# US 11,442,149 B2 · LiDAR system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,442,149 B2 - Document ID: US11442149B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/313,247 - Filed: 2016-10-06 - Published: 2020-06-11 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-06 - Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC - Applicants: Strobe, Inc. - Inventors: Lutfollah Maleki; Scott Singer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442149B2 ## CPC - G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning} - G01S 7/4818: {using optical fibres} - G01S 7/4911: Transmitters - G01S 7/4917: {superposing optical signals in a photodetector, e.g. optical heterodyne detection} - G01S 17/34: using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal - G01S 17/36: with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal - G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) - G01S 17/58: Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G02B 26/0833: {the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD (G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B)} - G02B 26/12: using multifaceted mirrors - G02B 27/14: operating by reflection only - 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 - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract A light detection and ranging (“LIDAR”) system includes a coherent light source that generates a frequency modulated optical signal comprising a series of optical chirps. A scanning assembly transmits the series of optical chirps in a scan pattern across a scanning region, and receives a plurality of reflected optical chirps corresponding to the transmitted optical chirps that have reflected off one or more objects located within the scanning region. A photodetector mixes the reflected optical chirps with a local oscillation (LO) reference signal comprising a series of LO reference chirps. An electronic data analysis assembly processes digital data derived from the reflected optical chirps and the LO reference chirps mixed at the photodetector to generate distance data and optionally velocity data associated with each of the reflected optical chirps. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, comprising: a laser for generating light; a scanning assembly comprising a mirror and a mirror driver, the scanning assembly (a) transmits the light in a scan pattern for a frame across a scanning region and (b) receives reflected light that has reflected off one or more objects located within the scanning region; and an electronic data analysis and control assembly comprising a processing device, the electronic data analysis and control assembly (a) generates a plurality of data points each of which comprises distance data associated with a portion of the reflected light and (b) generates the scan pattern for the frame to be used by the scanning assembly for transmitting the light generated by the laser based on scan parameters for the frame, wherein the scan parameters for the frame identify (i) a frame size for the frame comprising either a full frame size or a reduced frame size, (ii) a spatial resolution for the frame having the identified frame size, and (iii) when the frame has the reduced frame size, a non-zero offset for the reduced frame size relative to the full frame size, wherein the electronic data analysis and control assembly generates a differing scan pattern for a differing frame to be used by the scanning assembly for transmitting the light generated by the laser based on differing scan parameters for the differing frame. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The LiDAR system of claim 1, wherein the full frame size is larger than the reduced frame size. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The LiDAR system of claim 1, wherein the spatial resolution defines the number of scan lines and the number of pixels per scan line for the frame having a particular frame size. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The LiDAR system of claim 1, wherein the offset comprises a displacement of a reduced size frame having the reduced frame size relative to a full size frame having the full frame size in at least one dimension such that the reduced size frame is not centered with respect to the full size frame. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The LiDAR system of claim 1, wherein a first set of the scan parameters for the frame enables coarse scanning to locate one or more objects of interest in the frame having the full frame size and a second set of the scan parameters for the differing frame enables fine scanning on the one or more objects of interest in the differing frame having the reduced frame size. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The LiDAR system of claim 1, wherein the distance data indicates a distance of the object that provided the portion of the reflected light relative to the system. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The LiDAR system of claim 1, wherein the generated light comprises a frequency modulated optical signal comprising a series of optical chirps. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The LiDAR system of claim 7, wherein each of the data points also comprises velocity data associated with the portion of the reflected light. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The LiDAR system of claim 8, wherein the velocity data associated with the portion of the reflected light indicates a velocity of the object that provided the portion of the reflected light relative to the system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The LiDAR system of claim 7, wherein the frequency modulated optical signal comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave sawtooth waveform. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The LiDAR system of claim 7, wherein the frequency modulated optical signal comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave triangular waveform. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The LiDAR system of claim 7, wherein the frequency modulated optical signal comprises a frequency modulated pulsed triangular waveform. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The LiDAR system of claim 7, wherein the frequency modulated optical signal comprises a frequency modulated continuous wave sigmoid-shaped waveform. ### Claim 14 A method for providing adaptive scanning, comprising: generating a frequency modulated optical signal comprising a series of optical chirps; generating a scan pattern for a frame for a scanning region, the scan pattern for the frame being generated based on scan parameters for the frame, wherein the scan parameters for the frame identify (i) a frame size for the frame comprising either a full frame size or a reduced frame size, (ii) a spatial resolution for the frame having the identified frame size, and (iii) when the frame has the reduced frame size, a non-zero offset for the reduced frame size relative to the full frame size; transmitting the series of optical chirps in the scan pattern for the frame across the scanning region; receiving a plurality of reflected optical chirps corresponding to the transmitted optical chirps that have reflected off one or more objects located within the scanning region; mixing the reflected optical chirps with a local oscillation (LO) reference signal comprising a series of LO reference chirps; and processing digital data derived from the reflected optical chirps and the LO reference chirps mixed at the photodetector to generate distance data associated with each of the reflected optical chirps; wherein a differing scan pattern for a differing frame is generated based on differing scan parameters for the differing frame. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein: the full frame size is larger than the reduced frame size; the spatial resolution defines the number of scan lines and the number of pixels per scan line for the frame having a particular frame size; and the offset comprises a displacement of a reduced size frame having the reduced frame size relative to a full size frame having the full frame size in at least one dimension such that the reduced size frame is not centered with respect to the full size frame. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein a first set of the scan parameters for the frame enables coarse scanning to locate one or more objects of interest in the frame having the full frame size and a second set of the scan parameters for the differing frame enables fine scanning on the one or more objects of interest in the differing frame having the reduced frame size. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the processing step further comprises generating velocity data associated with each of the reflected optical chirps. ### Claim 18 A method for providing adaptive scanning, comprising: generating light; generating a scan pattern for a frame for transmitting the light across a scanning region, the scan pattern for the frame being generated based on scan parameters for the frame, wherein the scan parameters for the frame identify (i) a frame size for the frame comprising either a full frame size or a reduced frame size, (ii) a spatial resolution for the frame having the identified frame size, and (iii) when the frame has the reduced frame size, a non-zero offset for the reduced frame size relative to the full frame size; transmitting the light in the scan pattern for the frame across the scanning region; receiving reflected light that has reflected off one or more objects located within the scanning region; and generating a plurality of data points each of which comprises distance data associated with a portion of the reflected light; wherein a differing scan pattern for a differing frame for transmitting the light is generated based on differing scan parameters for the differing frame. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein: the full frame size is larger than the reduced frame size; the spatial resolution defines the number of scan lines and the number of pixels per scan line for the frame having a particular frame size; and the offset comprises a displacement of a reduced size frame having the reduced frame size relative to a full size frame having the full frame size in at least one dimension such that the reduced size frame is not centered with respect to the full size frame. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein a first set of the scan parameters for the frame enables coarse scanning to locate one or more objects of interest in the frame having the full frame size and a second set of the scan parameters for the differing frame enables fine scanning on the one or more objects of interest in the differing frame having the reduced frame size.