Devices and methods for a LIDAR platform with a shared transmit/receive path

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE48042-E
Application number	US-201815919479-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Mar 13, 2018
Priority date	Aug 20, 2013
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A LIDAR device may transmit light pulses originating from one or more light sources and may receive reflected light pulses that are then detected by one or more detectors. The LIDAR device may include a lens that both (i) collimates the light from the one or more light sources to provide collimated light for transmission into an environment of the LIDAR device and (ii) focuses the reflected light onto the one or more detectors. The lens may define a curved focal surface in a transmit path of the light from the one or more light sources and a curved focal surface in a receive path of the one or more detectors. The one or more light sources may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the transmit path. The one or more detectors may be arranged along the curved focal surface in the receive path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, comprising:
a lens mounted to a housing, wherein the housing is configured to rotate about an axis and has an interior space that includes a transmit block, a receive block, a transmit path, and a receive path, wherein the transmit block has an exit aperture, wherein the receive block has an entrance aperture, wherein the transmit path extends from the exit aperture to the lens, wherein the receive path extends from the lens to the entrance aperture, and wherein the transmit path at least partially overlaps the receive path in the interior space between the transmit block and the receive block;
a plurality of light sources in the transmit block, wherein the plurality of light sources are configured to emit a plurality of light beams through the exit aperture in a plurality of different directions, the light beams comprising light having wavelengths in a wavelength range;
a plurality of detectors in the receive block, wherein the plurality of detectors are configured to detect light having wavelengths in the wavelength range; and
wherein the lens is configured to receive the light beams via the transmit path, collimate the light beams for transmission into an environment of the LIDAR device, collect light comprising light from one or more of the collimated light beams reflected by one or more objects in the environment of the LIDAR device, and focus the collected light onto the detectors via the receive path.

2. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein each detector in the plurality of detectors is associated with a corresponding light source in the plurality of light sources, and wherein the lens is configured to focus onto each detector a respective portion of the collected light that comprises light from the detector's corresponding light source.

3. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein the exit aperture is in a wall that comprises a reflective surface.

4. The LIDAR device of claim 3 , wherein the receive path extends from the lens to the entrance aperture via the reflective surface.

5. The LIDAR device of claim 3 , wherein the wall comprises a transparent material, the reflective surface covers a portion of the transparent material, and the exit aperture corresponds to a portion of the transparent material that is not covered by the reflective surface.

6. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein the lens defines a curved focal surface in the transmit block and a curved focal surface in the receive block.

7. The LIDAR device of claim 6 , wherein the light sources in the plurality of light sources are arranged in a pattern substantially corresponding to the curved focal surface in the transmit block, and wherein the detectors in the plurality of detectors are arranged in a pattern substantially corresponding to the curved focal surface in the receive block.

8. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein the lens has an aspheric surface and a toroidal surface.

9. The LIDAR device of claim 8 , wherein the toroidal surface is in the interior space within the housing and the aspheric surface is outside of the housing.

10. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein the axis is substantially vertical housing is configured to rotate about an axis.

11. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , further comprising a mirror in the transmit block, wherein the mirror is configured to reflect the light beams toward the exit aperture.

12. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein the receive block comprises a sealed environment containing an inert gas.

13. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein the entrance aperture comprises a material that passes light having wavelengths in the wavelength range and attenuates light having other wavelengths filtering window.

14. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein each light source in the plurality of light sources comprises a respective laser diode.

15. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , wherein each detector in the plurality of detectors comprises a respective avalanche photodiode.

16. A method comprising:
rotating a housing ofoperating a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device about an axiscomprising a housing, wherein the housing mounts a lens and has an interior space that includes a transmit block, a receive block, a transmit path, and a receive path, wherein the transmit block has an exit aperture, wherein the receive block has an entrance aperture, wherein the transmit path extends from the exit aperture to the lens, wherein the receive path extends from the lens to the entrance aperture, and wherein the transmit path at least partially overlaps the receive path in the interior space between the transmit block and the receive block;, wherein operating the LIDAR device comprises:
emitting, by a plurality of light sources in the transmit block, a plurality of light beams through the exit aperture in a plurality of different directions, the light beams comprising light having wavelengths in a wavelength range;
receiving, by the lens, the light beams via the transmit path;
collimating, by the lens, the light beams for transmission into an environment of the LIDAR device;
collecting, by the lens, light from one or more of the collimated light beams reflected by one or more objects in the environment of the LIDAR device;
focusing, by the lens, the collected light onto a plurality of detectors in the receive block via the receive path; and
detecting, by the plurality of detectors in the receive block, light from the focused light having wavelengths in the wavelength range.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein each detector in the plurality of detectors is associated with a corresponding light source in the plurality of light sources, the method further comprising wherein operating the LIDAR device further comprises:
focusing onto each detector, by the lens, a respective portion of the collected light that comprises light from the detector's corresponding light source.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the exit aperture is in a wall that comprises a reflective surface, and wherein the receive path extends from the lens to the entrance aperture via the reflective surface, further comprising wherein operating the LIDAR device further comprises:
reflecting, by the reflective surface, the collected light that is focused by the lens onto the plurality of detectors in the receive block via the receive path.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising wherein operating the LIDAR device further comrpises:
reflecting, by a mirror in the transmit block, the emitted light beams toward the exit aperture.

20. The LIDAR device of claim 10, wherein the axis is substantially vertical.

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Pennecot Gaetan
• Droz Pierre-Yves
• Ulrich Drew Eugene
• Gruver Daniel
• Morriss Zachary
• Levandowski Anthony

Classifications

• G01S7/4815

  using multiple transmitters · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/4813 Primary

  Housing arrangements · CPC title

• G01S7/4816

  of receivers alone · CPC title

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title