Methods, systems, and apparatus for dynamically adjusting radiated signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10557928-B2
Application number	US-201615253516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2016
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing dynamically adjusted radiated signals are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of detecting one or more objects in a path of travel of a vehicle may include generating a laser with radiated power. The method may further include emitting the laser in a direction of travel of the vehicle and receiving one or more reflections of the emitted laser reflected from the one or more objects located in the direction of travel of the vehicle. The method may also further include generating a signal indicating that the one or more objects are in a path of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections. The method may also include dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser based on an input corresponding to one or more of (i) a current speed of the vehicle or (ii) a current position of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of detecting one or more objects in a path of travel of a vehicle, the method comprising:
generating a laser having a radiated power;
emitting the laser in a direction of travel of the vehicle;
receiving one or more reflections of the emitted laser reflected from the one or more objects located in the direction of travel of the vehicle;
generating a signal indicating that the one or more objects are in a path of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections;
dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser based on an input corresponding to one or more of (i) a current speed of the vehicle and (ii) a current position of the vehicle; and
limiting a maximum radiated power based on a maximum power threshold and limiting a minimum radiated power based on a minimum power threshold, wherein the minimum and maximum power thresholds are adjusted based upon whether the vehicle is in a residential area.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving the current speed input from one or more of a GPS device or a speedometer and wherein the current position input is received from the GPS device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser comprises dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser, based on the current speed of the vehicle, wherein the current speed of the vehicle is linearly related to the radiated power of the laser such that as the current speed of the vehicle increases, the radiated power increases, and as the current speed of the vehicle decreases, the radiated power decreases.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining an adjustment for the radiated power of the laser based on one or more calculations using the current speed or the current position of the vehicle as a variable in the one or more calculations.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining an adjustment for the radiated power of the laser based on correlated radiated power and speed information stored in a memory.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first speed of the vehicle will result in a first radiated power of the laser and a second speed of the vehicle that is greater than the first speed will result in a second radiated power of the laser that is greater than the first radiated power.

7. An apparatus for detecting one or more objects in a path of travel of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
an optical circuit comprising a laser and configured to:
generate a laser emission having a radiated power,
emit the laser in a direction of travel of the vehicle,
receive one or more reflections of the emitted laser reflected from the one or more objects in the direction of travel of the vehicle,
generate a signal indicating the one or more objects are in a path of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections; and

a controller configured to dynamically adjust the radiated power of the laser based on an input corresponding to one or more of (i) a current speed of the vehicle and (ii) a current position of the vehicle, wherein the controller is further configured to limit a maximum radiated power based on a maximum power threshold and a minimum radiated power based on a minimum power threshold, wherein the minimum and maximum power thresholds are adjusted based upon whether the vehicle is in a residential area.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the current speed input is received from one or more of a GPS device and a speedometer and wherein the current position input is received from the GPS device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the radiated power of the laser is dynamically adjusted based on the current speed of the vehicle, wherein the current speed of the vehicle is linearly related to the radiated power of the laser such that as the current speed of the vehicle increases, the radiated power increases, and as the current speed of the vehicle decreases, the radiated power decreases.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine an adjustment for the radiated power of the laser based on one or more calculations using the current speed or the current position of the vehicle as a variable.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to determine an adjustment for the radiated power of the laser based on correlated radiated power and speed information stored in a memory.

12. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a first speed of the vehicle will result in a first radiated power of the laser and a second speed of the vehicle that is greater than the first speed will result in a second radiated power of the laser that is greater than the first radiated power.

13. An apparatus for detecting one or more objects in a path of travel of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
means for generating a laser having a radiated power;
means for emitting the laser in a direction of travel of the vehicle;
means for receiving one or more reflections of the emitted laser reflected from the one or more objects located in the direction of travel of the vehicle;
means for generating a signal indicating that the one or more objects are in a path of the vehicle based on the received one or more reflections;
means for dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser based on an input corresponding to one or more of (i) a current speed of the vehicle and (ii) a current position of the vehicle, and
means for limiting a maximum radiated power based on a maximum power threshold and limiting a minimum radiated power based on a minimum power threshold, wherein the minimum and maximum power thresholds are adjusted based upon whether the vehicle is in a residential area.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising means for receiving the current speed input from one or more of a GPS device and a speedometer and wherein the current position input is received from the GPS device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the means for dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser comprises means for dynamically adjusting the radiated power of the laser, based on the current speed of the vehicle, wherein the current speed of the vehicle is linearly related to the radiated power of the laser such that as the current speed of the vehicle increases, the radiated power increases, and wherein as the current speed of the vehicle decreases, the radiated power decreases.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising means for determining an adjustment for the radiated power of the laser based on one or more calculations using the current speed or the current position of the vehicle as a variable in the one or more calculations.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising means for determining an adjustment for the radiated power of the laser based on correlated radiated power and speed information stored in a memory.

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a first speed of the vehicle will result in a first radiated power of the laser and a second speed of the vehicle that is greater than the first speed will result in a second radiated power of the laser that is greater than the first radiated power.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Raina Manav
• Slobodyanyuk Volodimir

Classifications

• G01S7/489

  Gain of receiver varied automatically during pulse-recurrence period · CPC title

• G01S17/04

  Systems determining the presence of a target · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4911 Primary

  Transmitters · CPC title

• B60W2420/62

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic