Monitoring rotation of a mirror in a lidar system
First Claim
1. A lidar system comprising:
- a light source configured to emit pulses of light;
a scanner configured to scan at least a portion of the emitted pulses of light along a scan pattern contained within a field of regard of the lidar system, 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 rotary encoder having a rotational component, the rotational component having an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, and the rotational component comprising one or more tabs oriented in an axis parallel to the polygon mirror axle, the one or more tabs configured to cause the rotary encoder to return rotation-measurement signals indicating rotation of the polygon mirror, anda second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle;
a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the scanned pulses scattered by one or more remote targets; and
a controller configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the rotation-measurement signals returned from the rotary encoder.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A lidar system comprises a light source to emit pulses of light, a scanner, a receiver, and a controller. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror with reflective surfaces, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block. The scanner further includes a polygon mirror axle extending into the block, about which the block rotates, a rotary encoder having a rotational component with an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, the rotational component having one or more characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return a signal, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle. The controller is configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder.
262 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A lidar system comprising:
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a light source configured to emit pulses of light; a scanner configured to scan at least a portion of the emitted pulses of light along a scan pattern contained within a field of regard of the lidar system, 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 rotary encoder having a rotational component, the rotational component having an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, and the rotational component comprising one or more tabs oriented in an axis parallel to the polygon mirror axle, the one or more tabs configured to cause the rotary encoder to return rotation-measurement signals indicating rotation of the polygon mirror, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle; a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the scanned pulses scattered by one or more remote targets; and a controller configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the rotation-measurement signals returned from the rotary encoder. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An optical scanner to direct light in accordance with a scan pattern to scan a field of regard, the optical scanner comprising:
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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 rotary encoder having a rotational component, the rotational component having an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, and the rotational component comprising one or more characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return a signal; a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle within an available range; a first motor configured to impart rotation to the polygon mirror axle; and a controller configured to; determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder; and identify rotational jitter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A lidar system comprising:
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a light source configured to emit pulses of light; a scanner configured to scan at least a portion of the emitted pulses of light along a scan pattern contained within a field of regard of the lidar system, 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 rotary encoder having a rotational component, the rotational component having an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, and the rotational component comprising a plurality of characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return a signal, wherein a number of the characteristics of the rotational component is equal to a number of the reflective surfaces of the polygon mirror, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle; a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the scanned pulses scattered by one or more remote targets; and a controller configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder.
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15. A lidar system comprising:
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a light source configured to emit pulses of light; a scanner configured to scan at least a portion of the emitted pulses of light along a scan pattern contained within a field of regard of the lidar system, 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 rotary encoder having a rotational component, the rotational component having an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, and the rotational component comprising a plurality of characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return rotation-measurement signals indicating rotation of the polygon mirror, wherein the plurality of characteristics are arranged alternately in a circumferential direction about the axis of rotation and are configured to pass through a photo-interrupter during rotation, at least one of the characteristics differing from another characteristic of the rotational component and each characteristic corresponding to a different one of the plurality of reflective surfaces of the polygon mirror, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle; a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the scanned pulses scattered by one or more remote targets; and a controller configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the rotation-measurement signals returned from the rotary encoder. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An optical scanner to direct light in accordance with a scan pattern to scan a field of regard, the optical scanner comprising:
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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 rotary encoder having a rotational component, the rotational component having an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, and the rotational component comprising one or more characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return a signal; a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle within an available range; a first motor configured to impart rotation to the polygon mirror axle; and a controller configured to; determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder; and generate an alert in response to the determined rotational parameter of the polygon mirror, wherein the alert indicates that the optical scanner is in need of repair or maintenance. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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Specification