# US 10,481,268 B2 · Temperature based control in LIDAR > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,268 B2 - Document ID: US10481268B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/861,206 - Filed: 2018-01-03 - Published: 2018-05-24 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-20 - Assignees: Innoviz Technologies Ltd. - Applicants: Innoviz Technologies Ltd. - Inventors: Julian Vlaiko; Amit Steinberg; Omer David Keilaf; Oren Buskila; Ronen Eshel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481268B2 ## CPC - G01S 7/4812: {transmitted and received beams following a coaxial path} - G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) - B60Q 1/0023: {the element being a sensor, e.g. distance sensor, camera} - B60Q 1/26: the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic - G01S 7/4808: {Evaluating distance, position or velocity data} - G01S 7/4814: {of transmitters alone} - G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters} - G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning} - G01S 7/484: Transmitters - G01S 7/486: Receivers - G01S 7/4861: Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out - G01S 7/4863: Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates - G01S 7/4868: {Controlling received signal intensity or exposure of sensor} - G01S 7/4876: {by removing unwanted signals (G01S7/495 takes precedence)} - G01S 7/4918: {Controlling received signal intensity, gain or exposure of sensor} - G01S 7/497: Means for monitoring or calibrating - G01S 7/4972: {Alignment of sensor} - G01S 17/04: Systems determining the presence of a target - G01S 17/10: using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) - G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging - G01S 17/93: for anti-collision purposes - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G02B 26/0858: {the reflecting means being moved or deformed by piezoelectric means} - G02B 26/10: Scanning systems - G05D 1/024: {in combination with a laser (lasers per se H01S)} - G08G 1/04: using optical or ultrasonic detectors - G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract A LIDAR system for use in a vehicle may include at least one light source configured to project light toward a field of view for illuminating a plurality of objects in an environment of a vehicle and at least one processor configured to control the at least one light source in a manner enabling light flux of light from the at least one light source to vary over scans of a plurality of portions of the field of view. The LIDAR system may receive information indicating that a temperature associated with at least one system component exceeds a threshold, and in response to the received information indicating the temperature exceeding the threshold, modify an illumination ratio between two portions of the field of view such that during at least one subsequent scanning cycle less light is delivered to the field of view than in a prior scanning cycle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A LIDAR system for use in a vehicle, the LIDAR system comprising: at least one light source configured to project light toward a field of view for illuminating a plurality of objects in an environment of a vehicle; at least one processor configured to: control the at least one light source in a manner enabling light flux of light from the at least one light source to vary over scans of a plurality of portions of the field of view, wherein during scanning of the field of view, heat is radiated from a system component among a plurality of system components; receive information indicating that a temperature associated with at least one system component among the plurality of system components exceeds a threshold; and in response to the received information indicating the temperature exceeding the threshold, modify an illumination ratio between two portions of the field of view such that during at least one subsequent scanning cycle less light is delivered to the field of view than in a prior scanning cycle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control at least one light deflector such that during a scanning cycle of the field of view, the at least one light deflector is located in a plurality of different instantaneous positions. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to coordinate the at least one light deflector and the at least one light source such that when the at least one light deflector is located at a particular instantaneous position, a portion of a light beam is deflected by the at least one light deflector from the at least one light source towards an object in the field of view, and reflections of the portion of the light beam from the object are deflected by the at least one light deflector toward at least one sensor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The LIDAR system of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of light sources aimed at the at least one light deflector, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the at least one light deflector such that when the at least one light deflector is located at a particular instantaneous position, light from the plurality of light sources is projected towards a plurality of independent regions in the field of view. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a spatial light distribution of light in a single scanning cycle of the field of view and to modify the illumination ratio such that more light is projected toward a first portion of the field of view than toward a second portion of the field of view. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The LIDAR system of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to coordinate control of the at least one light source and the at least one light deflector such that during the at least one subsequent scanning cycle, a same amount of light is projected towards the first portion as was projected in the prior scanning cycle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The LIDAR system of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to coordinate control of the at least one light source and the at least one light deflector to project more light-pulses toward the first portion than light-pulses are projected toward the second portion. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The LIDAR system of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to coordinate control of the at least one light source and the at least one light deflector in a plurality of scanning cycles to dynamically adjust a first rate of scanning cycles for illuminating the first portion and a second rate of scanning cycles for illuminating the second portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain an identification of a region of interest in a first portion field of view; and modify the illumination ratio between the first portion and a second portion of the field of view such that during the at least one subsequent scanning cycle, more light is directed toward to the first portion than toward the second portion. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The LIDAR system of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to obtain an identification of a region of non-interest in the second portion field of view. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive from a sensor connectable to the at least one processor the information indicating that the temperature associated with the at least one system component exceeds the threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive from a vehicle controller the information indicating that the temperature associated with the at least one system component exceeds the threshold. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the received information includes at least one of: information about a temperature of an environment external to the vehicle, information about the vehicle's engine heat, information about a temperature of the at least one light source, and information about a temperature of the at least one processor. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a value for the threshold based on information about a temperature of an environment surrounding the vehicle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to reduce, in response to the received information indicating the temperature exceeding the threshold, a resolution in a part of the field of view during the at least one subsequent scanning cycle. ### Claim 16 A vehicle, comprising: a vehicle body; at least one light source configured to project light toward a field of view for illuminating a plurality of objects in an environment of the vehicle; at least one processor located within the vehicle body and configured to: control the at least one light source in a manner enabling light flux of light from the at least one light source to vary over scans of a plurality of portions of the field of view, wherein during scanning of the field of view, heat is radiated from a system component among a plurality of system components; receive information indicating that a temperature associated with at least one system component among the plurality of system components exceeds a threshold; and in response to the received information, modify an illumination ratio between two portions of the field of view such that during at least one subsequent scanning cycle, less light is delivered to the field of view than in a prior scanning cycle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a spatial light distribution of light in a single scanning cycle of the field of view and to modify the illumination ratio such that more light is projected toward a first portion of the field of view than toward a second portion of the field of view. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to coordinate control of the at least one light source and the at least one light deflector such that during a subsequent scanning cycle, an amount of light projected toward the first portion is substantially equal to an amount of light projected toward the first portion in a prior scanning cycle. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain an identification of a region of interest in a first portion field of view and an identification of a region of non-interest in a second portion field of view; and modify the illumination ratio between the first portion and the second portion of the field of view such that during the at least one subsequent scanning cycle more light is directed toward the first portion than toward the second portion. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a value for the threshold based on information about a temperature in an environment out the vehicle. ### Claim 21 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for detecting objects using a LIDAR system including at least one light source configured to project light toward a field of view for illuminating a plurality of objects in an environment of a vehicle, the method comprising: controlling the at least one light source in a manner enabling light flux of light from the at least one light source to vary over scans of a plurality of portions of the field of view, wherein during scanning of the field of view, heat is radiated from a system component among a plurality of system components; receiving information indicating that a temperature associated with at least one system component among the plurality of system components exceeds a threshold; and in response to the received information, modifying an illumination ratio between two portions of the field of view such that during at least one subsequent scanning cycle less light is delivered to the field of view than in a prior scanning cycle. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain an identification of a region of interest in a first portion of the field of view; modify a light intensity directed to the region of interest according to an optical budget associated with the at least one light source. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one system component comprises at least one of a LIDAR light source, a LIDAR deflector, a LIDAR sensor, or a LIDAR processor. ### Claim 24 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain an identification of a region of interest in a first portion of the field of view; and modify a light intensity directed to the region of interest according to an optical budget associated with the at least one light source. ### Claim 25 (depends on 16) The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the at least one vehicle component comprises at least one of a LIDAR light source, a LIDAR deflector, a LIDAR sensor, or a LIDAR processor. ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: obtain an identification of a region of interest in a first portion of the field of view; and modify a light intensity directed to the region of interest according to an optical budget associated with the at least one light source. ### Claim 27 (depends on 21) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the at least one system component comprises at least one of a LIDAR light source, a LIDAR deflector, a LIDAR sensor, or a LIDAR processor.