Laser radar apparatus and method of acquiring image thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9791570-B2
Application number	US-201514618230-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2015
Priority date	Feb 12, 2014
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is a laser radar apparatus. The laser radar apparatus includes: a light transmission unit configured to output a laser pulse by using a light source; a light reception unit configured to receive a reflected laser pulse in connection with the laser pulse; and a controller configured to adjust a repetition rate of the laser pulse of the light source, in which the controller adjusts the repetition rate of the laser pulse based on at least one of reception power, a target distance, a movement speed, a vertical angle, and a radiation angle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser radar apparatus, comprising:
a light transmission unit configured to output a laser pulse by using a light source;
a light reception unit configured to receive a reflected laser pulse in connection with the laser pulse; and
a controller configured to adjust a repetition rate of the laser pulse of the light source,
wherein the controller adjusts the repetition rate of the laser pulse based on at least one of reception power, a target distance, a movement speed, a vertical angle, and a radiation angle,
wherein the controller measures the reception power from the reflected laser pulse, and when the reception power is increased, the controller increases the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the reception power is decreased, the controller decreases the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

2. The laser radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller changes the repetition rate of the laser pulse into one form between a linear change and a non-linear change, and the change is one of a continuous increase and a continuous decrease.

3. The laser radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller changes the repetition rate of the laser pulse into one among repetition rates corresponding to a plurality of predetermined stages.

4. The laser radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller outputs an initial laser pulse to a target, receives a laser pulse reflected from the target by the initial laser pulse, and measures the target distance.

5. The laser radar apparatus of claim 4 , wherein when the target distance is shorter than a reference distance, the controller increases the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the target distance is longer than the reference distance, the controller decreases the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

6. A laser radar apparatus, comprising:
a light transmission unit configured to output a laser pulse by using a light source;
a light reception unit configured to receive a reflected laser pulse in connection with the laser pulse; and
a controller configured to adjust a repetition rate of the laser pulse of the light source,
wherein the controller adjusts the repetition rate of the laser pulse based on at least one of reception power, a target distance, a movement speed, a vertical angle, and a radiation angle, and
wherein the controller receives the movement speed of a movement body to which the laser radar apparatus is attached.

7. The laser radar apparatus of claim 6 , wherein when the movement speed is smaller than a reference speed, the controller increases the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the movement speed is larger than the reference speed, the controller decreases the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

8. The laser radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller measures the vertical angle, at which the laser pulse is output, based on a horizontal axis corresponding to a height of a movement body to which the laser radar apparatus is attached.

9. The laser radar apparatus of claim 8 , wherein when the vertical angle is larger than a reference angle, the controller increases the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the vertical angle is smaller than the reference angle, the controller decreases the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

10. The laser radar apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the radiation angle, at which the laser pulse is output, is larger than a reference radiation angle, the controller increases the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the radiation angle is larger than the reference radiation angle, the controller decreases the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

11. The laser radar apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an image acquiring unit configured to reproduce a 3D image by using the reflected laser pulse from the controller.

12. A method of acquiring an image of a laser radar apparatus, comprising:
outputting a laser pulse by using a light source;
receiving a reflected laser pulse in connection with the laser pulse; and
acquiring an image by using the reflected laser pulse,
wherein the outputting of the laser pulse includes adjusting a repetition rate of the laser pulse of the light source based on at least one of reception power, a target distance, a movement speed, a vertical angle, and a radiation angle, and
wherein the adjusting of the laser pulse includes:
measuring the reception power from the reflected laser pulse; and
when the reception power is larger than a reference power, increasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the reception power is smaller than the reference power, decreasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the laser pulse includes changing the repetition rate of the laser pulse into one form between a linear change and a non-linear change, and
the change is one of a continuous increase and a continuous decrease.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the laser pulse includes changing the repetition rate of the laser pulse into one among repetition rates corresponding to a plurality of predetermined stages.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the laser pulse includes:
outputting an initial laser pulse to a target;
receiving a laser pulse reflected from the target by the initial laser pulse, and measuring the target distance; and
when the target distance is shorter than a reference distance, increasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the target distance is longer than the reference distance, decreasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the laser pulse includes:
receiving the movement speed of a movement body to which the laser radar apparatus is attached; and
when the movement speed is smaller than a reference speed, increasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the movement speed is larger than the reference speed, decreasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the laser pulse includes:
measuring the vertical angle, at which the laser pulse is output, based on a horizontal axis corresponding to a height of a movement body to which the laser radar apparatus is attached; and
when the vertical angle is larger than a reference angle, increasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the vertical angle is smaller than the reference angle, decreasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting of the laser pulse includes:
when the radiation angle, at which the laser pulse is output, is larger than a reference radiation angle, increasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse, and when the radiation angle is larger than the reference radiation angle, decreasing the repetition rate of the laser pulse.

Assignees

• Electronics & Telecommunications Res Inst

Inventors

• Seo Hong Seok
• Mheen Bong Ki
• Oh Myoung Sook
• Sim Jae Sik
• Song Jung Ho
• Song Min Hyup

Classifications

• G01S17/10

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

• G01S17/89 Primary

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/484

  Transmitters · CPC title