# US 12,000,960 B2 · Binning and non-binning combination

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- Number: US 12,000,960 B2
- Document ID: US12000960B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/829,778
- Filed: 2020-03-25
- Published: 2020-08-06
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-26
- Assignees: Innoviz Technologies Ltd.
- Applicants: Innoviz Technologies Ltd
- Inventors: Oded Yeruhami; Amit Steinberg; Nir Osiroff; Ronen Eshel
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000960B2

## CPC

- G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning}
- B60S 1/02: Cleaning windscreens, windows or optical devices {(wind deflectors specially adapted for preventing soiling of windows or windscreens B60J1/2002)}
- B81B 3/0018: {Structures acting upon the moving or flexible element for transforming energy into mechanical movement or vice versa, i.e. actuators, sensors, generators}
- G01H 1/00: Measuring {characteristics of} vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector (G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence)
- G01S 7/4802: {using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section}
- G01S 7/4808: {Evaluating distance, position or velocity data}
- G01S 7/4813: {Housing arrangements}
- G01S 7/4814: {of transmitters alone}
- G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters}
- G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone}
- G01S 7/484: Transmitters
- G01S 7/4863: Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates
- G01S 7/4911: Transmitters
- G01S 7/4914: of detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates
- G01S 7/497: Means for monitoring or calibrating
- G01S 17/06: Systems determining position data of a target
- G01S 17/10: using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32)
- G01S 17/32: using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated
- G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46)
- G01S 17/58: Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
- G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging
- G01S 17/931: of land vehicles
- B81B 2201/04: Optical MEMS
- G01S 2007/4975: {of sensor obstruction by, e.g. dirt- or ice-coating, e.g. by reflection measurement on front-screen}
- G02B 26/122: {Control of the scanning speed of the polygonal mirror}
- 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
- B60S: SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B81B: MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICAL DEVICES (piezoelectric, electrostrictive or magnetostrictive elements per se H10N30/00, H10N35/00)
- G01H: MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC OR INFRASONIC WAVES
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

In some embodiments, a LIDAR system may include at least one processor configured to control at least one light source for projecting light toward a field of view and receive from at least one first sensor first signals associated with light projected by the at least one light source and reflected from an object in the field of view, wherein the light impinging on the at least one first sensor is in a form of a light spot having an outer boundary. The processor may further be configured to receive from at least one second sensor second signals associated with light noise, wherein the at least one second sensor is located outside the outer boundary; determine, based on the second signals received from the at least one second sensor, an indicator of a magnitude of the light noise; and determine, based on the indicator the first signals received from the at least one first sensor and, a distance to the object.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A LIDAR system, comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
control at least one LIDAR light source for illuminating a field of view;
receive from a plurality of light detectors a plurality of input signals indicative of reflections of light from objects in the field of view, wherein the plurality of light detectors are arranged in an array, and each of the plurality of input signals is output from a corresponding one of the plurality of light detectors;
process a first subset of the input signals respectively output from a first sub-group of the plurality of light detectors associated with a first region of the field of view to detect a first object in the first region, wherein processing the first subset is performed individually on each input signal of the first subset of the input signals;
process a second subset of the input signals respectively output from a second sub-group of the plurality of light detectors associated with a second region of the field of view to detect at least one second object in the second region, wherein the at least one second object is located at a greater distance from the at least one light source than the first object and wherein processing of the second subset includes processing together input signals of the second subset, wherein the first sub-group of the plurality of light detectors and the second sub-group of the plurality of light detectors are included in the same array of light detectors; and
output information indicative of a distance to the first object and information indicative of a distance to the at least one second object,
wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
receive the first subset of the input signals and second subset of the input signals in a time frame associated with a single scanning cycle; and
initially determine that at least some of the second subset of the input signals are associated with insufficient detection information, and thereafter process the second subset by combining at least two input signals of the second subset.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the first region of the field of view is associated with a foreground portion of the field of view and the second region of the field of view is associated with a background portion of the field of view.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the first region of the field of view and the second region of the field of view are spatially separated.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The LIDAR system of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the at least one LIDAR light source to illuminate the first region of the field of view in a first illumination level and to illuminate the second region of the field of view in a second illumination level lower than the first illumination level.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the first region of the field of view and the second region of the field of view at least partially overlap.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein a same group of detectors generate the first subset of the input signals and second subset of the input signals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein a size of at least one of the first region and the second region is predefined.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to dynamically define a size of the second region.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The LIDAR system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to dynamically define the size of second region based on at least one of ambient lighting conditions, object reflectivity, noise levels, vehicle speed, and driving environment.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to initially process the second subset of input signals by analyzing the input signals of the second subset individually, and when no object is definitively detected, process the second subset by combining at least two input signals of the second subset.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause illumination of the field of view by moving at least one light deflector in a scanning cycle to deflect light from the at least one light source such that during the scanning cycle the at least one light deflector is moved through a plurality of different instantaneous positions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The LIDAR system of claim 11, wherein for each particular instantaneous position of the at least one light deflector, a sensor including the group of light detectors is configured to generate a portion of the plurality of input signals, each of the input signals being associated with an output of a corresponding pixel of the sensor.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The LIDAR system of claim 11, wherein first and second subsets of the input signals are received during the scanning cycle.