# US 12,000,930 B2 · Lidar system and method of operation

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- Number: US 12,000,930 B2
- Document ID: US12000930B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/216,863
- Filed: 2023-06-30
- Published: 2023-10-26
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-24
- Assignees: Red Leader Technologies, Inc.
- Applicants: Red Leader Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: Jacob Hillard; John Dean; Jhoneldrick Millares; Rebecca Wong; Logan Herrera
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000930B2

## CPC

- G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging
- G01S 7/4804: {Auxiliary means for detecting or identifying lidar signals or the like, e.g. laser illuminators}
- G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters}
- G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone}
- G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning}
- G01S 7/4865: Time delay measurement, e.g. time-of-flight measurement, time of arrival measurement or determining the exact position of a peak (peak detection in noise, signal conditioning G01S7/487)
- G01S 7/493: Extracting wanted echo signals
- G01S 7/4911: Transmitters
- G01S 7/4914: of detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates
- G01S 17/26: wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency-modulated or phase-modulated carrier wave, e.g. for pulse compression of received signals
- 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

## Abstract

A LIDAR system, preferably including one or more: optical emitters, optical detectors, beam directors, and/or processing modules. A method of LIDAR system operation, preferably including: determining a signal, outputting the signal, receiving a return signal, and/or analyzing the return signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for environment mapping, comprising:
generating a laser output representative of an output signal that encodes a code sequence, comprising modulating a carrier signal based on the code sequence;
during a time period, transmitting the laser output into an environment;
during the time period, at an optical sensor, receiving a return signal comprising a reflection, from an object within the environment, of the laser output;
determining a sample indicative of a contiguous time window of the return signal;
generating a filtered sample, comprising filtering the sample based on the code sequence;
based on the filtered sample:
determining an extremum of the filtered sample; and
determining a delay time associated with the extremum; and
based on the delay time, determining a relative location of the object.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the code sequence is a binary code sequence.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein modulating the carrier signal based on the code sequence comprises:
mapping 0-value bits of the code sequence to a first intensity; and
mapping 1-value bits of the code sequence to a second intensity different from the first intensity.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the first intensity is lesser than the second intensity, wherein the first intensity is substantially zero.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein filtering the sample based on the code sequence comprises applying, to the sample, a matched filter for the output signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein applying the matched filter comprises determining at least one of: a convolution of the sample with a time-reversed version of the output signal; or a convolution of the output signal with a time-reversed version of the sample.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
at the optical sensor, after receiving the return signal, receiving a second return signal comprising a second reflection, from a second object within the environment, of the laser output;
determining a second sample indicative of a second contiguous time window of the second return signal;
generating a second filtered sample, comprising filtering the second sample based on the code sequence;
based on the second filtered sample, determining a second delay time associated with a second extremum of the filtered sample; and
based on the second delay time, determining a relative location of the second object.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising:
generating a second laser output encoding a second output signal, comprising modulating a second carrier signal based on a second code sequence;
during the time period, transmitting the second laser output into the environment;
generating a second filtered sample, comprising filtering the sample based on the second code sequence, wherein the return signal further comprises a second reflection, from a second object within the environment, of the second laser output;
based on the second filtered sample:
determining a second extremum of the second filtered sample; and
determining a second delay time associated with the second extremum; and
based on the second delay time, determining a relative location of the second object.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising, before generating the laser output and the second laser output, determining a set of code sequences such that cross-correlation between code sequences of the set is less than a threshold value, wherein the set of code sequences comprises the code sequence and the second code sequence.

### Claim 10 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising, before generating the laser output, determining the code sequence such that a cross-correlation between the output signal and other optical signals received at the optical sensor is less than a threshold value.

### Claim 11 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, further comprising, after the time period:
generating a second laser output;
during a second time period, transmitting the second laser output into the environment;
during the second time period, receiving a second return signal comprising a second reflection, from a second object within the environment, of the second laser output;
determining a second sample indicative of a second contiguous time window of the second return signal;
generating a second filtered sample, comprising filtering the second sample based on the code sequence;
based on the second filtered sample:
determining a second extremum of the second filtered sample; and
determining a second delay time associated with the second extremum; and
based on the second delay time, determining a relative location of the second object.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, further comprising, based on a first set of desired performance metrics, determining a first dwell time, wherein the first set of desired performance metrics comprises at least one of: accuracy, range, resolution, and latency; wherein transmitting the second laser output is performed such that a time interval between transmitting the laser output and transmitting the second laser output is substantially equal to the first dwell time.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, further comprising:
based on at least one of the return signal or the second return signal, determining a second dwell time;
generating a third laser output;
during a third time period, transmitting the third laser output into the environment;
generating a fourth laser output;
during a fourth time period, based on the second dwell time, transmitting the fourth laser output into the environment, wherein a second time interval between transmitting the third laser output and transmitting the fourth laser output is substantially equal to the second dwell time;
receiving a third return signal comprising a third reflection, from the object, of at least one of the third laser output or the fourth laser output;
based on the third return signal, generating a third filtered sample; and
based on the third filtered sample, determining an updated relative location of the object.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the return signal further comprises a second reflection, from a second object within the environment, of the laser output, the method further comprising:
based on the filtered sample, determining a second delay time associated with the second object; and
based on the second delay time, determining a relative location of the second object.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, further comprising, before determining the second delay time, determining a first peak region associated with the extremum; wherein determining the second delay time comprises:
determining a second extremum of the filtered sample, wherein the second extremum is not within the first peak region, wherein a magnitude of the extremum is greater than a magnitude of the second extremum; and
determining the second delay time based on the second extremum.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor comprises an avalanche photodiode.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
based on a first set of desired performance metrics, determining a first dwell time, wherein the first set of desired performance metrics comprises at least one of: accuracy, range, resolution, and latency;
generating a second laser output; and
based on the first dwell time, after transmitting the laser output, transmitting the second laser output into the environment such that a time interval between transmitting the laser output and transmitting the second laser output is substantially equal to the first dwell time.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the second laser output is representative of the optical signal; the method further comprising:
receiving a second return signal comprising a second reflection of the second laser output;
determining a second sample indicative of a second contiguous time window of the second return signal;
generating a second filtered sample, comprising filtering the second sample based on the code sequence; and
based on the second filtered sample:
determining a second extremum of the second filtered sample; and
determining a second delay time associated with the second extremum.

### Claim 19 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein the second laser output is representative of a second optical signal that encodes a second code sequence; the method further comprising:
receiving a second return signal comprising a second reflection of the second laser output;
determining a second sample indicative of a second contiguous time window of the second return signal;
generating a second filtered sample, comprising filtering the second sample based on the second code sequence; and
based on the second filtered sample:
determining a second extremum of the second filtered sample; and
determining a second delay time associated with the second extremum.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the laser output is periodic.