser output device, so that a laser beam output from the laser output device by the optic may be directly sensed by the light receiving unit without passing through the object.
  • the optic may be a mirror, a lens, a prism, a metasurface, or the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • the optic may be one, but may be plural.
  • the sensor unit is disposed on the laser output device, so that the laser beam output from the laser output device can be directly sensed by the sensor unit without passing through the object.
  • the sensor unit may be spaced apart from the laser output device at a distance of 1 mm, 1 um, 1 nm, etc., but is not limited thereto.
  • the sensor unit may be disposed adjacent to the laser output device without being spaced apart from each other.
  • An optic may exist between the sensor unit and the laser output device, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar device may use a triangulation method, an interferometry method, a phase shift measurement, etc. in addition to the flight time in order to measure the distance of the object. not limited
  • the lidar device may be installed in a vehicle.
  • the lidar device may be installed on a roof, hood, headlamp or bumper of a vehicle.
  • a plurality of lidar devices may be installed in a vehicle.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the front and the other may be for observing the rear, but is not limited thereto.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the left side and the other lidar device may be for observing the right side, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar device according to an embodiment may be installed in a vehicle.
  • the lidar device when the lidar device is installed inside a vehicle, it may be for recognizing a driver's gesture while driving, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar device when the lidar device is installed inside or outside the vehicle, it may be for recognizing the driver's face, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar device may be installed in an unmanned aerial vehicle.
  • the lidar device includes an unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAV system), a drone, a remote piloted vehicle (RPV), an unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAVs), an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), and a remote piloted air/aerial (RPAV).
  • UAV system unmanned aerial vehicle system
  • RSV remote piloted vehicle
  • UAVs unmanned aerial vehicle system
  • UAS unmanned aircraft system
  • RPAV remote piloted air/aerial
  • Vehicle or RPAS (Remote Piloted Aircraft System) may be installed.
  • a plurality of lidar devices may be installed in the unmanned aerial vehicle.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the front, and the other may be for observing the rear, but is not limited thereto.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the left side and the other may be for observing the right side, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar device according to an embodiment may be installed in the robot.
  • the lidar device may be installed in personal robots, professional robots, public service robots, other industrial robots, or manufacturing robots.
  • a plurality of lidar devices may be installed in the robot.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the front, and the other may be for observing the rear, but is not limited thereto.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the left side, and the other may be for observing the right side, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar device according to an embodiment may be installed in the robot.
  • the lidar device when the lidar device is installed in the robot, it may be for recognizing a human face, but is not limited thereto.
  • lidar device may be installed for industrial security.
  • lidar devices can be installed in smart factories for industrial security.
  • a plurality of lidar devices may be installed in a smart factory for industrial security.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the front and the other may be for observing the rear, but is not limited thereto.
  • one lidar device may be for observing the left side and the other may be for observing the right side, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar device according to an embodiment may be installed for industrial security.
  • the lidar device when installed for industrial security, it may be for recognizing a human face, but is not limited thereto.
  • FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • a lidar apparatus 1000 may include a laser output unit 100 .
  • the laser output unit 100 may emit a laser.
  • the laser output unit 100 may include one or more laser output devices.
  • the laser output unit 100 may include a single laser output device, may include a plurality of laser output devices, and when a plurality of laser output devices are included, the plurality of laser output devices may include one laser output device. You can configure an array.
  • the laser output unit 100 includes a laser diode (LD), a solid-state laser, a high power laser, a light entitling diode (LED), a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), and an external cavity diode laser (ECDL). and the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • LD laser diode
  • LED light entitling diode
  • VCSEL vertical cavity surface emitting laser
  • ECDL external cavity diode laser
  • the laser output unit 100 may output a laser having a predetermined wavelength.
  • the laser output unit 100 may output a laser of a 905 nm band or a laser of a 1550 nm band.
  • the laser output unit 100 may output a laser having a band of 940 nm.
  • the laser output unit 100 may output a laser including a plurality of wavelengths between 800 nm and 1000 nm.
  • some of the plurality of laser output devices may output a laser in a 905 nm band, and some may output a laser in a 1500 nm band.
  • the lidar apparatus 1000 may include an optic unit 200 .
  • the optic unit may be variously expressed as a steering unit, a scan unit, and the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • the optic unit 200 may change the flight path of the laser.
  • the optic unit 200 may change the flight path of the laser so that the laser emitted from the laser output unit 100 faces the scan area.
  • the flight path of the laser may be changed so that the laser reflected from the object located in the scan area is directed toward the sensor unit.
  • the optic unit 200 may change the flight path of the laser by reflecting the laser.
  • the optic unit 200 may reflect the laser emitted from the laser output unit 100 to change the flight path of the laser so that the laser is directed toward the scan area.
  • the flight path of the laser may be changed so that the laser reflected from the object located in the scan area is directed toward the sensor unit.
  • the optical unit 200 may include various optical means to reflect the laser.
  • the optical unit 200 may include a mirror, a resonance scanner, a MEMS mirror, a voice coil motor (VCM), a polygonal mirror, a rotating mirror, or It may include, but is not limited to, a galvano mirror and the like.
  • VCM voice coil motor
  • the optic unit 200 may change the flight path of the laser by refracting the laser.
  • the optic 200 may refract the laser emitted from the laser output unit 100 to change the flight path of the laser so that the laser faces the scan area.
  • the flight path of the laser may be changed so that the laser reflected from the object located in the scan area is directed toward the sensor unit.
  • the optic 200 may include various optical means to refract the laser.
  • the optical unit 200 may include a lens, a prism, a micro lens, or a liquid lens, but is not limited thereto.
  • the optic unit 200 may change the flight path of the laser by changing the phase of the laser.
  • the optic 200 may change the phase of the laser emitted from the laser output unit 100 to change the flight path of the laser so that the laser faces the scan area.
  • the flight path of the laser may be changed so that the laser reflected from the object located in the scan area is directed toward the sensor unit.
  • the optic unit 200 may include various optical means to change the phase of the laser.
  • the optical unit 200 may include an optical phased array (OPA), a meta lens, or a meta surface, but is not limited thereto.
  • OPA optical phased array
  • meta lens a meta lens
  • meta surface a meta surface
  • the optic 200 may include one or more optical means.
  • the optical unit 200 may include a plurality of optical means.
  • the lidar device 100 may include a sensor unit 300 .
  • the sensor unit may be variously expressed as a light receiving unit, a receiving unit, etc. in the description of the present invention, but is not limited thereto.
  • the sensor unit 300 may detect a laser.
  • the sensor unit may detect a laser reflected from an object located within the scan area.
  • the sensor unit 300 may receive a laser and may generate an electrical signal based on the received laser.
  • the sensor unit 300 may receive a laser reflected from an object positioned within the scan area, and may generate an electrical signal based thereon.
  • the sensor unit 300 may receive a laser reflected from an object positioned within the scan area through one or more optical means, and may generate an electrical signal based on the received laser beam.
  • the sensor unit 300 may receive a laser reflected from an object located in the scan area through an optical filter, and may generate an electrical signal based on the received laser.
  • the sensor unit 300 may detect a laser based on the generated electrical signal. For example, the sensor unit 300 may detect a laser by comparing a predetermined threshold value with the magnitude of the generated electrical signal, but is not limited thereto. Also, for example, the sensor unit 300 may detect a laser by comparing a predetermined threshold value with a rising edge, a falling edge, or a median value of a rising edge and a falling edge of the generated electrical signal, but is not limited thereto. Also, for example, the sensor unit 300 may detect a laser by comparing a predetermined threshold value with a peak value of the generated electrical signal, but is not limited thereto.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include various sensor elements.
  • the sensor unit 300 includes a PN photodiode, a phototransistor, a PIN photodiode, an avalanche photodiode (APD), a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a silicon photomultipliers (SiPM), a time to digital converter (TDC), Comparator, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), or charge coupled device (CCD) may be included, but is not limited thereto.
  • APD avalanche photodiode
  • SPAD single-photon avalanche diode
  • SiPM silicon photomultipliers
  • TDC time to digital converter
  • Comparator complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor
  • CCD charge coupled device
  • the sensor unit 300 may be a 2D SPAD array, but is not limited thereto.
  • the SPAD array may include a plurality of SPAD units, and the SPAD unit may include a plurality of SPADs (pixels).
  • the sensor unit 300 may stack N histograms using the 2D SPAD array. For example, the sensor unit 300 may detect a light reception time of a laser beam reflected from the object and received by using the histogram.
  • the sensor unit 300 may use the histogram to detect a peak point of the histogram as a light reception time of a laser beam reflected and received from the object, but is not limited thereto. Also, for example, the sensor unit 300 may use the histogram to detect a point at which the histogram is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a light reception time of the laser beam reflected from the object, but is not limited thereto.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include one or more sensor elements.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include a single sensor element or a plurality of sensor elements.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include one or more optical elements.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include an aperture, a micro lens, a converging lens, or a diffuser, but is not limited thereto.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include one or more optical filters.
  • the sensor unit 300 may receive the laser reflected from the object through an optical filter.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include a band pass filter, a dichroic filter, a guided-mode resonance filter, a polarizer, a wedge filter, and the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • the lidar apparatus 1000 may include a controller 400 .
  • the control unit may be variously expressed as a controller or the like in the description for the present invention, but is not limited thereto.
  • the controller 400 may control the operation of the laser output unit 100 , the optic unit 200 , or the sensor unit 300 .
  • control unit 400 may control the operation of the laser output unit 100 .
  • the controller 400 may control the output timing of the laser output from the laser output unit 100 . Also, the controller 400 may control the power of the laser output from the laser output unit 100 . Also, the controller 400 may control a pulse width of the laser output from the laser output unit 100 . Also, the control unit 400 may control the cycle of the laser output from the laser output unit 100 . Also, when the laser output unit 100 includes a plurality of laser output devices, the controller 400 may control the laser output unit 100 to operate some of the plurality of laser output devices.
  • control unit 400 may control the operation of the optic unit 200 .
  • control unit 400 may control the operating speed of the optic unit 200 .
  • the rotation speed of the rotating mirror can be controlled
  • the optical unit 200 includes a MEMS mirror the repetition period of the MEMS mirror can be controlled.
  • the present invention is not limited thereto.
  • control unit 400 may control the degree of operation of the optic unit 200 .
  • the optical unit 200 includes the MEMS mirror
  • the operating angle of the MEMS mirror may be controlled, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
  • control unit 400 may control the operation of the sensor unit 300 .
  • control unit 400 may control the sensitivity of the sensor unit 300 .
  • the controller 400 may control the sensitivity of the sensor unit 300 by adjusting a predetermined threshold, but is not limited thereto.
  • control unit 400 may control the operation of the sensor unit 300 .
  • control unit 400 may control On/Off of the sensor unit 300 , and when the control unit 300 includes a plurality of sensor elements, the sensor unit operates so that some of the plurality of sensor elements are operated. The operation of 300 can be controlled.
  • controller 400 may determine a distance from the lidar device 1000 to an object located in the scan area based on the laser sensed by the sensor unit 300 .
  • the controller 400 may determine the distance to the object located in the scan area based on the time when the laser is output from the laser output unit 100 and the time when the laser is detected by the sensor unit 300 . .
  • the control unit 400 outputs the laser from the laser output unit 100 and immediately detects the laser by the sensor unit 300 without passing through the object and the laser reflected from the object is detected by the sensor unit 300 .
  • the distance to the object located in the scan area may be determined based on the detected time point.
  • the lidar device 1000 sends a trigger signal for emitting a laser beam by the controller 400 and an actual emission time, which is a time at which the laser beam is output from the actual laser output device. Since the laser beam is not actually output between the timing of the trigger signal and the actual emission timing, when included in the flight time of the laser, the precision may decrease.
  • the actual emission time of the laser beam may be used.
  • an optic is disposed above the laser output device, so that a laser beam output from the laser output device by the optic can be directly sensed by the sensor unit 300 without passing through an object.
  • the optic may be a mirror, a lens, a prism, a metasurface, or the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • the optic may be one, but may be plural.
  • the laser beam output from the laser output device may be directly sensed by the sensor unit 300 without passing through the object.
  • the sensor unit 300 may be spaced apart from the laser output device at a distance of 1 mm, 1 um, 1 nm, etc., but is not limited thereto.
  • the sensor unit 300 may be disposed adjacent to the laser output device without being spaced apart.
  • An optic may exist between the sensor unit 300 and the laser output device, but is not limited thereto.
  • the laser output unit 100 may output a laser
  • the control unit 400 may obtain a point in time at which the laser is output from the laser output unit 100
  • the laser output from the laser output unit 100 may be obtained.
  • the sensor unit 300 may detect the laser reflected from the object
  • the control unit 400 may obtain a time point at which the laser is detected by the sensor unit 300
  • the controller 400 may determine the distance to the object located in the scan area based on the laser output time and the detection time.
  • the laser output unit 100 may output a laser, and the laser output from the laser output unit 100 may be directly detected by the sensor unit 300 without passing through an object located in the scan area.
  • the controller 400 may acquire a point in time at which the laser that has not passed through the object is sensed.
  • the sensor unit 300 may detect the laser reflected from the object
  • the control unit 400 may detect the laser from the sensor unit 300 .
  • the controller 400 may determine the distance to the object located in the scan area based on the detection time of the laser that has not passed through the object and the detection time of the laser reflected from the object.
  • FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • a lidar device 1050 may include a laser output unit 100 , an optic unit 200 , and a sensor unit 300 .
  • the laser beam output from the laser output unit 100 may pass through the optic unit 200 . Also, the laser beam passing through the optic unit 200 may be irradiated toward the object 500 . Also, the laser beam reflected from the object 500 may be received by the sensor unit 300 .
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a lidar device according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • a lidar device 1150 may include a laser output unit 100 , an optic unit 200 , and a sensor unit 300 .
  • the laser beam output from the laser output unit 100 may pass through the optic unit 200 . Also, the laser beam passing through the optic unit 200 may be irradiated toward the object 500 . Also, the laser beam reflected from the object 500 may pass through the optic unit 200 again.
  • the optic part through which the laser beam is rough before being irradiated to the object and the optic part through which the laser beam reflected on the object passes may be physically the same, but may be physically different optics.
  • the laser beam passing through the optic unit 200 may be received by the sensor unit 300 .
  • FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a laser output unit according to an exemplary embodiment.
  • the laser output unit 100 may include a VCSEL emitter 110 .
  • VCSEL emitter 110 is an upper metal contact 10, an upper DBR layer (20, upper Distributed Bragg reflector), an active layer (40, quantum well), a lower DBR layer (30, lower Distributed Bragg reflector) , a substrate 50 , and a lower metal contact 60 .
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may emit a laser beam vertically from the top surface.
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may emit a laser beam in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the upper metal contact 10 .
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may emit a laser beam perpendicular to the acvite layer 40 .
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may include an upper DBR layer 20 and a lower DBR layer 30 .
  • the upper DBR layer 20 and the lower DBR layer 30 may include a plurality of reflective layers.
  • a reflective layer having a high reflectance and a reflective layer having a low reflectance may be alternately disposed.
