Abstract: A lidar sensor including a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, a protective window, a housing, and a deflecting unit. The transmitting unit generates laser beams during respective measuring processes and emits them into an environment of the lidar sensor, the receiving unit includes at least a first light-sensitive region and a second light-sensitive region, and is configured to receive, within a first time period after the start of the emission of a particular laser beam, reflected portions of the particular laser beam within the first light-sensitive region and, within a second time period, to receive reflected portions of the particular laser beam within the second light-sensitive region.

Abstract: A method for operating a LIDAR device by a control unit is provided. At least one beam pulse is emitted into a sampling range by a beam source, and beams that are reflected and/or back-scattered from the sampling range are received by a detector that includes multiple single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) cells, and converted into electrical counting pulses. The at least one beam pulse is generated with a lengthened falling intensity edge, and the detector is read out by a DC-coupled readout electronics system. Moreover, a control unit and a LIDAR device are provided.

Abstract: A lidar sensor. The lidar sensor includes a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, a protective window, a housing, and an evaluation unit. The transmitting unit generates a laser pulse which is emitted into an environment, the receiving unit receives through the protective window portions of the emitted laser pulse reflected in the environment, and generates a signal corresponding to the reflected portions of the laser pulse. The evaluation unit puts the receiving unit into a first receiving mode before receiving partial reflections of a particular laser pulse, which are caused within the lidar sensor by the protective window, puts the receiving unit into a second receiving mode at a predefined time interval from the emission of the laser pulse, receives the generated signal, and distinguishes first signal components generated by partial reflections on the protective window from second signal components generated by reflections on objects in the environment.

Abstract: A method for voltage stabilization of one or more groups of single photon avalanche diodes of a photodetector, wherein a digitizer is connected downstream of each diode. The method includes: detecting one or more signals of a signal path of the photodetector, which signal path comprises the diodes and the digitizers, with the same blocking voltage applied to the diodes; ascertaining a particular amplitude spectrum of the one or more detected signals; ascertaining a particular local minimum of the ascertained amplitude spectrum or spectra; controlling the applied blocking voltage based on the ascertained local minimum or minima.

Abstract: A method for determining a distance of an object with the aid of an optical detection apparatus and such an apparatus are described. A light signal pulse is emitted and reflected at the object, and is received as an echo light signal pulse. The echo light signal pulse is divided upon reception into temporally successive discrete reception time windows and converted into corresponding electrical energy. The end of the respective conversion is in each case assigned as the sampling time to the corresponding time window. The electrical energies of the time windows are compared in each case with a threshold value. As soon as the electrical energy of a first reference reception time window is greater than the threshold value, a linear interpolation of the temporal profile of the discrete electrical reception signal is carried out temporally before the sampling time of the first reference time window.

Abstract: The invention relates to a control circuit (50) for pulsed control of a light-emitting means (52), in particular an LED or a laser diode (52), having a switched-mode power supply unit (54) with a first switch (64) arranged in a primary circuit of the switched-mode power supply unit (54), wherein the switched-mode power supply unit (54) has a primary-side connector (62) for connection to a supply voltage, a secondary-side connector (67) for supplying the light-emitting means (52) and a switching input (65) for operating the first switch (64), having a storage capacitor (68) arranged between the secondary-side connector (67) and a ground (66), having a second switch (70) arranged in a current path (71) in parallel with the storage capacitor (68), wherein the light-emitting means (52) is positionable in the current path (71), and having a control unit (72) to control the first and the second switch (64, 70), wherein the control unit (72) is designed to operate the first switch (64) in order to induce at least on

Abstract: An emitting device (26) for a scanning optical detection system of a vehicle for monitoring at least one monitoring region (14) for objects is described, having at least one light source (40a, 40b) for generating at least one optical emission signal (32a, 32b) and having at least one diffraction unit (50a, 50b), which has a diffractive effect on the at least one emission signal (32a, 32b), for controlling at least one beam direction (66a, 66b) of the at least one emission signal (32a, 32b). At least one diffraction unit (50a, 50b) which is settable to set the beam directions (66a, 66b) associated with the respective signal paths (41a, 41b), is arranged in at least two different signal paths (41a, 41b) of one emission signal or various emission signals (32a, 32b).

