Methods and apparatus for object detection and identification in a multiple detector lidar array
AssigneeFacet Technology Corp.
InventorsJames E. Retterath, Robert A. Laumeyer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
LiDAR (light detection and ranging) systems use one or more emitters and a detector array to cover a given field of view where the emitters each emit a single pulse or a multi-pulse packet of light that is sampled by the detector array. On each emitter cycle the detector array will sample the incoming signal intensity at the pre-determined sampling frequency that generates two or more samples per emitted light packet to allow for volumetric analysis of the retroreflected signal portion of each emitted light packet as reflected by one or more objects in the field of view and then received by each detector.
Claims13
A LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system comprising:
- an emitter that emits a series of emitted light packets over a field of view, each emitted light packet emitted for a cycle duration;
- a detector array having an array of detectors configured to cover the field of view and sample an incoming retroreflected signal portion of an emitted light packet at a pre-determined sampling frequency that generates at least two samples corresponding to the cycle duration of the emitted light packet;
- a processing system configured to analyze the samples from the detector array and detect an object within the field of view using at least a volumetric analysis of the at least two samples from each detector in the array of detectors corresponding to an intensity of the incoming retroreflected signal portion of each emitted light packet
- wherein the processing system includes at least one graphics processing unit (GPU) configured to process the samples to produce multiple output points for each emitted light packet corresponding to a pre-defined grid of points for the field of view of the emitter
- wherein the detector array includes a plurality of frame buffers corresponding to the pre-defined grid of points, each frame buffer corresponding to a different portion of the cycle duration associated with the emitted light packet.
A method for detecting and identifying an object within a field of view comprising:
- providing a LiDAR system, the LiDAR system comprising an emitter and a detector array;
- activating the emitter to emit a series of light pulses over a field of view for a cycle duration;
- sampling a portion of the emitted light pulses utilizing the detector array at a sampling frequency that is faster than a frequency of the cycle duration;
- deriving a signal corresponding to an intensity value associated with the sampled portion of the emitted light pulses;
- and
- analyzing the signal to identify and detect an object within the field of view.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.