US 11,442,168 B2Granted

Vehicular driving assist system with lidar sensors that emit different patterns of light

AssigneeMagna Electronics Inc.

InventorsPeter Nicke, Benjamin May

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Abstract

A vehicular driving assist system includes a plurality of lidar sensors having respective fields of sensing exterior the vehicle, with the fields of sensing of first and second lidar sensors partially overlapping at an overlap region. The lidar sensors emit a respective pattern of light and provide a respective output to an ECU based on sensed light that is reflected by objects present in the field of sensing of the respective lidar sensor. The pattern of light emitted by the second lidar sensor differs from the pattern of light emitted by the first lidar sensor. The ECU determines misalignment of the second lidar sensor relative to the first lidar sensor based at least in part on the light sensed by each of the lidar sensors that is reflected by an object present in the overlap region when the respective pattern of light is emitted by the respective lidar sensor.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A vehicular driving assist system, the vehicular driving assist system comprising:

a plurality of lidar sensors disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driving assist system, wherein the plurality of lidar sensors comprises at least (i) a first lidar sensor having a first field of sensing exterior the equipped vehicle and (ii) a second lidar sensor having a second field of sensing exterior the equipped vehicle;
an electronic control unit (ECU) including a data processor;
wherein the first field of sensing of the first lidar sensor partially overlaps the second field of sensing of the second lidar sensor at an overlap region;
wherein the first lidar sensor emits a first pattern of light and provides a first output to the ECU based on sensed light that is reflected by objects present in the first field of sensing of the first lidar sensor;
wherein the second lidar sensor emits a second pattern of light and provides a second output to the ECU based on sensed light that is reflected by objects present in the second field of sensing of the second lidar sensor;
wherein the second pattern of light emitted by the second lidar sensor differs from the first pattern of light emitted by the first lidar sensor;
and
wherein the ECU, responsive to processing at the ECU of the first output and the second output, determines misalignment of the second lidar sensor relative to the first lidar sensor based at least in part on (i) light sensed by the first lidar sensor that is reflected by an object present in the overlap region when the first pattern of light is emitted by the first lidar sensor and (ii) light sensed by the second lidar sensor that is reflected by the object present in the overlap region when the second pattern of light is emitted by the second lidar sensor.

5 more elements

A vehicular driving assist system, the vehicular driving assist system comprising:

a plurality of lidar sensors disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driving assist system, wherein the plurality of lidar sensors comprises at least (i) a first lidar sensor having a first field of sensing exterior the equipped vehicle and (ii) a second lidar sensor having a second field of sensing exterior the equipped vehicle;
an electronic control unit (ECU) including a data processor;
wherein the first field of sensing of the first lidar sensor partially overlaps the second field of sensing of the second lidar sensor at an overlap region;
wherein the first lidar sensor comprises (i) a first light emitting unit that emits a first pattern of light and (ii) a first sensor unit that senses light reflected by objects present in the first field of sensing;
wherein the second lidar sensor comprises (i) a second light emitting unit that emits a second pattern of light and (ii) a second sensor unit that senses light reflected by objects present in the second field of sensing;
wherein the second pattern of light emitted by the second light emitting unit of the second lidar sensor differs from the first pattern of light emitted by the first light emitting unit of the first lidar sensor;
wherein the first lidar sensor provides a first output to the ECU based on sensed light that is reflected by objects present in the first field of sensing of the first lidar sensor;
wherein the second lidar sensor provides a second output to the ECU based on sensed light that is reflected by objects present in the second field of sensing of the second lidar sensor;
wherein the ECU, responsive to processing at the ECU of the first output and the second output, determines misalignment of the second lidar sensor relative to the first lidar sensor based at least in part on (i) light sensed by the first sensor unit of the first lidar sensor that is reflected by an object present in the overlap region when the first pattern of light is emitted by the first light emitting unit of the first lidar sensor and (ii) light sensed by the second sensor unit of the second lidar sensor that is reflected by the object present in the overlap region when the second pattern of light is emitted by the second light emitting unit of the second lidar sensor;
and
wherein the ECU, via processing at the ECU of the first output from the first lidar sensor and the second output from the second lidar sensor, generates a three dimensional (3D) point cloud.

8 more elements

A vehicular driving assist system, the vehicular driving assist system comprising:

a plurality of lidar sensors disposed at a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driving assist system, wherein the plurality of lidar sensors comprises at least (i) a first lidar sensor having a first field of sensing exterior the equipped vehicle and (ii) a second lidar sensor having a second field of sensing exterior the equipped vehicle;
an electronic control unit (ECU) including a data processor;
wherein the first field of sensing of the first lidar sensor partially overlaps the second field of sensing of the second lidar sensor at an overlap region;
wherein the first lidar sensor comprises (i) a first light emitting unit that emits a first pattern of light and (ii) a first sensor unit that senses light reflected by objects present in the first field of sensing;
wherein the second lidar sensor comprises (i) a second light emitting unit that emits a second pattern of light and (ii) a second sensor unit that senses light reflected by objects present in the second field of sensing;
wherein the first pattern of light comprises light pulsed by the first light emitting unit of the first lidar sensor at a first pulse rate, and wherein the second pattern of light comprises light pulsed by the second light emitting unit of the second lidar sensor at a second pulse rate that is different than the first pulse rate;
wherein the first lidar sensor provides a first output to the ECU based on sensed light that is reflected by objects present in the first field of sensing of the first lidar sensor;
wherein the second lidar sensor provides a second output to the ECU based on sensed light that is reflected by objects present in the second field of sensing of the second lidar sensor;
and
wherein the ECU, responsive to processing at the ECU of the first output and the second output, determines misalignment of the second lidar sensor relative to the first lidar sensor based at least in part on (i) light sensed by the first sensor unit of the first lidar sensor that is reflected by an object present in the overlap region when the first pattern of light is emitted by the first light emitting unit of the first lidar sensor and (ii) light sensed by the second sensor unit of the second lidar sensor that is reflected by the object present in the overlap region when the second pattern of light is emitted by the second light emitting unit of the second lidar sensor.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/949,313Filed 26 Oct 2020 · continuation
Priority: 21 Nov 2017
Published: US 2021/0041566 A111 Feb 2021
Granted: 13 Sep 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G01S 17/87
Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems: combinations of systems using…
G01S 17/86
Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems: combinations of lidar systems…
G01S 17/89
Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications: for mapping or imaging
G01S 17/931
For anti-collision purposes: of land vehicles

Family

Application62/589,122Us provisional application · filed 21 Nov 2017
Application16/197,484Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Nov 2018
US 2021/0041566 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Feb 2021
US 10,816,666 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2019/0154833 A1Published application
US 11,442,168 B2This patent

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

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