Hyper temporal LIDAR with dynamic laser control using laser energy and mirror motion models

A lidar apparatus comprising:

• a first mirror that is scannable to a plurality of first mirror scan angles;
• a second mirror that is scannable to a plurality of second mirror scan angles, wherein the scan angles for the first and second mirrors define, in combination, a plurality of range points to which the lidar apparatus is aimed in a field of view;
• a control circuit;
• and
• a laser source that is optically upstream from the first and second mirrors;
• wherein the laser source generates laser pulses for transmission into the field of view via the first and second mirrors in response to firing commands from the control circuit;
• and
• wherein the control circuit (1) controls scanning of the first and second mirrors, (2) maintains a laser energy model that dynamically models available energy for laser pulses from the laser source over time, (3) maintains a mirror motion model that models the first mirror scan angles over time as a plurality of corresponding time slots, (4) determines available energy from the laser source for laser pulses at a plurality of the time slots based on the laser energy model, (5) determines, based on the laser energy model and the mirror motion model, a timing schedule for laser pulses to be transmitted toward a plurality of targeted range points in the field of view, wherein the targeted range points have corresponding first mirror scan angles, and (6) provides firing commands to the laser source based on the determined timing schedule to trigger generation of the laser pulses for transmission from the laser source into the field of view toward the targeted range points via the first and second mirrors;
• and
• wherein the control circuit determines the timing schedule by (1) identifying time slots that, according to the mirror motion model, correspond to the first mirror scan angles of the targeted range points with respect to a plurality of different shot order candidates, (2) evaluating a plurality of different shot order candidates for the timing schedule based on comparisons of a plurality of energy requirements for laser pulses with the determined available energies to be fired at the identified time slots for the different shot order candidates, and (3) selecting the shot order candidate for the timing schedule based on (i) which of the shot order candidates is compliant with the energy requirements according to the laser energy model and (ii) which of one or more compliant shot order candidates exhibits a shortest completion time according to the mirror motion model.

A method for controlling how a plurality of targeted laser pulse shots are transmitted from a laser source into a field of view via a mirror that scans through a plurality of scan angles, wherein the targeted laser pulse shots have corresponding energy requirements, the method comprising:

• processing a group of the scan angles based on a laser energy model for the laser source and a mirror motion model for the mirror to determine a schedule for a plurality of laser pulse shots which (1) target the scan angles of the group and (2) satisfy the corresponding energy requirements for the targeted laser pulse shots;
• and
• firing the targeted laser pulse shots into the field of view via the mirror in accordance with the determined schedule;
• wherein the mirror motion model models the scan angles for the mirror over time as a plurality of corresponding time slots;
• and
• wherein the processing step comprises scheduling the laser pulse shots which target the scan angles of the group into time slots based on the laser energy model by evaluating different assignments of the laser pulse shots which target the scan angles of the group into time slots according to the mirror motion model to identify (i) which of the assignments complies with the energy requirements for the laser pulse shots which target the scan angles of the group according to the laser energy model and (ii) which of one or more compliant assignments exhibits a shortest completion time according to the mirror motion model, wherein the compliant assignment that exhibits the shortest completion time defines the determined schedule.

An article of manufacture for controlling how a plurality of targeted laser pulse shots are transmitted from a laser source into a field of view via a mirror that scans through a plurality of scan angles, wherein the targeted laser pulse shots have corresponding energy requirements, the article of manufacture comprising:

• machine-readable code that is resident on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, wherein the code defines processing operations to be performed by a processor to cause the processor to:
• process a group of the scan angles based on a laser energy model for the laser source and a mirror motion model for the mirror to determine a schedule for a plurality of laser pulse shots which (1) target the scan angles of the group and (2) satisfy the corresponding energy requirements for the targeted laser pulse shots;
• and
• generate firing commands for the laser source that cause the laser source to fire the targeted laser pulse shots into the field of view via the mirror in accordance with the determined schedule;
• wherein the mirror motion model models the scan angles for the mirror over time as a plurality of corresponding time slots;
• and
• wherein the machine-readable code to process the group of scan angles comprises machine-readable code for causing the processor to schedule the laser pulse shots which target the scan angles of the group into time slots based on the laser energy model by evaluating different assignments of the laser pulse shots which target the scan angles of the group into time slots according to the mirror motion model to identify (i) which of the assignments complies with the energy requirements for the laser pulse shots which target the scan angles of the group according to the laser energy model and (ii) which of one or more compliant assignments exhibits a shortest completion time according to the mirror motion model, wherein the compliant assignment that exhibits the shortest completion time defines the determined schedule.