Scanning optoelectronic detection device having a detection threshold, motor vehicle and corresponding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9864047-B2
Application number	US-201314441035-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2013
Priority date	Nov 8, 2012
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a scanning optoelectronic detection device ( 7 ), in particular laser scanner, for a motor vehicle, comprising an optical emitter for emitting electromagnetic beams, comprising an optical receiver ( 10 ) for receiving beams ( 9 ) reflected at a target object in surroundings of the motor vehicle and for providing an electrical reception signal ( 19 ) depending on the received beams ( 9 ), and comprising an evaluation device ( 25 ) for detecting the target object depending on the electrical reception signal ( 19 ), wherein the emitter is designed to emit a respective emission beam for a multiplicity of different scanning angles within an entire scanning angle range, and wherein the evaluation device ( 25 ) is designed, for each scanning angle, to compare the reception signal ( 19 ) with a detection threshold and to detect the target object depending on the comparison, wherein the detection threshold is an angle-dependent threshold value function which has mutually different threshold values for the reception signal ( 19 ) for at least two different scanning angles of the emitter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A scanning optoelectronic detection device comprising a laser scanner, for a motor vehicle, comprising:
an optical emitter for emitting electromagnetic beams, comprising an optical receiver for receiving beams reflected at a target object in surroundings of the motor vehicle and for providing an electrical reception signal depending on the received beams; and
an evaluation device for detecting the target object depending on the electrical reception signal, wherein the emitter is designed to emit a respective emission beam for a multiplicity of different scanning angles within an entire scanning angle range, and wherein the evaluation device is configured, for each scanning angle, to compare the reception signal with a detection threshold and to detect the target object depending on the comparison,
wherein a control device receives a current scanning angle from an angle encoder and the detection threshold is an angle-dependent threshold value function which has mutually different threshold values for the reception signal for at least two different scanning angles of the emitter determined by the angle encoder.

2. The detection device according to claim 1 , wherein a profile of the threshold value function corresponds to a profile of an angle-dependent sensitivity function of the receiver which indicates a sensitivity of the receiver for different scanning angles.

3. The detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the evaluation device is configured, within a first time interval after emission of an emission beam by the emitter, to compare the electrical reception signal with a first detection threshold provided for a close-range measurement and, within a second time interval following the first time interval, to compare the electrical reception signal with a second detection threshold provided for a long-range measurement, and wherein the first detection threshold is the angle-dependent threshold value function.

4. The detection device according to claim 3 , wherein exclusively the first detection threshold is an angle-dependent threshold value function.

5. The detection device according to claim 3 , wherein the first and second detection thresholds are both an angle-dependent threshold value function.

6. The detection device according to claim 3 , wherein the evaluation device is designed exclusively for a subset of the scanning angles comprising every n-th scanning angle, to apply the first and second detection threshold, and wherein for remaining scanning angles, to apply exclusively the second detection threshold both to the close-range measurement and to the long-range measurement, wherein n is an integer from a value range of 2 to 10.

7. A motor vehicle comprising the detection device according to claim 1 .

8. A method for operating a scanning optoelectronic detection device comprising a laser scanner, of a motor vehicle, the method comprising:
emitting electromagnetic beams by an optical emitter;
receiving, by an optical receiver, beams reflected at a target object in surroundings of the motor vehicle;
providing an electrical reception signal depending on the received beams;
detecting, by an evaluation device, the target object based on the electrical reception signal, wherein the emitter emits a respective emission beam for a multiplicity of different scanning angles within an entire scanning angle range; and
comparing, by the evaluation device and for each scanning angle, the reception signal with a detection threshold and detecting the target object based on the comparison,
wherein a control device receives a current scanning angle from an angle encoder and an angle-dependent threshold value function is predefined as the detection threshold, in the case of which threshold value function mutually different threshold values for the reception signal are predefined for at least two different scanning angles of the emitter determined by the angle encoder.

Assignees

• Valeo Schalter & Sensoren Gmbh

Inventors

• Koehler Michael
• Berger Patrick

Classifications

• G01S17/04

  Systems determining the presence of a target · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/497

  Means for monitoring or calibrating · CPC title

• G01S7/4817 Primary

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G01S7/4808 Primary

  Evaluating distance, position or velocity data · CPC title