Intelligent Ladar System with Low Latency Motion Planning Updates

• US 20190086550A1
• Filed: 08/21/2018
• Published: 03/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AEye, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AEye, Inc.
• Inventors: Dussan, Luis Carlos, Steinhardt, Allan, Benscoter, Joel David, Greene, Jordan Spencer
• Granted Patent: US 10,495,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4811 common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4814 of transmitters alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/484 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4861 Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0085 for use with both a detector and a source , e.g. in a transceiver, G02B19/009, G02B19/0095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/108 having one or more prisms as scanning elements

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for vehicle motion planning where a sensor, such as a ladar system, is used to detect threatening or anomalous conditions within the sensor'"'"'s field of view so that priority warning data about such conditions can be inserted at low latency into the motion planning loop of a motion planning computer system for the vehicle. The ladar system can perform compressive sensing to target the field of view with a plurality of ladar pulses.

Claims

1. A system for vehicle motion planning, the system comprising:

a sensor; and

a motion planning computer system in communication with the sensor;

wherein the sensor has a field of view and is configured to detect a threatening or anomalous condition in the field of view;

wherein the motion planning computer system is configured with a motion planning loop; and

wherein the sensor and motion planning computer system are configured to cooperate such that the sensor is configured to insert priority data indicative of the detected condition into the motion planning loop.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a ladar system.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the ladar system comprises a ladar transmitter configured with a compressive sensing capability with respect to range point targeting.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the ladar system is configured to re-task its targeting of range points based on the detected condition.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the ladar system includes memory for storing a point cloud of range point return data, and wherein the ladar system is further configured to exploit the point cloud to detect the condition.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the ladar transmitter comprises a plurality of scannable mirrors for targeting the ladar transmitter.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the ladar system comprises a ladar receiver configured with selective readout from a detector array based on range point targeting.

8. The system of claim 3 wherein the sensor is configured to provide a priority flag to the motion planning computer system that is indicative of the detected condition.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the motion planning computer system is configured to treat the priority flag as a vector interrupt that alters a data stack used for decision-making by the motion planning loop.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein the sensor further comprises a camera.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the camera is co-bore sited with respect to the ladar system.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the camera includes a video controller configured to (1) read out image data corresponding to at least a portion of a field of view for the camera, and (2) detect motion within the field of view based on the read out image data.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the camera is configured to detect a potential shimmer event as the detected condition.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the camera is configured to detect a potential shiny object event as the detected condition.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the ladar system and the camera are configured to cooperate via cross-cueing.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the camera is configured to generate a shot list for use by the ladar system in response to the detected condition.

17. The system of claim 2 wherein the sensor further comprises a radar.

18. The system of claim 2 wherein the sensor further comprises an acoustic sensor.

19. The system of claim 2 wherein the sensor further comprises a vehicle telematics sensor.

20. The system of claim 2 wherein the sensor is configured to detect the condition via at least one of comparative, selective, and/or objective sensing.

21. The system of claim 2 wherein the ladar system includes a ladar receiver that comprises a protection circuit configured to reduce saturation from high energy interference.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the protection circuit includes a metallization layer that allows customization of the protection circuit at time of manufacturing.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is configured to provide a priority flag to the motion planning computer system that is indicative of the detected condition.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the sensor includes a field programmable gate array (FPGA), the FPGA configured to detect the condition.

25. A vehicle motion planning method comprising:

a sensor detecting a threatening or anomalous condition within a field of view;

the sensor interrupting a motion planning loop of a motion planning computer system based on the detected condition; and

the motion planning computer system making a decision about vehicle motion based in response to the interrupting.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the detecting and interrupting are performed within less than one millisecond.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the sensor includes a ladar system.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

the ladar system performing compressive sensing to target the field of view with a plurality of ladar pulses.

29. The method claim 28 wherein the interrupting includes the ladar system asserting a priority flag for receipt by the motion planning computer system in conjunction with a ladar frame.

30. The method of claim 28 further comprising the ladar system re-tasking itself to probe a region within the field of view corresponding to the detected condition with a plurality of ladar pulses.