Array of Light Detectors with Corresponding Array of Optical Elements
Example embodiments relate to arrays of light detectors with a corresponding array of optical elements. An example embodiment includes a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system. The LIDAR system includes an array of light detectors. The LIDAR system also includes a shared imaging optic. Further, the LIDAR system includes an array of optical elements positioned between the shared imaging optic and the array of light detectors. Each light detector in the array of light detectors is configured to detect a respective light signal from a respective region of a scene. Each respective light signal is transmitted via the shared imaging optic and modified by a respective optical element in the array of optical elements based on at least one aspect of the scene.
The present application is a continuation application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/133,231, filed Sep. 17, 2018, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUNDUnless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Vehicles can be configured to operate in an autonomous mode in which the vehicle navigates through an environment with little or no input from a driver. Such autonomous vehicles can include one or more sensors that are configured to detect information about the environment in which the vehicle operates.
Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) devices may estimate distances to objects in a given environment. For example, an emitter subsystem of a LIDAR system may emit near-infrared light pulses, which may interact with objects in the LIDAR system's environment. At least a portion of the light pulses may be redirected back toward the LIDAR (e.g., due to reflection or scattering) and detected by a receiver subsystem. Conventional receiver subsystems may include a plurality of detectors and a corresponding controller configured to determine an arrival time of the respective light pulses with high temporal resolution (e.g., ˜400 ps). The distance between the LIDAR system and a given object may be determined based on a time of flight of the corresponding light pulses that interact with the given object.
SUMMARYThe disclosure relates to an array of light detectors with a corresponding array of optical elements. In some embodiments, the array of light detectors and the corresponding array of optical elements may be components within a LIDAR system (e.g., used for object detection and avoidance within a computer vision system). Such a LIDAR system may include a shared lens, for example, where light signals directed toward light detectors in the array of light detectors first passes through the shared lens. The array of optical elements may alter (e.g., using a filter, a lens, a mirror, an aperture, etc.) individual light signal paths behind the shared lens such that only a single light path corresponding to a single light detector in the array of light detectors is altered. Using such a technique, the light path for each light detector in the array of light detectors can be individually and/or uniquely altered. Such alterations can be based on respective regions within a scene of the LIDAR system. For example, individual light signals may be modified to have different divergences, polarizations, intensities, etc. based on a region of the scene from which a respective light detector receives reflections (e.g., based on a distance between the respective region of the scene and the respective light detector).
In one aspect, a LIDAR system is provided. The LIDAR system includes an array of light detectors. The LIDAR system also includes a shared imaging optic. Further, the LIDAR system includes an array of optical elements positioned between the shared imaging optic and the array of light detectors. Each light detector in the array of light detectors is configured to detect a respective light signal from a respective region of a scene. Each respective light signal is transmitted via the shared imaging optic and modified by a respective optical element in the array of optical elements based on at least one aspect of the scene.
In another aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a shared imaging optic of a LIDAR system, a light signal from a respective region of a scene. The method also includes transmitting, by the shared imaging optic, the light signal to an optical element of an array of optical elements of the LIDAR system. Further, the method includes modifying, by the optical element of the array of optical elements, the light signal based on at least one aspect of the scene. In addition, the method includes detecting, by a light detector of an array of light detectors of the LIDAR system, the modified light signal.
In an additional aspect, a LIDAR system is provided. The LIDAR system includes a light emitter configured to emit a light signal. The LIDAR system also includes a mirror. The mirror is configured to direct the emitted light signal toward a scene in a direction that is dependent upon an orientation of the mirror. The orientation of the mirror is adjustable. In addition, the LIDAR system includes an optical element configured to modify the emitted light signal based on at least one aspect of the scene.
In yet another aspect, a system is provided. The system includes a means for receiving, at a shared imaging optic of a LIDAR system, a light signal from a respective region of a scene. The system also includes a means for transmitting, by the shared imaging optic, the light signal to an optical element of an array of optical elements of the LIDAR system. Further, the system also includes a means for modifying, by the optical element of the array of optical elements, the light signal based on at least one aspect of the scene. In addition, the system also includes a means for detecting, by a light detector of an array of light detectors of the LIDAR system, the modified light signal.
These as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference, where appropriate, to the accompanying drawings.
Example methods and systems are contemplated herein. Any example embodiment or feature described herein is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or features. The example embodiments described herein are not meant to be limiting. It will be readily understood that certain aspects of the disclosed systems and methods can be arranged and combined in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.
Furthermore, the particular arrangements shown in the figures should not be viewed as limiting. It should be understood that other embodiments might include more or less of each element shown in a given figure. Further, some of the illustrated elements may be combined or omitted. Yet further, an example embodiment may include elements that are not illustrated in the figures.
I. OVERVIEWA LIDAR system may include an array of light detectors configured to receive light emitted by transmitters in the LIDAR system. Various light detectors in the array of light detectors may detect light reflected from various regions of the scene. In some embodiments, one subset of light detectors may be configured to detect light from objects that are located nearer to the array of light detectors than another subset of light detectors. For example, in a LIDAR system being employed on a vehicle operating in an autonomous mode, some light detectors in the array may be arranged to detect objects that are closer to the vehicle (e.g., on the ground near the tires of the vehicle) and some light detectors in the array may be arranged to detect objects that are further from the vehicle (e.g., signs or pedestrians in front of the vehicle, or trees on the horizon).
Because different light detectors in the array may detect objects at different ranges relative to the detector array, if a shared imaging optic (e.g., shared lens or shared group of lenses) is used to project all light from the scene onto the array of light detectors, some objects may be out of focus. In other words, if a shared imaging optic is used, various objects in the scene (each at respective object planes/ranges) will have various corresponding image planes. If there are various corresponding image planes, and the light detectors in the array are coplanar, each detector will not necessarily be located at the corresponding image plane for the object in the scene that the corresponding detector is attempting to detect.
Embodiments herein describe techniques for including a shared imaging optic in the optical system, while altering the corresponding image planes for objects in the scene such that each corresponding image plane is located at the location of the corresponding detector attempting to detect the corresponding object. Such techniques can also be applied to modify the focus of light detectors in an array of light detectors in the absence of the shared imaging optic.
One such technique includes positioning an array of apertures (e.g., pinhole array) between the array of light detectors and the shared imaging optic. Each light detector may correspond to one or more apertures in the array of apertures. Each of the apertures may alter a depth of focus for the corresponding light detector, thereby adjusting how in-focus a corresponding object within the scene is for a given detector. The apertures may be sized based on the distance of the light detector relative to the object being imaged. For example, smaller apertures may be used for nearer objects in order to sample a smaller portion of a corresponding laser beam used to illuminate the nearer objects, whereas larger apertures may be used for farther objects. In some embodiments, this technique may be used when a shared imaging optic (e.g., lens) is focused to infinity. Additionally, such a technique may improve imaging resolution for nearer objects (where it is potentially more critical), whereas more of the illumination beam may be sampled for farther away objects (where resolution may be less important, but signal decay effects may be more substantial).
In some embodiments, the aperture array may include one or more actively tunable apertures. Such actively tunable apertures could change in size as the range of an object relative to the corresponding light detector is modified. For example, if the orientation of the light detector is modified such that it is receiving light from an object that is farther away than an object from which the light detector was previously receiving light, an iris (e.g., a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) iris) may expand (e.g., thereby expanding an effective aperture size) to allow more of the reflected light to reach the light detector. Other methods of actively tuning aperture size are also possible (e.g., a rotatable or translatable aperture plate that includes a variety of aperture sizes).
In some regions of the LIDAR system, different light detectors in the array may correspond to individualized detection channels. In other regions of the LIDAR system, a common imaging element may be shared by all detection channels. For example, a common optic (e.g., shared lens or shared group of lenses) may be shared by all detection channels. In the regions of the LIDAR system corresponding to individualized detection channels, each of the individualized detection channels may correspond to a different beam path (e.g., each associated with a respective transmitter, such as a laser, in a transmitter array). Because different light detectors in the array may detect light from different beam paths, individualized optics can be positioned in front of respective detectors in the array in order to individually modify characteristics of light received for a given channel. Such individualized optics, themselves, may be arranged into an array.