  • the thickness of the plurality of reflective layers may be a quarter of the wavelength of the laser emitted from the VCSEL emitter (110).
  • the upper DBR layer 20 and the lower DBR layer 30 may be doped with p-type and n-type doping.
  • the upper DBR layer 20 may be doped p-type
  • the lower DBR layer 30 may be doped n-type.
  • the upper DBR layer 20 may be n-type doped
  • the lower DBR layer 30 may be doped p-type.
  • the substrate 50 may be disposed between the lower DBR layer 30 and the lower metal contact 60 .
  • the substrate 50 may also become a p-type substrate, and when the lower DBR layer 30 is doped with n-type, the substrate 50 may also become an n-type substrate. have.
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may include an active layer 40 .
  • the active layer 40 may be disposed between the upper DBR layer 20 and the lower DBR layer 30 .
  • the active layer 40 may include a plurality of quantum wells for generating a laser beam.
  • the active layer 40 may emit a laser beam.
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may include a metal contact for electrical connection to a power source and the like.
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may include an upper metal contact 10 and a lower metal contact 60 .
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may be electrically connected to the upper DBR layer 20 and the lower DBR layer 30 through a metal contact.
  • the upper DBR layer 20 is doped with p-type and the lower DBR layer 30 is doped with n-type
  • p-type power is supplied to the upper metal contact 10 so that the upper DBR layer 20 and It is electrically connected
  • n-type power is supplied to the lower metal contact 60 to be electrically connected to the lower DBR layer 30 .
  • n-type power is supplied to the upper metal contact 10 to supply the upper DBR layer. It is electrically connected to the layer 20 , and p-type power is supplied to the lower metal contact 60 to be electrically connected to the lower DBR layer 30 .
  • the VCSEL emitter 110 may include an oxidation area.
  • the oxidation area may be disposed on top of the active layer.
  • the oxidation area may have insulating properties.
  • electrical flow may be restricted in the oxidation area.
  • electrical connections may be restricted in the oxidation area.
  • the oxidation area may serve as an aperture. Specifically, since the oxidation area has insulating properties, a beam generated from the active layer 40 may be emitted only from a portion other than the oxidation area.
  • the laser output unit may include a plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • the laser output unit may turn on a plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 at once, or may be individually turned on.
  • the laser output unit may emit laser beams of various wavelengths.
  • the laser output unit may emit a laser beam having a wavelength of 905 nm.
  • the laser output unit may emit a laser beam having a wavelength of 1550 nm.
  • the output wavelength of the laser output unit may be changed according to the surrounding environment. For example, as the temperature of the surrounding environment increases, the output wavelength of the laser output unit may also increase. Or, for example, the laser output unit may decrease the output wavelength as the temperature of the surrounding environment decreases.
  • the ambient environment may include, but is not limited to, temperature, humidity, pressure, concentration of dust, ambient light, altitude, gravity, acceleration, and the like.
  • the laser output unit may emit a laser beam in a direction perpendicular to the support surface.
  • the laser output unit may emit a laser beam in a direction perpendicular to the emission surface.
  • FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a VCSEL unit according to an embodiment.
  • the laser output unit 100 may include a VCSEL unit 130 .
  • the VCSEL unit 130 may include a plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 may be arranged in a honeycomb structure, but is not limited thereto.
  • 7 VCSEL emitters 110 may be included in one honeycomb structure, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
  • all of the VCSEL emitters 110 included in the VCSEL unit 130 may be irradiated in the same direction.
  • 400 VCSEL emitters 110 included in the VCSEL unit 130 may all be irradiated in the same direction.
  • the VCSEL unit 130 may be distinguished by the irradiation direction of the output laser beam. For example, when all of the N VCSEL emitters 110 output a laser beam in a first direction and all of the M VCSEL emitters 110 output a laser beam in a second direction, the N VCSEL emitters 110 ) may be distinguished as a first VCSEL unit, and the M VCSEL emitters 110 may be distinguished as a second VCSEL unit.
  • the VCSEL unit 130 may include a metal contact.
  • the VCSEL unit 130 may include a p-type metal and an n-type metal.
  • a plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 included in the VCSEL unit 130 may share a metal contact.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a VCSEL array according to an embodiment.
  • the laser output unit 100 may include a VCSEL array 150 .
  • 6 shows an 8X8 VCSEL array, but is not limited thereto.
  • the VCSEL array 150 may include a plurality of VCSEL units 130 .
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may be arranged in a matrix structure, but is not limited thereto.
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may be an N ⁇ N matrix, but is not limited thereto. Also, for example, the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may be an N ⁇ M matrix, but is not limited thereto.
  • the VCSEL array 150 may include a metal contact.
  • the VCSEL array 150 may include a p-type metal and an n-type metal.
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may share a metal contact, but may each have an independent metal contact without sharing a metal contact.
  • FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating a VCSEL array and a metal contact according to an embodiment.
  • the laser output unit 100 may include a VCSEL array 151 .
  • 6 illustrates a 4X4 VCSEL array, but is not limited thereto.
  • the VCSEL array 151 may include a first metal contact 11 , a wire 12 , a second metal contact 13 , and a VCSEL unit 130 .
  • the VCSEL array 151 may include a plurality of VCSEL units 130 arranged in a matrix structure.
  • each of the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may be independently connected to the metal contact.
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 share the first metal contact 11 and are connected together to the first metal contact, and the second metal contact 13 is not shared so that the second metal contact is independently connected to each other.
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may be directly connected to the first metal contact 11 and may be connected to the second metal contact through a wire 12 .
  • the number of required wires 12 may be the same as the number of the plurality of VCSEL units 130 .
  • the number of wires 12 may be N ⁇ M.
  • first metal contact 11 and the second metal contact 13 may be different from each other.
  • first metal contact 11 may be an n-type metal
  • second metal contact 13 may be a p-type metal
  • first metal contact 11 may be a p-type metal
  • second metal contact 13 may be an n-type metal.
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a VCSEL array according to an embodiment.
  • the laser output unit 100 may include a VCSEL array 153 . 7 shows a 4X4 VCSEL array, but is not limited thereto.
  • the VCSEL array 153 may include a plurality of VCSEL units 130 arranged in a matrix structure.
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may share a metal contact, but may have an independent metal contact without sharing a metal contact.
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may share the first metal contact 15 in a row unit.
  • the plurality of VCSEL units 130 may share the second metal contact 17 in units of columns.
  • first metal contact 15 and the second metal contact 17 may be different from each other.
  • first metal contact 15 may be an n-type metal
  • second metal contact 17 may be a p-type metal
  • first metal contact 15 may be a p-type metal
  • second metal contact 17 may be an n-type metal.
  • the VCSEL unit 130 may be electrically connected to the first metal contact 15 and the second metal contact 17 through the wire 12 .
  • the VCSEL array 153 may operate in an addressable manner.
  • a plurality of VCSEL units 130 included in the VCSEL array 153 may operate independently of other VCSEL units.
  • the VCSEL unit in one row and one column may operate.
  • the VCSEL unit in row 1, column 1 and VCSEL unit in row 1 and column 3 operate.
  • the VCSEL units 130 included in the VCSEL array 153 may operate with a predetermined pattern.
  • the VCSEL unit in 1 row 2 column After the operation of the VCSEL unit in 1 row and 1 column, the VCSEL unit in 1 row 2 column, VCSEL unit in 1 row 3 column, VCSEL unit in 1 row 4 column, VCSEL unit in 2 row 1 column, VCSEL unit in 2 row 2 column, etc. It can have a certain pattern that operates and ends with a VCSEL unit of 4 rows and 4 columns.
  • VCSEL unit in 2 rows and 1 column After the VCSEL unit operation in 1 row and 1 column, VCSEL unit in 2 rows and 1 column, VCSEL unit in 3 rows and 1 column, VCSEL unit in 4 rows and 1 column, VCSEL unit in 1 row and 2 columns, VCSEL unit in 2 rows and 2 columns, etc. It operates as is, and can have a certain pattern with the last VCSEL unit in 4 rows and 4 columns.
  • the VCSEL units 130 included in the VCSEL array 153 may operate with an irregular pattern.
  • the VCSEL units 130 included in the VCSEL array 153 may operate without a pattern.
  • the VCSEL units 130 may operate randomly. When the VCSEL units 130 operate randomly, interference between the VCSEL units 130 can be prevented.
  • the flash method is a method in which a laser beam is spread to an object by divergence of the laser beam.
  • a high-power laser beam is required to direct the laser beam to a distant object.
  • a high-power laser beam needs to apply a high voltage, so the power is increased.
  • the scanning method is a method of directing a laser beam emitted from a laser output unit in a specific direction.
  • laser power loss can be reduced. Since the laser power loss can be reduced, compared to the flash method, the scanning method has a longer range that the lidar can measure even with the same laser power. In addition, since the scanning method has lower laser power for measuring the same distance compared to the flash method, stability to the human eye may be improved.
  • Laser beam scanning can be done with collimation and steering.
  • the laser beam scanning may be performed by collimating the laser beam and then steering the laser beam.
  • laser beam scanning may be performed in a manner of performing collimation after steering.
  • FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • the lidar device 1200 may include a laser output unit 100 and an optic unit.
  • the optic unit may include the BCSC 250 .
  • the BCSC 250 may include a collimation component 210 and a steering component 230 .
  • the BCSC 250 may be configured as follows.
  • the collimation component 210 may first collimate the laser beam, and the collimated laser beam may be steered via the steering component 230 .
  • the steering component 230 may first steer the laser beam, and the steered laser beam may be collimated via the collimation component 210 .
  • the optical path of the lidar device 1200 is as follows.
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 may be directed to the BCSC 250 .
  • the laser beam incident on the BCSC 250 may be collimated by the collimation component 210 and directed to the steering component 230 .
  • a laser beam incident on the steering component 230 may be steered and directed toward an object.
  • the laser beam incident on the object 500 may be reflected by the object 500 and may be directed toward the sensor unit.
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit has directivity, there may be some degree of divergence as the laser beam goes straight. Due to such divergence, the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit may not be incident on the object, or an amount of the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit may be very small.
  • the degree of divergence of the laser beam When the degree of divergence of the laser beam is large, the amount of the laser beam incident on the object is reduced, and the amount of the laser beam reflected from the object and directed to the sensor unit is also very reduced due to the divergence, so that a desired measurement result may not be obtained.
  • a distance that the LIDAR device can measure is reduced, and thus a distant object may not be measured.
  • the efficiency of the lidar device may be improved as the degree of divergence of the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit is reduced before the laser beam is incident on the object.
  • the collimation component of the present invention can reduce the degree of divergence of the laser beam.
  • the laser beam passing through the collimation component may become a collimated light.
  • the laser beam passing through the collimation component may have a divergence of 0.4 degrees to 1 degree.
  • the amount of light incident to the object may be increased.
  • the amount of light reflected from the object is also increased, so that the laser beam can be efficiently received.
  • the amount of light incident on the object it may be possible to measure an object at a greater distance with the same laser beam power as compared to before collimation of the laser beam.
  • FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • the collimation component 210 may be disposed in a direction in which a laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 is directed.
  • the collimation component 210 may adjust the degree of divergence of the laser beam.
  • the collimation component 210 may reduce the degree of divergence of the laser beam.
  • the divergence angle of the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 may be 16 to 30 degrees.
  • the divergence angle of the laser beam may be 0.4 degrees to 1 degree.
  • FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • the collimation component 210 may include a plurality of micro lenses 211 and a substrate 213 .
  • the microlens may have a diameter of millimeters (mm), micrometers (um), nanometers (nm), picometers (pm), and the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • a plurality of micro lenses 211 may be disposed on the substrate 213 .
  • the plurality of micro lenses 211 and the substrate 213 may be disposed on the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • one of the plurality of micro lenses 211 may be disposed to correspond to one of the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 , but is not limited thereto.
  • the plurality of micro lenses 211 may collimate the laser beams emitted from the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • the laser beam emitted from one of the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 may be collimated by one of the plurality of micro lenses 211 .
  • the divergence angle of the laser beam emitted from one of the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 may be reduced after passing through one of the plurality of micro lenses 211 .
  • the plurality of micro lenses may be a refractive index distribution lens, a micro-curved lens, an array lens, a Fresnel lens, or the like.
  • the plurality of microlenses according to an embodiment may be manufactured by a method such as molding, ion exchange, diffusion polymerization, sputtering, and etching.
  • the plurality of micro lenses according to an embodiment may have a diameter of 130um to 150um.
  • a diameter of the plurality of micro lenses may be 140 ⁇ m.
  • the plurality of micro lenses may have a thickness of 400um to 600um.
  • the thickness of the plurality of micro lenses may be 500 ⁇ m.
  • FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • the collimation component 210 may include a plurality of micro lenses 211 and a substrate 213 .
  • a plurality of micro lenses 211 may be disposed on the substrate 213 .
  • the plurality of micro lenses 211 may be disposed on the front surface and the rear surface of the substrate 213 .
  • the optical axis of the microlens 211 disposed on the surface of the substrate 213 and the microlens 211 disposed on the rear surface of the substrate 213 may coincide.
  • FIG. 13 is a diagram for describing a collimation component according to an embodiment.
  • a collimation component may include a metasurface 220 .
  • the metasurface 220 may include a plurality of nanopillars 221 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 221 may be disposed on one side of the metasurface 220 .
  • a plurality of nanopillars 221 may be disposed on both sides of the metasurface 220 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 221 may have a sub-wavelength dimension. For example, an interval between the plurality of nanopillars 221 may be smaller than a wavelength of a laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 . Alternatively, the width, diameter, and height of the nanopillars 221 may be smaller than the length of the wavelength of the laser beam.
  • the meta surface 220 may refract the laser beam by adjusting the phase of the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 .
  • the meta surface 220 may refract the laser beam output from the laser output unit 100 in various directions.
  • the meta surface 220 may collimate the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 .
  • the meta surface 220 may reduce the angle of divergence of the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 .
  • the diverging angle of the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 may be 15 to 30 degrees, and the diverging angle of the laser beam after passing through the meta surface 220 may be 0.4 to 1.8 degrees.
  • the metasurface 220 may be disposed on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the metasurface 220 may be disposed on the emitting surface side of the laser output unit 100 .
  • the metasurface 220 may be deposited on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 221 may be formed on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 221 may form various nanopatterns on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the nanopillars 221 may have various shapes.
  • the nanopillar 221 may have a shape such as a cylinder, a polygonal pillar, a cone, or a polygonal pyramid.
  • the nanopillars 221 may have an irregular shape.
  • FIG. 14 is a diagram for describing a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • the steering component 230 may be disposed in a direction in which a laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 is directed.
  • the steering component 230 may adjust the direction the laser beam is directed.
  • the steering component 230 may adjust an angle between the optical axis of the laser light source and the laser beam.
  • the steering component 230 may steer the laser beam such that an angle between the optical axis of the laser light source and the laser beam is 0° to 30°. Or, for example, the steering component 230 may steer the laser beam such that an angle between the optical axis of the laser light source and the laser beam is -30 degrees to 0 degrees.
  • 15 and 16 are diagrams for explaining a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • the steering component 231 may include a plurality of micro lenses 231 and a substrate 233 .
