Combined RADAR sensor and LIDAR sensor processing

• US 9,921,307 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2015
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmalenberg, Paul Donald, Lee, Jae Seung
• Primary Examiner(s): Bythrow, Peter M
• Application Number:
  US14/610,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20160223663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 342 54, 342 70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/027 Constructional details of housings, e.g. form, type, material or ruggedness
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements

Abstract

Arrangements related to sensing systems and methods are described. A sensing system can include one or more LIDAR sensors. The one or more LIDAR sensors can be configured to output signals. The sensing system can include one or more RADAR sensors. The one or more RADAR sensors can be configured to output signals. The sensing system can include a processor. The processor can be operatively connected to receive signals output by the LIDAR sensor(s) and the RADAR sensor(s). The processor can be configured to process signals received from both the LIDAR sensor(s) and the RADAR sensor(s) together. In some arrangements, the LIDAR sensor(s) and the RADAR sensor(s) can be located within the same housing. In one or more arrangements, the LIDAR sensor(s) and/or the RADAR sensor(s) can be configured as a phased array. In one or more arrangements, the sensing system can be used in connection with a vehicle.

Claims

1. A sensor system comprising:

one or more LIDAR sensors, the one or more LIDAR sensors being configured to output signals;

one or more RADAR sensors, the one or more RADAR sensors being configured to output signals; and

a processor operatively connected to receive signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors, the processor being configured to process signals received from the LIDAR sensors and the signals received from the RADAR sensors together as one data set with no prior processing of the signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors or the signals output by the one or more RADAR sensors, whereby object detection processing of the signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors and the signals output by the one or more RADAR sensors is not performed prior to being received by the processor.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors are of a first waveform, wherein the signals output by the one or more RADAR sensors are of a second waveform, and wherein the first waveform is the same as the second waveform.

3. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the processor is operatively connected to send control signals to the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors.

4. The sensor system of claim 3, wherein the control signals include activating the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors to simultaneously scan at least a portion of an environment.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, further including a housing, wherein the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors are located within the housing.

6. The sensor system of claim 5, wherein the housing includes an aperture, wherein the one or more LIDAR sensors are operatively positioned with respect to the aperture to send and receive sensing signals therethrough.

7. The sensor system of claim 6, further including a window element operatively positioned with respect to the aperture, wherein the window element is configured to allow the one or more LIDAR sensors to send and receive sensing signals therethrough.

8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the one or more LIDAR sensors are configured as a phased array, and wherein the one or more RADAR sensors are configured as a phased array.

21. The sensor system of claim 1, further including a housing, wherein the processor, the one or more LIDAR sensors, and the one or more RADAR sensors are located within the housing.

22. The sensor system of claim 2, wherein the first waveform and the second waveform are both a modulated continuous-wave or a frequency-modulated continuous wave.

9. A system comprising:

a vehicle;

a sensor system operatively associated with the vehicle, the sensor system including;

one or more LIDAR sensors, the one or more LIDAR sensors being configured to output signals, and

one or more RADAR sensors, the one or more RADAR sensors being configured to output signals; and

a processor operatively connected to receive signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors, the processor being configured to process signals received from the one or more LIDAR sensors and the signals received from the one or more RADAR sensors together as one data set with no prior processing of the signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors or the signals output by the one or more RADAR sensors, whereby object detection processing of the signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors and the signals output by the one or more RADAR sensors is not performed prior to being received by the processor.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the signals output by the one or more LIDAR sensors are of a first waveform, wherein the signals output by the one or more RADAR sensors are of a second waveform, and wherein the first waveform is the same as the second waveform.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is operatively connected to send control signals to the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control signals include activating the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors to simultaneously scan at least a portion of an environment.

13. The system of claim 9, further including a housing, wherein the one or more LIDAR sensors and the one or more RADAR sensors are located within the housing.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the housing includes an aperture, wherein the one or more LIDAR sensors are operatively positioned with respect to the aperture to send and receive sensing signals therethrough.

15. The system of claim 14, further including a window element operatively positioned with respect to the aperture, wherein the window element is configured to allow the one or more LIDAR sensors to send and receive sensing signals therethrough.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more LIDAR sensors are configured as a phased array, and wherein the one or more RADAR sensors are configured as a phased array.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle including one or more actuators operatively connected to one or more vehicle systems to implement driving maneuvers, and wherein the actuators are operatively connected to the processor.

18. A method of sensing an environment using RADAR and LIDAR sensors comprising:

scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more LIDAR sensors;

scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more RADAR sensors;

responsive to scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more LIDAR sensors, generating, by the one or more LIDAR sensors, one or more first output signals;

responsive to scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more RADAR sensors, generating, by the one or more RADAR sensors, one or more second output signals; and

processing, using one or more processors, the one or more first output signals and the one or more second output signals together as one data set with no prior processing of the one or more first output signals or the one or more second output signals to generate a collective output signal, whereby object detection processing of the one or more first output signals and the one or more second output signals is not performed prior to being received by the one or more processors.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more first output signals are of a first waveform, wherein the one or more second output signals are of a second waveform, and wherein the first waveform is the same as the second waveform.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more LIDAR sensors are configured as a phased array, wherein scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more LIDAR sensors includes phase-array scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more LIDAR sensors, and

wherein the one or more RADAR sensors are configured as a phased array, wherein scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more RADAR sensors includes phase-array scanning at least a portion of the environment using one or more RADAR sensors.