Color LiDAR scanner
AssigneeVelodyne Acoustics, Inc.
InventorDavid S. Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A color LiDAR scanner device includes color laser diodes (red, green, blue) and avalanche photodetector diodes (red, green, blue) that illuminate and detect the color light intensity returned from a target. In a preferred version these color laser/detectors are coupled with a single infrared laser/detector that detects the range and infrared light intensity from the same target. The combined range and color intensity information is combined to produce a single colored pixel in space. Multiple illuminations are used to create multiple pixels which can be combined to produce images. A rotating housing may be used for an entire surrounding image.
Claims14
A color scanning system, comprising:
- an infrared laser configured to transmit a pulsed infrared light;
- an infrared detector positioned to receive the infrared pulsed infrared light when reflected from an object;
- a blue laser configured to transmit a steady blue light;
- a blue detector positioned to receive the blue light when reflected from the object;
- a red laser configured to transmit a steady red light;
- a red detector positioned to receive the red light when reflected from the object;
- a green laser configured to transmit a steady green light;
- a green detector positioned to receive the green light when reflected from the object;
- and
- a processor in communication with the infrared detector to determine a distance from the scanning system to the object based on a time between a transmitted infrared light pulse and a received infrared light pulse, the processor further being in communication with the red detector, the blue detector, and the green detector to render a color pixel in space.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.