  • a plurality of micro lenses 232 may be disposed on the substrate 233 .
  • the plurality of micro lenses 232 and the substrate 233 may be disposed on the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • one of the plurality of micro lenses 232 may be disposed to correspond to one of the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 , but is not limited thereto.
  • the plurality of micro lenses 232 may steer the laser beams emitted from the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • the laser beam emitted from one of the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 may be steered by one of the plurality of micro lenses 232 .
  • the optical axis of the micro lens 232 and the optical axis of the VCSEL emitter 110 may not coincide.
  • the laser beam emitted from the VCSEL emitter 110 and passing through the micro lens 232 is on the left can be directed to
  • the optical axis of the VCSEL emitter 110 is to the left of the optical axis of the micro lens 232
  • the laser beam emitted from the VCSEL emitter 110 and passed through the micro lens 232 can point to the right.
  • the degree of steering of the laser beam may increase.
  • the angle between the optical axis of the laser light source and the laser beam may be greater when the distance is 10um.
  • 17 is a diagram for describing a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • the steering component 234 may include a plurality of micro prisms 235 and a substrate 236 .
  • a plurality of micro-prisms 235 may be disposed on the substrate 236 .
  • the plurality of micro-prisms 235 and the substrate 236 may be disposed on the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • the plurality of micro-prisms 235 may be disposed to correspond to one of the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 , but is not limited thereto.
  • the plurality of micro-prisms 235 may steer the laser beams emitted from the plurality of VCSEL emitters 110 .
  • the plurality of micro-prisms 235 may change the angle between the optical axis of the laser light source and the laser beam.
  • the angle between the optical axis of the laser light source and the laser beam increases.
  • the angle of the micro prism 235 is 0.05 degrees
  • the laser beam is steered by 35 degrees
  • the angle of the micro prism 235 is 0.25 degrees
  • the laser beam is steered by 15 degrees.
  • the plurality of micro prisms 235 may be a Porro prism, an Amici roof prism, a Pentaprism, a Dove prism, a Retroreflector prism, or the like.
  • the plurality of micro-prisms 235 may be made of glass, plastic, fluorite, or the like.
  • the plurality of micro-prisms 235 may be manufactured by molding, etching, or the like.
  • the surface of the micro-prism 235 may be smoothed through a polishing process to prevent diffuse reflection due to surface roughness.
  • the micro prisms 235 may be disposed on both surfaces of the substrate 236 .
  • the micro prisms disposed on the first surface of the substrate 236 steer the laser beam along a first axis
  • the micro prisms disposed on the second surface of the substrate 236 steer the laser beam along the second axis. can do it
  • FIG. 18 is a diagram for describing a steering component according to an embodiment.
  • a steering component may include a metasurface 240 .
  • the metasurface 240 may include a plurality of nanopillars 241 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may be disposed on one side of the metasurface 240 .
  • a plurality of nanopillars 241 may be disposed on both sides of the metasurface 240 .
  • the meta surface 240 may refract the laser beam by adjusting the phase of the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 .
  • the metasurface 240 may be disposed on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the meta surface 240 may be disposed on the emitting surface side of the laser output unit 100 .
  • the metasurface 240 may be deposited on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may be formed on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may form various nanopatterns on the laser output unit 100 .
  • the nanopillars 241 may have various shapes.
  • the nano-pillar 241 may have a shape such as a cylinder, a polygonal pillar, a cone, or a polygonal pyramid.
  • the nanopillars 241 may have an irregular shape.
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may form various nanopatterns.
  • the metasurface 240 may steer the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 based on the nanopattern.
  • the nanopillars 241 may form nanopatterns based on various characteristics.
  • the characteristics may include the width (Width, hereinafter W), the spacing (Pitch, hereinafter P), the height (Height, hereinafter H) of the nanopillar 241, and the number per unit length.
  • nanopatterns formed based on various characteristics and steering of a laser beam according to the nanopatterns will be described.
  • 19 is a diagram for explaining a metasurface according to an embodiment.
  • the metasurface 240 may include a plurality of nanopillars 241 having different widths (W).
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may form a nanopattern based on the width W thereof.
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may be arranged such that their widths W1, W2, and W3 increase in one direction.
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 may be steered in a direction in which the width W of the nanopillar 241 increases.
  • the metasurface 240 has a first nanopillar 243 having a first width W1 , a second nanopillar 245 having a second width W2 , and a third width W3 .
  • a third nanopillar 247 may be included.
  • the first width W1 may be greater than the second width W2 and the third width W3 .
  • the second width W2 may be greater than the third width W3 . That is, the width W of the nano-pillar 241 may decrease from the first nano-pillar 243 toward the third nano-pillar 247 .
  • the first nano-pillar 243 is emitted from the first direction and the third nano-pillar 247 from the laser output unit 100 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may vary according to an increase/decrease rate of the width W of the nanopillar 241 .
  • the rate of increase/decrease in the width W of the nanopillars 241 may mean a numerical value representing the degree of increase/decrease in the width W of a plurality of adjacent nanopillars 241 on average.
  • the increase/decrease rate of the width W of the nanopillar 241 is to be calculated.
  • the difference between the first width W1 and the second width W2 may be different from the difference between the second width W2 and the third width W3 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may vary depending on the width W of the nanopillar 241 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ may increase as the increase/decrease rate of the width W of the nanopillar 241 increases.
  • the nanopillars 241 may form a first pattern having a first increase/decrease rate based on the width W thereof.
  • the nano-pillars 241 may form a second pattern having a second increase/decrease rate smaller than the first increase/decrease rate based on the width W thereof.
  • the first steering angle by the first pattern may be greater than the second steering angle by the second pattern.
  • the range of the steering angle ⁇ may be -90 degrees to 90 degrees.
  • 20 is a view for explaining a metasurface according to an embodiment.
  • the metasurface 240 may include a plurality of nanopillars 241 having different spacing P between adjacent nanopillars 241 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may form a nanopattern based on a change in the spacing P between adjacent nanopillars 241 .
  • the metasurface 240 may steer the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 based on a nanopattern formed based on a change in the spacing P between the nanopillars 241 .
  • the distance P between the nanopillars 241 may become smaller in one direction.
  • the distance P may mean a distance between the centers of two adjacent nanopillars 241 .
  • the first interval P1 may be defined as a distance between the center of the first nanopillar 243 and the center of the second nanopillar 245 .
  • the first interval P1 may be defined as the shortest distance between the first nanopillar 243 and the second nanopillar 245 .
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 may be steered in a direction in which the distance P between the nanopillars 241 is decreased.
  • the metasurface 240 may include a first nanopillar 243 , a second nanopillar 245 , and a third nanopillar 247 .
  • the first distance P1 may be obtained based on the distance between the first nanopillars 243 and the second nanopillars 245 .
  • the second distance P2 may be obtained based on the distance between the second nanopillars 245 and the third nanopillars 247 .
  • the first interval P1 may be smaller than the second interval P2 . That is, the gap P may increase from the first nanopillar 243 toward the third nanopillar 247 .
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 passes through the meta surface 240 , the laser beam is emitted from the first direction and the third nano-pillar 247 from the laser output unit 100 . It may be steered in a direction between the first direction, which is a direction toward the 1 nanopillar 243 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may vary depending on the spacing P between the nanopillars 241 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may vary according to an increase/decrease rate of the interval P between the nanopillars 241 .
  • the increase/decrease rate of the spacing P between the nanopillars 241 may mean a numerical value indicating the average degree of change in the spacing P between the adjacent nanopillars 241 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may increase as the increase/decrease rate of the interval P between the nanopillars 241 increases.
  • the nanopillars 241 may form a first pattern having a first increase/decrease rate based on the interval P. Also, the nanopillars 241 may form a second pattern having a second increase/decrease rate based on the interval P.
  • the first steering angle by the first pattern may be greater than the second steering angle by the second pattern.
  • the steering principle of the laser beam according to the change in the spacing P of the nanopillars 241 described above can be similarly applied even when the number of the nanopillars 241 per unit length is changed.
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 is emitted from the laser output unit 100 in the first direction and the nanopillars per unit length ( 241) may be steered in a direction between the second directions in which the number increases.
  • 21 is a view for explaining a metasurface according to an embodiment.
  • the metasurface 240 may include a plurality of nanopillars 241 having different heights (H) of the nanopillars 241 .
  • the plurality of nanopillars 241 may form a nanopattern based on a change in height H of the nanopillars 241 .
  • the heights H1 , H2 , and H3 of the plurality of nanopillars 241 may increase in one direction.
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 may be steered in a direction in which the height H of the nanopillar 241 increases.
  • the metasurface 240 has a first nanopillar 243 having a first height H1 , a second nanopillar 245 having a second height H2 , and a third height H3 .
  • a third nanopillar 247 may be included.
  • the third height H3 may be greater than the first height H1 and the second height H2 .
  • the second height H2 may be greater than the first height H1 . That is, the height H of the nano-pillar 241 may increase from the first nano-pillar 243 toward the third nano-pillar 247 side.
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 passes through the meta surface 240 , the laser beam is emitted from the laser output unit 100 in a first direction and a third direction from the first nano-pillars 243 . It may be steered in a direction between the second direction, which is a direction toward the nanopillars 247 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may vary depending on the height H of the nanopillar 241 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may vary according to an increase/decrease rate of the height H of the nanopillar 241 .
  • the increase/decrease rate of the height H of the nanopillars 241 may mean a numerical value representing the average degree of change in the height H of the adjacent nanopillars 241 .
  • the increase/decrease rate of the height H of the nanopillar 241 will be calculated.
  • the difference between the first height H1 and the second height H2 may be different from the difference between the second height H3 and the third height H3 .
  • the steering angle ⁇ of the laser beam may increase as the increase/decrease rate of the height H of the nanopillar 241 increases.
  • the nanopillars 241 may form a first pattern having a first increase/decrease rate based on the height H thereof.
  • the nanopillars 241 may form a second pattern having a second increase/decrease rate based on the height H thereof.
  • the first steering angle by the first pattern may be greater than the second steering angle by the second pattern.
  • the steering component 230 may include a mirror that reflects the laser beam.
  • the steering component 230 may include a planar mirror, a multi-faceted mirror, a resonant mirror, a MEMS mirror, and a galvano mirror.
  • the steering component 230 may include a polygonal mirror that rotates 360 degrees along one axis and a nodding mirror that repeatedly drives in a preset range along one axis.
  • FIG. 22 is a diagram for describing a multi-faceted mirror that is a steering component according to an exemplary embodiment.
  • the rotating multi-faceted mirror 600 may include a reflective surface 620 and a body, and vertically penetrates the center through the upper part 615 and the lower part 610 of the body. It can be rotated about the rotating shaft 630 that is.
  • the rotating multi-faceted mirror 600 may be composed of only some of the above-described components, and may include more components.
  • the rotating multi-faceted mirror 600 may include a reflective surface 620 and a body, and the body may include only a lower portion 610 .
  • the reflective surface 620 may be supported on the lower portion 610 of the body.
  • the reflective surface 620 is a surface for reflecting the transmitted laser, and may include a reflective mirror, a reflective plastic, and the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • the reflective surface 620 may be installed on a side surface of the body except for the upper portion 610 and the lower portion 615, and may be installed such that the rotation shaft 630 and the normal line of each reflective surface 620 are orthogonal to each other. have. This may be to repeatedly scan the same scan area by making the scan area of the laser irradiated from each of the reflective surfaces 620 the same.
  • the reflective surface 620 may be installed on a side surface of the body except for the upper portion 610 and the lower portion 615 , and the normal of each of the reflection surfaces 620 has a different angle from the rotation axis 630 , respectively. can be installed. This may be to expand the scan area of the lidar device by differentiating the scan area of the laser irradiated from each of the reflective surfaces 620 .
  • the reflective surface 620 may have a rectangular shape, but is not limited thereto, and may have various shapes such as a triangle or a trapezoid.
  • the body may include an upper portion 615 , a lower portion 610 , and a column 612 connecting the upper portion 615 and the lower portion 610 to support the reflective surface 620 .
  • the pillar 612 may be installed to connect the centers of the upper part 615 and the lower part 610 of the body, and installed to connect the vertices of the upper part 615 and the lower part 610 of the body. It may be, and may be installed to connect each corner of the upper part 615 and the lower part 610 of the body, but there is no limitation to the structure for connecting and supporting the upper part 615 and the lower part 610 of the body. .
  • the body may be fastened to the driving unit 640 in order to receive a driving force for rotation, may be fastened to the driving unit 640 through the lower portion 610 of the body, or through the upper portion 615 of the body. It may be fastened to the driving unit 640 .
  • the upper portion 615 and the lower portion 610 of the body may have a polygonal shape.
  • the shape of the upper part 615 of the body and the lower part 610 of the body may be the same, but is not limited thereto, and the shape of the upper part 615 of the body and the lower part 610 of the body are different from each other. You may.
  • the upper portion 615 and the lower portion 610 of the body may have the same size.
  • the size of the upper portion 615 of the body is not limited thereto and the size of the lower portion 610 of the body may be different from each other.
  • the upper portion 615 and/or the lower portion 610 of the body may include an empty space through which air may pass.
  • the rotating multi-faceted mirror 600 is described as a quadrangular prism-shaped hexahedron including four reflective surfaces 620 , but the reflective surfaces 620 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 600 are necessarily four. However, it is not necessarily a hexahedron in the form of a tetragonal column.
  • the lidar device may further include an encoder unit.
  • the lidar device may control the operation of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 600 using the detected rotation angle.
  • the encoder unit may be included in the multi-faceted rotating mirror 600 or disposed to be spaced apart from the rotating multi-faceted mirror 600 .
  • a required field of view may be different for a lidar device depending on its use.
  • a fixed lidar device for 3D mapping may require a wide viewing angle in vertical and horizontal directions
  • a lidar device disposed in a vehicle may require a relatively wide viewing angle in the horizontal direction.
  • a relatively narrow viewing angle in the vertical direction may be required.
  • the widest possible viewing angle in the vertical and horizontal directions may be required.
  • the scan area of the lidar device may be determined based on the number of reflective surfaces of the rotating multi-faceted mirror, and accordingly, the viewing angle of the lidar device may be determined. Therefore, it is possible to determine the number of reflective surfaces of the rotating multi-faceted mirror based on the required viewing angle of the lidar device.
  • 23 to 25 are diagrams for explaining the relationship between the number of reflective surfaces and the viewing angle.
  • 23 is a top view for explaining the viewing angle of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 650 in which the number of the reflective surfaces is three and the upper and lower portions of the body are equilateral triangles.
  • the laser 653 may be incident in a direction coincident with the rotational axis 651 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 650 .
  • the angle formed by the three reflective surfaces may be 60 degrees each.
  • the rotating multi-faceted mirror 650 is rotated a little in the clockwise direction, the laser is reflected upward in the drawing, and the rotating multi-faceted mirror is rotated a little in the counterclockwise direction. The laser may be reflected downward in the drawing. Therefore, when the path of the reflected laser is calculated with reference to FIG. 23, the maximum viewing angle of the rotating multi-faceted mirror can be found.
