Detection apparatus, detection system, detection method, and movable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11237252-B2
Application number	US-201815885174-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2018
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A detection apparatus includes an emission component, a receiver, and a controller electrically connected with the emission component and the receiver. The emission component includes an emitter configured to emit a signal, a reflector disposed in proximity to the emitter and configured to reflect the signal emitted by the emitter, and a driver connected to the reflector. The controller is configured to control the driver to drive the reflector to rotate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A detection apparatus comprising:
an emission component comprising:
an emitter configured to emit a signal;
a reflector disposed in proximity to the emitter and configured to reflect the signal emitted by the emitter; and
a driver connected to the reflector;

a controller electrically connected with the emission component and configured to control the driver to drive the reflector to rotate with respect to the emitter to emit the signal to different directions; and
a receiver electrically connected with the controller and configured to receive a reflected signal from an obstacle, the receiver including:
a photodiode configured to receive a reflected signal and convert the reflected signal into an electrical signal; and
a receiving lens including a collimating lens disposed over the photodiode;

wherein:
the reflected light passes through the collimating lens and then directly impinges onto the photodiode;
the detection apparatus is mounted to a device body of a movable device via a driving member, the driving member being disposed at the device body, and the movable device including a propulsion device extending from the device body and configured to provide power for propelling the movable device;
the driver is configured to drive the reflector to rotate with respect to the emitter around a roll axis of the movable device and a pitch axis of the movable device;
the driving member is configured to drive the detection apparatus to rotate around a yaw axis of the movable device;
in response to the obstacle being in a first direction range, the driving member is configured to drive the detection apparatus to rotate around the yaw axis of the movable device while the driver of the emission component is configured to not to drive the reflector to rotate; and
in response to the obstacle being in a second direction range, the driver of the emission component is configured to drive the reflector to rotate about the roll axis of the movable device or the pitch axis of the movable device.

2. The detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the emitter comprises a laser emitter and the signal comprises a laser signal.

3. The detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the emitter comprises an emission head.

4. The detection apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the emitter further comprises an emission lens connected to the emission head.

5. The detection apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the emission head comprises a laser emission head and the emission lens comprises a collimating lens.

6. The detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the driver comprises a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) driver.

7. The detection apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a modulator configured to perform an amplitude modulation on the signal emitted by the emitter.

8. The detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the detection apparatus is mounted to an upper surface of the device body of the movable device via the driving member.

9. A movable device comprising:
a device body;
a control device carried by the device body and configured to control an operation of the movable device;
a propulsion device extending from the device body and configured to provide power for propelling the movable device;
a driving member disposed at the device body; and
a detection apparatus mounted to the device body via the driving member, the detection apparatus comprising:
an emission component comprising:
an emitter configured to emit a signal;
a reflector disposed in proximity to the emitter and configured to reflect the signal emitted by the emitter; and
a driver connected to the reflector and configured to drive the reflector to rotate with respect to the emitter around a roll axis of the movable device and a pitch axis of the movable device, to emit the signal to different directions; and

a receiver configured to receive a reflected signal from an obstacle, the receiver including:
a photodiode configured to receive a reflected signal and convert the reflected signal into an electrical signal; and
a receiving lens including a collimating lens disposed over the photodiode;

wherein:
the driving member is configured to drive the detection apparatus to rotate around a yaw axis of the movable device;
the reflected light passes through the collimating lens and then directly impinges onto the photodiode; and
the control device is further configured to:
in response to the obstacle being in a first direction range, control the driving member to drive the detection apparatus to rotate around the yaw axis of the movable device while controlling the driver of the emission component not to drive the reflector to rotate; and
in response to the obstacle being in a second direction range, control the driver of the emission component to drive the reflector to rotate about the roll axis of the movable device or the pitch axis of the movable device.

10. The movable device of claim 9 , wherein the emitter comprises a laser emitter and the signal comprises a laser signal.

11. The movable device of claim 9 , wherein the emitter comprises an emission head.

12. The movable device of claim 11 , wherein the emitter further comprises an emission lens connected to the emission head.

13. The movable device of claim 12 , wherein the emission head comprises a laser emission head and the emission lens comprises a collimating lens.

14. The movable device of claim 9 , wherein the driver comprises a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) driver.

15. The movable device of claim 9 , wherein the detection apparatus further comprises:
a modulator configured to perform an amplitude modulation on the signal emitted by the emitter.

16. A movable device comprising:
a device body;
a control device carried by the device body and configured to control an operation of the movable device;
a propulsion device extending from the device body and configured to provide power for propelling the movable device;
a driving member disposed at the device body; and
a detection apparatus mounted to the device body via the driving member, the detection apparatus including:
an emission component comprising:
an emitter configured to emit a signal;
a reflector disposed in proximity to the emitter and configured to reflect the signal emitted by the emitter; and
a driver connected to the reflector and configured to drive the reflector to rotate; and

a receiver configured to receive a reflected signal from an obstacle;

wherein the control device is further configured to:
in response to the obstacle being in a first direction range, control the driver of the emission component to drive the reflector to rotate about a first axis of the movable device or a second axis of the movable device; and
in response to the obstacle being in a second direction range, control the driving member to drive the detection apparatus to rotate around a third axis of the movable device while controlling the driver of the emission component not to drive the reflector to rotate.

Assignees

• Sz Dji Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Xie Jiebin
• Ren Wei
• Ma Weisi
• Zhou Guyue

Classifications

• G01S17/89 Primary

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/4817 Primary

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G01S17/933

  of aircraft or spacecraft · CPC title

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title