Abstract: The invention relates to a device for operating a light source for the optical time-of-flight measurement. The light source operating device includes a light source, which is configured to emit light pulses according to a pulse signal sequence and a monitoring circuit for monitoring a light output emitted by the light source based on a current signal and/or voltage signal of the light source.

Abstract: A method for generating combined scenarios for testing an object detection unit, wherein the method comprises provision of first sensor data of a first scenario and of second sensor data of a second scenario, wherein the first sensor data and the second sensor data in each case are a point cloud comprising a plurality of points, wherein the method further comprises a classification of the respective points of the first sensor data and of the respective points of the second sensor data into relevant or not relevant and merging of the first sensor data and of the second sensor data for obtaining third sensor data of a combined scenario, wherein only relevant points of the first sensor data and relevant points of the second sensor data are merged to form third sensor data of the combined scenario.

Abstract: A method for controlling sensor elements of a LIDAR measuring system, wherein a sensor element is activated and deactivated during a measurement cycle, wherein a measurement process comprises a plurality of measurement cycles, wherein the sensor element is activated at a first time during a first measurement cycle and the same sensor element is activated at a second time during a second measurement cycle.

Abstract: An eye-safe light detection and ranging system includes a virtual protective housing. A short range pulse is emitted at every measurement point in a field of view before conditionally emitting a long range pulse. Short range pulses result in accessible emissions that are eye-safe at short distances and long range pulses result in accessible emissions that are eye-safe at longer distances.

Abstract: The embodiments described herein provide systems and methods that can improve performance in scanning laser devices. Specifically, the systems and methods emit first emission control pulse sets that are used to detect when objects (e.g., persons) are within a relatively close first safety range. Then second emission control pulses to detect when objects are within a second safety range. Then, higher energy long-range pulse sets are conditionally emitted only when objects were not detected within the first and second safety ranges with the first and second emission control pulse sets. The use of first and second emission control pulse sets can provide for improved reliability of nearby object detections, while still meeting the energy limits needed for eye safety.

Abstract: The embodiments described herein provide systems and methods that can facilitate increased detector sensitivity and reliability in a scanning laser device. Specifically, the systems and methods utilize detectors with multiple sensors that are configured to receive reflections of laser light pulses from objects within a scan field. These multiple sensors are configured to receive these reflections through the same optical assembly used to scan the laser light pulses out to the scan field. Furthermore, the multiple sensors are configured to at least partially cancel the effects of back reflections from within the optical assembly itself. The cancellation of the effects of back reflections from within the optical assembly can improve the sensitivity of the detector, particularly for the detection of low energy reflections of laser pulses from within the scan field.

Abstract: Described herein are analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that utilize time-to-digital converters (TDCs) and a histogram block to generate time-correlated histograms from analog signals. In some implementations, the time-to-digital converters determine time intervals for which the analog signal above or below a ramp signal, and the histogram block generates the time-correlated histograms of values using the determined time intervals. Furthermore, in some implementations, the analog-to-digital converters receive the analog signals from photodiodes, such as photo diodes used in Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) devices. In some such applications, the use of time intervals to generate time-correlated histograms may be used to reduce the effects of time jitter.

Abstract: The embodiments described herein provide systems and methods that can improve performance in scanning laser devices. Specifically, the systems and methods emit emission control pulse sets that are used to detect when objects (e.g., persons) are within a relatively close safety range. Then, higher energy long-range pulse sets are conditionally emitted only when objects were not detected within the safety range with the emission control pulse sets. These emission control pulse sets are emitted variable timing and/or variable energy that is determined at least in part on whether previous emission control pulse sets detected an object with the safety range. The use of emission control pulse sets with variable timing and/or variable energy can provide for improved reliability of object detection in a safety range, while still meeting the energy limits needed for eye safety.

Abstract: A method for optical distance measurement, comprising a creation of at least one frame, including determining 3D information of at least one subregion of a measuring region. A time budget for creating the frame is split between a first phase for assessing at least one region of interest, and a second phase for determining 3D information from the at least one region of interest. During the first phase a plurality of measuring pulses is emitted by a transmitting unit, and reflected measuring pulses are received by a receiving unit, wherein 2D information of the measuring region is determined, wherein at least one region of interest is assessed from the 2D information. During the second phase a plurality of measuring pulses is emitted by a transmitting unit, and reflected measuring pulses are received by the receiving unit, wherein 3D information of the at least one region of interest is determined as part of the second phase.

