Back to results
US 11,994,590 B2Granted
High dynamic range lidar
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsNathaniel W. Hart, Adam L. Wright
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and method are provided for controlling a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by the controller, first return data detected by a first detector of a lidar device as a result of a first laser pulse or chirp; receiving, by the controller, second return data detected by a second detector of the lidar device as a result of a second laser pulse or chirp; combining, by the controller, the first return data and the second return data to form a point cloud; and controlling, by the controller, the vehicle based on the point cloud.
Claims18
A method of controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:
- initiating, by a controller onboard the vehicle, a first laser pulse or chirp from a lidar device based on a first power;
- initiating, by the controller, a second laser pulse or chirp from the lidar device based on a second power, wherein the first power is greater than the second power, a first return data is a result of the first laser pulse or chirp, and a second return data is a result of the second laser pulse or chirp;
- receiving, by the controller, the first return data detected by a first detector of the lidar device as the result of the first laser pulse or chirp associated with a first distance range;
- receiving, by the controller, the second return data detected by a second detector of the lidar device as the result of the second laser pulse or chirp associated with a second distance range, wherein the first distance range is greater than the second distance range;
- removing short range noise from a long range waveform of the first return data by combining, by the controller, the long range waveform of the first return data and a short range waveform of the second return data to generate a combined waveform;
- forming a point cloud including a three-dimensional cloud of points based on the combined waveform;
- and
- controlling, by the controller, the vehicle based on the point cloud,
- wherein the lidar device is configured to horizontally and rotatably scan an environment in a vicinity of the vehicle in accordance with a first angular velocity at a first scan rate to complete a first revolution and the first and second detectors are spaced laterally apart based on the first scan rate,
- wherein the first detector is configured to process the first return data associated with the first distance range and the first return data is reflected from the first laser pulse or chirp based on the first power that is greater than 75 W and less than a 5 ns width, and
- wherein the second detector is configured to process the second return data associated with the second distance range and the second return data is reflected from the second laser pulse or chirp based on the second power that is less than 10 W at a 5 ns width.
8 more elements
A system for controlling a vehicle, comprising:
- a lidar device;
- and
- a controller configured to, by a processor, to:
- initiate a first laser pulse or chirp from the lidar device based on a first power;
- initiate a second laser pulse or chirp from the lidar device based on a second power, wherein the first power is greater than the second power, a first return data is a result of the first laser pulse or chirp, and a second return data is a result of the second laser pulse or chirp;
- receive, the first return data detected by a first detector of the lidar device as the result of the first laser pulse or chirp associated with a first distance range;
- receive the second return data detected by a second detector of the lidar device as the result of the second laser pulse or chirp associated with a second distance range, wherein the first distance range is greater than the second distance range;
- remove short range noise from a long range waveform of the first return data by combining the long range waveform of the first return data and a short range waveform of the second return data to generate a combined waveform;
- form a point cloud including a three-dimensional cloud of points based on the combined waveform;
- and
- control the vehicle based on the point cloud,
- wherein the lidar device is configured to horizontally and rotatably scan an environment in a vicinity of the vehicle in accordance with a first angular velocity at a first scan rate to complete a first revolution and the first and second detectors are spaced laterally apart based on the first scan rate,
- wherein the first detector is configured to process the first return data associated with the first distance range and the first return data is reflected from the first laser pulse or chirp based on the first power that is greater than 75 W and less than a 5 ns width, and
- wherein the second detector is configured to process the second return data associated with the second distance range and the second return data is reflected from the second laser pulse or chirp based on the second power that is less than 10 W at a 5 ns width.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.