Back to results
US 11,686,817 B2Granted
Mitigating interference for LIDAR systems of autonomous vehicles
AssigneeGM Cruise Holdings LLC
InventorsMatt Cox, Robert Vets, Peter Megson, Cornelis Jacob Lekkerkerker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An autonomous vehicle having a lidar sensor system is described. A computing system is configured to determine that the lidar sensor system is to update a code that is included in light signals emitted by the lidar sensor system. The computing system transmits a command signal to the lidar sensor system, wherein the command signal causes the lidar sensor system to transition from emitting light signals with a first code therein to emitting light signals with a second code therein, wherein the first code is different from the second code.
Claims20
A lidar sensor system, comprising:
- a light emitter;
- a light detector;
- a processor;
- and
- memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:
- causing the light emitter to emit light signals with a first emission pattern therein into an environment, wherein the first emission pattern is a function of a geospatial direction towards which an autonomous vehicle comprising the lidar sensor system is facing in the environment such that the emission pattern is identified based on a direction of travel of the autonomous vehicle, wherein a light signal in the light signals reflects off an object in the environment to provide a reflected light signal, and wherein the light detector detects the reflected light signal;
- responsive to detection of the reflected light signal by the light detector, determining that the reflected light signal includes the first emission pattern;
- and
- generating a point cloud based in part on the reflected light signal in response to determining that the reflected light signal includes the first emission pattern, wherein a differing light signal detected by the light detector determined to lack the first emission pattern is identified as being interference such that the differing light signal is filtered and not used to generate the point cloud.
6 more elements
A spinning lidar sensor system, comprising:
- a light emitter configured to revolve around an axis;
- a processor;
- and
- memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform acts comprising:
- causing the light emitter to emit first light signals with a first emission pattern therein into an environment, wherein the first emission pattern is a function of a first direction of transmission of the first light signals into the environment such that the first emission pattern is identified based on the first direction of transmission of the first light signals, and wherein the light emitter is oriented within a first portion of a revolution around the axis;
- and
- causing the light emitter to transition from emitting the first light signals with the first emission pattern therein to emitting second light signals with a second emission pattern therein into the environment, wherein the second emission pattern is a function of a second direction of transmission of the second light signals into the environment such that the second emission pattern is identified based on the second direction of transmission of the second light signals, wherein the light emitter is oriented within a second portion of the revolution around the axis, wherein the first emission pattern is different from the second emission pattern, wherein the light emitter is caused to transition from emitting the first light signals to the second light signals to facilitate avoidance of interference with respect to differing light signals emitted by a differing light source of a differing lidar sensor system.
4 more elements
A method of operating a lidar sensor system, comprising:
- causing a light emitter of the lidar sensor system to emit light signals with an emission pattern therein into an environment, wherein the emission pattern is a function of a geospatial direction towards which an autonomous vehicle comprising the lidar sensor system is facing in the environment such that the emission pattern is identified based on a direction of transmission of the light signals, wherein a light signal in the light signals reflects off an object in the environment to provide a reflected light signal;
- detecting, with a light detector of the lidar sensor system, the reflected light signal;
- responsive to detection of the reflected light signal by the light detector, determining that the reflected light signal includes the emission pattern;
- and
- generating a point cloud based in part on the reflected light signal in response to determining that the reflected light signal includes the emission pattern, wherein a differing light signal detected by the light detector determined to lack the emission pattern is identified as being interference such that the differing light signal is filtered and not used to generate the point cloud.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.