Patents Assigned to Luminar Technologies, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11774561
    Abstract: Amplifier input protection circuits are described. In one embodiment, a photoreceiver for a lidar system has a photodetector configured to generate an output current in response to received light. A transimpedance amplifier is configured to receive the output current and generate a voltage output corresponding to the output current in response thereto, and a diode circuit has a cathode coupled at a node between the photodetector output and the transimpedance amplifier input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen D. Gaalema, Robert D. Still
  • Patent number: 10845480
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit an optical signal. The light source includes a seed laser diode configured to produce a seed optical signal and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) configured to amplify the seed optical signal to produce an amplified seed optical signal, where the emitted optical signal includes the amplified seed optical signal. The lidar system also includes a scanner configured to direct the emitted optical signal into a field of regard of the lidar system and a receiver configured to detect a portion of the emitted optical signal scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The lidar system further includes a processor configured to determine the distance from the lidar system to the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence Shah, Jason M. Eichenholz, Joseph G. LaChapelle, Alex Michael Sincore, Cheng Zhu
  • Patent number: 10809364
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of determining relative velocity between a vehicle and an object. The method includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors of the vehicle configured to sense an environment by following a scan pattern comprising component scan lines. The method includes obtaining, based on the sensor data, a point cloud frame. Additionally, the method includes identifying a first pixel and a second pixel that are co-located within a field of regard and overlap a point cloud object within the point cloud frame and calculating a difference between a depth associated with the first pixel and a depth associated with the second pixel. The method includes determining a relative velocity of the point cloud object by dividing the difference in depth data by a time difference between when the depth associated with the first pixel was sensed and the depth associated with the second pixel was sensed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tomi P. Maila, Pranav Maheshwari, Benjamin Englard
  • Patent number: 10812745
    Abstract: The bit depth of the pixels in a camera image are reduced. In one embodiment, the number of pixels for each of a set of multiple bit intensity values is counted. A pixel intensity value with a lowest count is selected and a mapping function is generated that combines the pixels with the lowest count with pixels having an adjacent pixel intensity value. This is repeated until a total number of pixel intensity value counts is reduced to a predetermined number. A reduced bit depth image is generated using the predetermined number of pixel intensity value counts by assigning a new pixel intensity value to each of the pixels using the mapping function and the reduced bit depth image is sent to an image analysis system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Richmond Hicks
  • Patent number: 10802120
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit (i) local-oscillator light and (ii) pulses of light, where each emitted pulse of light is coherent with a corresponding portion of the local-oscillator light. The lidar system also includes a receiver configured to detect the local-oscillator light and a received pulse of light, the received pulse of light comprising light from one of the emitted pulses of light that is scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system. The local-oscillator light and the received pulse of light are coherently mixed together at the receiver. The receiver includes one or more detectors configured to produce one or more respective photocurrent signals corresponding to the coherent mixing of the local-oscillator light and the received pulse of light. The receiver also includes a pulse-detection circuit configured to determine a time-of-arrival for the received pulse of light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph G. LaChapelle, Jason M. Eichenholz, Alex Michael Sincore
  • Patent number: 10768304
    Abstract: A method for processing point clouds having variable spatial distributions of scan lines includes receiving a point cloud frame generated by a sensor configured to sense an environment through which a vehicle is moving. The point cloud frame includes scan lines arranged according to a particular spatial distribution. The method also includes either generating an enhanced point cloud frame with a larger number of points than the received point cloud frame, or constructing, by one or more processors and based on points of the received point cloud frame, a three-dimensional mesh. The method also includes generating, by performing an interpolation function on the enhanced point cloud frame or a virtual surface provided by the three-dimensional mesh, a normalized point cloud frame, and generating, using the normalized point cloud frame, signals descriptive of a current state of the environment through which the vehicle is moving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Englard, Eric C. Danziger, Austin K. Russell
  • Patent number: 10754037
