Binning and non-binning combination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12000960-B2
Application number	US-202016829778-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2020
Priority date	Sep 26, 2017
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

In some embodiments, a LIDAR system may include at least one processor configured to control at least one light source for projecting light toward a field of view and receive from at least one first sensor first signals associated with light projected by the at least one light source and reflected from an object in the field of view, wherein the light impinging on the at least one first sensor is in a form of a light spot having an outer boundary. The processor may further be configured to receive from at least one second sensor second signals associated with light noise, wherein the at least one second sensor is located outside the outer boundary; determine, based on the second signals received from the at least one second sensor, an indicator of a magnitude of the light noise; and determine, based on the indicator the first signals received from the at least one first sensor and, a distance to the object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A LIDAR system, comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
control at least one LIDAR light source for illuminating a field of view;
receive from a plurality of light detectors a plurality of input signals indicative of reflections of light from objects in the field of view, wherein the plurality of light detectors are arranged in an array, and each of the plurality of input signals is output from a corresponding one of the plurality of light detectors;
process a first subset of the input signals respectively output from a first sub-group of the plurality of light detectors associated with a first region of the field of view to detect a first object in the first region, wherein processing the first subset is performed individually on each input signal of the first subset of the input signals;
process a second subset of the input signals respectively output from a second sub-group of the plurality of light detectors associated with a second region of the field of view to detect at least one second object in the second region, wherein the at least one second object is located at a greater distance from the at least one light source than the first object and wherein processing of the second subset includes processing together input signals of the second subset, wherein the first sub-group of the plurality of light detectors and the second sub-group of the plurality of light detectors are included in the same array of light detectors; and
output information indicative of a distance to the first object and information indicative of a distance to the at least one second object,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive the first subset of the input signals and second subset of the input signals in a time frame associated with a single scanning cycle; and
initially determine that at least some of the second subset of the input signals are associated with insufficient detection information, and thereafter process the second subset by combining at least two input signals of the second subset.

2. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first region of the field of view is associated with a foreground portion of the field of view and the second region of the field of view is associated with a background portion of the field of view.

3. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first region of the field of view and the second region of the field of view are spatially separated.

4. The LIDAR system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the at least one LIDAR light source to illuminate the first region of the field of view in a first illumination level and to illuminate the second region of the field of view in a second illumination level lower than the first illumination level.

5. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first region of the field of view and the second region of the field of view at least partially overlap.

6. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein a same group of detectors generate the first subset of the input signals and second subset of the input signals.

7. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein a size of at least one of the first region and the second region is predefined.

8. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to dynamically define a size of the second region.

9. The LIDAR system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to dynamically define the size of second region based on at least one of ambient lighting conditions, object reflectivity, noise levels, vehicle speed, and driving environment.

10. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to initially process the second subset of input signals by analyzing the input signals of the second subset individually, and when no object is definitively detected, process the second subset by combining at least two input signals of the second subset.

11. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause illumination of the field of view by moving at least one light deflector in a scanning cycle to deflect light from the at least one light source such that during the scanning cycle the at least one light deflector is moved through a plurality of different instantaneous positions.

12. The LIDAR system of claim 11 , wherein for each particular instantaneous position of the at least one light deflector, a sensor including the group of light detectors is configured to generate a portion of the plurality of input signals, each of the input signals being associated with an output of a corresponding pixel of the sensor.

13. The LIDAR system of claim 11 , wherein first and second subsets of the input signals are received during the scanning cycle.

Assignees

• Innoviz Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Yeruhami Oded
• Steinberg Amit
• Osiroff Nir
• Eshel Ronen

Classifications

• G01S7/4817 Primary

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• B60S1/02

  Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices {(wind deflectors specially adapted for preventing soiling of windows or windscreens B60J1/2002)} · CPC title

• B81B3/0018

  Structures acting upon the moving or flexible element for transforming energy into mechanical movement or vice versa, i.e. actuators, sensors, generators · CPC title

• G01H1/00

  Measuring {characteristics of} vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector (G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S7/4802

  using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section · CPC title