VEHICLE LIDAR SYSTEM

• US 20170090032A1
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Ridderbusch, Heiko
• Application Number:
  US15/310,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090032A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• 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 7/4861 Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out

Abstract

A vehicle LIDAR system, including: a pulse laser for emitting laser pulses; at least one movably situated mirror for deflecting the laser pulses in the direction of objects to be detected; a receiver for detecting the laser pulses reflected by the objects, the receiver including a CMOS compatible image sensor for detecting the reflected laser pulses and for recording an image of an area illuminatable with the aid of the deflected laser pulses.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A vehicle LIDAR system, comprising:

a pulse laser to emit laser pulses;

at least one movably situated mirror to deflect the laser pulses in a direction of an object to be detected; and

a receiver to detect the laser pulses reflected by the object, wherein the receiver includes a CMOS compatible image sensor to detect the reflected laser pulses and to record an image of an area illuminatable with the aid of the deflected laser pulses.

12. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 11, wherein the CMOS compatible image sensor includes multiple pixels, and wherein the vehicle LIDAR system further comprises:

evaluation electronics designed to read out signals of the pixels of the CMOS compatible image sensor and ascertain a distance from a detected object based on the read-out signals.

13. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

an optical element to map the illuminatable area onto the CMOS compatible image sensor.

14. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 13, wherein the optical element has a transmission of at least 80% for a wavelength range which corresponds to the laser wavelength plus minus 100 nm, the transmission for wavelengths outside the wavelength range being less than 50%.

15. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 11, wherein the CMOS compatible image sensor is designed to detect electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of at least 900 nm.

16. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 11, wherein the CMOS compatible image sensor includes at least one of a doped and a surface-modified silicon, as sensor material.

17. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 11, wherein the pulse laser is a solid-state laser having a brightness of at least 100 kW/(mm² sr), which is designed to emit laser pulses having a wavelength of at least 900 nm and a maximum power per laser pulse of at least 50 W.

18. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 17, wherein the solid-state laser is designed as a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

19. The vehicle LIDAR system as recited in claim 11, further comprising:

a processing device designed to ascertain at least one certain area in the illuminatable area based on the recorded image, wherein at least one of;

i) the pulse laser being operable depending on the ascertained area, and ii) the mirror being movable depending on the ascertained area, in order to be able to appropriately illuminate the certain area.

20. A vehicle LIDAR system for detecting an object in the surroundings of a vehicle, the vehicle LIDAR system comprising:

a pulse laser to emit laser pulses;

at least one movably situated mirror to deflect the laser pulses in a direction of an object in the surroundings of the vehicle to be detected; and

a receiver to detect the laser pulses reflected by the object, wherein the receiver includes a CMOS compatible image sensor to detect the reflected laser pulses and to record an image of an area illuminatable with the aid of the deflected laser pulses.