Concurrent scan of multiple pixels in a lidar system equipped with a polygon mirror
First Claim
1. A lidar system comprising:
- one or more light sources configured to generate a first beam of light and a second beam of light;
a scanner configured to synchronously scan a field of regard of the lidar system using the first beam of light and the second beam of light, the scanner including;
a rotatable polygon mirror having a block having a first wall, a second wall, and a plurality of reflective surfaces extending between the first and second walls, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block,a polygon mirror axle extending into the block through at least one of the first and second walls, about which the block rotates,a plurality of optical elements configured to direct the first and second beams of light respectively to two adjacent reflective surfaces of the rotatable polygon mirror, anda second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle, wherein the first and second beams of light are incident on the second mirror; and
a receiver configured to detect the first beam of light and the second beam of light scattered by one or more remote targets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lidar system includes one or more light sources configured to generate a first and second beams of light, a scanner configured to synchronously scan a field of regard of the lidar system using the two beams, and a receiver configured to detect light of the two beams scattered by one or more remote targets. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror having a block having a first wall, a second wall, and reflective surfaces extending between the first and second walls, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block; a polygon mirror axle extending into the block, about which the block rotates; optical elements configured to direct the first and second beams of light respectively to two adjacent reflective surfaces of the rotatable polygon mirror; and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A lidar system comprising:
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one or more light sources configured to generate a first beam of light and a second beam of light; a scanner configured to synchronously scan a field of regard of the lidar system using the first beam of light and the second beam of light, the scanner including; a rotatable polygon mirror having a block having a first wall, a second wall, and a plurality of reflective surfaces extending between the first and second walls, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block, a polygon mirror axle extending into the block through at least one of the first and second walls, about which the block rotates, a plurality of optical elements configured to direct the first and second beams of light respectively to two adjacent reflective surfaces of the rotatable polygon mirror, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle, wherein the first and second beams of light are incident on the second mirror; and a receiver configured to detect the first beam of light and the second beam of light scattered by one or more remote targets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method in a lidar system for scanning a field of regard, the method comprising:
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directing, within a single ranging event, a first pulse of light at a first reflective surface of a polygon mirror and a second pulse of light at a second reflective surface of the polygon mirror, wherein the polygon mirror rotates about a polygon mirror axis; directing, with the polygon mirror within the single ranging event, the first pulse of light and the second pulse of light to respective locations on a reflective surface of a second mirror that pivots along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axis; directing, with the second mirror, the first pulse of light and the second pulse of light along a scan direction to illuminate a first instantaneous light-source field of view (FOV) corresponding to a first pixel and a second instantaneous light-source FOV corresponding to a second pixel, respectively; detecting, within a single ranging event, the first beam of light scattered by one or more remote targets using a first detector and the second beam of light scattered by the one or more remote targets using a second detector, to generate values for the first pixel and the second pixel. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification