US 10,120,079 B2Granted

Vehicle with multiple light detection and ranging devices (LIDARS)

AssigneeWaymo LLC

InventorsGaetan Pennecot, Zachary Morriss, Samuel Lenius, Ionut Iordache, Daniel Gruver, Pierre-Yves Droz, Luke Wachter, Drew Ulrich, William McCann, Rahim Pardhan, Bernard Fidric, Anthony Levandowski, Peter Avram

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Abstract

A vehicle is provided that includes one or more wheels positioned at a bottom side of the vehicle. The vehicle also includes a first light detection and ranging device (LIDAR) positioned at a top side of the vehicle opposite to the bottom side. The first LIDAR is configured to scan an environment around the vehicle based on rotation of the first LIDAR about an axis. The first LIDAR has a first resolution. The vehicle also includes a second LIDAR configured to scan a field-of-view of the environment that extends away from the vehicle along a viewing direction of the second LIDAR. The second LIDAR has a second resolution. The vehicle also includes a controller configured to operate the vehicle based on the scans of the environment by the first LIDAR and the second LIDAR.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A vehicle comprising:

one or more wheels disposed along a first side of the vehicle oriented toward a driving surface, the one or more wheels configured to rotate to cause the vehicle to travel along the driving surface;
a control system configured to control operation of the one or more wheels;
a sensor unit housing disposed along a second side of the vehicle opposite the first side;
a first light detection and ranging device (LIDAR) arranged within the sensor unit housing and being operatively coupled to the control system, the first LIDAR having a first field of view about a given axis, and the first LIDAR having a first refresh rate;
and
a second LIDAR arranged within the sensor unit housing and being operatively coupled to the control system, the second LIDAR having a second field of view about the given axis different from the first field of view, and the second LIDAR having a second refresh rate different from the first refresh rate;
wherein the first LIDAR and the second LIDAR are configured to independently rotate about the given axis within the sensor unit housing.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/714,326Filed 25 Sep 2017 · continuation
Priority: 25 Mar 2015
Published: US 2018/0011196 A111 Jan 2018
Granted: 6 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification16 codes

G01S 7/4808
Of systems according to group G01S17/00: evaluating distance, position or velocity data
G01C 3/02
Measuring distances in line of sight; Optical rangefinders: details
G01S 7/4813
Common to transmitter and receiver: housing arrangements
G01S 7/4815
Of transmitters alone: using multiple transmitters

Family

Application14/668,452Parent of this continuation · filed 25 Mar 2015
Application15/455,009Parent of this continuation · filed 9 Mar 2017
US 9,625,585 B1Parent of this continuation · filed 18 Apr 2017
Application15/493,066Parent of this continuation · filed 20 Apr 2017
US 2018/0011196 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Jan 2018
US 9,864,063 B2Parent of this continuation
US 9,778,364 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2016/0282468 A1Published application
US 2017/0176597 A1Published application
US 2017/0219713 A1Published application
US 9,625,582 B2Related patent
US 10,120,079 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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