    Abstract: A method for processing point clouds having variable spatial distributions of scan lines includes receiving a point cloud portion corresponding to an object in a vehicle environment, the point cloud portion including scan lines arranged according to a particular spatial distribution. The method also includes constructing a voxel grid corresponding to the received point cloud portion. The voxel grid includes a plurality of volumes in a stacked, three-dimensional arrangement, and constructing the voxel grid includes (i) determining an initial classification of the object, (ii) setting one or more parameters of the voxel grid based on the initial classification, and (iii) associating each volume of the plurality of volumes with an attribute specifying how many points, from the point cloud portion, fall within that volume. The method also includes generating, using the constructed voxel grid, signals descriptive of a current state of the environment through which the vehicle is moving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Englard, Eric C. Danziger
  • Patent number: 10732281
    Abstract: A detector system within a lidar receiver is configured to compensate for range walk error by detecting both the rising edge and the falling edge of a received light pulse as the envelope of the received light pulse passes through a particular detection (magnitude) threshold. Detection circuitry within the detector system then determines the center of the received light pulse as the point equidistant in time between the detected rising and falling edges of the received light pulse, and uses the time associated with the center of the received light pulse to determine the range to the target from which the scattered light pulse was received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph G. LaChapelle
  • Patent number: 10720748
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a laser system includes a seed laser diode configured to produce a free-space seed-laser beam and a seed-laser focusing lens configured to focus the seed-laser beam. The laser system also includes a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) that includes a front facet, a back facet, and a waveguide extending from the front facet to the back facet. The SOA is configured to: receive, at the front facet, light from the focused seed-laser beam; amplify the received light as the received light propagates along the SOA waveguide from the front facet to the back facet; and emit, from the back facet, an amplified free-space beam that includes the amplified received light. The laser system further includes a mounting platform, where one or more of the seed laser diode, the seed-laser focusing lens, and the SOA are mechanically attached to the mounting platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Alain Villeneuve, Jason M. Eichenholz, Laurance S. Lingvay
  • Patent number: 10684360
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source configured to emit pulses of light, a scanner configured to direct the pulses of light along a scan direction, and a receiver with a detector configured to detect the pulses of light scattered by remote targets. For a pulse of light emitted by the light source, the receiver is configured to detect the scattered pulse of light returning to the receiver during a ranging time interval between (i) when the pulse of light leaves the lidar system and (ii) when the scattered pulse of light returns from a remote target positioned at a maximum distance RMAX. For at least a portion of the ranging time interval, the lidar system directs the scattered pulse of light toward the active region of the detector at an oblique angle to reduce an amount of light impinging on the active region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Scott R. Campbell
  • Patent number: 10677900
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of detecting object distortion. The method includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors of the vehicle. The one or more sensors are configured to sense an environment through which the vehicle is moving by following a scan pattern. The method also includes obtaining, based on the sensor data, a point cloud frame representative of the environment and identifying a point cloud object within the point cloud frame. Additionally, the method includes analyzing the point cloud object to identify a feature of the point cloud object that has an expected shape and comparing the feature of the point cloud object to the expected shape. The method also includes identifying that the point cloud object is distorted based on the feature of the point cloud object not matching the expected shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Austin K. Russell, Eric C. Danziger
  • Patent number: 10677897
    Abstract: A system includes a lidar, a camera, and a controller communicatively coupled to the camera and the lidar. The lidar includes a laser configured to emit pulses of light, a scanner configured to direct the emitted pulses in accordance with a scan pattern, and a receiver configured to detect the emitted pulse of light scattered by one or more remote targets to collect a set of lidar pixels of a scan frame, in a sequence defined by the scan pattern. The camera has a field of regard that at least partially overlaps the field of regard of the lidar. The controller is configured to cause the camera to capture images while the receiver of the lidar module collects the complete set of lidar pixels of the scan frame, and align lidar pixels with corresponding pixels in the captured images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph G. LaChapelle, Jason M. Eichenholz
  • Patent number: 10663564