In some example embodiments, an array of elements having non-unity indices of refraction may be positioned in between the array of light detectors and the common imaging optic. For example, one or more of the light detectors may be overlaid with a slab of glass (i.e., an optical window). The slab of glass may shift the focal position of the underlying light detector to a different position in object space. This could allow for correction of blurriness within an image by modifying focus. In some embodiments, multiple light detectors in the array may be overlaid with slabs of glass of varying thicknesses. In such embodiments, the shift in focal position could be uniquely tailored for each light detector, thereby individually correcting focal position across all light detectors.
In some embodiments, a single slab of glass of variable thickness could be positioned in front of the entire array of light detectors. For example, if the array of light detectors is arranged such that a first region of the array includes light detectors that detect light from shorter ranges and a second region of the array includes light detectors that detect light from longer ranges, the slab of glass could be shaped as a staircase or a wedge, in terms of thickness. In addition to or instead of glass, the optical window could be fabricated from plastic (e.g., molded plastic that conforms to a predefined shape based on a desired set of focal position corrections). In alternative embodiments, discrete optical windows could cover only a subset of the light detectors in the array (e.g., rather than a glass slab covering the entire array of light detectors).
Additionally or alternatively, other optical components (e.g., arranged in an array) could overlay the light detectors in the array. Such optical components could modify one or more of the following optical qualities of the light detector: aperture, focus, aberration, astigmatism, exposure time, phase, chromaticity, polarization, or telecentricity. For example, MEMS shutters, chromatic filters (e.g., band-pass filters or band-reject filters), polarization filters, neutral-density filters, electrowetting lenses, microlenses, liquid-crystal lenses, or a combination thereof could be positioned in an optical array in front of the array of light detectors. In some embodiments, one or more of the optical components may be defined lithographically. Further, one or more of the optical components may be actively tunable. Such actively tunable components could be tuned based on desired detection characteristics (e.g., the focal length could be tuned actively based on a desired detection range). In addition, the active tuning could be determined based on environmental factors within a corresponding scene being observed (e.g., when a LIDAR system detects stray light representing noise within a given wavelength range, a chromatic filter could be actively tuned to reject light having wavelengths in the given wavelength range).
II. EXAMPLE SYSTEMSThe following description and accompanying drawings will elucidate features of various example embodiments. The embodiments provided are by way of example, and are not intended to be limiting. As such, the dimensions of the drawings are not necessarily to scale.
The transmitter 192 may be configured to emit light. For example, the transmitter 192 may include a laser or a light-emitting diode (LED) or an array of lasers or LEDs. The light emitted by the transmitter 192 may be modulated at a predetermined frequency, in some embodiments. Further, the light emitted by the transmitter 192 may correspond (e.g., in wavelength or polarization) to a sensitivity of the receiver 194. For example, if the receiver 194 includes a bandpass chromatic filter, the transmitter 192 may emit light of a wavelength such that the light can pass through the bandpass chromatic filter of the receiver 194.
The receiver 194 may be configured to detect light (e.g., to detect light emitted from the transmitter 192). In some embodiments, the receiver 194 may include one or more photodetectors (e.g., avalanche photodiodes (APDs) or silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs)). The receiver 194 may include components in addition to the photodetectors, such as lenses, stages, filters, a computing device, etc. As described above, the receiver 194 may be sensitive (e.g., in wavelength or polarization) to light emitted by the transmitter 192. For example, the receiver 194 may include a polarization filter that is configured to block horizontally polarized light, but pass vertically polarized light, where only vertically polarized light is emitted from the transmitter 192. In such a way, the receiver 194 can eliminate noise arising from stray light coming from sources other than the transmitter 192. In some embodiments, the receiver 194 may be configured to detect light modulated at a frequency corresponding to a modulation frequency of the transmitter 192.
In example embodiments, a signal may be emitted from the transmitter 192. The signal may be scattered by objects within a scene and consequently detected by the receiver 194 (e.g., by one or more light detectors within the receiver 194) of the LIDAR system 190 to analyze the scene (e.g., to determine the shape of an object or an object's distance from the LIDAR system 190). The LIDAR system 190 may be configured to provide information (e.g., point cloud data) about one or more objects (e.g., location, shape, etc.) in the external environment to a computer device, for example.
The emitted light beams 52 and focused light 58 may traverse the shared space 40 also included in the housing 12. In some embodiments, the emitted light beams 52 propagate along a transmit path through the shared space 40 and the focused light 58 propagates along a receive path through the shared space 40. Further, in some embodiments, such transmit paths and receive paths may be collinear.
The sensing system 10 can determine an aspect of the one or more objects (e.g., location, shape, etc.) in the environment of the sensing system 10 by processing the focused light 58 received by the receive block 30. For example, the sensing system 10 can compare a time when pulses included in the emitted light beams 52 were emitted by the transmit block 20 with a time when corresponding pulses included in the focused light 58 were received by the receive block 30 and determine the distance between the one or more objects and the sensing system 10 based on the comparison.
The housing 12 included in the sensing system 10 can provide a platform for mounting the various components included in the sensing system 10. The housing 12 can be formed from any material capable of supporting the various components of the sensing system 10 included in an interior space of the housing 12. For example, the housing 12 may be formed from a structural material such as plastic or metal.
In some examples, the housing 12 may include optical shielding configured to reduce ambient light and/or unintentional transmission of the emitted light beams 52 from the transmit block 20 to the receive block 30. The optical shielding can be provided by forming and/or coating the outer surface of the housing 12 with a material that blocks the ambient light from the environment. Additionally, inner surfaces of the housing 12 can include and/or be coated with the material described above to optically isolate the transmit block 20 from the receive block 30 to prevent the receive block 30 from receiving the emitted light beams 52 before the emitted light beams 52 reach the lens 50.
In some examples, the housing 12 can be configured for electromagnetic shielding to reduce electromagnetic noise (e.g., radio-frequency (RF) noise, etc.) from ambient environment of the sensing system 10 and/or electromagnetic noise between the transmit block 20 and the receive block 30. Electromagnetic shielding can improve quality of the emitted light beams 52 emitted by the transmit block 20 and reduce noise in signals received and/or provided by the receive block 30. Electromagnetic shielding can be achieved by forming and/or coating the housing 12 with one or more materials such as a metal, metallic ink, metallic foam, carbon foam, or any other material configured to appropriately absorb or reflect electromagnetic radiation. Metals that can be used for the electromagnetic shielding can include for example, copper or nickel.
In some examples, the housing 12 can be configured to have a substantially cylindrical shape and to rotate about an axis of the sensing system 10. For example, the housing 12 can have the substantially cylindrical shape with a diameter of approximately 10 centimeters. In some examples, the axis is substantially vertical. By rotating the housing 12 that includes the various components, in some examples, a three-dimensional map of a 360 degree view of the environment of the sensing system 10 can be determined without frequent recalibration of the arrangement of the various components of the sensing system 10. Additionally or alternatively, the sensing system 10 can be configured to tilt the axis of rotation of the housing 12 to control the field of view of the sensing system 10.
Although not illustrated in
In some examples, the various components of the sensing system 10 such as the transmit block 20, receive block 30, and the lens 50 can be removably mounted to the housing 12 in predetermined positions to reduce burden of calibrating the arrangement of each component and/or subcomponents included in each component. Thus, the housing 12 may act as the platform for the various components of the sensing system 10 to provide ease of assembly, maintenance, calibration, and manufacture of the sensing system 10.
The transmit block 20 includes a plurality of light sources 22 that can be configured to emit the plurality of emitted light beams 52 via an exit aperture 26. In some examples, each of the plurality of emitted light beams 52 corresponds to one of the plurality of light sources 22. The transmit block 20 can optionally include a mirror 24 along the transmit path of the emitted light beams 52 between the light sources 22 and the exit aperture 26.
