Method of Providing a Dynamic Region of interest in a LIDAR System

• US 20180306905A1
• Filed: 04/20/2017
• Published: 10/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Kapusta, Ronald A., Luey, Benjamin, Weinberg, Harvy, Davis, Scott R., Anderson, Michael H., Rommel, Scott D.
• Application Number:
  US15/492,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20180306905A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4808 Evaluating distance, position or velocity data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/483 Details of pulse systems

Abstract

A system and method for providing a dynamic region of interest in a lidar system can include scanning a light beam over a field of view to capture a first lidar image, identifying a first object within the captured first lidar image, selecting a first region of interest within the field of view that contains at least a portion of the identified first object, and capturing a second lidar image, where capturing the second lidar image includes scanning the light beam over the first region of interest at a first spatial sampling resolution, and scanning the light beam over the field of view outside of the first region of interest at a second spatial sampling resolution, wherein the second sampling resolution is less than the first spatial sampling resolution.

Claims

1. A method for providing a dynamic region of interest in a lidar system, the method comprising:

scanning a light beam over a field of view to capture a first lidar image;

identifying a first object within the captured first lidar image;

selecting a first region of interest within the field of view that contains at least a portion of the identified first object; and

capturing a second lidar image, where capturing the second lidar image includes;

scanning the light beam over the first region of interest at a first spatial sampling resolution; and

scanning the light beam over the field of view outside of the first region of interest at a second spatial sampling resolution, wherein the second sampling resolution is different than the first spatial sampling resolution.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a second object outside of the first region of interest;

selecting a second region of interest that contains at least a portion of the identified second object; and

capturing a third lidar image, where capturing the third lidar image includes;

scanning the light beam over the first region of interest and the second region of interest at the first spatial sampling resolution; and

scanning the light beam over the field of view outside of both the first region of interest and the second region of interest at a third spatial sampling resolution, wherein the third sampling resolution is different than the first spatial sampling resolution.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a movement of the identified first object; and

adjusting a characteristic of the first region of interest in response to the detected movement of the identified first object.

4. The method of claim 3 comprising adjusting a size of the first region of interest in response to the detected movement of the identified first object.

5. The method of claim 3 comprising adjusting a size and position of the first region of interest in response to the detected movement of the identified first object.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a change in the size of the identified first object; and

adjusting a size of the first region of interest to accommodate the detected change in size of the identified first object.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising reducing a second spatial sampling resolution in response to an increase in the size of the first region of interest.

8. The method of claim 6 comprising increasing a second spatial sampling resolution in response to a decrease in the size of the first region of interest.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising scanning the light beam over the field of view to capture successive lidar images, wherein the region of interest is capable of being adjusted after the capture of each successive lidar image.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a second object outside of the first region of interest;

selecting a second region of interest that contains at least a portion of the identified second object; and

capturing a third lidar image, where capturing the third lidar image includes;

scanning the light beam over the first region of interest at the first spatial sampling resolution;

scanning the light beam over the second region of interest at a third spatial sampling resolution; and

scanning the light beam over the field of view outside of the first region of interest and the second region of interest at the second spatial sampling resolution, wherein the third sampling resolution is different than the second spatial sampling resolution.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a first object within the captured first lidar image includes detecting at least one edge of the first object.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a first object within the captured first lidar image includes detecting at least one lane marker.

13. A system for providing a dynamic region of interest in a lidar system, the system comprising:

a laser configured to emit a light beam towards a target region;

control circuitry configured to instruct an optical system to scan the light beam over the target region;

an optical system having a field of view and configured to direct a portion of the light beam received from the target region;

a photodetector configured to receive the portion of the light beam directed from the optical system to form a first lidar image; and

detection circuitry configured to identify a first object within the first lidar image;

wherein

the control circuitry is further configured to select a first region of interest within the field of view that contains at least a portion of the identified first object, instruct the optical system to scan the light beam over the first region of interest at a first spatial sampling resolution, and instruct the optical system to scan the light beam over the field of view outside of the first region of interest at a second spatial sampling resolution different than the first spatial sampling resolution, and wherein the photodetector is further configured to receive a corresponding portion of the light beam to form a second lidar image.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the detection circuitry is further configured to identify a second object outside of the first region of interest, the control circuitry is further configured to select a second region of interest that contains a portion of the identified second object, instruct the optical system to scan the light beam over the first region of interest and the second region of interest at the first spatial sampling resolution, and instruct the optical system to scan the light beam over the field of view outside of both the first region of interest and the second region of interest at a third spatial sampling resolution different than the first spatial sampling resolution.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the detection circuitry is further configured to detect a movement of the identified first object and the control circuitry is configured to adjust a characteristic of the first region of interest in response to the detected movement of the identified first object.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust a size of the first region of interest in response to the detected movement of the identified first object.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to adjust a size and position of the first region of interest in response to the detected movement of the identified first object.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the detection circuitry is further configured to detect a change in the size of the identified first object and the control circuitry is further configured to adjust a size of the first region of interest to accommodate the detected change in size of the identified first object.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the control circuitry is further configured to reduce the second spatial sampling resolution in response to an increase in the size of the first region of interest.

20. A system for providing a dynamic region of interest in a lidar system, the system comprising:

means for scanning a light beam over a field of view to capture a first lidar image;

means for identifying a first object within the captured first lidar image;

means for selecting a first region of interest within the field of view that contains at least a portion of the identified first object; and

means for capturing a second lidar image, where capturing the second lidar image includes;

scanning the light beam over the first region of interest at a first spatial sampling resolution; and

scanning the light beam over the field of view outside of the first region of interest at a second spatial sampling resolution, wherein the second sampling resolution is different than the first spatial sampling resolution.