Abstract: A method for optical distance measurement is suggested which comprises executing at least one time-of-flight measurement, wherein a time-of-flight measurement comprises transmitting at least one measuring pulse by means of a transmission unit, reflecting at least one transmitted measuring pulse and receiving at least one reflected measuring pulse by means of a reception unit. The method further comprises generating a backscatter curve based on the time-of-flight measurement and evaluating the backscatter curve for object recognition.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging system includes synchronously scanning transmit and receive mirrors that scan a pulsed fanned laser beam in two dimensions. Imaging optics image a receive aperture onto an arrayed receiver that includes a plurality of light sensitive devices. Adaptive methods dynamically modify the size and location of the field of view as well as laser pulse properties in response to internal and external sensors data.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging system includes synchronously scanning transmit and receive mirrors that scan a pulsed fanned laser beam in two dimensions. Imaging optics image a receive aperture onto an arrayed receiver that includes a plurality of light sensitive devices. Adaptive methods dynamically modify the size and location of the field of view as well as laser pulse properties in response to internal and external sensors data.

Abstract: What is proposed is a method for optically measuring distances, in the case of which a first plurality of measuring pulses is emitted during a first measuring interval by means of a transmitting element of a transmitting unit at first emitting times, and wherein a second plurality of measuring pulses is emitted during a second measuring interval by means of the transmitting element of the transmitting unit at second emitting times. The method comprises the reception of reflected measuring pulses by means of a receiving element of a receiving unit assigned to the transmitting element at receiving times. The method further comprises the determining of a first amount of times-of-flight for each received measuring pulse, wherein the first amount of times-of-flight is determined by using the first emitting times.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging system includes synchronously scanning transmit and receive mirrors that scan a pulsed fanned laser beam in two dimensions. Imaging optics image a receive aperture onto an arrayed receiver that includes a plurality of light sensitive devices. Scanning mirror offsets may be applied to modify a fan angle of the pulsed fanned laser beam. Adaptive methods dynamically modify the size and location of the field of view, laser pulse properties, and/or fan angle in response to internal and external sensors data.

Abstract: Laser light pulses are generated and scanned in a raster pattern in a field of view. The laser light pulses are generated at times that result in structured light patterns and non-structured light patterns. The structured light patterns and non-structured light patterns may be in common frames or different frames. Time-of-flight measurement is performed to produce a first 3D point cloud, and structured light processing is performed to produce a second 3D point cloud.

Abstract: LIDAR measurement system with a LIDAR transmitting unit and a LIDAR receiving unit, which is configured in a focal-plane-array arrangement, wherein the LIDAR receiving unit has a plurality of sensor elements and wherein the LIDAR transmitting unit has a plurality of emitter elements, wherein a plurality of sensor elements form a macrocell, wherein the macrocell is associated with a single emitter element, wherein the distance between two adjacent emitter elements is unequal to an integer multiple of the distance between two adjacent sensor elements.

Abstract: Light signals are converted into first electric signals by a first group of light-receiving elements, and the light signals are additionally converted into second electrical signals by a second group of light-receiving elements. The second group has a lower degree of sensitivity for converting the photons into an electric current than the first group. The first electric signals are used to ascertain the distance to an object by means of a time-correlated photon counting process depending on a starting time for the emission of the light signals. Furthermore, the second electric signals are used to determine the distance depending on the starting time but using a second signal processing different from the process used for the first electric signals.

Abstract: A method for classifying objects which comprises a provision of measuring data from a sensor for a feature extraction unit as well as extraction of modality-independent features from the measuring data by means of the feature extraction unit, wherein the modality-independent features are independent of a sensor modality of the sensor, so that a conclusion to the sensor modality of the sensor is not possible from the modality-independent features.

Abstract: A method for optical distance measurement is suggested, wherein a first distribution of times-of-flight of light of detected photons of transmitted measurement pulses is determined, which is stored in a first memory area of a memory unit. The first distribution of times-of-flight of light is assigned to time intervals of a first plurality of time intervals and frequency portions of the first distribution above a predetermined cut-off frequency are reduced or suppressed by means of a low pass filter in a reduction step, so that a second distribution of times-of-flight of light is generated. The second distribution is assigned to time intervals of a second plurality of time intervals and the blocking frequency of the low pass filter is selected to be smaller than or equal to half of the reciprocal value of a smallest interval width of the second plurality of time intervals.

Abstract: A scanning laser projection system includes a virtual protective housing circuit to automatically reduce accessible emissions of visible laser light by decimating areas of a projected image to reduce optical power exposure levels for safety, comfort, aesthetic, or system classification purposes. IR laser light pulses are scanned in a field of view, and a percentage of visible laser light pulses are blanked based on attributes of reflections of the IR laser light pulses.