The light sources 22 can include laser diodes, light emitting diodes (LED), vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), polymer light emitting diodes (PLED), light emitting polymers (LEP), liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), MEMS, or any other device configured to selectively transmit, reflect, and/or emit light to provide the plurality of emitted light beams 52. In some examples, the light sources 22 can be configured to emit the emitted light beams 52 in a wavelength range that can be detected by detectors 32 included in the receive block 30. The wavelength range could, for example, be in the ultraviolet, visible, and/or infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some examples, the wavelength range can be a narrow wavelength range, such as provided by lasers. In one example, the wavelength range includes wavelengths that are approximately 905 nm. Additionally, the light sources 22 can be configured to emit the emitted light beams 52 in the form of pulses. In some examples, the plurality of light sources 22 can be positioned on one or more substrates (e.g., printed circuit boards (PCB), flexible PCBs, etc.) and arranged to emit the plurality of light beams 52 towards the exit aperture 26.
In some examples, the plurality of light sources 22 can be configured to emit uncollimated light beams included in the emitted light beams 52. For example, the emitted light beams 52 can diverge in one or more directions along the transmit path due to the uncollimated light beams emitted by the plurality of light sources 22. In some examples, vertical and horizontal extents of the emitted light beams 52 at any position along the transmit path can be based on an extent of the divergence of the uncollimated light beams emitted by the plurality of light sources 22.
The exit aperture 26 arranged along the transmit path of the emitted light beams 52 can be configured to accommodate the vertical and horizontal extents of the plurality of light beams 52 emitted by the plurality of light sources 22 at the exit aperture 26. It is noted that the block diagram shown in
In some examples of the sensing system 10, it may be desirable to minimize size of the exit aperture 26 while accommodating the vertical and horizontal extents of the plurality of light beams 52. For example, minimizing the size of the exit aperture 26 can improve the optical shielding of the light sources 22 described above in the functions of the housing 12. Additionally or alternatively, the wall separating the transmit block 20 and the shared space 40 can be arranged along the receive path of the focused light 58, and thus, the exit aperture 26 can be minimized to allow a larger portion of the focused light 58 to reach the wall. For example, the wall can be coated with a reflective material (e.g., reflective surface 42 in shared space 40) and the receive path can include reflecting the focused light 58 by the reflective material towards the receive block 30. In this case, minimizing the size of the exit aperture 26 can allow a larger portion of the focused light 58 to reflect off the reflective material with which the wall is coated.
To minimize the size of the exit aperture 26, in some examples, the divergence of the emitted light beams 52 can be reduced by partially collimating the uncollimated light beams emitted by the light sources 22 to minimize the vertical and horizontal extents of the emitted light beams 52 and thus minimize the size of the exit aperture 26. For example, each light source of the plurality of light sources 22 can include a cylindrical lens arranged adjacent to the light source. The light source may emit a corresponding uncollimated light beam that diverges more in a first direction than in a second direction. The cylindrical lens may pre-collimate the uncollimated light beam in the first direction to provide a partially collimated light beam, thereby reducing the divergence in the first direction. In some examples, the partially collimated light beam diverges less in the first direction than in the second direction. Similarly, uncollimated light beams from other light sources of the plurality of light sources 22 can have a reduced beam width in the first direction and thus the emitted light beams 52 can have a smaller divergence due to the partially collimated light beams. In this example, at least one of the vertical and horizontal extents of the exit aperture 26 can be reduced due to partially collimating the light beams 52.
Additionally or alternatively, to minimize the size of the exit aperture 26, in some examples, the light sources 22 can be arranged along a shaped surface defined by the transmit block 20. In some examples, the shaped surface may be faceted and/or substantially curved. The faceted and/or curved surface can be configured such that the emitted light beams 52 converge towards the exit aperture 26, and thus the vertical and horizontal extents of the emitted light beams 52 at the exit aperture 26 can be reduced due to the arrangement of the light sources 22 along the faceted and/or curved surface of the transmit block 20.
In some examples, a curved surface of the transmit block 20 can include a curvature along the first direction of divergence of the emitted light beams 52 and a curvature along the second direction of divergence of the emitted light beams 52, such that the plurality of light beams 52 converge towards a central area in front of the plurality of light sources 22 along the transmit path.
To facilitate such curved arrangement of the light sources 22, in some examples, the light sources 22 can be positioned on a flexible substrate (e.g., flexible PCB) having a curvature along one or more directions. For example, the curved flexible substrate can be curved along the first direction of divergence of the emitted light beams 52 and the second direction of divergence of the emitted light beams 52. Additionally or alternatively, to facilitate such curved arrangement of the light sources 22, in some examples, the light sources 22 can be positioned on a curved edge of one or more vertically-oriented PCBs, such that the curved edge of the PCB substantially matches the curvature of the first direction (e.g., the vertical plane of the PCB). In this example, the one or more PCBs can be mounted in the transmit block 20 along a horizontal curvature that substantially matches the curvature of the second direction (e.g., the horizontal plane of the one or more PCBs). For example, the transmit block 20 can include four PCBs, with each PCB mounting sixteen light sources, so as to provide 64 light sources along the curved surface of the transmit block 20. In this example, the 64 light sources are arranged in a pattern such that the emitted light beams 52 converge towards the exit aperture 26 of the transmit block 20.
The transmit block 20 can optionally include the mirror 24 along the transmit path of the emitted light beams 52 between the light sources 22 and the exit aperture 26. By including the mirror 24 in the transmit block 20, the transmit path of the emitted light beams 52 can be folded to provide a smaller size of the transmit block 20 and the housing 12 of the sensing system 10 than a size of another transmit block where the transmit path that is not folded.
The receive block 30 includes a plurality of detectors 32 that can be configured to receive the focused light 58 via an entrance aperture 36. In some examples, each of the plurality of detectors 32 is configured and arranged to receive a portion of the focused light 58 corresponding to a light beam emitted by a corresponding light source of the plurality of light sources 22 and reflected of the one or more objects in the environment of the sensing system 10. The receive block 30 can optionally include the detectors 32 in a sealed environment having an inert gas 34.
The detectors 32 may comprise photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes, phototransistors, cameras, active pixel sensors (APS), charge coupled devices (CCD), cryogenic detectors, or any other sensor of light configured to receive focused light 58 having wavelengths in the wavelength range of the emitted light beams 52.
To facilitate receiving, by each of the detectors 32, the portion of the focused light 58 from the corresponding light source of the plurality of light sources 22, the detectors 32 can be positioned on one or more substrates and arranged accordingly. For example, the light sources 22 can be arranged along a curved surface of the transmit block 20. Detectors 32 can be arranged along a curved surface of the receive block 30. In some embodiments, the curved surface of the receive block 30 may include a similar or identical curved surface as that of transmit block 20. Thus, each of the detectors 32 may be configured to receive light that was originally emitted by a corresponding light source of the plurality of light sources 22.
To provide the curved surface of the receive block 30, the detectors 32 can be positioned on the one or more substrates similarly to the light sources 22 positioned in the transmit block 20. For example, the detectors 32 can be positioned on a flexible substrate (e.g., flexible PCB) and arranged along the curved surface of the flexible substrate to each receive focused light originating from a corresponding light source of the light sources 22. In this example, the flexible substrate may be held between two clamping pieces that have surfaces corresponding to the shape of the curved surface of the receive block 30. Thus, in this example, assembly of the receive block 30 can be simplified by sliding the flexible substrate onto the receive block 30 and using the two clamping pieces to hold it at the correct curvature.
The focused light 58 traversing along the receive path can be received by the detectors 32 via the entrance aperture 36. In some examples, the entrance aperture 36 can include a filtering window that passes light having wavelengths within the wavelength range emitted by the plurality of light sources 22 and attenuates light having other wavelengths. In this example, the detectors 32 receive the focused light 58 substantially comprising light having the wavelengths within the wavelength range.
In some examples, the plurality of detectors 32 included in the receive block 30 can include, for example, avalanche photodiodes in a sealed environment that is filled with the inert gas 34. The inert gas 34 may comprise, for example, nitrogen.
The shared space 40 includes the transmit path for the emitted light beams 52 from the transmit block 20 to the lens 50, and includes the receive path for the focused light 58 from the lens 50 to the receive block 30. In some examples, the transmit path at least partially overlaps with the receive path in the shared space 40. By including the transmit path and the receive path in the shared space 40, advantages with respect to size, cost, and/or complexity of assembly, manufacture, and/or maintenance of the sensing system 10 can be provided.
While the exit aperture 26 and the entrance aperture 36 are illustrated as being part of the transmit block 20 and the receive block 30, respectively, it is understood that such apertures may be arranged or placed at other locations. In some embodiments, the function and structure of the exit aperture 26 and the entrance aperture 36 may be combined. For example, the shared space 40 may include a shared entrance/exit aperture. It will be understood that other ways to arrange the optical components of sensing system 10 within housing 12 are possible and contemplated.
In some examples, the shared space 40 can include a reflective surface 42. The reflective surface 42 can be arranged along the receive path and configured to reflect the focused light 58 towards the entrance aperture 36 and onto the detectors 32. The reflective surface 42 may comprise a prism, mirror or any other optical element configured to reflect the focused light 58 towards the entrance aperture 36 in the receive block 30. In some examples, a wall may separate the shared space 40 from the transmit block 20. In these examples, the wall may comprise a transparent substrate (e.g., glass) and the reflective surface 42 may comprise a reflective coating on the wall with an uncoated portion for the exit aperture 26.
In embodiments including the reflective surface 42, the reflective surface 42 can reduce size of the shared space 40 by folding the receive path similarly to the mirror 24 in the transmit block 20. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, the reflective surface 42 can direct the focused light 58 to the receive block 30 further providing flexibility to the placement of the receive block 30 in the housing 12. For example, varying the tilt of the reflective surface 42 can cause the focused light 58 to be reflected to various portions of the interior space of the housing 12, and thus the receive block 30 can be placed in a corresponding position in the housing 12. Additionally or alternatively, in this example, the sensing system 10 can be calibrated by varying the tilt of the reflective surface 42. In some embodiments (e.g., embodiments where amount of shared space 40 is not of concern), the sensing system 10 may not include the reflective surface 42.
The lens 50 mounted to the housing 12 can have an optical power to both collimate the emitted light beams 52 from the light sources 22 in the transmit block 20, and focus the reflected light 56 from the one or more objects in the environment of the sensing system 10 onto the detectors 32 in the receive block 30. In one example, the lens 50 has a focal length of approximately 120 mm. By using the same lens 50 to perform both of these functions, instead of a transmit lens for collimating and a receive lens for focusing, advantages with respect to size, cost, and/or complexity can be provided. In some examples, collimating the emitted light beams 52 to provide the collimated light beams 54 allows determining the distance travelled by the collimated light beams 54 to the one or more objects in the environment of the sensing system 10.
While, as described herein, lens 50 is utilized as a transmit lens and a receive lens, it will be understood that separate lens and/or other optical elements are contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, lens 50 could represent distinct lenses or lens sets along discrete optical transmit and receive paths.
In an example scenario, the emitted light beams 52 from the light sources 22 traversing along the transmit path can be collimated by the lens 50 to provide the collimated light beams 54 to the environment of the sensing system 10. The collimated light beams 54 may then reflect off the one or more objects in the environment of the sensing system 10 and return to the lens 50 as the reflected light 56. The lens 50 may then collect and focus the reflected light 56 as the focused light 58 onto the detectors 32 included in the receive block 30. In some examples, aspects of the one or more objects in the environment of the sensing system 10 can be determined by comparing the emitted light beams 52 with the focused light 58. The aspects can include, for example, distance, shape, color, and/or material of the one or more objects. Additionally, in some examples, by rotating the housing 12, a three-dimensional map of the surroundings of the sensing system 10 can be determined.
In some examples where the plurality of light sources 22 are arranged along a curved surface of the transmit block 20, the lens 50 can be configured to have a focal surface corresponding to the curved surface of the transmit block 20. For example, the lens 50 can include an aspheric surface outside the housing 12 and a toroidal surface inside the housing 12 facing the shared space 40. In this example, the shape of the lens 50 allows the lens 50 to both collimate the emitted light beams 52 and focus the reflected light 56. Additionally, in this example, the shape of the lens 50 allows the lens 50 to have the focal surface corresponding to the curved surface of the transmit block 20. In some examples, the focal surface provided by the lens 50 substantially matches the curved shape of the transmit block 20. Additionally, in some examples, the detectors 32 can be arranged similarly in the curved shape of the receive block 30 to receive the focused light 58 along the curved focal surface provided by the lens 50. Thus, in some examples, the curved surface of the receive block 30 may also substantially match the curved focal surface provided by the lens 50.
In order to perform functions as described herein, the computing device 106 may include a variety of components, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The data storage 114, in turn, may include volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) and/or non-volatile memory (e.g., a hard drive, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), non-volatile random-access memory (such as flash memory), a solid state drive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), a digital tape, a read/write (RW) CD, an RW DVD, etc.). As such, the data storage 114 may include a non-transitory, computer-readable medium. Further, the data storage 114 may be integrated in whole or in part with processor 112. In some embodiments, the data storage 114 may store program instructions, executable by the processor 112, and data that may be manipulated by these program instructions to carry out the various methods, processes, or operations contemplated herein. Alternatively, these methods, processes, or operations can be defined by hardware, firmware, and/or any combination of hardware, firmware, and software.
The network interface 116 may include one or more wireline connections, such as an Ethernet connection or a universal serial bus (USB) connection. Additionally or alternatively, the network interface 116 may include one or more wireless interfaces, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 802.11 (WIFI®), BLUETOOTH®, BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY (BLE®), cellular technology (e.g., global system for mobile communications (GSM), code-division multiple access (CDMA), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), evolution-data optimized (EV-DO), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), or long-term evolution (LTE®)), dedicated short range communications (DSRC), communication protocols described in IEEE standard 802.15.4 (e.g., ZIGBEE®), or a wide-area wireless connection. Other forms of physical layer connections and other types of standard or proprietary communication protocols may be used over the network interface 116.
The input/output function 118 may facilitate user interaction with the computing device 106. Further, the input/output function 118 may include multiple types of input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, etc. Similarly, the input/output function 118 may include multiple types of output devices, such as a screen, monitor, printer, one or more LEDs, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the computing device 106 may support remote access from another device, via the network interface 116 or via another interface (not shown), such as a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port.
In some embodiments, the computing device 106 may include one or more remote computing devices deployed in a networked architecture. The exact physical location, connectivity, and configuration of the remote computing devices may be unknown and/or unimportant. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the computing device 106 may be referred to as a “cloud-based” device that may be housed at various remote locations.
Additionally, in some embodiments, the computing device 106 may be used to tune one or more tunable optical elements (e.g., tunable optical elements within an array of optical elements as described herein). The computing device 106 may receive an input signal from another sensor or device (e.g., from a camera or a distance sensor) that is used by the computing device 106 to determine one or more aspects of a scene or that indicates one or more aspects of the scene (e.g. if the input signal were sent by another device, such as a mobile computing device). Then, based on the input signal, the computing device 106 (e.g., the processor 112 of the computing device 106) may determine a degree to which one or more of the tunable optical elements is to be tuned (e.g., a degree to which an optical filter or an iris is to be tuned). This determination may be stored in the data storage 114, in some embodiments. Then, based on that determination, the computing device 106 may effectuate one or more changes to the tunable optical elements. Effectuating the changes may include transmitting a tuning signal (e.g., via the network interface 116) to one or more of the tunable optical elements (e.g., within the array of optical elements). In some embodiments (e.g., embodiments where the computing device 106 determines and effectuates changes to the tunable optical elements), the computing device 106 may be referred to as a tuning controller.
As illustrated, the LIDAR system 200 may include an array of light detectors 210 and a shared lens 220. Each of the light detectors 210 may receive a respective light signal 212 via the shared lens 220. The respective light signals 212 may each be reflected from a scene 230 (e.g., from various regions of the scene 230). Only a single light detector 210 and a single light signal 212 are labeled in
In some embodiments, the LIDAR system 200 may include one or more light emitters. For example, the LIDAR system 200 may include an array of light emitters with a light emitter corresponding to each of the light detectors 210 in the array of light detectors 210. Such an array of light emitters may share a collinear light path with the array of light detectors 210 (e.g., each light emitter may share an optical fiber with a corresponding light detector 210, and the optical fiber may be used to transmit emitted light and received light to/from the shared lens 220). In various embodiments, arrays (e.g., arrays of light emitters or arrays of optical elements) may include one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional arrays. Further, in various embodiments, arrays may be arranged in collinear, non-collinear, coplanar, and/or non-coplanar arrangements.
In various embodiments, the light detectors 210 may include different types of detectors. For example, the array of light detectors 210 may include one or more photodetectors, APDs, or SiPMs. The light detectors 210 may have a uniform shape and size (e.g., uniform package size), in some embodiments. For example, the light detectors 210 may have detection regions between 0.5 mm and 5.0 mm in diameter (e.g., around 1.0 mm in diameter). In other embodiments, the light detectors 210 may have two or more different shapes and sizes. As illustrated in
Also as illustrated, the LIDAR system 200 may include four light detectors 210. It is understood that in other embodiments there may be greater or fewer than four light detectors 210. For example, in some embodiments, there may be a single light detector 210 corresponding to a single light emitter within the LIDAR system 200. Such a light detector 210 and/or light emitter may be configured to be reoriented relative to the scene 230 based on objects of interest within the scene 230. Further, each of the light detectors 210 may be the same as each other light detector 210, in some embodiments. In other embodiments, one or more of the light detectors 210 may be different from one or more of the other light detectors 210. For example, one of the light detectors 210 may have an increased sensitivity, increased range, or specialized spectral sensitivity.
As illustrated, the shared lens 220 may receive the light signals 212 from the scene 230. Such light signals 212 may have previously been generated by one or more light emitters associated with the LIDAR system 200. As also illustrated, the shared lens 220 may direct the respective light signals 212 to respective light detectors 210. In alternate embodiments, the shared lens 220 may be supplemented or replaced by one or more other shared imaging optics. For example, the LIDAR system 200 may include one or more shared mirrors used to direct the light signals 212 toward the light detectors 210 and/or one or more neutral-density filters used to reduce intensity of the light signals 212. In other embodiments, still other shared optical elements may be used (e.g., one or more prisms, windows, diffusers, apertures, chromatic filters, polarizers, diffraction gratings, beamsplitters, optical fibers, etc.).
In some embodiments, the shared lens 220 may be alternatively referred to as a main lens. The shared lens 220 may itself act as an aperture stop or may include a separate aperture stop for the LIDAR system 200. Hence, the shared lens 220 may inherently provide a specific aperture size and a specific field of view for the light detectors 210 in the array. In some embodiments, the shared lens 220 may be adjustable to modify optical characteristics associated with the shared lens 220, and, consequently, associated with each of the light detectors 210. For example, the shared lens 220 may be deformable to modify the focal length of the shared lens 220. Additionally or alternatively, an aperture associated with the shared lens 220 may be configured to expand and/or contract to modify the aperture size and alter the depth of focus.
As further illustrated in
Because objects are within different respective regions the scene 230, some of the light detectors 210 are receiving light signals 212 from objects that are nearer to the LIDAR system 200 than other light detectors 210. For example, the obstruction 234 is nearer to the LIDAR system 200 than the traffic signal 238. Because of this, the relative sizes of objects within the scene 230 may be different, as well. For example, if two automobiles are present in the scene 230, but one is nearer to the LIDAR system 200 than the other, the nearer automobile may occupy a larger percentage of a field of view of a respective light detector 210 and may therefore appear larger to the respective light detector 210. Both the respective distance of objects and the respect size of objects may be exploited using the systems and methods shown and described herein.
Throughout the disclosure, light detectors 210 within the LIDAR system 200 may be illustrated as all oriented toward the same object within the scene 230 or toward portions of the same object within the scene 230 (e.g., the tree outline used to represent the scene 230 in
The optical elements in the array of optical elements 310 may be apertures 312. Only one aperture 312 in the array of optical elements 310 is labeled in
In addition to being sufficiently close to the light detectors 210 such that the light signals 212 are discretized, the array of optical elements 310 (and, therefore, the apertures 312) may be located sufficiently far from the detection surface of the light detectors 210 such that the light signals 212 are adequately modified before reaching the light detectors 210 (e.g., the apertures 312 may be located between 100 μm and 300 μm from the detection surface of the light detectors 210). For example, if the apertures 312 were positioned precisely at the focal plane of the light detectors 210 and were sized such that the diameters of the apertures 312 were larger than the detection surface of the light detectors 210, the apertures 312 would not alter the field of view of the light detectors 210. However, if positioned sufficiently far from the detection surface of the light detectors 210, the apertures 312 may restrict the angles of incidence of light rays that ultimately reach the detection surface of the light detectors 210, thereby modifying the field of view of the light detectors 210.
In addition to or instead of being used to modify a field of view for one or more of the light detectors 210, the apertures 312 may alter the depth of focus of one or more of the light detectors 210, prevent one or more optical aberrations from being present in a light signal 212 captured by one or more of the light detectors 210, or change the angular resolution for one or more of the light detectors 210 (e.g., increase the angular resolution for nearby targets in the scene 230). Additional or alternative optical modifications may be made to the light signals 212 using the apertures 312.
In some embodiments, the optical modifications to the light signals 212 caused by the array of optical elements 310 may be dependent on one or more aspects of the scene 230. For example, as illustrated in
Further, because the distribution of distances of objects within the scene 230 relative to the LIDAR systems 300/350 may be known or measurable, the optical elements (e.g., apertures as illustrated in
In addition to or instead of using an array of optical elements 310 to modify aspects of the light signals 212 reflected from regions of the scene 230, the LIDAR system 350 may use the array of optical elements 310 or a separate array of optical elements to modify aspects of light signals transmitted by one or more light emitters in the LIDAR system 350. Similar to on the receive side, the emitted light signals may be modified based on an aspect of the scene 230. For example, the emitted light signals may be respectively modified by an array of optical elements based on predicted distances of objects within the scene toward which the light signals are emitted.
In some embodiments, the divergence of one or more emitted light beams may be modified (e.g., using slabs of glass of various thicknesses, as described below) such that light beams directed toward regions of the scene 230 that are closer to the LIDAR system 350 have larger beam divergences than regions of the scene 230 that are farther from the LIDAR system 350. The converse may also be performed (i.e., larger beam divergences for farther regions of the scene 230), in some embodiments. One reason to have larger beam divergences for nearer regions of the scene 230 is to use less emitter power. Because nearby regions of the scene 230 contain objects which appear larger to the LIDAR system 350 than more distant regions of the scene 230, lower angular resolutions for nearby regions might be acceptable (i.e., a lower angular resolution for a nearby object can correspond to the same linear resolution as a higher angular resolution for a more distant object). Thus, beam power of an emitter (e.g., an emitting laser or LED) may be spread across a greater angular resolution for objects in the scene 230 that are nearby while still maintaining an acceptable linear resolution. As such, less beam power can be expended for a given angular range to observe nearby objects in the scene 230.
