LiDAR for vehicle blind spot detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11567210-B2
Application number	US-201916682235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2019
Priority date	Nov 13, 2018
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A system is presented in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the system includes a light source configured to emit light, an emitting lens positioned to obtain the emitted light and configured to produce a shaped beam, an optical element positioned to obtain the shaped beam and redirect the shaped beam toward a near field object to produce scattered light from the near field object, and to obtain and redirect at least a portion of the scattered light, and a collection lens configured to focus the at least the portion of the scattered light on a light detector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a light source configured to emit light;
an emitting lens positioned to obtain the emitted light and configured to produce a shaped beam;
an optical element including a mirror having a rotational axis, the optical element positioned to:
redirect the shaped beam toward a near field object to produce scattered light from the near field object, and
redirect at least a portion of the scattered light; and

a collection lens configured to focus the at least the portion of the scattered light that is reflected from the rotational axis of the optical element on a light detector, the collection lens including a tangential plane,
wherein the emitting lens includes a tangential plane coincident with the rotational axis of the optical element and coincident with the tangential plane of the collection lens.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mirror includes at least one of a prism, a flat mirror, or a wedge mirror.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mirror includes at least one of a mirror with a separation or a collection of mirrors.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a processor; and
a memory including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the system to detect an object based on the portion of the scattered light on the light detector.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the mirror includes a rotating speed, and
wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the system to:
determine a rate of detection; and
determine the rotating speed of the mirror based on at least one of the rate of detection or a field of view.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light source is a linear light source.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light source includes a laser diode array.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light source includes at least one of ultraviolet, visible, or near infrared light.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the light detector includes at least one of a photodiode, a photomultiplier, or an avalanche photodiode array.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the emitting lens includes at least one of a diffractive optical element or an array of lenses.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second light source configured to emit second light;
a second emitting lens positioned to obtain the emitted second light and configured to produce a second shaped beam, wherein the optical element is positioned to obtain the second shaped beam and redirect the second shaped beam toward the near field object to produce second scattered light from the near field object, and to obtain and redirect at least a portion of the second scattered light; and
a second collection lens configured to focus the at least the portion of the second scattered light on a second light detector, the second collection lens including a tangential plane,
wherein the second emitting lens includes a tangential plane coincident with the rotational axis of the optical element and coincident with the tangential plane of the second collection lens.

12. A method comprising:
emitting light from a light source;
producing a shaped beam by an emitting lens positioned to obtain the emitted light;
redirecting, by an optical element, the shaped beam toward a near field object to produce scattered light from the near field object;
redirecting, by the optical element, at least a portion of the scattered light; and
focusing, by a collection lens, the at least the portion of the scattered light that is reflected from a rotational axis of the optical element or the at least the portion of the scattered light that is at an intersection of the optical element and a tangential plane of the collection lens on a light detector.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the optical element includes a mirror having the rotational axis;
the collection lens includes a tangential plane; and
the emitting lens includes a tangential plane coincident with the rotational axis of the optical element and coincident with the tangential plane of the collection lens.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the optical element includes a mirror having the rotational axis;
the collection lens includes a sagittal plane that is at least one of coincident with or parallel to a sagittal plane of the emitting lens;
the collection lens and the emitting lens are distributed on a left side and a right side, respectively, of the rotational axis of the mirror; and
a tangential plane of the emitting lens and the tangential plane of the collection lens are parallel to the rotational axis.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the mirror includes at least one of a mirror with a separation or a collection of mirrors.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the method further includes detecting an object based on the portion of the scattered light on the light detector.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the mirror includes a rotating speed,
the method further comprising:
determining a rate of detection; and
determining the rotating speed of the mirror based on at least one of the rate of detection or a field of view.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the light source is a linear light source.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the light source includes a laser diode array.

20. A system comprising:
a light source configured to emit light;
an emitting lens positioned to obtain the emitted light and configured to produce a shaped beam;
an optical element including a mirror having a rotational axis, the optical element positioned to:
obtain the shaped beam and redirect the shaped beam toward a near field object to produce scattered light from the near field object, and
obtain and redirect at least a portion of the scattered light; and

a collection lens configured to focus the at least the portion of the scattered light that is at an intersection of the optical element and a tangential plane of the collection lens on a light detector,
wherein a sagittal plane of the collection lens and a sagittal plane of the emitting lens are coincident, and
wherein the collection lens and the emitting lens are distributed on a left side and a right side, respectively, of the rotational axis of the mirror.

Assignees

• Nuro Inc

Inventors

• Li Hao
• Zhang Yun

Classifications

• G01S7/4815

  using multiple transmitters · CPC title

• G01S17/02

  Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves (G01S17/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S17/74

  Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe · CPC title

• G01S7/4817

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G01S17/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title