  • the reflected laser when reflected through the first reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 650 , the reflected laser may be reflected upward at an angle of 120 degrees from the incident laser 653 . Also, when reflected through the third reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror, the reflected laser may be reflected downward at an angle of 120 degrees from the incident laser.
  • the maximum viewing angle of the rotating multi-faceted mirror may be 240 degrees.
  • 24 is a top view for explaining a viewing angle of a rotating multi-faceted mirror in which the number of the reflective surfaces is four and the upper and lower portions of the body have a square shape.
  • the laser 663 may be incident in a direction coincident with the rotation axis 661 of the multi-faceted rotation mirror 660 .
  • the angle formed by the four reflective surfaces may be 90 degrees each.
  • the laser when the rotating multi-faceted mirror 660 is rotated a little in the clockwise direction, the laser is reflected upward in the drawing, and the rotating multi-faceted mirror 660 is rotated a little in the counterclockwise direction to position In this case, the laser may be reflected downward in the drawing. Therefore, when the path of the reflected laser is calculated with reference to FIG. 24 , the maximum viewing angle of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 660 can be found.
  • the reflected laser when reflected through the No. 1 reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 660 , the reflected laser may be reflected upwardly at an angle of 90 degrees from the incident laser 663 . Also, when reflected through the fourth reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 660 , the reflected laser may be reflected downward at an angle of 90 degrees to the incident laser 663 .
  • the maximum viewing angle of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 660 may be 180 degrees.
  • 24 is a top view for explaining a viewing angle of a rotating multi-faceted mirror in which the number of the reflective surfaces is five and the upper and lower portions of the body have a regular pentagonal shape.
  • the laser 673 may be incident in a direction coincident with the rotation axis 671 of the multi-faceted rotation mirror 670 .
  • the angle formed by the five reflective surfaces may be 108 degrees each.
  • the laser when the rotating multi-faceted mirror 670 is rotated a little in the clockwise direction, the laser is reflected upward in the drawing, and the rotating multi-faceted mirror 670 is rotated a little in the counterclockwise direction. When positioned, the laser may be reflected downward in the drawing. Therefore, when the path of the reflected laser is calculated with reference to FIG. 24, the maximum viewing angle of the rotating multi-faceted mirror can be found.
  • the reflected laser when reflected through the No. 1 reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 670 , the reflected laser may be reflected upwardly at an angle of 72 degrees from the incident laser 673 . Also, when reflected through the fifth reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 670 , the reflected laser may be reflected downward at an angle of 72 degrees to the incident laser 673 .
  • the maximum viewing angle of the rotating multi-faceted mirror may be 144 degrees.
  • the inner angle of the N-shaped is called theta.
  • the maximum viewing angle of the mirror can be 360 degrees - 2 theta.
  • the viewing angle determined by the rotating multi-faceted mirror in the lidar device may be smaller than the calculated maximum value. Also, at this time, the lidar device may use only a portion of each reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror for scanning.
  • the rotating multi-faceted mirror may be used to irradiate the laser emitted from the laser output unit toward the scan area of the LIDAR device, and is reflected from an object existing on the scan area. It can be used to receive the laser from the sensor unit.
  • each reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror used to irradiate the emitted laser to the scan area of the lidar device will be referred to as an irradiation part.
  • a portion of each reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror for receiving the laser reflected from the object existing on the scan area to the sensor unit will be referred to as a light receiving portion.
  • 26 is a view for explaining an irradiating portion and a light receiving portion of the rotating multi-faceted mirror according to an embodiment.
  • the laser emitted from the laser output unit 100 may have a dot-shaped irradiation area, and may be incident on the reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 .
  • the laser emitted from the laser output unit 100 may have an irradiation area in the form of a line or a plane.
  • the irradiation part 720 in the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 rotates the point where the emitted laser meets the rotating multi-faceted mirror. It may be in the form of a line connected in the direction of rotation of the multi-faceted mirror. Accordingly, in this case, the irradiation portion 720 of the multi-faceted rotating mirror 700 may be positioned on each reflective surface in the form of a line in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 710 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 .
  • the laser irradiated from the irradiated portion 720 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 and irradiated to the scan area 510 of the lidar device 1000 is an object 500 present on the scan area 510 .
  • the laser 735 reflected from the object 500 may be reflected in a larger range than the irradiated laser 725 .
  • the laser 735 reflected from the object 500 is parallel to the irradiated laser and may be received by the lidar device 1000 in a wider range.
  • the laser 735 reflected from the object 500 may be transmitted larger than the size of the reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 .
  • the light-receiving portion 730 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 is a portion for receiving the laser 735 reflected from the object 500 to the sensor unit 300, and the reflective surface of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 is It may be a portion of the reflective surface that is smaller than the size.
  • the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 when the laser 735 reflected from the object 500 is transmitted toward the sensor unit 300 through the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 , the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 .
  • a portion of the reflective surface of the reflective surface to be reflected to be transmitted toward the sensor unit 300 may be the light receiving portion 730 . Therefore, the light-receiving portion 730 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 may be a portion extending in the rotational direction of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 by reflecting a portion of the reflecting surface to be transmitted toward the sensor unit 300 . have.
  • the light-receiving portion 730 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 is transmitted toward the condensing lens among the reflective surfaces.
  • the reflecting portion may be a portion extending in the rotational direction of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 .
  • the irradiating part 720 and the light receiving part 730 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 700 were described as being spaced apart, but the irradiating part 720 and the light receiving part 730 of the rotating multi-faceted mirror 1550 .
  • a portion may overlap, and the irradiating portion 720 may be included in the light receiving portion 730 .
  • the steering component 230 may include, but is not limited to, an optical phased array (OPA), etc. to change the phase of the emitted laser and thereby change the irradiation direction.
  • OPA optical phased array
  • the lidar device may include an optic unit for directing a laser beam emitted from a laser output unit to an object.
  • the optic unit may include a beam collimation and steering component (BCSC) for collimating and steering the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit.
  • BCSC beam collimation and steering component
  • the BCSC may consist of one component or a plurality of components.
  • 27 is a view for explaining an optic unit according to an embodiment.
  • an optic unit may include a plurality of components.
  • it may include a collimation component 210 and a steering component 230 .
  • the collimation component 210 may serve to collimate the beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 , and the steering component 230 may perform a collimation function emitted from the collimation component 210 . It can serve to steer the mated beam. As a result, the laser beam emitted from the optic unit can be directed in a predetermined direction.
  • the collimation component 210 may be a micro lens or a metasurface.
  • the micro lens array may be disposed on one side of the substrate, or the micro lens array may be disposed on both sides of the substrate.
  • the laser beam may be collimated by a nanopattern formed by a plurality of nanopillars included in the metasurface.
  • the steering component 230 may be a micro lens, a micro prism, or a metasurface.
  • the micro lens array may be disposed on one side of the substrate, and the micro lens array may be disposed on both sides of the substrate.
  • the steering component 230 When the steering component 230 is a micro prism, it may be steered by the angle of the micro prism.
  • the laser beam may be steered by a nanopattern formed by a plurality of nanopillars included in the metasurface.
  • the optic unit when the optic unit includes a plurality of components, correct arrangement among the plurality of components may be required.
  • the collimation component and the steering component may be correctly disposed through an alignment mark.
  • a printed circuit board (PCB), a VCSEL array, a collimation component, and a steering component can be correctly placed through an alignment mark.
  • the VCSEL array and the collimation component can be correctly positioned.
  • the collimation component and the steering component can be correctly positioned.
  • FIG. 28 is a diagram for describing an optic unit according to an exemplary embodiment.
  • the optic unit may include one single component.
  • it may include a meta component 270 .
  • the meta component 270 may collimate or steer the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 .
  • the meta-component 270 includes a plurality of metasurfaces to collimate the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 on one metasurface, and collimate the collimated laser beam on the other metasurface. can be steered. It will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 29 below.
  • the meta component 270 may include one meta surface to collimate and steer the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 . It will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 24 below.
  • 29 is a diagram for describing a meta component according to an embodiment.
  • the meta component 270 may include a plurality of metasurfaces 271 and 273 .
  • it may include a first metasurface 271 and a second metasurface 273 .
  • the first meta surface 271 may be disposed in a direction in which the laser beam is emitted from the laser output unit 100 .
  • the first metasurface 271 may include a plurality of nanopillars.
  • the first metasurface may form a nanopattern by a plurality of nanopillars.
  • the first metasurface 271 may collimate the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 by the formed nanopattern.
  • the second metasurface 273 may be disposed in a direction in which the laser beam is output from the first metasurface 271 .
  • the second metasurface 273 may include a plurality of nanopillars.
  • the second metasurface 273 may form a nanopattern by a plurality of nanopillars.
  • the second metasurface 273 may steer the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 by the formed nanopattern. For example, as shown in FIG. 24 , the laser beam may be steered in a specific direction by the increase/decrease rate of the width W of the plurality of nanopillars.
  • the laser beam may be steered in a specific direction by the spacing (P), the height (H), and the number per unit length of the plurality of nanopillars.
  • FIG. 30 is a diagram for describing a meta component according to another embodiment.
  • the meta component 270 may include one metasurface 274 .
  • the metasurface 275 may include a plurality of nanopillars on both sides.
  • the metasurface 275 may include a first set of nanopillars 276 on a first surface and a second set of nanopillars 278 on a second surface.
  • the metasurface 275 may be steered after collimating the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 by a plurality of nanopillars forming respective nanopatterns on both surfaces.
  • the first set of nanopillars 276 disposed on one side of the metasurface 275 may form a nanopattern.
  • the laser beam emitted from the laser output unit 100 may be collimated by the nanopattern formed by the first set of nanopillars 276 .
  • the second set of nanopillars 278 disposed on the other side of the metasurface 275 may form a nanopattern.
  • the laser beam passing through the first nanopillars 276 may be steered in a specific direction by the nanopattern formed by the second set of nanopillars 278 .
  • 31 is a view for explaining a SPAD array according to an embodiment.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include a SPAD array 750 .
  • 31 shows an 8X8 SPAD array, but is not limited thereto, and may be 10X10, 12X12, 24X24, 64X64, or the like.
  • the SPAD array 750 may include a plurality of SPADs 751 .
  • the plurality of SPADs 751 may be arranged in a matrix structure, but is not limited thereto, and may be arranged in a circular, oval, honeycomb structure, or the like.
  • the results of the SPAD array 750 may be accumulated in the form of a histogram.
  • 32 is a diagram for explaining a histogram of SPAD according to an embodiment.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon.
  • signals 766 and 767 may be generated.
  • a recovery time may be required until it returns to a state capable of detecting a photon again.
  • the recovery time has not elapsed after the SPAD 751 detects the photon, even if the photon is incident on the SPAD 751 at this time, the SPAD 751 cannot detect the photon. Accordingly, the resolution of the SPAD 751 may be determined by the recovery time.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect photons for a predetermined time after the laser beam is output from the laser output unit.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect photons during a cycle of a predetermined period.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon multiple times during a cycle, depending on the time resolution of the SPAD 751 .
  • the time resolution of the SPAD 751 may be determined by the recovery time of the SPAD 751 .
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon reflected from the object and photons other than the photon. For example, when the SPAD 751 detects a photon reflected from the object, the SPAD 751 may generate a signal 767 .
  • the SPAD 751 when the SPAD 751 detects a photon other than a photon reflected from the object, the SPAD 751 may generate a signal 766 .
  • photons other than the photon reflected from the object may include sunlight, a laser beam reflected from a window, and the like.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon for a cycle of a predetermined time after outputting the laser beam from the laser output unit.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon during the first cycle after outputting the first laser beam from the laser output unit. In this case, the SPAD 751 may generate the first detection signal 761 after detecting the photon.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon during a second cycle after outputting a second laser beam from the laser output unit. In this case, the SPAD 751 may generate a second detection signal 762 after detecting the photon.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon during a third cycle after outputting a third laser beam from the laser output unit. In this case, the SPAD 751 may generate a third detection signal 763 after detecting the photon.
  • the SPAD 751 may detect a photon during an Nth cycle after outputting an Nth laser beam from the laser output unit. In this case, the SPAD 751 may generate an N-th detection signal 764 after detecting the photon.
  • the first detecting signal 761, the second detecting signal 762, and the third detecting signal 763 A signal 766 by a photon other than the photon reflected from the object may be included.
  • the N-th detection signal 764 may be a photon detection signal for an N-th cycle after outputting the N-th laser beam.
  • N may be 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 200, 300, and the like.
  • Signals by the SPAD 751 may be accumulated in the form of a histogram.
  • a histogram may have a plurality of histogram bins.
  • Signals by the SPAD 751 may be accumulated in the form of a histogram corresponding to each histogram bin.
  • the histogram may be formed by accumulating signals by one SPAD 751 or by accumulating signals by a plurality of SPADs 751 .
  • the histogram 765 may be formed by accumulating the first detecting signal 761 , the second detecting signal 762 , the third detecting signal 763 , and the Nth detecting signal 764 .
  • the histogram 765 may include a signal by a photon reflected from the object or a signal by other photons.
  • a signal caused by photons reflected from the object may be larger and more regular than signals caused by other photons.
  • the signal by the photon reflected from the object within the cycle may be regularly present at a specific time.
  • the amount of signal caused by sunlight is small and may exist irregularly.
  • a signal with a large accumulation amount of the histogram at a specific time is a signal due to a photon reflected from the object. Accordingly, a signal having a large accumulation amount among the accumulated histogram 765 may be extracted as a signal due to a photon reflected from the object.
  • a signal having the highest value among the histogram 765 may be simply extracted as a signal due to a photon reflected from the object.
  • a signal of a certain amount 768 or more in the histogram 765 may be extracted as a signal due to a photon reflected from the object.
  • distance information of the object may be calculated based on the generation time of the corresponding signal or the reception time of the photon.
  • the signal extracted from the histogram 765 may be a signal at one scan point.
  • one scan point may correspond to one SPAD.
  • signals extracted from a plurality of histograms may be signals from one scan point.
  • one scan point may correspond to a plurality of SPADs.
  • weighting signals extracted from a plurality of histograms it may be calculated as a signal at one scan point.
  • the weight may be determined by the distance between the SPADs.
  • the signal at the first scan point has a weight of 0.8 on the signal by the first SPAD, a weight of 0.6 on the signal by the second SPAD, a weight of 0.4 on the signal by the third SPAD, and a weight of 0.4 on the signal by the fourth SPAD. It can be calculated by giving the signal a weight of 0.2.
  • the effect of accumulating the histograms several times can be obtained by accumulating the histograms once. Accordingly, the effect of reducing the scan time and reducing the time for obtaining the entire image can be derived.
  • the laser output unit may output the laser beam addressable.
  • the laser output unit may output a laser beam addressably for each big cell unit.
  • the laser output unit outputs the laser beam of the vixel unit of 1 row and 1 column once, then outputs the laser beam of the vixel unit of 1 row and 3 column once, and then outputs the laser beam of the vixel unit of 2 rows and 4 columns once can be printed out.
  • the laser output unit may output the laser beam of the vixel unit in the A row and B column N times, and then output the laser beam of the vixel unit in the C row and D column M times.
  • the SPAD array may receive a laser beam that is reflected back to the object among the laser beams output from the corresponding vixel unit.