Many different types of optical elements, besides apertures, for inclusion in an array of optical elements 310 are described herein. It is understood, however, that apertures and other types of optical elements described herein are non-limiting examples and that additional or alternative types of optical elements could be included in the array of optical elements 310. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the LIDAR system 350 may include two or more cascaded arrays of optical elements. Such cascaded arrays of optical elements could modify the light signals in different ways (e.g., one of the arrays could include lenses to modify focal length and a second array could include a filter to filter out select polarizations and/or wavelengths). One or more of the different ways in which cascaded arrays of optical elements modify the light signals may be based on one or multiple aspects within the scene 230 (e.g., distance(s) to certain region(s) in the scene 230, time of day, type(s) of object(s) within the scene 230, reflectivity of region(s) of the scene 230, color(s) of region(s) of the scene 230, polarization(s) typically reflected and/or scattered by region(s) of the scene 230, etc.). Any number of arrays of optical elements that are cascaded within the LIDAR system 350 may be located, sequentially, between the shared lens 220 and the array of light detectors 210.
Each of the tunable apertures 318 may have an adjustable cross-sectional area. For example, each of the tunable apertures 318 may include an iris that can be continuously adjusted from fully open (to yield a maximum cross-sectional area for the respective tunable aperture 318) to fully closed (to yield no cross-sectional area for the respective tunable aperture 318). The tunable apertures 318 may be drivable by a servo or other motor, in various embodiments. As illustrated, in one conformation, an iris corresponding to the topmost tunable aperture 318 may be fully closed, an iris corresponding to the second highest tunable aperture 318 may be open 10% or less, an iris corresponding to the second lowest tunable aperture 318 may be approximately 50% open, and an iris corresponding to the bottommost tunable aperture 318 may be fully opened. The tunable apertures 318 may be independently tunable (e.g., one at a time) and/or jointly tunable (e.g., each simultaneously adjusted in the same way). Further, the tunable apertures 318 may be adjusted by a computing device (e.g., the computing device 106 illustrated in
In some embodiments, the tunable apertures 318 may be modified (e.g., opened or closed by some amount) in response to some aspect of a scene 230 (e.g., a change in some aspect of the scene 230). For example, if one of the light detectors 210 is receiving light from an object (e.g., a moving vehicle, such as the automobile 236 illustrated in
Additionally or alternatively, the tunable apertures 318 may be adjusted in size based on map data (e.g., corresponding to present global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the LIDAR system 390), based on terrain data, based on reflectivity of targeted objects in the scene 230, based on pose (e.g., determined based on accelerometer data) of the LIDAR system 390, and/or based on time of day (e.g., reducing the cross-sectional area of the tunable apertures 318 at night). Other factors upon which modifications to optical elements within the array of optical elements 310 can be based will be understood, some of which are described throughout this disclosure. In some embodiments, the tunable apertures 318 may be modulated quickly enough (e.g., opened and closed at a high enough rate) to act as shutters for the corresponding light detectors 210, in addition to being used as adjustable aperture stops for individual light detectors 210. For example, each of the tunable apertures 318 may include one or more liquid-crystal shutters.
In addition, in some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of one or more of the tunable apertures 318 may be modified to avoid optical defects of the shared lens 220 or regions of the shared lens 220 obscured by foreign substances (e.g., mud, snow, insects, etc.) present on the outside of the shared lens 220 (e.g., on the side of the shared lens 220 facing the scene 230). For example, the field of view corresponding to a respective light detector 210 could be modified (e.g., reduced) be adjusting the cross-sectional area of the corresponding tunable aperture 318 (e.g., by partially closing an iris of the tunable aperture 318), thereby changing (e.g., narrowing) the field of view associated with corresponding light signal 212. By changing the field of view, portions of the full field of view of the respective light detector 210 associated with the shared lens 220 may now be excluded, thereby reducing optical aberrations and, possibly, reducing unnecessary data analysis (i.e., data corresponding to the location of an optical defect of the shared lens 220 may not be useful for distance mapping, and, therefore, might be computationally wasteful to analyze).
It is understood that many types of tunable optical elements may be present in the array of optical elements 310. Some other types of tunable optical elements, besides apertures, are described throughout this disclosure. However, it is understood that many other types of tunable optical elements besides those explicitly recited are contemplated herein. Further, the array of optical elements 310 may include multiple instances of the same type of optical element (e.g., tunable apertures 318, as illustrated in
Similar tunable optical elements may additionally or alternatively be present on an array positioned near one or more light emitters. For example, tunable apertures that limit the amount of output power (e.g., by limiting beam size of a laser) could be used near one or more light emitters. Similar to above, such emitter-side apertures could also be adjusted by a computing device (e.g., the computing device 106 illustrated in
Each of the lenses 512 may have the same cross-sectional area and/or depth. Hence, in some embodiments, each of the lenses 512 may have the same focal length as one another. Thus, each of the lenses 512 may affect the respective light signals 212 in the same way. In alternate embodiments, one or more of the lenses 512 may be have a different shape, size, and/or focal length than the other lenses 512 (e.g., as illustrated in
The lenses 512 may be fabricated using a variety of techniques. For example, the lenses 512 may be molded optical glass or molded optical plastic. As illustrated, each of the lenses 512 may be a slab of glass having a predetermined thickness to modify the light signals 212. In some embodiments, each of the lenses 512 may be a single lens in a microlens array or a portion of a liquid-crystal array.
In some embodiments, the lenses 512 may be tunable. For example, in some embodiments, the focal length of the lenses 512 or the 2D locations of the lenses 512 relative to the light detectors 210 may be modified. Similar to the apertures described above, the lenses 512 (e.g., a focal length of one or more lenses 512) may be adjusted based on map data, terrain data, time of day, reflectivity of objects in the scene 230, distance to objects in the scene 230 (or changes of distances to objects in the scene 230), etc. The lenses 512 may be tunable independently of one another or collectively, in various embodiments. Further, the lenses 512 may be modified by a computing device (e.g., the computing device 106 illustrated in
Similar to the lenses 512 described above with respect to
Similar to the lenses 514 described above with respect to
Similar to the body of transparent material 516 described above with respect to
In addition to or instead of using the body of transparent material 518 to modify the light signals 212 received by the light detectors 210, the LIDAR system 590 may include a body of transparent material used to modify light transmitted by light emitters of the LIDAR system 590. Similar to the body of transparent material 518 and the corresponding light detectors 210, the body of transparent material used to modify light transmitted by light emitters of the LIDAR system 590 might be angled relative to an array of light emitters such that a first portion of the body of transparent material is nearer to a first light emitter than a second portion of the body of transparent material is to a second light emitter. As such, the beam divergences of respective light signals emitted by the two emitters (e.g., with emitters being lasers, such as laser diodes) may be different (e.g., the beam divergence of the light signal exiting the body of transparent material that corresponds to one of the emitters is bigger than the beam divergence of the light signal exiting the body of transparent material that corresponds to the other emitter). Such changes in beam divergences may be based on and/or altered based on distances between the LIDAR system 590 and object(s) within the scene 230. The beam divergences may additionally or alternatively be based on and/or altered based on a variety of other data (e.g., map data, terrain data, reflectivity of objects in the scene 230, pose of the LIDAR system 590, time of day, etc.).
As illustrated by the arrows in
In some embodiments, the selectable arrays 610 may be modified (e.g., rotated by some amount such that a respective lens 612 is selected for a corresponding light detector 210) based on some aspect of a scene 230 (e.g., in response to a change in some aspect of the scene 230). For example, if one of the light detectors 210 is receiving light from an object (e.g., a moving vehicle, such as the automobile 236 illustrated in
Additionally or alternatively, the selectable arrays 610 may be adjusted based on map data (e.g., based on global positioning system (GPS) coordinates), based on terrain data, based on reflectivity of targeted objects in the scene 230, based on pose (e.g., based on accelerometer data) of the LIDAR system 600, and/or based on time of day (e.g., modify the cross-sectional area of the tunable apertures 318 at night). Other factors upon which modifications to the selectable arrays 610 within the array of optical elements 310 can be based will be understood, some of which are described throughout this disclosure.
