Multi-Channel Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Unit Having a Telecentric Lens Assembly and Single Circuit Board For Emitters and Detectors

An autonomous vehicle comprising:

• one or more LIDAR units coupled to a vehicle body of the autonomous vehicle, the one or more LIDAR units comprising:
• a housing defining a cavity;
• a plurality of emitters disposed on a surface of a circuit board positioned within the cavity, each of the plurality of emitters comprising a laser diode configured to emit a laser beam such that the laser beam is substantially perpendicular to the circuit board, each of the plurality of emitters further comprising a collimation lens positioned relative to the laser diode such that the laser beam emitted from the laser diode reflects off of the collimation lens and along a transmit path;
• a first telecentric lens assembly positioned within the cavity along the transmit path such that the laser beam emitted from each of the plurality of emitters passes through the first telecentric lens assembly, the first telecentric lens assembly comprising a first field flattening lens and at least one other lens;
• a second telecentric lens assembly positioned within the cavity along a receive path such that a plurality of reflected laser beams entering the cavity pass through the second telecentric lens assembly, the second telecentric lens assembly comprising a second field flattening lens and at least one other lens;
• and
• a plurality of detectors disposed on the surface of the circuit board, each of the plurality of detectors spaced apart from a corresponding emitter of the plurality of emitters, each of the plurality of detectors configured to detect one or more of the plurality of reflected laser beams.

A computing system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer readable media that collectively store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
• obtaining sensor data indicative of an object within a field of view of a LIDAR system onboard an autonomous vehicle, wherein the LIDAR system comprises a LIDAR unit, the LIDAR unit comprising:
• a housing defining a cavity, one or more emitters positioned within the cavity and configured to emit one or more laser beams along a transmit path, a first telecentric lens assembly along the transmit path, a second telecentric lens assembly along a receive path, and one or more detectors configured to detect one or more reflected laser beams entering the cavity;
• determining perception data for the object based at least in part on the sensor data;
• determining one or more future locations of the object based at least in part on the perception data for the object;
• and
• determining an action for the autonomous vehicle based, at least in part, on the one or more future locations of the object.