  • the SPAD unit in row 1 and column 1 and column 1 is reflected by the target object. can be received up to N times.
  • the M vixel units may be operated N times at once.
  • M big cell units may be operated M*N times one by one, or M big cell units may be operated 5 times M*N/5 times.
  • the sensor unit 300 may include a SiPM 780 .
  • the SiPM 780 may include a plurality of microcells 781 and a plurality of microcell units 782 .
  • the microcell may be a SPAD.
  • the microcell unit 782 may be a SPAD array that is a set of a plurality of SPADs.
  • the SiPM 780 may include a plurality of microcell units 782 .
  • 33 shows the SiPM 780 in which the microcell units 782 are arranged in a 4X6 matrix, but is not limited thereto and may be a 10X10, 12X12, 24X24, 64X64 matrix, or the like.
  • the microcell unit 782 may be arranged in a matrix structure, but is not limited thereto, and may be arranged in a circular, oval, honeycomb structure, or the like.
  • the results of the SiPM 780 may be accumulated in the form of a histogram.
  • the histogram by the SPAD 751 may be accumulated by N detection signals formed by one SPAD 751 receiving the laser beam N times.
  • the histogram by the SPAD 751 may be accumulated by X*Y detection signals formed by receiving the Y-th laser beam by X number of SPADs 751 .
  • the histogram by the SiPM 780 may be formed by accumulating signals by one microcell unit 782 or by accumulating signals by a plurality of microcell units 782 .
  • one microcell unit 782 may output the laser beam No. 1 from the laser output unit and then detect photons reflected from the object to form a histogram.
  • the histogram by the SiPM 780 may be formed by accumulating a signal generated by a plurality of microcells included in one microcell unit 782 detecting photons reflected from an object.
  • the plurality of microcell units 782 may output the laser beam No. 1 from the laser output unit and then detect photons reflected from the object to form a histogram.
  • the histogram by the SiPM 780 may be formed by accumulating signals generated by a plurality of microcells included in the plurality of microcell units 782 detecting photons reflected from an object.
  • one SPAD 751 or a plurality of SPADs 751 may require the Nth laser beam output of the laser output unit.
  • one microcell unit 782 or a plurality of microcell units 782 may require only one laser beam output.
  • the histogram by the SPAD 751 may take a longer time to accumulate the histogram than the histogram by the SiPM 780 .
  • the histogram by the SiPM 780 has an advantage in that the histogram can be formed in a short time with only one laser beam output.
  • SiPM 34 is a diagram for explaining a histogram of SiPM according to an embodiment.
  • the SiPM 780 may detect photons.
  • the microcell unit 782 may detect photons.
  • signals 787 and 788 may be generated.
  • a recovery time may be required to return to a state capable of detecting a photon again.
  • the recovery time has not elapsed after the microcell unit 782 detects the photon, even if the photon is incident on the microcell unit 782 at this time, the microcell unit 782 cannot detect the photon.
  • the resolution of the microcell unit 782 may be determined by the recovery time.
  • the microcell unit 782 may detect photons for a predetermined time after the laser beam is output from the laser output unit. In this case, the microcell unit 782 may detect photons during a cycle of a predetermined period. For example, the microcell unit 782 may detect a photon multiple times during a cycle, depending on the time resolution of the microcell unit 782 . In this case, the time resolution of the microcell unit 782 may be determined by the recovery time of the microcell unit 782 .
  • the microcell unit 782 may detect photons reflected from the object and other photons. For example, the microcell unit 782 may generate a signal 787 when detecting a photon reflected from the object.
  • the microcell unit 782 may generate a signal 788 when detecting a photon other than a photon reflected from the object.
  • photons other than the photon reflected from the object may include sunlight, a laser beam reflected from a window, and the like.
  • the microcell unit 782 may detect a photon for a cycle of a predetermined time after outputting the laser beam from the laser output unit.
  • the first microcell 783 included in the microcell unit 782 may detect a photon during a first cycle after outputting a laser beam from the laser output unit.
  • the first microcell 783 may generate a first detection signal 791 after detecting a photon.
  • the second microcell 784 included in the microcell unit 782 may detect a photon during a first cycle after outputting a laser beam from the laser output unit.
  • the second microcell 784 may generate the first detection signal 792 after detecting the photon.
  • the third microcell 785 included in the microcell unit 782 may detect a photon during a first cycle after outputting a laser beam from the laser output unit. In this case, the third microcell 785 may generate a third detecting signal 793 after detecting the photon.
  • the Nth microcell 786 included in the microcell unit 782 may detect a photon during a first cycle after outputting a laser beam from the laser output unit.
  • the Nth microcell 786 may generate an Nth detection signal 794 after detecting the photon.
  • the N-th detecting signal 794 includes a signal 787 or A signal 788 by a photon other than the photon reflected from the object may be included.
  • the Nth detecting signal 764 may be a photon detecting signal of the Nth microcell included in the microcell unit 782 .
  • N may be 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 200, 300, and the like.
  • Signals by the microcells may be accumulated in the form of a histogram.
  • a histogram may have a plurality of histogram bins.
  • Signals by the microcells may be accumulated in the form of a histogram corresponding to each histogram bin.
  • the histogram may be formed by accumulating signals by one microcell unit 782 , or may be formed by accumulating signals by a plurality of microcell units 782 .
  • the histogram 795 may be formed by accumulating the first detection signal 791 , the second detection signal 792 , the third detection signal 793 , and the N-th detection signals 794 .
  • the histogram 795 may include a signal by a photon reflected from the object or a signal by other photons.
  • a signal caused by photons reflected from the object may be larger and more regular than signals caused by other photons.
  • the signal by the photon reflected from the object within the cycle may be regularly present at a specific time.
  • the amount of signal caused by sunlight is small and may exist irregularly.
  • a signal with a large accumulation amount of the histogram at a specific time is a signal due to a photon reflected from the object. Accordingly, a signal having a large accumulation amount among the accumulated histogram 795 may be extracted as a signal due to a photon reflected from the object.
  • a signal having the highest value among the histogram 795 may be simply extracted as a signal due to a photon reflected from the object.
  • a signal of a certain amount 797 or more of the histogram 795 may be extracted as a signal due to a photon reflected from the object.
  • distance information of the object may be calculated based on the generation time of the corresponding signal or the reception time of the photon.
  • the laser output unit may output the laser beam addressable.
  • the laser output unit may output a laser beam addressably for each big cell unit.
  • the laser output unit outputs the laser beam of the vixel unit of 1 row and 1 column once, then outputs the laser beam of the vixel unit of 1 row and 3 column once, and then outputs the laser beam of the vixel unit of 2 rows and 4 columns once can be printed out.
  • the laser output unit may output the laser beam of the vixel unit in the A row and B column N times, and then output the laser beam of the vixel unit in the C row and D column M times.
  • the SiPM may receive a laser beam reflected back from the target object among the laser beams output from the corresponding vixel unit.
  • the microcell unit in row 1 and column 1 corresponding to row 1 and column 1 is the laser reflected by the object.
  • the beam can be received up to N times.
  • the M vixel units may be operated N times at once.
  • M big cell units may be operated M*N times one by one, or M big cell units may be operated 5 times M*N/5 times.
  • Lidar can be implemented in a number of ways.
  • the lidar may have a flash method and a scanning method.
  • the flash method is a method using a laser beam spreading to an object by divergence of the laser beam. Since the flash method collects distance information of an object by illuminating a single laser pulse to the FOV, the resolution of the flash type lidar may be determined by a sensor unit or a receiver unit.
  • the scanning method is a method of directing a laser beam emitted from a laser output unit in a specific direction. Since the scanning method illuminates the laser beam to the FOV using a scanner or a steering unit, the resolution of the scanning method lidar may be determined by the scanner or the steering unit.
  • the lidar may be implemented in a mixed manner of a flash method and a scanning method.
  • the mixed method of the flash method and the scanning method may be a semi-flash method or a semi-scanning method.
  • a mixed method of the flash method and the scanning method may be a quasi-flash method or a quasi-scanning method.
  • the semi-flash type lidar or the quasi-flash type lidar may mean a semi-flash type lidar rather than a complete flash type lidar.
  • one unit of the laser output unit and one unit of the receiving unit may be a flash type lidar, but a plurality of units of the laser output unit and a plurality of units of the receiving unit are gathered, so that it is not a complete flash type lidar but a quasi-flash type lidar can be is
  • the laser beam output from the laser output unit of the semi-flash type lidar or the quasi-flash type lidar may pass through the steering unit, it may be a quasi-flash type lidar rather than a complete flash type lidar.
  • the semi-flash type lidar or the quasi-flash type lidar can overcome the disadvantages of the flash type lidar.
  • a flash-type lidar may be vulnerable to interference between laser beams, and a strong flash is required to detect an object, and a detection range cannot be limited.
  • the semi-flash type lidar or the quasi-flash type lidar can overcome the interference phenomenon between laser beams through the steering unit, and can control each laser output unit, so that the detection range can be controlled. and may not require a strong flash.
  • 35 is a diagram for explaining a semi-flash lidar according to an embodiment.
  • the semi-flash lidar 800 may include a laser output unit 810 , a beam collimation & steering component (BCSC) 820 , a scanning unit 830 , and a receiving unit 840 .
  • BCSC beam collimation & steering component
  • the semi-flash lidar 800 may include a laser output unit 810 .
  • the laser output unit 810 may include a big cell array.
  • the laser output unit 810 may include a vixel array in which units including a plurality of vixel emitters are gathered.
  • the semi-flash lidar 800 may include a BCSC 820 .
  • the BCSC 820 may include a collimation component 210 and a steering component 230 .
  • the laser beam output from the laser output unit 810 is collimated by the collimation component 210 of the BCSC 820 , and the collimated laser beam is the steering component 230 of the BCSC 820 . ) can be steered.
  • the laser beam output from the first vixel unit included in the laser output unit 810 may be collimated by the first collimation component and steered in the first direction by the first steering component.
  • the laser beam output from the second vixel unit included in the laser output unit 810 may be collimated by the second collimation component and steered in the second direction by the second steering component.
  • the vixel units included in the laser output unit 810 may be steered in different directions. Therefore, unlike the flash method by spreading a single pulse, the laser beam of the laser output unit of the semi-flash type LIDAR can be steered in a specific direction by the BCSC. Therefore, the laser beam output from the laser output unit of the semi-flash type lidar can have directionality by BCSC.
  • the semi-flash lidar 800 may include a scanning unit 830 .
  • the scanning unit 830 may include the optic unit 200 .
  • the scanning unit 830 may include a mirror that reflects a laser beam.
  • the scanning unit 830 may include a plane mirror, a multi-faceted mirror, a resonant mirror, a MEMS mirror, and a galvanometer mirror. Also, for example, the scanning unit 830 may include a multi-faceted mirror that rotates 360 degrees along one axis and a node mirror that is repeatedly driven in a preset range along one axis.
  • the semi-flash type lidar may include a scanning unit. Therefore, unlike the flash method in which the entire image is acquired at once by spreading a single pulse, the semi-flash type lidar can scan the image of the object by the scanning unit.
  • the object may be randomly scanned by the laser output of the laser output unit of the semi-flash type lidar. Therefore, the semi-flash type lidar can intensively scan only a desired region of interest among the entire FOV.
  • the semi-flash lidar 800 may include a receiver 840 .
  • the receiving unit 840 may include the sensor unit 300 .
  • the receiver 840 may be the SPAD array 750 .
  • the receiver 840 may be a SiPM 780 .
  • the receiver 850 may include various sensor elements.
  • the receiver 840 may include a PN photodiode, a phototransistor, a PIN photodiode, APD, SPAD, SiPM, TDC, CMOS, or CCD, but is not limited thereto.
  • the receiver 840 may stack histograms. For example, the receiver 840 may detect a light reception time of the laser beam reflected and received from the object 850 by using the histogram.
  • the receiver 840 may include one or more optical elements.
  • the receiver 840 may include an aperture, a micro lens, a converging lens, or a diffuser, but is not limited thereto.
  • the receiver 840 may include one or more optical filters.
  • the receiver 840 may receive the laser reflected from the object through an optical filter.
  • the receiver 840 may include a band pass filter, a dichroic filter, a guided-mode resonance filter, a polarizer, a wedge filter, and the like, but is not limited thereto.
  • the semi-flash type lidar 800 may have a constant optical path between components.
  • light output from the laser output unit 810 may be incident on the scanning unit 830 through the BCSC 820 .
  • light incident to the scanning unit 830 may be reflected and incident to the object 850 .
  • the light incident on the object 850 may be reflected and then incident on the scanning unit 830 again.
  • the light incident on the scanning unit 830 may be reflected and received by the receiving unit 840 .
  • a lens for increasing light transmission/reception efficiency may be additionally inserted into the above optical path.
  • 36 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a semi-flash lidar according to an embodiment.
  • the semi-flash lidar 800 may include a laser output unit 810 , a scanning unit 830 , and a receiving unit 840 .
  • the laser output unit 810 may include a big cell array 811 . Although only one column of the big cell array 811 is illustrated in FIG. 36 , the present invention is not limited thereto, and the big cell array 811 may have an N ⁇ M matrix structure.
  • the vixel array 811 may include a plurality of vixel units 812 .
  • the vixel unit 812 may include a plurality of vixel emitters.
  • the big cell array 811 may include 25 big cell units 812 .
  • the 25 big cell units 812 may be arranged in one row, but is not limited thereto.
  • the vixel unit 812 may have a diverging angle.
  • the vixel unit 812 may have a horizontal diffusion angle 813 and a vertical diffusion angle 814 .
  • the vixel unit 812 may have a horizontal diffusion angle 813 of 1.2 degrees and a vertical diffusion angle 814 of 1.2 degrees, but is not limited thereto.
  • the scanning unit 830 may receive a laser beam output from the laser output unit 810 .
  • the scanning unit 830 may reflect the laser beam toward the object.
  • the scanning unit 830 may receive a laser beam reflected from the object.
  • the scanning unit 830 may transmit the laser beam reflected from the object to the receiving unit 840 .
  • the area that reflects the laser beam toward the object and the area that receives the laser beam reflected from the object may be the same or different.
  • an area that reflects a laser beam toward the object and an area that receives a laser beam reflected from the object may be within the same reflective surface.
  • the regions may be divided into up and down or left and right within the same reflective surface.
  • an area that reflects a laser beam toward the object and an area that receives a laser beam reflected from the object may be different reflective surfaces.
  • a region that reflects a laser beam toward the object may be a first reflective surface of the scanning unit 830
  • an area that receives a laser beam reflected from the object may be a second reflective surface of the scanning unit 830 .
  • the scanning unit 830 may reflect the 2D laser beam output from the laser output unit 810 toward the object.
  • the lidar device may scan the object in 3D due to rotation or scanning of the scanning unit 830 .
  • the receiver 840 may include a SPAD array 841 . Although only one column of the SPAD array 841 is illustrated in FIG. 36 , the present invention is not limited thereto, and the SPAD array 841 may have an N ⁇ M matrix structure.
  • the SPAD array 841 may include a plurality of SPAD units 842 .
  • the SPAD unit 842 may include a plurality of SPAD pixels 847 .