In addition, in some embodiments, the selectable arrays 610 may be modified to avoid optical defects of the shared lens 220 or regions of the shared lens 220 obscured by foreign substances (e.g., mud, snow, insects, etc.) present on the outside of the shared lens 220 (e.g., on the side of the shared lens 220 facing the scene 230). For example, the focal point corresponding to a respective light detector 210 could be modified (e.g., reduced, extended, or diverted) by selecting a lens 612 of the corresponding selectable array 610. By changing the focal point, effects of optical aberrations and/or foreign substances on the shared lens 220 on resulting LIDAR data may be mitigated. In such a way, possibly unnecessary data analysis may be avoided (i.e., data corresponding to the location of an optical defect of the shared lens 220 may not be useful for distance mapping, and therefore be computationally wasteful to analyze).
The filters 702 may affect a variety of optical qualities (e.g., polarization, intensity, wavelength, etc.) of the light signals 212. For example, the filters 702 may include bandpass filters to select for a specific range of wavelengths corresponding to the wavelengths of light emitted by an emitter of the LIDAR system 700 (e.g., in order to eliminate noise from other light sources) or polarization filters to select for a specific type of polarization (e.g., vertical, horizontal, circular, etc.) corresponding to the type of polarization of light emitted by an emitter of the LIDAR system 700 (e.g., in order to eliminate noise from other light sources). Each of the filters 702 may affect the respective light signals 212 in the same way (e.g., if each filter 702 is a neutral-density filter, each filter 702 may reduce the intensity of a corresponding light signal 212 by the same amount). In alternate embodiments, one or more of the filters 702 may modify its corresponding light signal 212 in a different way than the other filters 702 modify their corresponding light signals 212 (e.g., as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the filters 702 may be tunable. For example, in some embodiments, the transmittance of a neutral-density filter, the wavelength range of a bandpass filter or a band-reject filter, the cutoff wavelength of a highpass filter or a lowpass filter, or the polarization(s) passed by a polarization filter may be modified. Similar to the apertures described above, the filters 702 (e.g., neutral-density filters) may be adjusted based on map data, terrain data, time of day, reflectivity of objects in the scene 230, distance to objects in the scene 230 (or changes to distances to objects in the scene 230), etc. In one embodiment, for example, the filters 702 may include neutral-density filters that are tunable based on a reflectivity of a target object and/or target region within the scene 230. For example, one or more neutral-density filters may be tuned to have a predetermined transmittance (e.g., less than 50%, less than 25%, less than 10%, less than 5%, less than 1%, less than 0.1%, less than 0.01%, less than 0.001%, etc.) in response to a determination that the target object is, or that the target region contains, a retroreflective object.
The filters 702 may be tunable independently of one another or collectively, in various embodiments. Further, the filters 702 may be modified by a computing device (e.g., the computing device 106 illustrated in
Further, in some embodiments, one or more of the light detectors 210/light signals 212 may correspond to a cascaded series of filters (as opposed to a single filter 704). For example, the topmost light detector 210 may receive a light signal 212 that has passed through both a polarization filter and a neutral-density filter. In addition to eliminating noise from unwanted sources (e.g., within the scene 230), filters 704 can be used to eliminate unwanted noise arising from within the LIDAR system 750 itself. For example, filters 704 (e.g., polarization filters) may be used to prevent light emitted by emitters of the LIDAR system 750 from being reflected internally into a light detector 210 before the light exits the LIDAR system 750 through the shared lens 220 and is reflected from the scene 230. Additionally or alternatively, emitters that emit light signals 212 intended for adjacent light detectors 210 may emit light signals 212 at different wavelengths or having different polarizations. Then, filters 704 could be used to eliminate the adjacent wavelengths and/or polarizations from a light signal 212 intended for a given light detector 210. Such a technique could eliminate cross-talk between light detectors 210, thereby reducing noise arising from the LIDAR system 750 itself.
Similar to the filters 702 described above with respect to
Optical elements (e.g., filters, lenses, apertures, etc.) within the array of optical elements 310 may be tuned based on a desired optical characteristic (e.g., desired intensity, polarization, wavelength range, etc.) for the respective light detector 210/light signal 212 combination. Such optical characteristics may be based on, for example, characteristics of the scene 230 near the LIDAR-equipped vehicle 910. In some embodiments, for example, the desired optical characteristic may be based on a pose of the LIDAR-equipped vehicle 910 and/or terrain data.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In other embodiments, the array of optical elements 310 or arrays of optical elements that modify light signals transmitted by emitters of the LIDAR system 900 may be modified based on map data (e.g., combined with terrain data). For example, if a computing device (e.g., the computing device 106 illustrated in
Even further, in some embodiments, the aspect of the target region of the scene 230 may be determined based on data gathered by a previous scan using the LIDAR system 900 (e.g., based on a previous light detection by one or more light detectors in a LIDAR system 900). For example, as illustrated in
For example, as illustrated in
Additionally or alternatively, optical elements on a receive side of the LIDAR system 900 may be modified based on determined aspects of a scene 230. For example, transmittance of a neutral-density filter, polarizations passed by a polarization filter, wavelength ranges passed by a chromatic filter, focal length of a lens, size of an aperture, etc. could be modified based on a determined aspect of a scene 230. Other modifications to optical elements on the receive side of the LIDAR system 900 based on determined aspect(s) of the scene 230 are also possible.
Unlike in
Because the radar system 1302 may perform a scan using a different wavelength range than the LIDAR system 900, the radar system 1302 may be able to determine aspects of the scene 230 that a preliminary scan by the LIDAR system 900 could not. For example, the radar system 1302 may emit light signals that are capable of penetrating weather conditions (e.g., fog, rain, sleet, or snow) to identify portions of the scene 230 that light signals emitted by the LIDAR system 900 could not penetrate.
Each of the light emitters 1402 may exhibit different sets of optical characteristics. For example, each of the light emitters 1402 may emit light signals 1412 with different divergences, different wavelengths, different polarizations, etc. In some embodiments, as illustrated, each of the light emitters 1402 may be configured to transmit a respective light signal 1412 to the same region of a scene 230, however, each of the light signals 1412 may have a different beam divergence than the other light signals 1412.
Further, each of the light emitters 1402 may selectively emit light signals 1412 based on an aspect of the scene 230. For example, an aspect of a scene 230 (e.g., a distance to a region of the scene 230) may be determined (e.g., by a computing device). Then, all but one of the light emitters 1402 may be prevented from emitting light toward the scene 230 (e.g., by being powered down or having the output of the respective light emitter 1402 blocked by an opaque object). The light emitter 1402 permitted to emit light toward the scene 230 may emit a light signal 1412 having desirable optical characteristic(s) based on the determined aspect of the scene 230. For example, if a target region of a scene 230 contains a retroreflective object, the light emitter 1402 permitted to emit light toward that region of the scene 230 may be configured to emit the light signal 1412 having the lowest intensity of all possible light signals 1412 from all light emitters 1402, thereby ameliorating potential saturation of the corresponding light detector 210.
In some embodiments, rather than multiple light emitters 1402, a single light emitter 1402 with multiple light paths may be used. For example, a beam splitter could be used to generate multiple light signals 1412 from a single light emitter 1402. Once separated, each of the multiple light signals 1412 could be passed through different optical components (e.g., different neutral-density filters each having a different transmittance, different polarization filters each having a different polarization, different lenses each having a different focal length, etc.), thereby generating a set of light signals 1412 with different optical characteristics. Then, using controllable mirrors, beam splitters, lenses, or other optical elements (e.g., free-space optical elements), one of the generated light signals 1412 may be selected to transmit to the scene 230. The controllable mirrors, beam splitters, lenses, or other optical elements may be on mechanical stages driven by servos or other motors and controlled by a computing device, for example. In still other embodiments, multiple light emitters 1402 corresponding to a single light detector 210 may be permitted to emit light signals 1412 at the same time.
