Systems and methods for LIDARs with adjustable resolution and failsafe operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10942244-B2
Application number	US-201715839677-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2017
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods operable to provide point cloud information about an environment based on reconfigurable spatial light emission patterns and reconfigurable light detector arrangements that correspond to the light emission patterns. Additionally, a LIDAR device with a plurality of light emitters and photodetectors may be operated in a first mode of operation or a second mode of operation. The first mode of operation could be a normal mode of operation. The second mode of operation could be a failsafe mode of operation that is used when a fault condition is detected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a housing configured to rotate about a rotational axis;
a transmit assembly, wherein the transmit assembly comprises:
a first set of light-emitter devices and a second set of light-emitter devices, wherein the light-emitter devices are operable to emit light pulses, wherein a portion of the light pulses interact with an environment of the system to provide reflected light pulses;

a receive assembly wherein the receive assembly comprises:
a first set of light-detecting devices and a second set of light-detecting devices, wherein the light-detecting devices are operable to detect the reflected light pulses, wherein the transmit assembly and the receive assembly are coupled to the housing;

a first power supply configured to provide power to at least the first set of light-emitter devices and the first set of light-detecting devices;
a second power supply configured to provide power to at least the second set of light-emitter devices and the second set of light-detecting devices; and
a controller comprising at least one processor and a memory, wherein the at least one processor executes program instructions stored in the memory so as to carry out operations, the operations comprising:
operating the system according to a first mode of operation, wherein the first mode of operation comprises:
causing the first set of light-emitter devices and the second set of light-emitter devices to emit light pulses into the environment;
causing the first set of light-detecting devices and the second set of light-detecting devices to obtain respective first and second reflected light data, by detecting at least a portion of the light pulses emitted into the environment;
forming point cloud data based on the first reflected light data and the second reflected light data; and
determining a fault condition based on receiving information indicative of a malfunction of at least one of: the first set of light-emitter devices, the second set of light-emitter devices, the first set of light-detecting devices, the second set of light-detecting devices, the first power supply, or the second power supply; and

in response to determining the fault condition, operating the system in a second mode of operation, wherein the second mode of operation comprises:
causing either the first set of light-emitter devices or the second set of light-emitter devices to emit light pulses into the environment;
causing a corresponding set of light-detecting devices to obtain coarse reflected light data, by detecting at least a portion of the light pulses emitted into the environment; and
forming coarse point cloud data based on the coarse reflected light data.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system provides point cloud data to an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, wherein the second mode of operation comprises at least one of:
causing the vehicle to move to a maintenance location;
causing the vehicle to move out of a traffic lane;
causing the vehicle to reduce speed; or
causing the vehicle to increase a following distance.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coarse point cloud data comprises reduced resolution data about the environment.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
in response to determining the fault condition, causing either the first set of light-emitter devices or the second set of light-emitter devices to provide light pulses at an increased pulse frequency, wherein the light-emitter devices provide light pulses at a first pulse frequency during the first mode of operation, wherein the increased pulse frequency is at least two times the first pulse frequency.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first set of light-emitter devices and the first set of light-detecting devices are arranged along a first substrate, wherein the second set of light-emitter devices and the second set of light-detecting devices are arranged along a second substrate.

6. A method comprising:
operating a LIDAR system according to a first mode of operation, wherein the first mode of operation comprises:
causing a first set of light-emitter devices and a second set of light-emitter devices to emit light pulses into an environment;
causing a first set of light-detecting devices and a second set of light-detecting devices to obtain respective first and second reflected light data, by detecting at least a portion of the light pulses emitted into the environment;
forming point cloud data based on the first reflected light data and the second reflected light data; and
determining a fault condition based on receiving information indicative of a malfunction of at least one of: the first set of light-emitter devices, the second set of light-emitter devices, the first set of light-detecting devices, the second set of light-detecting devices, a first power supply, or a second power supply, wherein the first power supply provides power to at least the first set of light-emitter devices and the first set of light-detecting devices, wherein the second power supply provides power to at least the second set of light-emitter devices and the second set of light-detecting devices; and

in response to determining the fault condition, operating the LIDAR system in a second mode of operation, wherein the second mode of operation comprises:
causing either the first set of light-emitter devices or the second set of light-emitter devices to emit light pulses into the environment;
causing a corresponding set of light-detecting devices to obtain coarse reflected light data, by detecting at least a portion of the light pulses emitted into the environment; and
forming coarse point cloud data based on the coarse reflected light data.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
providing the point cloud data to an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle; and
in response to determining the fault condition, causing the vehicle to perform at least one of:
moving to a maintenance location;
moving out of a traffic lane;
reducing speed; or
increasing a following distance.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the coarse point cloud data comprises reduced resolution data about the environment.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
in response to determining the fault condition, causing either the first set of light-emitter devices or the second set of light-emitter devices to provide light pulses at an increased pulse frequency, wherein the light-emitter devices provide light pulses at a first pulse frequency during the first mode of operation, wherein the increased pulse frequency is at least two times the first pulse frequency.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first set of light-emitter devices and the first set of light-detecting devices are arranged along a first substrate, wherein the second set of light-emitter devices and the second set of light-detecting devices are arranged along a second substrate.

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Droz Pierre-Yves

Classifications

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S17/86

  Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders · CPC title

• G01S7/483

  Details of pulse systems · CPC title

• G01S17/89 Primary

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/4815

  using multiple transmitters · CPC title