  • the SPAD unit 842 may include a 12 X 12 SPAD pixel 847 .
  • the SPAD pixel 847 may mean one SPAD element, but is not limited thereto.
  • the SPAD array 841 may include 25 SPAD units 842 .
  • the 25 SPAD units 842 may be arranged in one row, but is not limited thereto.
  • the arrangement of the SPAD unit 842 may correspond to the arrangement of the vixel unit 812 .
  • the SPAD unit 842 may have an FOV capable of receiving light.
  • the SPAD unit 842 may have a horizontal FOV 843 and a vertical FOV 844 .
  • the SPAD unit 842 may have a horizontal FOV 843 of 1.2 degrees and a vertical FOV 844 of 1.2 degrees.
  • the FOV of the SPAD unit 842 may be proportional to the number of SPAD pixels 847 included in the SPAD unit 842 .
  • the FOV of the individual SPAD pixel 847 included in the SPAD unit 842 may be determined by the FOV of the SPAD unit 842 .
  • the SPAD unit 842 includes the SPAD pixel 847 of NXM
  • the The horizontal FOV 843 may be 0.1*N
  • the vertical FOV 844 may be 0.1*M.
  • the horizontal FOV 843 and the vertical FOV 844 of the SPAD unit 842 are 1.2 degrees, and the SPAD unit 842 contains 12 X 12 SPAD pixels 847, individual SPAD pixels
  • the horizontal FOV 845 and vertical FOV 846 of 847 may be 0.1 degree (1.2/12).
  • the receiver 840 may include a SiPM array 841 . Although only one column of the SiPM array 841 is illustrated in FIG. 36 , the present invention is not limited thereto, and the SiPM array 841 may have an N ⁇ M matrix structure.
  • the SiPM array 841 may include a plurality of microcell units 842 .
  • the microcell unit 842 may include a plurality of microcells 847 .
  • the microcell unit 842 may include 12 by 12 microcells 847 .
  • the SiPM array 841 may include 25 microcell units 842 .
  • the 25 microcell units 842 may be arranged in one row, but is not limited thereto.
  • the arrangement of the microcell unit 842 may correspond to the arrangement of the big cell unit 812 .
  • the microcell unit 842 may have an FOV capable of receiving light.
  • the microcell unit 842 can have a horizontal FOV 843 and a vertical FOV 844 .
  • the microcell unit 842 may have a horizontal FOV 843 of 1.2 degrees and a vertical FOV 844 of 1.2 degrees.
  • the FOV of the microcell unit 842 may be proportional to the number of microcells included in the microcell unit 842 .
  • the FOV of the individual microcells 847 included in the microcell unit 842 may be determined by the FOV of the microcell unit 842 .
  • the microcell unit 842 includes the microcell 847 of NXM, when the horizontal FOV 845 and the vertical FOV 846 of the individual microcell 847 are 0.1 degrees, the microcell unit 842 ), the horizontal FOV 843 may be 0.1*N, and the vertical FOV 844 may be 0.1*M.
  • the individual The horizontal FOV 845 and vertical FOV 846 of the microcell 847 may be 0.1 degrees (1.2/12).
  • one big cell unit 812 may correspond to a plurality of SPAD units or microcell units 842 .
  • the laser beam output from the vixel unit 812 in 1 row and 1 column is reflected by the scanning unit 830 and the object 850 to be the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 in 1 row 1 column and 1 row 2 column. ) can be received.
  • a plurality of vixel units 812 may correspond to one SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 .
  • a laser beam output from the vixel unit 812 in one row and one column may be reflected by the scanning unit 830 and the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 in one row and one column. have.
  • the big cell unit 812 of the laser output unit 810 and the SPAD unit or the microcell unit 842 of the receiving unit 840 may correspond.
  • the horizontal and vertical diffusion angles of the vixel unit 812 may be the same as the horizontal FOV 845 and vertical FOV 846 of the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 .
  • a laser beam output from the vixel unit 812 in one row and one column may be reflected by the scanning unit 830 and the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 in one row and one column. have.
  • the laser beam output from the vixel unit 812 in N rows and M columns is reflected by the scanning unit 830 and the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 in N rows and M columns.
  • the laser beam output from the vixel unit 812 in N rows and M columns and reflected by the scanning unit 830 and the object 850 is received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 in N rows and M columns, and LiDAR Device 800 may have resolution by SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 .
  • the FOV irradiated by the big cell unit 812 is divided into the NXM area to determine the distance information of the object.
  • one big cell unit 812 may correspond to a plurality of SPAD units or microcell units 842 .
  • the laser beam output from the vixel unit 812 in 1 row and 1 column is reflected by the scanning unit 830 and the object 850 to be the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 in 1 row 1 column and 1 row 2 column. ) can be received.
  • a plurality of vixel units 812 may correspond to one SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 .
  • a laser beam output from the vixel unit 812 in one row and one column may be reflected by the scanning unit 830 and the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 in one row and one column. have.
  • the plurality of vixel units 812 included in the laser output unit 810 may operate according to a predetermined sequence or may operate randomly.
  • the SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 of the receiving unit 840 may also operate in response to the operation of the big cell unit 812 .
  • the third row big cell unit may operate.
  • the fifth vixel unit may operate, and then the seventh vixel unit may operate.
  • the third row SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 may operate.
  • the fifth SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 may operate, and then the seventh SPAD unit or microcell unit 842 may operate.
  • the vixel unit of the vixel array 811 may operate randomly.
  • the SPAD unit or the microcell unit 842 of the receiving unit existing at a position corresponding to the position of the randomly operated vixel unit 812 may operate.
  • FIG. 37 is a diagram for explaining a semi-flash lidar according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • the semi-flash lidar 900 may include a laser output unit 910 , a BCSC 920 , and a receiving unit 940 .
  • the semi-flash lidar 900 may include a laser output unit 910 .
  • the description of the laser output unit 910 may overlap with the laser output unit 810 of FIG. 35 , and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • the semi-flash lidar 900 may include a BCSC 920 .
  • the description of the BCSC 920 may overlap with the BCSC 820 of FIG. 35 , and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • the semi-flash lidar 900 may include a receiver 940 .
  • the description of the receiver 940 may overlap with the receiver 840 of FIG. 35 , and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • the semi-flash type lidar 900 may have a constant optical path between components.
  • light output from the laser output unit 910 may be incident on the object 950 through the BCSC 920 .
  • the light incident on the object 950 may be reflected and received by the receiver 940 .
  • a lens for increasing light transmission/reception efficiency may be additionally inserted into the above optical path.
  • the semi-flash lidar 900 of FIG. 37 may not include a scanning unit.
  • the scanning function of the scanning unit may be performed by the laser output unit 910 and the BCSC 920 .
  • the laser output unit 910 may include an addressable Bixel array to partially output a laser beam to an ROI by an addressable operation.
  • the BCSC 920 may include a collimation component and a steering component to provide a specific directionality to the laser beam to irradiate the laser beam to a desired region of interest.
  • the light path of the semi-flash lidar 900 of FIG. 37 may be simplified. By simplifying the light path, it is possible to minimize light loss upon light reception and to reduce the possibility of occurrence of crosstalk.
  • 38 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a semi-flash lidar according to another exemplary embodiment.
  • the semi-flash lidar 900 may include a laser output unit 910 and a receiving unit 940 .
  • the laser output unit 910 may include a big cell array 911 .
  • the big cell array 99110 may have an N ⁇ M matrix structure.
  • the vixel array 911 may include a plurality of vixel units 914 .
  • the vixel unit 914 may include a plurality of vixel emitters.
  • the big cell array 811 may include 1250 big cell units 914 having a 50 ⁇ 25 matrix structure, but is not limited thereto.
  • the vixel unit 914 may have a diverging angle.
  • the vixel unit 914 may have a horizontal diffusion angle 915 and a vertical diffusion angle 916 .
  • the vixel unit 914 may have a horizontal diffusion angle 813 of 1.2 degrees and a vertical diffusion angle 814 of 1.2 degrees, but is not limited thereto.
  • the receiver 940 may include a SPAD array 941 .
  • the SPAD array 841 may have an N ⁇ M matrix structure.
  • the SPAD array 941 may include a plurality of SPAD units 944 .
  • the SPAD unit 944 may include a plurality of SPAD pixels 947 .
  • the SPAD unit 944 may include 12 X 12 SPAD pixels 947 .
  • the SPAD array 941 may include 1250 SPAD units 944 in a 50 ⁇ 25 matrix structure.
  • the arrangement of the SPAD unit 944 may correspond to the arrangement of the vixel unit 914 .
  • the SPAD unit 944 may have an FOV capable of receiving light.
  • the SPAD unit 944 may have a horizontal FOV 945 and a vertical FOV 946 .
  • the SPAD unit 944 may have a horizontal FOV 945 of 1.2 degrees and a vertical FOV 946 of 1.2 degrees.
  • the FOV of the SPAD unit 944 may be proportional to the number of SPAD pixels 947 included in the SPAD unit 944 .
  • the FOV of the individual SPAD pixel 947 included in the SPAD unit 944 may be determined by the FOV of the SPAD unit 944 .
  • the SPAD unit 944 includes the SPAD pixel 947 of NXM
  • the The horizontal FOV 945 may be 0.1*N
  • the vertical FOV 946 may be 0.1*M.
  • the horizontal FOV 945 and vertical FOV 946 of the SPAD unit 944 are 1.2 degrees, and the SPAD unit 944 contains 12 X 12 SPAD pixels 947, individual SPAD pixels
  • the horizontal FOV 948 and vertical FOV 949 of 947 may be 0.1 degree (1.2/12).
  • the receiver 840 may include a SiPM array 941 .
  • the SiPM array 841 may have an N ⁇ M matrix structure.
  • the SiPM array 941 may include a plurality of microcell units 944 .
  • the microcell unit 944 may include a plurality of microcells 947 .
  • the microcell unit 944 may include 12 X 12 microcells 947 .
  • the SiPM array 941 may include 1250 microcell units 944 in a 50 ⁇ 25 matrix structure.
  • the arrangement of the microcell units 944 may correspond to the arrangement of the vixel units 914 .
  • the microcell unit 944 may have an FOV capable of receiving light.
  • the microcell unit 944 may have a horizontal FOV 945 and a vertical FOV 946 .
  • the microcell unit 944 may have a horizontal FOV 945 of 1.2 degrees and a vertical FOV 946 of 1.2 degrees.
  • the FOV of the microcell unit 944 may be proportional to the number of microcells 947 included in the microcell unit 944 .
  • the FOV of the individual microcells 947 included in the microcell unit 944 may be determined by the FOV of the microcell unit 944 .
  • the microcell unit 944 includes the microcell 947 of NXM, when the horizontal FOV 948 and the vertical FOV 949 of the individual microcell 947 are 0.1 degrees, the microcell unit 944 ), the horizontal FOV 945 may be 0.1*N, and the vertical FOV 946 may be 0.1*M.
  • the individual The horizontal FOV 948 and vertical FOV 949 of the microcell 947 may be 0.1 degrees (1.2/12).
  • the big cell unit 914 of the laser output unit 910 and the SPAD unit or the microcell unit 944 of the receiving unit 940 may correspond.
  • the horizontal and vertical diffusion angles of the vixel unit 914 may be the same as the horizontal FOV 945 and vertical FOV 946 of the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 .
  • a laser beam output from the vixel unit 914 in one row and one column may be reflected by the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 in one row and one column.
  • a laser beam output from the vixel unit 914 in N rows and M columns may be reflected by the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 in N rows and M columns.
  • the laser beam output from the vixel unit 914 in N rows and M columns and reflected by the object 850 is received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 in N rows and M columns, and the lidar device 900 is SPAD It may have resolution by unit or microcell unit 944 .
  • the FOV irradiated by the big cell unit 914 is divided into NXM regions to determine distance information of the object.
  • one big cell unit 914 may correspond to a plurality of SPAD units or microcell units 944 .
  • a laser beam output from the vixel unit 914 in one row and one column may be reflected by the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 in the first row, first column and first row and second column. .
  • a plurality of vixel units 914 may correspond to one SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 .
  • a laser beam output from the vixel unit 914 in one row and one column may be reflected by the object 850 to be received by the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 in one row and one column.
  • the plurality of vixel units 914 included in the laser output unit 910 may operate according to a predetermined sequence or may operate randomly.
  • the SPAD unit or the microcell unit 944 of the receiving unit 940 may also operate in response to the operation of the big cell unit 914 .
  • the vixel unit of one row and one column of the vixel array 911 may operate, and then the vixel unit of the first row and third column may operate. Then, the vixel unit of 1 row and 5 column may operate, and then the vixel unit of 1 row and 7 column may operate.
  • the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 of the first row and first column of the receiver 940 may operate, and then the SPAD unit or the microcell unit 944 of the first row and third column may operate. Then, the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 in row 1 and column 5 may operate, and then the SPAD unit or microcell unit 944 in row 1 and column 7 may operate.
  • the vixel unit of the vixel array 911 may operate randomly.
  • the SPAD unit or the microcell unit 944 of the receiving unit present at a position corresponding to the position of the randomly operated vixel unit 914 may operate.
  • 39 is a diagram for explaining operations of an emitter array and a detector array according to an embodiment.
  • the lidar device of the present invention may include an emitter array 1100 and a detector array 1200 .
  • the emitter array 1100 may be included in the laser output unit 100 of FIGS. 1 to 3
  • the detector array 1200 may be included in the sensor unit 300 of FIGS. 1 to 3 .
  • the optic unit 200 may be disposed in a direction in which the emitter array 1100 outputs a laser.
  • the optic unit 200 may collimate or steer the laser beam output from the emitter array 1100 .
  • the laser beam output from the emitter array 1100 and passing through the optic unit 200 may be irradiated to the object.
  • the laser beam reflected by the object may be received by the detector array 1200 .
  • the laser beam reflected by the object may be received by the detector array 1200 through the optic unit 200 .
  • the detector array 1200 may detect photons and generate an electrical signal. Specific details thereof may overlap with the description of FIG. 1 , and thus will be omitted herein.
  • the emitter array 1100 may include a plurality of emitters.
  • the emitter may be a laser diode (LD), solid-state laser, high power laser, light entitling diode (LED), vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), external cavity diode laser (ECDL), etc.
  • LD laser diode
  • LED light entitling diode
  • VCSEL vertical cavity surface emitting laser
  • ECDL external cavity diode laser
  • the present invention is not limited thereto.
  • the emitter array 1100 may be the big cell array 150 of FIG. 6 .
  • the emitter 1115 included in the emitter array 1100 may be the bigel emitter 110 of FIG. 4 .
  • FIG. 39 shows an emitter array in the form of an 8 ⁇ 8 matrix
  • the present invention is not limited thereto, and other types of emitter arrays are also possible.
  • the detector array 1200 may include a plurality of detectors.
  • the detector may be a PN photodiode, a phototransistor, a PIN photodiode, APD, SPAD, SiPM, TDC, CMOS or CCD, but is not limited thereto.
  • the detector array 1200 may be the SPAD array 750 of FIG. 31 .
  • the detector 1215 included in the detector array 1200 may be the SPAD 7510 of FIG. 31 .
  • FIG. 39 shows a detector array in the form of an 8 ⁇ 8 matrix
  • the present invention is not limited thereto, and other types of detector arrays are also possible.
  • the controller 400 may operate a plurality of emitters included in the emitter array 1100 line by line. For example, the controller 400 may operate the first emitter group 1110 including a plurality of emitters. Also, the controller 400 may operate the second emitter group 1120 after the first emitter group 1110 is operated.
  • first emitter group 1110 and the second emitter group 1120 may be adjacent columns or non-adjacent columns.
  • the laser beam output from the first emitter group 1110 and reflected on the object may be received by the first detector group 1210 . Also, after the operation of the first emitter group 1110 , the laser beam output from the second emitter group 1120 and reflected on the object may be received by the second detector group 1220 .
  • the first emitter 1115 included in the first emitter group 1110 irradiates a laser beam to the first region
  • the second emitter 1116 irradiates a laser beam to the second region.
  • the first laser beam output from the first emitter 1115 and the second laser beam output from the second emitter 1116 are respectively transmitted through the optics of the optic unit 200 in the first region and the second region. area can be investigated.
  • the first laser beam reflected from the first region may be received by the first detector 1215
  • the second laser beam reflected from the second region may be received by the second detector 1216 .
  • the first detector 1215 and the second detector 1216 may detect photons of a laser beam to generate a signal.
  • the first detector 1215 and the second detector 1216 As the first emitter 1115 and the second emitter 1116 irradiate the laser beam to the first region and the second region, respectively, several times, the first detector 1215 and the second detector 1216 also emit photons. Multiple detections can be performed to generate multiple signals.
  • the controller 400 may generate a histogram by accumulating a plurality of signals output by the first detector 1215 and the second detector 1216 , respectively.
  • the controller 400 As the first emitter 1115 irradiates the N-th laser to the first region, the controller 400 generates the first histogram by accumulating N data sets that are output signals of the first detector 1215 . can create
  • the data set may include data included in a plurality of histogram bins.
  • a data set consists of 10000 histogram bins, and data may be included in each histogram bin.
  • the first histogram bin may have no data
  • the second histogram bin may have data.
  • it may be considered that a photon is not detected during the time of the first histogram bin, and that the photon is detected during the time of the second histogram bin.
  • the laser beam output from the emitter array may be reflected by the object and detected, or external noise (such as sunlight) may be detected.
  • the controller 400 needs to accumulate a plurality of data sets and extract the peak of the histogram.
  • the controller 400 may determine that the laser beam reflected from the object is received during the time period of the histogram bin in which the peak is formed among the accumulated histograms.
  • control unit 400 accumulates M data sets that are output signals of the second detector 1216 to obtain a second histogram. can create
  • the controller 400 may generate X histograms through the detector array 1200 including the X detectors. In this case, the controller 400 may determine the characteristics of the first region and the second region or the object based on the generated histogram.
  • the controller 400 may calculate the distance and position coordinates of the object 500 based on the histogram. Also, for example, the controller 400 may check the reflectance and material information of the object 500 based on the histogram. Also, for example, the controller 400 may check the speed, the moving direction, etc. of the object 500 based on the histogram generated for each of the plurality of frames.
  • the controller 400 may extract a signal of a certain amount 768 or more from the histogram 765 as a signal due to a photon reflected from the object 500 .
  • An algorithm for the control unit 400 to extract a signal by a photon reflected from the object 500 from the histogram 765 may overlap with the description of FIG. 32 , and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • the controller 400 may control the emitters included in the emitter array 1100 in a row rather than a column.
  • the controller 400 may operate a first row-direction emitter group including a plurality of emitters. Also, the controller 400 may operate the second row emitter group after the first row emitter group is operated. In this case, the first row emitter group and the second row emitter group may be adjacent rows or non-adjacent rows.
  • the laser beam output from the first row-direction emitter group and reflected from the object may be received by the first row-direction detector group.
  • the laser beam output from the second row-direction emitter group and reflected on the object may be received by the second row-direction detector group.
  • the laser beams output from the first row-direction emitter group and the second row-direction emitter group may be irradiated to the third area and the fourth area, respectively.
  • the laser beam reflected from the third region may be received by the first row-direction detector group
  • the laser beam reflected from the fourth region may be received by the second row-direction detector group.
  • the controller 400 may control the emitters included in the emitter array 1100 according to a predetermined sequence rather than the row direction or the column direction, or may control the emitters at random. In this case, the controller 400 may control the detectors corresponding to the emitters operated by the emitter array 1100 according to a predetermined sequence or randomly.
  • control unit 400 sequentially operates an emitter in row 1, column 1, emitter in row 1, column 3, emitter in row 2, column 2, and emitter in row 2, column 5 of the emitter array 1100
  • the detectors in row 1, column 1, detectors in row 1, column 3, detectors in row 2, column 2, and detectors in row 2 and column 5 may be sequentially operated.
  • N can be 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or more, and as N becomes larger, it is better to distinguish the laser beam reflected from the object from external noise.
  • the laser output unit 100 should output at least N lasers.
  • the laser output unit 100 should output a laser 50 times per emitter.
  • control unit 400 may operate the emitters included in the emitter array of the 8 X 8 matrix form column by column.
  • the detector array includes a control logic unit capable of selecting a column therein, so that the control logic unit corresponds to a column operating in the emitter array by the control unit 400 .
  • the column in the selected detector array 1200 may be activated.
  • control logic unit may be included in the emitter array, so that the column selection signal applied to the control logic unit of the emitter array and the column selection signal applied to the control logic unit of the detector array may be the same.
  • one row of emitters included in the emitter array 1100 of the 8 X 8 matrix must irradiate the laser N times (eg, 50 times).
  • the emitter group in the first row of the emitter array 1100 irradiates the laser 50 times
  • the emitter group in the second row irradiates the laser 50 times
  • the emitter group in the third row irradiates the laser 50 times.
  • all histograms for each emitter included in the emitter array 1100 must be formed. That is, after the emitter groups in columns 1 to 8 each irradiate the laser several times, a histogram in which output signals of the detector groups in columns 1 to 8 of the detector array 1200 are accumulated should be formed.
  • the number of columns included in the emitter array 1100 is N
  • the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of the emitters is P[Hz]
  • the number of samplings of the detector array 1200 may be M. have.
  • the frame rate may be P/(M*N) [fps].
  • the frame rate may be 5 fps.
  • the frame rate may be 10 fps.
  • the number of samplings (M, for example, 1 to 1023) of the detector array 1200 must be large in order to clearly distinguish the external noise signal from the signal for the laser beam reflected on the object.
  • M the number of samplings (M, for example, 1 to 1023) of the detector array 1200
  • the frame rate and the sampling number M of the detector array 1200 are in inverse proportion to each other, there may be a limit to increasing the sampling number M of the detector array 1200 in order to have a high frame rate.
  • the PRF(P) of the emitters may be increased.
  • the present invention describes a solution for increasing the frame rate below. According to the following method, not only can the frame rate be increased, but also various control over the number of samplings (M) of the detector array 1200 is possible regardless of the frame rate.
  • 40 is a diagram for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to an embodiment.
  • the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320 illustrated in FIG. 40 may be included in the emitter array 1100 . Also, the first detector 1410 and the second detector 1420 may be included in the detector array 1200 .
  • the first emitter 1310 may be included in the first emitter group 1110
  • the second emitter 1320 may be included in the second emitter group 1120
  • the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320 may be included in the first emitter group 1110 , that is, one column.
  • the first emitter 1310 is included in the first emitter group 1110
  • the second emitter 1320 is a third emitter that is a column that is not adjacent to the first emitter group 1110 .
  • the first emitter 1310 may be included in the first row
  • the second emitter 1320 may be included in a row that is not adjacent to the first row.
  • the first detector 1410 may be included in the first detector group 1210
  • the second detector 1420 may be included in the second detector group 1220
  • the first detector 1410 and the second detector 1420 may be included in the first detector group 11210 , that is, in one column.
  • the first detector 1410 may be included in the first detector group 1210
  • the second detector 1420 may be included in a third detector group that is a column not adjacent to the first detector group 1210 .
  • the first detector 1410 may be included in one row
  • the second detector 1420 may be included in a row that is not adjacent to the first row.
  • the detector may vary depending on the arrangement of the emitters being actuated. That is, the emitter and the detector have a one-to-one correspondence, and when the emitters in the N rows and M columns are operated, the detectors in the N rows and M columns may also be operated.
  • the first emitter 1310 may output a laser beam at a first time point t1 , a second time point t2 , and a fifth time point t5 .
  • the second time point t2 may be later than the first time point t1 by the first time ts1.
  • the fifth time point t5 may be later than the second time point t2 by the first time ts1 . That is, the first emitter 1310 may output a laser beam with a first period ts1.
  • the first detector 1410 may receive the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the first emitter 1310 at the first time point t1 during the first time period p1 . Also, after the first time period p1 , the first detector 1410 transmits the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the first emitter 1310 at the second time point t2 to the second time period p2 . ) can be received while
  • the first time point t1 and the second time point t2 may be laser beam output time points according to the PRF of the first emitter 1310 . That is, the first emitter 1310 may not be able to output a laser beam having a predetermined power between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2 according to the predetermined PRF.
  • the control unit 400 of the present invention is a blank time during which the first emitter 1310 does not output a laser beam having a predetermined power (eg, a time between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2). ), by controlling the second emitter 1320 to output the laser beam, the blank time may be used as the laser beam output time of the second emitter 1320 .
  • the second emitter 1320 may output a laser beam at a third time point t3 , a fourth time point t4 , and a sixth time point t6 .
  • the fourth time t4 may be later than the third time t3 by the second time ts2.
  • the sixth time point t6 may be later than the fourth time point t4 by the second time ts2. That is, the second emitter 1320 may output a laser beam with a second period ts2 .
  • the second period ts2 may be the same as the first period ts1, but is not limited thereto.
  • the second detector 1420 may receive the laser beam reflected by the object among the laser beams output by the second emitter 1320 at the third time point t3 for the third time period p3 .
  • the second detector 1420 transmits the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the second emitter 1320 at the fourth time point t4 during the fourth time period ( p4) can be received.
  • the laser beam reception sections of the first detector 1410 and the second detector 1420 may partially overlap.
  • the second detector 1420 outputs the output from the second emitter 1320 . It may partially overlap with the third time period p3 in which the laser beam is received.
  • the first detector 1410 receives the laser beam output from the first emitter 1310 . It may partially overlap with the second time period p2 for receiving the output laser beam.
  • the third time point t3 may be a time point between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2. Also, in this case, the third time point t3 may be a time point within the first time period p1.
  • the fourth time point t4 may be a time point between the second time point t2 and the fifth time point t5 . Also, the fourth time point t4 may be a time point within the second time period p2 .
  • the first time point t1 and the third time point t3 may have a difference by the delay time td.
  • the delay time td may be half of the first period ts1 (ie, a central time point between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2), but is not limited thereto.
  • the third time point t3 and the fourth time point t4 may be laser beam output time points according to the PRF of the second emitter 1320 . That is, the second emitter 1320 may not be able to output a laser beam having a predetermined power between the third time point t3 and the fourth time point t4 according to the predetermined PRF.
  • control unit 400 controls the second emitter 1320 during the blank time (eg, the time between the third time point t3 and the fourth time point t4) during which the laser beam having a predetermined power cannot be output.
  • the blank time may be used as a laser beam output time of the first emitter 1310 .
  • the controller 400 of the present invention may use the blank time by allowing the second emitter 1320 to output the laser beam between the laser beam output timings of the first emitter 1310 . Accordingly, the time for forming one frame can be reduced by about half compared to the conventional method.
  • the number of columns included in the emitter array 1100 is N
  • the Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) of the emitters is P [Hz]
  • the detector array 1200 is the frame rate.
  • the frame rate may be P/(M*N)[fps].
  • the frame rate may be about P/(M*(N/2))[fps], that is, 2P/(M*N)[fps].
  • 41 is a diagram for explaining an operation sequence of an emitter array and a detector array according to an embodiment.
  • the emitter array 1100 and the detector array 1200 may be sequentially operated one by one.
  • the second column emitter group outputs a laser beam, so that the first and second column emitter groups receive a laser beam equal to the sampling number (M) of the detector array 1200 . Beam can be output.
  • the laser beams in the emitter groups in the third and fourth columns may be output as described above.
  • the laser beams of the emitter groups in the 5th and 6th columns may be output as described above.
  • the laser beams in the emitter groups in rows 7 and 8 may be output as described above.
  • detector groups corresponding to the emitter groups in each column may be operated.
  • the first and second column detector groups may receive laser beams.
  • the emitter groups in the third and fourth columns output laser beams
  • the detector groups in the third and fourth columns may receive the laser beam.
  • the operating sequence of the emitter array 1100 and the detector array 1200 may be sequentially operated from left to right, but is not limited thereto.
  • the emitter array 1100 and the detector array 1200 may be operated according to a predetermined sequence or may be operated randomly.
  • FIG. 41(b) shows an operation sequence of the emitter array 1100 and the detector array 1200 for minimizing interference.
  • the controller 400 may operate the emitter group and the detector group so that the distance between the two columns that alternately output the laser beam is maintained at a predetermined distance or more.
  • the emitter group in column 5 outputs a laser beam between the laser beam output time of the emitter group in column 1, so that the emitter group in column 1 and column 5 emits a laser beam equal to the sampling number (M) of the detector array 1200 . Beam can be output.
  • the laser beams in the emitter groups in rows 2 and 6 may be output as described above.
  • the laser beams of the emitter groups in the 3rd and 7th rows may be output as described above.
  • the laser beams of the emitter groups in the 4th and 8th columns may be output as described above.
  • detector groups corresponding to the emitter groups in each column may be operated.
  • the detector groups in rows 1 and 5 may receive laser beams.
  • the detector groups in the second and sixth columns may receive the laser beam.
  • the two columns that alternately output the laser beam are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, interference between the two columns can be minimized.
  • FIG. 42 is a view for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to another embodiment.
  • FIG. 42 shows a method of operation for three or more emitters, unlike FIG. 40 .
  • the first emitter 1310 , the second emitter 1320 , and the third emitter 1330 illustrated in FIG. 42 may be included in the emitter array 1100 . Also, the first detector 1410 , the second detector 1420 , and the third detector 1430 may be included in the detector array 1200 .
  • the arrangement relationship of the first emitter 1310 , the second emitter 1320 , and the third emitter 1330 , and the first detector 1410 , the second detector 1420 , and the third detector 1430 are a detector array
  • the arrangement relationship of 1200 may overlap with the description of FIG. 40 , and thus the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • the first emitter 1310 may output a laser beam at a first time point t1 , a second time point t2 , and a fifth time point t5 .
  • the second time point t2 may be later than the first time point t1 by the first time ts1.
  • the fifth time point t5 may be later than the second time point t2 by the first time ts1 . That is, the first emitter 1310 may output a laser beam with a first period ts1.