As indicated in
In addition to or instead of rotating the light emitter 1502 to modify the target region of the scene, in some embodiments, the mirror 1506 may have an adjustable orientation (e.g., relative to the light emitter 1502 and/or the corresponding scene). As such, the mirror 1506 may be configured to direct the emitted light signal 212 toward the corresponding scene in a direction that is dependent upon an orientation of the mirror. Adjusting the orientation of the mirror 1506 (e.g., in an oscillating fashion using a spring-loaded mechanism or in an electrically controllable fashion using a mechanical stage controlled by a computing device) may scan the emitted light signal 212 across regions of the scene. For example, the mirror 1506 may be rotated (e.g., by a rotated, mechanical stage) and/or deformed to modify the target of the light signal 212 emitted by the light emitter 1502. Such rotations and/or deformations of the mirror 1506 may be controlled by a computing device (e.g., the computing device 106 illustrated in
As illustrated, the LIDAR systems 1500/1550 of
Analogous to other LIDAR systems described herein, in some embodiments, the LIDAR systems 1500/1550 of
Any of the other techniques described herein could be applied to the LIDAR systems 1500/1550 illustrated in
It is understood throughout the specification and claims that whenever a system or device is described as transmitting or having transmitted light signals, the system may merely be configured such that light signals are transmitted in a particular fashion rather than that the light signals are continually emitted in such a fashion. For example, if a claim describes a system having each respective light signal is transmitted via the shared imaging optic and modified by a respective optical element in the array of optical elements based on at least one aspect of the scene, it is understood that the system may be configured using an arrangement of components that permits such light signals to be transmitted via the shared imaging optic and modified by a respective optical element in the array of optical elements in cases where such a light signal is actually emitted.
III. EXAMPLE PROCESSESAt block 1602, the method 1600 may include receiving, at a shared imaging optic of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, a light signal from a respective region of a scene.
At block 1604, the method 1600 may include transmitting, by the shared imaging optic, the light signal to an optical element of an array of optical elements of the LIDAR system.
At block 1606, the method 1600 may include modifying, by the optical element of the array of optical elements, the light signal based on at least one aspect of the scene.
At block 1608, the method 1600 may include detecting, by a light detector of an array of light detectors of the LIDAR system, the modified light signal.
IV. CONCLUSIONThe present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
The above detailed description describes various features and functions of the disclosed systems, devices, and methods with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The example embodiments described herein and in the figures are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments can be utilized, and other changes can be made, without departing from the scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.
With respect to any or all of the message flow diagrams, scenarios, and flow charts in the figures and as discussed herein, each step, block, operation, and/or communication can represent a processing of information and/or a transmission of information in accordance with example embodiments. Alternative embodiments are included within the scope of these example embodiments. In these alternative embodiments, for example, operations described as steps, blocks, transmissions, communications, requests, responses, and/or messages can be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. Further, more or fewer blocks and/or operations can be used with any of the message flow diagrams, scenarios, and flow charts discussed herein, and these message flow diagrams, scenarios, and flow charts can be combined with one another, in part or in whole.
A step, block, or operation that represents a processing of information can correspond to circuitry that can be configured to perform the specific logical functions of a herein-described method or technique. Alternatively or additionally, a step or block that represents a processing of information can correspond to a module, a segment, or a portion of program code (including related data). The program code can include one or more instructions executable by a processor for implementing specific logical operations or actions in the method or technique. The program code and/or related data can be stored on any type of computer-readable medium such as a storage device including RAM, a disk drive, a solid state drive, or another storage medium.
The computer-readable medium can also include non-transitory computer-readable media such as computer-readable media that store data for short periods of time like register memory and processor cache. The computer-readable media can further include non-transitory computer-readable media that store program code and/or data for longer periods of time. Thus, the computer-readable media may include secondary or persistent long term storage, like ROM, optical or magnetic disks, solid state drives, compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computer-readable media can also be any other volatile or non-volatile storage systems. A computer-readable medium can be considered a computer-readable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device.
Moreover, a step, block, or operation that represents one or more information transmissions can correspond to information transmissions between software and/or hardware modules in the same physical device. However, other information transmissions can be between software modules and/or hardware modules in different physical devices.
The particular arrangements shown in the figures should not be viewed as limiting. It should be understood that other embodiments can include more or less of each element shown in a given figure. Further, some of the illustrated elements can be combined or omitted. Yet further, an example embodiment can include elements that are not illustrated in the figures.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope being indicated by the following claims.
Claims
1. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system comprising:
- a shared imaging optic;
- an array of light detectors;
- an array of light emitters, wherein each light emitter is configured to emit a light signal toward a respective region of a scene through the shared imaging optic, wherein each light detector of the array of light detectors is configured to detect a reflection of one of the emitted light signals from the corresponding respective region of the scene, and wherein the light emitters in the array of light emitters are configured to emit the light signals such that light signals intended for light detectors positioned adjacent to one another have different polarizations; and
- an array of polarization filters positioned between the shared imaging optic and the array of light detectors, wherein each reflected light signal is received by a corresponding light detector within the array of light detectors via the shared imaging optic and a respective polarization filter in the array of polarization filters, and wherein the polarization filters within the array are configured to eliminate polarizations other than the polarization of the light signal intended for the light detector corresponding to the respective polarization filter.
2. The LIDAR system of claim 1, further comprising an array of optical elements positioned between the array of polarization filters and the shared imaging optic, wherein each optical element in the array of optical elements is configured to modify one of the respective light signals based on at least one aspect of the scene.
3. The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the array of optical elements comprises a liquid-crystal array.
4. The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the array of optical elements is telecentric.
5. The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the array of optical elements comprises one or more filters.
6. The LIDAR system of claim 5, wherein the one or more filters comprise polarization filters.
7. The LIDAR system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the polarization filters is tunable based on an expected polarization of light reflected from a target region of the scene.
8. The LIDAR system of claim 5, wherein the one or more filters comprise chromatic filters.
9. The LIDAR system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the chromatic filters is tunable based on a wavelength of light of a transmitter of the LIDAR system.
10. The LIDAR system of claim 5, wherein the one or more filters comprise neutral-density filters.
11. The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the neutral-density filters is tunable based on a reflectivity of a target region of the scene.
12. The LIDAR system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the neutral-density filters is tuned to have a predetermined transmittance in response to a determination that the target region of the scene contains a retroreflective object, wherein the predetermined transmittance is less than 50.0%.
13. The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the array of optical elements is tunable based on a desired optical characteristic.
14. The LIDAR system of claim 13, wherein the desired optical characteristic is based on a geographical location of the LIDAR system or an orientation of a LIDAR system relative to one or more objects in the scene.
15. The LIDAR system of claim 13, wherein the desired optical characteristic is based on a previous light detection by one or more of the light detectors.
16. The LIDAR system of claim 15, wherein the previous light detection indicates that the scene contains a retroreflective object.
17. The LIDAR system of claim 15, wherein the previous light detection indicates that the scene contains an object in motion relative to a background of the scene.
18. The LIDAR system of claim 15, wherein the previous light detection indicates a relative distance between the array of light detectors and one or more portions of the scene.
19. The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the array of optical elements comprises a microlens array.
20. A method comprising:
- emitting, by an array of light emitters, a plurality of light signals toward respective regions of a scene through a shared imaging optic, wherein the plurality of light signals are emitted such that light signals intended for light detectors positioned adjacent to one another within an array of light detectors have different polarizations;
- receiving, at the shared imaging optic, a plurality of reflected light signals corresponding to reflections of the plurality of emitted light signals from the corresponding respective regions of the scene;
- transmitting, by the shared imaging optic, the plurality of reflected light signals to a corresponding array of polarization filters positioned between the shared imaging optic and the array of light detectors;
- eliminating, by each polarization filter within the array of polarization filters, polarizations from the reflected light signals other than the polarization of the light signal intended for a light detector within the array of light detectors that corresponds to the respective polarization filter; and
- receiving, by each light detector in the array of light detectors, the respective reflected light signal from the respective polarization filter in the array of polarization filters.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 19, 2022
Publication Date: Aug 4, 2022
Inventors: Ralph H. Shepard (Menlo Park, CA), Pierre-Yves Droz (Los Altos, CA), David Schleuning (Piedmont, CA), Mark Shand (Palo Alto, CA), Luke Wachter (San Francisco, CA)
Application Number: 17/659,764