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US 12,742,865 B2Granted
Optical power monitoring in lidar systems and devices
AssigneeVelodyne Lidar USA, Inc.
InventorsSuresh Rangarajan, Oren Milgrome
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The subject matter of this disclosure relates to a system, a method, and an apparatus for power monitoring and blockage detection in a lidar device. An example method includes: emitting, by a transmitter of a lidar device, an optical signal toward a maintenance area that is inside the lidar device and outside a field of view for the lidar device; measuring, by a power monitoring circuit of the lidar device, an intensity of an incident signal corresponding to the optical signal; comparing the measured intensity with a target intensity value; and adjusting, based on the comparison, an electrical control signal provided to the transmitter.
Claims20
A method of monitoring lidar power in a lidar device having a plurality of transmitter channels, the method comprising:
- in a calibration mode separate from an environmental scanning mode, performing a calibration procedure for each of the plurality of transmitter channels, the calibration procedure comprising, iteratively performing the steps of:
- emitting, by the respective transmitter channel, an optical signal toward a maintenance area that is inside the lidar device and outside a field of view for the lidar device;
- measuring, by a power monitoring circuit of the lidar device, an intensity of an incident signal corresponding to the optical signal;
- and
- adjusting, based on a comparison of the measured intensity with a target intensity value, an electrical control signal provided to the respective transmitter channel;
- until the measured intensity for each of the plurality of transmitter channels converges with the target intensity value to establish a respective calibrated electrical control signal;
- and
- subsequently, in the environmental scanning mode, applying the respective calibrated electrical control signal to each of the plurality of transmitter channels for emissions of optical signals toward a scanning area.
5 more elements
A lidar power monitoring method comprising:
- emitting, by a transmitter of a lidar device, an optical signal toward a maintenance area that is inside the lidar device and outside a field of view for the lidar device;
- measuring, by a power monitoring circuit of the lidar device, an intensity of an incident signal corresponding to the optical signal;
- comparing the measured intensity with a target intensity value;
- and
- adjusting, based on the comparison, an electrical control signal provided to the transmitter;
- emitting, by the transmitter, a second optical signal toward a scanning area corresponding to the field of view;
- measuring, by the power monitoring circuit, an intensity of a second incident signal corresponding to the second optical signal;
- and
- determining, based on a comparison of the measured intensity of the incident signal and the measured intensity of the second incident signal, that a blockage is disposed on the window.
6 more elements
A lidar system comprising:
- a lidar device comprising:
- a plurality of transmitter channels, each configured to emit optical signals;
- a power monitoring circuit configured to monitor intensities associated with the optical signals;
- a maintenance area located inside the lidar device and outside a field of view for the lidar device;
- and
- at least one processor,
- wherein each transmitter channel is configured, in a calibration mode separate from an environmental scanning mode, to emit an optical signal toward the maintenance area,
- wherein the power monitoring circuit is configured to measure an intensity of an incident signal corresponding to the optical signal, and
- wherein the at least one processor is programmed to perform operations comprising:
- comparing the measured intensity with a target intensity value, and
- iteratively adjusting, for each transmitter channel and based on the comparison, an electrical control signal provided to the respective transmitter channel until the measured intensity converges with the target intensity value to establish a respective calibrated electrical control signal;
- and
- subsequently, in the environmental scanning mode, applying the respective calibrated electrical control signal to each of the plurality of transmitter channels for emissions of optical signals toward a scanning area.
10 more elements
A lidar system comprising:
- a lidar device comprising:
- a transmitter configured to emit optical signals;
- a power monitoring circuit configured to monitor intensities associated with the optical signals;
- a maintenance area located inside the lidar device and outside a field of view for the lidar device;
- and
- at least one processor,
- wherein the transmitter is configured to emit a first optical signal toward the maintenance area,
- wherein the power monitoring circuit is configured to measure an intensity of an incident signal corresponding to the first optical signal, and
- wherein the at least one processor is programmed to perform operations comprising:
- comparing the measured intensity with a target intensity value, and adjusting, based on the comparison, an electrical control signal provided to the transmitter, and wherein the transmitter is further configured to emit a second optical signal toward a scanning area corresponding to the field of view,
- wherein the power monitoring circuit is configured to measure an intensity of a second incident signal corresponding to the second optical signal, and
- wherein the operations comprise determining, based on a comparison of the measured intensity of the incident signal and the measured intensity of the second incident signal, that a blockage is disposed on the window.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.