  • the first detector 1410 may receive the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the first emitter 1310 at the first time point t1 during the first time period p1 . Also, after the first time period p1 , the first detector 1410 transmits the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the first emitter 1310 at the second time point t2 to the second time period p2 . ) can be received while
  • the first time point t1 and the second time point t2 may be laser beam output time points according to the PRF of the first emitter 1310 . That is, the first emitter 1310 may not be able to output a laser beam having a predetermined power between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2 according to the predetermined PRF.
  • the control unit 400 of the present invention is a blank time during which the first emitter 1310 does not output a laser beam having a predetermined power (eg, a time between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2). ), the second emitter 1320 and the third emitter 1330 are controlled to output laser beams, so that the blank time is reduced by the laser beam output of the second emitter 1320 and the third emitter 1330 . time can be used.
  • the second emitter 1320 may output a laser beam at a third time point t3 and a sixth time point t6 .
  • the sixth time point t6 may be later than the third time point t3 by the second time ts2. That is, the second emitter 1320 may output a laser beam with a second period ts2 .
  • the second detector 1420 may receive the laser beam reflected by the object among the laser beams output by the second emitter 1320 at the third time point t3 for the third time period p3 .
  • the second detector 1420 transmits the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the second emitter 1320 at the sixth time point t6 during the sixth time period ( p6) can be received.
  • the laser beam reception sections of the first detector 1410 and the second detector 1420 may partially overlap.
  • the second detector 1420 outputs the output from the second emitter 1320 . It may partially overlap with the third time period p3 in which the laser beam is received.
  • the third time point t3 may be a time point between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2. Also, in this case, the third time point t3 may be a time point within the first time period p1.
  • the sixth time point t6 may be a time point between the second time point t2 and the fifth time point t5 . Also, the sixth time point t6 may be a time point within the second time period p2.
  • the first time point t1 and the third time point t3 may have a difference by the first delay time td1 .
  • the first delay time td1 may be one third of the first period ts1, but is not limited thereto.
  • the third time point t3 and the sixth time point t6 may be the laser beam output time points according to the PRF of the second emitter 1320 . That is, the second emitter 1320 may not be able to output a laser beam having a predetermined power between the third time point t3 and the sixth time point t6 according to the predetermined PRF.
  • control unit 400 controls the second emitter 1320 during an empty time (eg, a time between the third time point t3 and the sixth time point t6) during which the laser beam having a predetermined power cannot be output,
  • the first emitter 1310 and the third emitter 1330 are controlled to output the laser beam, and the blank time is used as the laser beam output time of the first emitter 1310 and the third emitter 1330 .
  • the third emitter 1330 may output a laser beam at the fourth time point t4 and the seventh time point t7 .
  • the seventh time point t7 may be later than the fourth time point t4 by the third time ts3 . That is, the third emitter 1330 may output a laser beam with a third period ts3.
  • the third period ts3 may be the same as the first period ts1 or the second period ts2, but is not limited thereto.
  • the third detector 1430 may receive the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the third emitter 1330 at the fourth time t4 during the fourth time period p4 . In addition, after the fourth time period p4, the third detector 1430 transmits the laser beam reflected on the object among the laser beams output by the third emitter 1330 at the seventh time point t7 during the seventh time period ( p7) can be received.
  • the laser beam reception sections of the first detector 1410 , the second detector 1420 , and the third detector 1430 may partially overlap.
  • the second detector 1420 outputs the output from the second emitter 1320 .
  • the third time period p3 for receiving the laser beam and the third detector 1430 may partially overlap with the fourth time period p4 for receiving the laser beam output from the third emitter 1330 .
  • the fourth time point t4 may be a time point between the first time point t1 and the second time point t2. Also, in this case, the third time point t3 may be a time point within the first time period p1.
  • the fourth time point t4 may be a time point between the third time point t3 and the sixth time point t6 . Also, in this case, the fourth time point t4 may be a time point within the third time period p3 .
  • the seventh time point t7 may be a time point between the second time point t2 and the fifth time point t5. Also, at this time, the seventh time point t7 may be a time point within the second time period p2.
  • the seventh time point t7 may be a time point after the sixth time point t6 . Also, in this case, the seventh time point t7 may be a time point within the sixth time period p6 .
  • the first time point t1 and the fourth time point t4 may have a difference by the second delay time td2.
  • the second delay time td2 may be two-thirds of the first period ts1, but is not limited thereto.
  • the third time point t3 and the fourth time point t4 may have a difference by the third delay time td3.
  • the third delay time td3 may be one third of the first period ts1 or the second period ts2, but is not limited thereto.
  • the fourth time point t4 and the seventh time point t7 may be laser beam output times according to the PRF of the third emitter 1330 . That is, the third emitter 1330 may not be able to output a laser beam having a predetermined power between the fourth time point t4 and the seventh time point t7 according to the predetermined PRF.
  • control unit 400 controls the third emitter 1330 during the blank time (eg, the time between the fourth time point t4 and the seventh time point t7) during which the laser beam having a predetermined power cannot be output.
  • the blank time is used as the laser beam output time of the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320 .
  • control unit 400 causes the second emitter 1320 and the third emitter 1330 to output the laser beam between the laser beam output timings of the first emitter 1310 to reduce the blank time.
  • the time for forming one frame can be reduced to about one third compared to the conventional method.
  • the number of columns included in the emitter array 1100 is N
  • the Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) of the emitters is P [Hz]
  • the detector array 1200 is the frame rate.
  • the frame rate may be P/(M*N)[fps].
  • the frame rate may be about P/(M*(N/3))[fps], that is, 3P/(M*N)[fps].
  • 43 is a view for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to another embodiment.
  • 43 illustrates an on/off control method of a detector for minimizing interference between each emitter group and the detector group that alternately outputs and receives a laser beam.
  • the basic operation methods of the first emitter 1310 , the second emitter 1320 , the first detector 1410 , and the second detector 1420 of FIG. 43 may overlap with the description of FIG. 40 , so for details, refer to FIG. omit
  • the first time period p1 may include a period in which the first detector 1410 is in an on state and a period in which the first detector 1410 is in an off state.
  • the on state of the detector may include an on state by the switch when on/off control is performed by the switch. Also, the on state of the detector may include a case in which the detector is selected by a control logic unit in the detector array.
  • the on state of the detector may include a case in which power is applied to the detector.
  • the on state of the detector is not limited to the above case, and may include any case in which the detector can detect a photon.
  • the off state of the detector may include an off state by the switch when on/off control is performed by the switch. Also, the off state of the detector may include a case in which the detector is not selected by the control logic unit in the detector array.
  • the off state of the detector may include a case in which power is not applied to the detector.
  • the off state of the detector is not limited to the above case, and may include any case in which the detector does not detect a photon.
  • the first detector 1410 receiving the laser beam output from the first emitter 1310 may have a second emitter from a first time point t1 at which the first emitter 1310 outputs a laser beam. It may be in the on state until the third time point t3 at which the laser beam is output at 1320 .
  • the first detector 1410 may be configured from a third time point t3 at which the second emitter 1320 outputs a laser beam to a second time point t2 at which the first emitter 1310 outputs a laser beam. ) may be in the off state.
  • the controller 400 may turn off the first detector 1410 between the third time point t3 and the second time point t2 .
  • the third time period p3 may include an on state period and an off state period of the second detector 1420 .
  • the second detector 1420 may be on or off during the third time period p3 .
  • the second detector 1420 that receives the laser beam output from the second emitter 1320 is the first emitter from a third time point t3 at which the second emitter 1320 outputs the laser beam. It may be in the on state until the second time point t2 at which the laser beam 1310 is output.
  • the second detector 1420 may be configured from a second time point t2 at which the first emitter 1310 outputs a laser beam to a fourth time point t4 at which the second emitter 1320 outputs a laser beam. ) may be in the off state.
  • the controller 400 may turn off the second detector 1420 between the second time point t2 and the fourth time point t4.
  • the delay time td which is an interval between the first time point t1 and the third time point t3, is half of the first period ts1 or the second period ts2.
  • the delay time td is half of the first period ts1 or the second period ts2
  • the second detector 1420 is in an off state
  • the first detector 1410 is in an off state
  • the second detector 1420 may be in an on state.
  • 44 is a diagram for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to another embodiment.
  • the basic operating methods of the first emitter 1310 , the second emitter 1320 , the first detector 1410 , and the second detector 1420 of FIG. 44 may overlap with the description of FIG. 40 , so for details, refer to FIG. omit
  • the delay time td which is the interval between the first time point t1 and the third time point t3, is not half of the first period ts1 or the second period ts2, have.
  • the delay time td may be less than or equal to half of the first period ts1 or the second period ts2. Accordingly, the time when the first detector 1410 is in the on state may be reduced, and the time in which the second detector 1420 is in the on state may increase compared to the case of FIG. 43 .
  • a time window of the first detector 1410 may be reduced, and thus a distance that the first detector 1410 may detect may be shortened. That is, the measurement distance that the controller 400 can measure through the first detector 1410 may be shortened.
  • the time window of the second detector 1420 is increased, and thus a distance that the second detector 1420 can detect may be increased. That is, the measurement distance that the controller 400 can measure through the second detector 1420 may be increased.
  • the controller 400 may measure a short-range portion of the first region through the first emitter 1310 and the first detector 1410 , and use the second emitter 1320 and the second detector 1420 . It is possible to measure the long-distance part of the second region.
  • the controller 400 may measure a short-range portion in the first region and measure a long-range portion in the second region. However, in general, the controller 400 determines the characteristics of the object existing in the first area and the second area by making the measurement distances of the first area and the second area the same.
  • 45 is a view for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to another embodiment.
  • the basic operating methods of the first emitter 1310 , the second emitter 1320 , the first detector 1410 , and the second detector 1420 of FIG. 45 may overlap with the description of FIG. 40 , so for details, refer to omit
  • the delay time td which is the interval between the first time point t1 and the third time point t3, is not half of the first period ts1 or the second period ts2, have.
  • FIG. 45 illustrates a case in which the delay times td1 and td2, which are the time between the laser beam output timing of the first emitter 1310 and the laser beam output timing of the second emitter 1320, are not constant. .
  • the first delay time td1 that is the difference between the laser beam output timings of the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320 during the first period p11 is the first period ts1 ) may be less than half of
  • the second delay time td2 which is the difference between the laser beam output timings of the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320, is less than half of the first period ts1.
  • the time window of the first detector 1410 may be shorter than half of the first time period p1 . Accordingly, during the first period p11 , the controller 400 may measure the short-range portion of the first area through the first detector 1410 .
  • the time window of the second detector 1420 may be longer than half of the third time period p3 . Accordingly, during the first period p11 , the controller 400 may measure the long-distance portion of the second area through the second detector 1420 .
  • the time window of the first detector 1410 may be longer than half of the first time period p1 . Accordingly, during the second period p22 , the controller 400 may measure the long-distance portion of the first area through the first detector 1410 .
  • the time window of the second detector 1420 may be shorter than half of the third time period p3 . Accordingly, during the second period p22 , the controller 400 may measure a short-range portion of the second area through the second detector 1420 .
  • the first cycle p11 and the second cycle p22 may be alternately repeated.
  • the fourth time period p4 which is the measurement period of the second detector 1420 , is longer than the length of the first time period p1 .
  • a possible sag section 1421 may exist.
  • the repetition of the on/off state of the second detector 1420 may be temporarily irregular. However, after the sag section 1421, the control of the on/off state may be changed regularly.
  • the control unit 400 alternately repeats the first period p11 and the second period p22 or sets the time interval between the first period p11 and the second period p22 to be the same in the first region and the second period. It can enable short-range measurement and long-range measurement of an area.
  • the controller 400 may alternately repeat the first cycle p11 and the second cycle p22 in the same number during one frame measurement. Also, for example, the controller 400 may control the emitter array 1100 and the detector array 1200 so that half of the first cycle p11 and the other half follow the second cycle p22 during one frame measurement.
  • 46 is a view for explaining a method of operating an emitter array and a detector array according to another embodiment.
  • the basic operating methods of the first emitter 1310 , the second emitter 1320 , the first detector 1410 , and the second detector 1420 of FIG. 46 may overlap with the description of FIG. 40 , so for details, refer to omit
  • the control unit 400 makes the laser beam output cycle of the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320 different to include a signature or an identifier in the laser beam output by the emitter array 1100 .
  • the controller 400 may distinguish the lidar device outputting the laser beam including the signature or identifier from other laser output devices or other lidar devices.
  • control unit 400 sets the laser beam output period to the first period (d1) and the second period (d2) for the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320 to change the period.
  • the laser beam can be output alternately.
  • the controller 400 may output the laser beam output period of the first emitter 1310 and the second emitter 1320 as three or more.
  • the controller 400 may control the first emitter 1310 to output a laser beam at intervals of 3 seconds, 4 seconds, 1 second, and 2 seconds.
  • control unit 400 controls the second emitter 1320 after the delay time td has elapsed after the first time t1, which is the time at which the first emitter 1310 outputs the laser beam, for 3 seconds, 4 It can be controlled to output a laser beam at intervals of seconds, 1 second, and 2 seconds.
  • controller 400 may determine the output timing of the laser beam of the emitter according to a predetermined sequence.
  • the control unit 400 may prevent interference with other devices by including the signature in the laser beam output, and may prevent malfunction by distinguishing the signal output by the control unit 400 from other signals.
  • 47 is a flowchart for explaining a method of controlling a lidar device according to an embodiment.
  • the lidar device may control an emitter array and a detector array.
  • the control method of the lidar device includes the step of emitting a laser beam to the first area at a first time by the first emitter (S110), and the step of outputting the first signal by the first detector (S120) and accumulating a first data set based on the first signal in a first histogram (S130).
  • the second emitter emits a laser beam to the second region at the second time point (S140), the second detector outputs the second signal (S150), and the second histogram is based on the second signal. It may include accumulating the second data set ( S160 ).
  • the first emitter emits a laser beam to the first region at a third time point ( S170 ), the first detector outputs a third signal ( S180 ), and a first histogram based on the third signal It may include accumulating the third data set ( S190 ).
  • the second time point may be a time point between the first time point and the third time point.
  • the control method of the lidar device may overlap with the control method of the controller 400 described with reference to FIGS. 40 to 46 , and thus the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • the method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium.
  • the computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination.
  • the program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software.
  • Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic such as floppy disks.
  • - includes magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specially configured to store and carry out program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like.
  • Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.
  • the hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un dispositif LIDAR pouvant comprendre : un réseau d'émetteurs comprenant un premier émetteur et un second émetteur permettant d'émettre des faisceaux laser ; un réseau de détecteurs comprenant un premier détecteur permettant de recevoir le faisceau laser réfléchi par une première région et un second détecteur permettant de recevoir le faisceau laser réfléchi par une seconde région ; et un processeur permettant de déterminer les caractéristiques de la première région et de la seconde région en fonction d'un histogramme dans lequel des signaux de sortie en provenance du réseau de détecteurs sont accumulés.
PCT/KR2020/018097 2020-05-22 2020-12-10 Dispositif lidar WO2021235640A1 (fr)

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KR10-2020-0061857 2020-05-22
KR20200061857 2020-05-22
KR10-2020-0096822 2020-08-03
KR1020200096822A KR102633680B1 (ko) 2020-05-22 2020-08-03 라이다 장치

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