Switchable multi-lens Lidar receiver

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11604264-B2
Application number	US-202117554189-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2021
Priority date	Mar 26, 2021
Publication date	Mar 14, 2023
Grant date	Mar 14, 2023

Abstract

A lidar system comprises a first lens, a second lens, and a switch. The first lens has a first field of view that receives incident light from the first field of view. The second lens has a second field of view that receives incident light from the second field of view, wherein the second field of view is encompassed by and narrower than the first field of view. The switch controls which of the first and second lenses are used for detecting returns from laser pulse shots based on where the laser pulse shots are targeted in a field of view that encompasses the first and second fields of view. The switch may comprise an optical switch or an electronic switch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lidar system comprising:
a first lens having a first field of view that receives incident light from the first field of view;
a second lens having a second field of view that receives incident light from the second field of view, wherein the second field of view is encompassed by and narrower than the first field of view; and
a switch that controls which of the first and second lenses are used for detecting returns from laser pulse shots based on where the laser pulse shots are targeted in a field of view that encompasses the first and second fields of view.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the switch comprises an optical switch.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the optical switch comprises:
a first optical switch that controls whether the first lens is used for detecting a return from a laser pulse shot; and
a second optical switch that controls whether the second lens is used for detecting a return from a laser pulse shot.

4. The system of claim 2 further comprising:
a control circuit that (1) processes a shot list that identifies a plurality of shot coordinates for the laser pulse shots and (2) controls the optical switch based on the shot coordinates.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising:
a photodetector circuit that receives incident light from the first and second lenses via the optical switch; and
wherein the control circuit controls the optical switch so that:
for a return from a laser pulse shot whose shot coordinates are within the first field of view, the optical switch passes incident light to the photodetector circuit from the first lens while blocking incident light from the second lens; and
for a return from a laser pulse shot whose shot coordinates are within the second field of view, the optical switch passes incident light to the photodetector circuit from the second lens while blocking incident light from the first lens.

6. The system of claim 4 further comprising:
a photodetector circuit that receives incident light from the first and second lenses via the optical switch, wherein the photodetector circuit comprises a plurality of pixels for sensing the incident light; and
a memory for storing (1) a first data structure that maps the shot coordinates to corresponding pixels of the photodetector circuit with respect to detecting returns via the first lens and (2) a second data structure that maps the shot coordinates to corresponding pixels of the photodetector circuit with respect to detecting returns via the second lens; and
wherein the control circuit (1) for a return from a laser pulse shot that is to be detected using the first lens, identifies a pixel set of the photodetector circuit to use for sensing incident light corresponding to that return based on the first mapping structure and (2) for a return from a laser pulse shot that is to be detected using the second lens, identifies a pixel set of the photodetector circuit to use for sensing incident light corresponding to that return based on the second mapping structure.

7. The system of claim 6 further comprising:
a readout control buffer for storing a plurality of entries that define control data with respect to detecting returns from the laser pulse shots; and
wherein the control circuit populates the readout control buffer with entries that include optical switch states and the identified pixel sets for detecting each of a plurality of the returns.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein the shot coordinates comprise shot angles.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein the control circuit comprises a receiver control circuit.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a photodetector circuit that receives incident light from the first and second lenses via the optical switch.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising:
a mirror that re-directs light from the first or second lens to the photodetector circuit.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising:
a signal processing circuit that processes a return signal from the photodetector circuit to detect the returns from the laser pulse shots.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a control circuit that (1) processes a shot list that identifies a plurality of shot coordinates for the laser pulse shots and (2) controls the switch based on the shot coordinates.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the switch comprises an electronic switch, the system further comprising:
a first photodetector circuit that (1) receives incident light from the first lens and (2) generates a first return signal based on the received incident light from the first lens;
a second photodetector circuit that (1) receives incident light from the second lens and (2) generates a second return signal based on the received incident light from the second lens; and
wherein the electronic switch controls which of the first and second returns signals are used to detect returns from the laser pulse shots based on where the laser pulse shots are targeted in the field of view.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising:
a control circuit that (1) processes a shot list that identifies a plurality of shot coordinates for the laser pulse shots and (2) controls the electronic switch based on the shot coordinates.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising:
a signal processing circuit that processes the first and second return signals to detect returns from the laser pulse shots;
wherein the control circuit controls the electronic switch so that:
for a return from a laser pulse shot whose shot coordinates are within the first field of view, the electronic switch (1) passes the first return signal to the signal processing circuit while blocking the second return signal; and
for a return from a laser pulse shot whose shot coordinates are within the second field of view, the electronic switch (1) passes the second return signal to the signal processing circuit while blocking the first return signal.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the first photodetector circuit comprises a first plurality of pixels for sensing incident light on the first photodetector circuit, wherein the second photodetector circuit comprises a second plurality of pixels for sensing incident light on the second photodetector circuit, the system further comprising:
a memory for storing (1) a first data structure that maps the shot coordinates to corresponding pixels of the first photodetector circuit with respect to detecting returns via the first lens and (2) a second data structure that maps the shot coordinates to corresponding pixels of the second photodetector circuit with respect to detecting returns via the second lens; and
wherein the control circuit (1) for a return from a laser pulse shot that is to be detected using the first lens, identifies a pixel set of the first photodetector circuit to use for sensing incident light corresponding to that return based on the first mapping structure and (2) for a return from a laser pulse shot that is to be detected using the second lens, identifies a pixel set of the second photodetector circuit to use for sensing incident light corresponding to that return based on the second mapping structure.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising:
a readout control buffer for storing a plurality of entries that define control data with respect to detecting returns from the laser pulse shots; and
wherein the control circuit populates the readout control buffer with entries that include electronic switch states and the identified pixel sets for detecting each of a pl

Assignees

• Aeye Inc

Inventors

• Benscoter Joel
• Dussan Luis
• Steinhardt Allan
• Feru Philippe
• Polishchuk Igor

Classifications

• G01S17/58

  Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems · CPC title

• G01S7/484

  Transmitters · CPC title

• G01S7/4817 Primary

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G01S17/10

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) · CPC title

• G01S7/4816

  of receivers alone · CPC title