Abstract: The invention relates to a computing device (9) for a lidar sensor apparatus (2) for a motor vehicle (1), wherein the computing device (9) has a measurement data interface for receiving measurement data from the lidar sensor device and is configured to ascertain a distance (d) of the object (7) from the lidar sensor apparatus (2) using a time-of-flight measurement for the detected reflected light component (8) or using a phase difference measurement between the scanning light (5) and the detected reflected light component (8), wherein the computing device (9) has a data interface (10) and is configured to automatically utilize the time-of-flight measurement or the phase difference measurement for ascertaining the distance (d) in dependence on at least one driving situation parameter provided via the data interface (10) in order to improve a distance measurement that is to be performed by the lidar sensor apparatus (2).

Abstract: A method for operating a LIDAR device by a control unit is provided. At least one beam pulse is emitted into a sampling range by a beam source, and beams that are reflected and/or back-scattered from the sampling range are received by a detector that includes multiple SPAD cells, and converted into electrical counting pulses. The at least one beam pulse is generated with a lengthened falling intensity edge, and the detector is read out by a DC-coupled readout electronics system. Moreover, a control unit and a LIDAR device are provided.

Abstract: A laser emission apparatus for a LiDAR-based surround sensor for use in a vehicle includes a laser light source for generating pulsed laser beams, a laser beam splitting unit that produces, from the pulsed laser beams, pulsed individual beams that are arranged in a horizontal plane and are aligned distributed with a uniform angular distance in a specified angular range, and a movable diversion mirror pivotable both about a horizontal axis and also about a vertical axis to divert the pulsed individual beams into a two-dimensional emission region. The diversion mirror is pivotable about the vertical axis within an angular range to cause the angular distance between adjacent pulsed individual beams to be covered by the diversion of the pulsed individual beams. Also disclosed is a LiDAR-based surround sensor for use in a vehicle with a laser emission apparatus and a reception unit.

Abstract: A method for determining a distance of an object with the aid of an optical detection apparatus and such an apparatus are described. A light signal pulse is emitted and reflected at the object, and is received as an echo light signal pulse. The echo light signal pulse is divided upon reception into temporally successive discrete reception time windows and converted into corresponding electrical energy. The end of the respective conversion is in each case assigned as the sampling time to the corresponding time window. The electrical energies of the time windows are compared in each case with a threshold value. As soon as the electrical energy of a first reference reception time window is greater than the threshold value, a linear interpolation of the temporal profile of the discrete electrical reception signal is carried out temporally before the sampling time of the first reference time window.

Abstract: The invention relates to a control circuit (50) for pulsed control of a light-emitting means (52), in particular an LED or a laser diode (52), having a switched-mode power supply unit (54) with a first switch (64) arranged in a primary circuit of the switched-mode power supply unit (54), wherein the switched-mode power supply unit (54) has a primary-side connector (62) for connection to a supply voltage, a secondary-side connector (67) for supplying the light-emitting means (52) and a switching input (65) for operating the first switch (64), having a storage capacitor (68) arranged between the secondary-side connector (67) and a ground (66), having a second switch (70) arranged in a current path (71) in parallel with the storage capacitor (68), wherein the light-emitting means (52) is positionable in the current path (71), and having a control unit (72) to control the first and the second switch (64, 70), wherein the control unit (72) is designed to operate the first switch (64) in order to induce at least on

Abstract: An emitting device (26) for a scanning optical detection system of a vehicle for monitoring at least one monitoring region (14) for objects is described, having at least one light source (40a, 40b) for generating at least one optical emission signal (32a, 32b) and having at least one diffraction unit (50a, 50b), which has a diffractive effect on the at least one emission signal (32a, 32b), for controlling at least one beam direction (66a, 66b) of the at least one emission signal (32a, 32b). At least one diffraction unit (50a, 50b) which is settable to set the beam directions (66a, 66b) associated with the respective signal paths (41a, 41b), is arranged in at least two different signal paths (41a, 41b) of one emission signal or various emission signals (32a, 32b).