Vehicle-integrated LIDAR system

• US 10,578,719 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2017
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: O'Keeffe, James Thomas
• Original Assignee: O'Keeffe, James Thomas
• Inventors: O'Keeffe, James Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke D
• Application Number:
  US15/856,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20190204423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4814 of transmitters alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4816 of receivers alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4818 using optical fibres

Abstract

Mounting a LIDAR above or external to a vehicle can enhance the LIDAR field of view but can conflict with vehicle aesthetics and ergonomics. Within embodiments, vehicle-integrated systems for distributing laser beams around a vehicle to increase coverage with a low-profile laser range finder are disclosed. A LIDAR can be embedded beneath a roof or body panel of a vehicle as part of a laser distribution system including a set of reflectors and lenses operable to adapt the LIDAR field of view to the vehicle shape. The set of embedded reflectors can guide laser beams parallel (e.g. within the roof structure), to and from the set of lenses at the roof edge to transmit the guided laser into regions of the surrounding beyond the direct field of view of the LIDAR. In other embodiments a beam guide (e.g. including a headlight assembly) can enable a LIDAR to perform ranging from behind a vehicle body panel.

Claims

1. A vehicle-integrated laser range finding system comprising:

a light detection and ranging system located on a vehicle, the light detection and ranging system comprising;

at least one laser that transmits laser pulses to reflection locations, and

a laser detector that detects laser reflections from the laser pulses, the laser detector having a field of view comprising a set of directions in which the laser detector can detect the laser reflections,

wherein the laser detector is positioned on the vehicle such that a first portion of the field of view is obstructed, such that a plurality of the reflection locations beyond the vehicle are obscured from direct line of sight at the laser detector,

circuitry that calculates, for the laser reflections, corresponding 3-dimensional locations indicative of the reflection locations; and

a beam guide, disposed at least partially behind a body panel on the vehicle, that receives a plurality of the laser reflections from the plurality of the reflection locations, in a range of input directions, and

wherein the beam guide comprises at least one optical element that converts, for the plurality of the laser reflections, the range of input directions into a range of output directions that are in the first portion of the field of view of the laser detector and thereby guides the plurality of the laser reflections to the laser detector.

2. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the beam guide further comprises a cavity disposed behind the body panel on the vehicle and wherein the plurality of the laser reflections travel in the cavity from a first end of the beam guide to a second end of the beam guide that is located in the first portion of the field of view of laser detector.

3. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the circuitry uses a transfer function to calculate for at least some of the laser reflections the corresponding 3-dimensional location, and

wherein the transfer function characterizes how the at least one optical element converts the range of input directions of the plurality of the laser reflections into the range of output directions.

4. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the beam guide is separate from the laser detector and unattached to the laser detector.

5. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the at least one optical element comprises a reflector and a lens.

6. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the at least one optical element comprises a lens that condenses the plurality of the laser reflections such that in at least one dimension the range of input directions is at least twice as large as the range of output directions.

7. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the beam guide further comprises a cavity, and where the at least one optical element comprises a reflector that functions to reflect the plurality of the laser reflections and thereby at least in part to guide the plurality of the laser reflections within the cavity.

8. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the beam guide comprises an enclosed cavity, and

wherein the at least one optical element comprises:

a first reflector located on a first portion of the cavity, and

a second reflector located on a second portion of the cavity, and

wherein the first and second portions are substantially opposing to thereby guide the plurality of the laser reflections in a region of the cavity between the first and second reflectors.

9. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 1 wherein the at least one laser is located on a perimeter of the vehicle such that the at least one laser directly illuminates the plurality of the reflection locations, and

wherein the laser detector is located outside of direct line of sight of the plurality of the reflection locations and receives the plurality of the laser reflections through the beam guide.

10. A vehicle-integrated laser range finding system comprising:

a light detection and ranging system located on a vehicle, the light detection and ranging system comprising;

at least one laser to generate one or more laser pulses,

a laser detector to detect laser reflections corresponding to the one or more laser pulses,

wherein each of the laser reflections is from a corresponding reflection location beyond the vehicle,

wherein the laser detector has a field of view (FOV) comprising a set of directions in which the laser detector can detect the laser reflections, and

wherein the laser detector is positioned on the vehicle such that for a first portion of the FOV the laser detector is obstructed from directly receiving any of the laser reflections, and

circuitry to calculate, for each of the laser reflections, a corresponding 3-dimensional location indicative of the corresponding reflection location; and

a beam guide, wherein at least some of the beam guide is disposed behind a body panel on the vehicle to guide a plurality of the laser reflections to the laser detector, the beam guide comprising;

a first end to receive the plurality of the laser reflections, each of the laser reflections having a corresponding input direction,

at least one optical element to change, for each of the plurality of the laser reflections, the corresponding input direction into a corresponding output direction, and

a second end positioned at least partially in the first portion of the FOV, to transmit the plurality of the laser reflections to the laser detector with directions at the laser detector in the first portion of the FOV,

wherein the plurality of the laser reflections travel behind the body panel in the at least some of the beam guide.

11. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein the beam guide comprises a lens located at least partially in a light assembly on the vehicle.

12. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein for each of the plurality of the laser reflections the corresponding input direction has a corresponding elevation angle that is changed by at least 30 degrees by the at least one optical element to thereby provide laser ranging from a region beyond the vehicle obscured at least in part by a roof of the vehicle from direct line of sight at the laser detector.

13. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein the beam guide further comprises a cavity to carry the plurality of the laser reflections from the first end to the second end of the beam guide and wherein the cavity is located behind the body panel of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein the at least one optical element comprises two or more reflectors, and

wherein each of the two or more reflectors are located on substantially opposing surfaces of the cavity to thereby guide the plurality of the laser reflections.

15. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein the beam guide further comprises a cavity in which the plurality of the laser reflections travel form the first end to the second end, and

wherein the cavity is elongated and thin such that the cavity has a first dimension in a first direction between the first end and the second end that is at least 5 times greater than a second dimension in a second direction that is normal to the first direction.

16. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein the beam guide is reconfigurable to change for each of the plurality of the laser reflections a relationship between the corresponding input and output directions.

17. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein the circuitry is configured with a transfer function that relates for each of the plurality of the laser reflections the corresponding output direction to the corresponding input direction.

18. The vehicle-integrated laser range finding system of claim 10 wherein a first optical element of the at least one optical element is electronically configured by the circuitry.

19. A method comprising:

at a light detection and ranging system (LIDAR) located on a vehicle and comprising one or more lasers, a laser detector and circuitry, generating laser pulses with the one or more lasers;

providing, with the laser detector, a field of view comprising a set of directions in which the laser detector can detect laser reflections;

positioning the laser detector on the vehicle such that a first portion of the field of view is obstructed from directly receiving a plurality of the laser reflections, each laser reflection corresponding to at least one of the laser pulses and each of the plurality of the laser reflections being from a corresponding reflection location beyond the vehicle;

guiding, with a beam guide disposed at least partially behind a body panel on the vehicle, the plurality of the laser reflections to the laser detector in the first portion of the field of view, including;

receiving, at a first end of the beam guide, the plurality of the laser reflections each with a corresponding input direction;

changing, using at least one optical element in the beam guide for each of the plurality of the laser reflections, the corresponding input direction into a corresponding output direction that is in the first portion of the field of view of the laser detector and thereby guiding the plurality of the laser reflections to the laser detector, and

transmitting, at a second end of the beam guide, the plurality of the laser reflections to the laser detector;

detecting, with the detector, the plurality of the laser reflections; and

calculating, with the circuitry and for each of the plurality of the laser reflections, a corresponding 3-dimensional location indicative of the corresponding reflection location.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of calculating, with the circuitry and for each of the plurality of the laser reflections, the corresponding 3-dimensional location indicative of the corresponding reflection location further comprises computing for each of the plurality of the laser reflections the corresponding input angle based on the corresponding output angle.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of transmitting at least one of the laser pulses through the beam guide from the second end to the first end.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of performing, with the LIDAR and using the beam guide, laser range measurements of an object that is obscured from direct line of site at the laser detector by at least a portion of the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the plurality of the laser reflections have a range of input angles at the first end of the beam guide and a range of output angles at the second end of the beam guide and wherein the beam guide performs the step of condensing the plurality of the laser reflections such that the range of output angles is smaller than the range of input angles.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of, prior to receiving at a first end of the beam guide the plurality of the laser reflections, reconfiguring the at least one optical elements from a first state to a second state.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of modifying a transfer function based on the second state of the at least one optical element and wherein the step of calculating with the circuitry for each of the plurality of the laser reflections the corresponding 3-dimensional location uses the modified transfer function.

26. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of, prior to receiving at a first end of the beam guide the plurality of the laser reflections and in response to a task being performed by the vehicle, reconfiguring the at least one optical elements from a first state to a second state.

27. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of modifying a configuration of the at least one optical element by electronically controlling with the circuitry the at least one optical element.

28. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of configuring the at least one optical element based at least in part on a location of the vehicle.

29. A vehicle-integrated laser range finding system comprising:

a light detection and ranging system located on a vehicle, the light detection and ranging system comprising;

at least one laser that transmits laser pulses to reflection locations, and

a laser detector that detects laser reflections from the laser pulses, the laser detector having a field of view comprising a set of directions in which the laser detector can detect the laser reflections,

wherein the laser detector is positioned on the vehicle such that a first portion of the field of view is obstructed, such that a plurality of the reflection locations beyond the vehicle are obscured from direct line of sight at the laser detector,

circuitry that calculates, for the laser reflections, corresponding 3-dimensional locations indicative of the reflection locations; and

a beam guide, disposed on the vehicle, that receives a plurality of the laser reflections from the plurality of the reflection locations, in a range of input directions, and

wherein the beam guide comprises at least one optical element that converts, for the plurality of the laser reflections, the range of input directions into a range of output directions that are in the first portion of the field of view of the laser detector and thereby guides the plurality of the laser reflections to the laser detector,

further wherein the beam guide further comprises a cavity, and where the at least one optical element comprises a reflector that functions to reflect the plurality of the laser reflections and thereby at least in part to guide the plurality of the laser reflections within the cavity.