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a lighting module configured to (i) select a wavelength from among a plurality of wavelength values, for a particular time period, and (ii) emit light at the selected wavelength. The lighting module emits light at different wavelengths during at least two adjacent periods of time. The lidar system further includes a scanner configured to direct the pulse of light to illuminate a respective region within a field of regard of the lidar system and a receiver module configured to (i) receive a light signal and (ii) determine whether the received light signal includes the light emitted by the lighting module and scattered by a remote target, based at least in part on the wavelength selected by the lighting module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph G. LaChapelle
  • Patent number: 10663585
    Abstract: A technique for manufacturing highly balanced rotatable polygon mirrors for use in scanners includes forming a block having a first wall, a second wall, and reflective surfaces extending between the first and second walls, the surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block. The technique includes applying a coarse balancing procedure to the block, making the surfaces reflective, mating the block to a motor, and applying a precise balancing procedure to the block. The technique also includes imparting rotation to the block and removing material from the block via the first wall using high-energy laser pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: John E. McWhirter
  • Patent number: 10663595
    Abstract: To generate an image that captures a 360-degree horizontal view around a vehicle in a lidar system, four or more lidar sensors may be placed at the four corners of the vehicle. Each lidar sensor is phased 90 degrees apart and synchronously scans a respective 90-degree field of regard. The 90 degree fields of regard from each of the four or more lidar sensors may combine to scan a complete 360-degree field of regard around the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: George C. Curatu
  • Patent number: 10641874
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source, a scanner, and a receiver and is configured to detect remote targets located up to RMAX meters away. The receiver includes a detector with a field of view larger than the light-source field of view. The scanner causes the detector field of view to move relative to the instantaneous light-source field of view along the scan direction, so that (i) when a pulse of light is emitted, the instantaneous light-source field of view is approximately centered within the detector field of view, and (ii) when a scattered pulse of light returns from a target located RMAX meters away, the instantaneous light-source field of view is located near an edge of the field of view of the detector and is contained within the field of view of the detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott R. Campbell, Lane A. Martin, Matthew D. Weed, Jason M. Eichenholz
  • Patent number: 10627512
    Abstract: Lidar return data is fused early with camera information. In one embodiment, a voxel is detected in a frame of a lidar corresponding to an external scene. The voxel is mapped to a patch in a frame of a camera of the external scene corresponding to the voxel. The patch has a plurality of pixels. Each pixel has a plurality of color values. The voxel is augmented with the patch of pixels and the augmented voxel is delivered to a perception engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Richmond Hicks
  • Patent number: 10627495
    Abstract: To decrease the likelihood of a false detection when detecting light from light pulses scattered by remote targets in a lidar system, a receiver in the lidar system includes a photodetector and a pulse-detection circuit having a gain circuit with a varying amount of gain over time. The gain circuit operates in a low-gain mode for a time period T1 beginning with time t0 when a light pulse is emitted to prevent the receiver from detecting return light pulses during the threshold time period T1. Upon expiration of the threshold time period T1, the gain circuit operates in a high-gain mode to begin detecting return light pulses until a subsequent light pulse is emitted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen D. Gaalema, Austin K. Russell, Joseph G. LaChapelle, Scott R. Campbell, Jason M. Eichenholz, Tue Tran
  • Patent number: 10627521
    Abstract: A method for controlling at least a first vehicle sensor includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more vehicle sensors that are configured to sense an environment through which the vehicle is moving, and identifying, based on the received sensor data, one or more current and/or predicted positions of one or more dynamic objects that are currently moving, or are capable of movement, within the environment. The method also includes causing, based on the current and/or predicted positions of the dynamic objects, an area of focus of the first sensor to be adjusted, at least by causing (i) a field of regard of the first sensor, and/or (ii) a spatial distribution of scan lines produced by the first sensor, to be adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Englard, Eric C. Danziger, Austin K. Russell
  • Patent number: 10627516
    Abstract: A method in a lidar system for scanning a field of regard of the lidar system is provided. The method includes identifying, within the field of regard, a ground portion that overlaps a region of ground located ahead of the lidar system; causing a light source to emit pulses of light; scanning at least a portion of the emitted pulses of light along a scan pattern contained within the field of regard, including adjusting a scan parameter so that at least one of a resolution or a pulse energy for the ground portion of the field of regard is modified relative to another portion of the field of regard; and detecting at least a portion of the scanned pulses of light scattered by one or more remote targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason M. Eichenholz