Laser radar, device and laser radar installation angle calibration method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a laser radar, equipment and a method for calibrating the installation angle of the laser radar. The laser radar includes: an inclination sensor, a controller, a driver and a scanner; wherein the inclination sensor, the controller, the driver and the scanner are connected in series in sequence; the inclination sensor is used to detect the installation angle of the laser radar; the controller is used to obtain the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generate a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle; the driver is used to drive the scanner to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction. The technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention realizes automatic compensation for the installation error of the laser radar, without manual labor consumption and short working hours, and has high measurement and debugging accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of laser radar technology, and in particular to a laser radar, a device, and a method for calibrating the installation angle of a laser radar. Background Art

[0002] LiDAR is a radar system that emits laser beams to detect the position, speed and other characteristic quantities of a target. Compared with ordinary microwave radar, LiDAR uses laser beams, so its operating frequency is much higher. It has the advantages of high resolution, good concealment, strong anti-interference ability, small size and light weight.

[0003] Laser radar is usually installed on a fixed plane for use, for example, on the top of a vehicle. Affected by the installation environment and other conditions, installation errors will occur. Installation errors will affect the detection range of the laser radar, especially the pitch error, which has a more significant impact. In the prior art, after the laser radar is installed, the inclination angle is measured manually. If the installation error is found, it is also debugged manually. The above method consumes a lot of manpower, takes a long time, and has low measurement and debugging accuracy. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a laser radar, equipment and a laser radar installation angle calibration method to achieve automatic calibration of the laser radar installation error.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a laser radar, including:

[0006] Inclination sensors, controllers, drivers, and scanners;

[0007] Wherein, the inclination sensor, the controller, the driver and the scanner are connected in series in sequence;

[0008] The inclination sensor is used to detect the installation angle of the laser radar;

[0009] The controller is used to obtain an actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and a target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generate a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle;

[0010] The driver is used for driving the scanner to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction.

[0011] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a device, comprising the laser radar described in the first aspect above, and a main body, wherein the laser radar is installed on the main body.

[0012] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for calibrating the installation angle of a laser radar, which is applied to the laser radar described in the first aspect above, and the calibration method includes:

[0013] The inclination sensor detects the installation angle of the laser radar on the installation plane;

[0014] The controller obtains the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generates a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle;

[0015] The driver controls the scanner to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction.

[0016] The laser radar provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes a tilt sensor, a controller, a driver and a scanner, wherein the tilt sensor, the controller, the driver and the scanner are connected in series in sequence, the tilt sensor is used to detect the installation angle of the laser radar, the controller is used to obtain the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target tilt angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generate a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle, and the driver is used to drive the scanner to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction, so that for the laser radar with installation errors, the controller can use the installation angle of the laser radar detected by the tilt sensor to correct the deflection angle of the scanner, and then the inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner after deflection in the direction perpendicular to the installation plane can be equal to the target inclination angle, thereby realizing automatic compensation for the laser radar installation error, without manual labor consumption and short working hours, and with high measurement and debugging accuracy. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required to describe the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings introduced are only drawings of a part of the embodiments to be described in the present invention, rather than all the drawings. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 is a structural block diagram of a laser radar provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an installation method of a laser radar provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another installation method of a laser radar provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is a block diagram of another laser radar provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of a method for calibrating a laser radar installation angle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 It is a flow chart of another method for calibrating the installation angle of a laser radar provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the present invention, rather than all of the contents, are shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be mentioned before discussing the exemplary embodiments in more detail that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flow charts. Although the flow charts describe each operation (or step) as sequential processes, many of the operations therein can be implemented in parallel, concurrently or simultaneously. In addition, the order of each operation can be rearranged. The process can be terminated when its operation is completed, but can also have additional steps not included in the accompanying drawings. The process can correspond to methods, functions, procedures, subroutines, subprograms, etc.

[0026] Figure 1 is a structural block diagram of a laser radar provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the laser radar 10 includes a tilt sensor 100, a controller 200, a driver 300 and a scanner 400, wherein the tilt sensor 100, the controller 200, the driver 300 and the scanner 400 are connected in series in sequence.

[0027] Specifically, the inclination sensor 100 is used to detect the installation angle of the laser radar 10, the controller 200 is used to obtain the actual deflection angle of the scanner 400 based on the installation angle and the target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner 400, and generate a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle, and the driver 300 is used to drive the scanner 400 to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction.

[0028] It should be noted that the installation error of the laser radar 10 mainly includes pitch error and roll error. The pitch error will cause the inclination angle of the central axis of the laser beam in the direction perpendicular to the installation plane to change, which will have a great impact on the scanning range of the laser beam. The technical solution of this embodiment is used to compensate for the pitch error, and the roll error is not considered for the time being.

[0029] It is worth noting that in this embodiment, the scanner 400 is deflected in a direction perpendicular to the installation plane.

[0030] Specifically, Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an installation method of a laser radar provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the laser emitting end of the laser radar 10 is raised, causing the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 to deviate from the parallel direction of the installation plane 102, resulting in an upward error, which is a type of pitch error. Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of another installation method of a laser radar provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the end of the laser radar 10 opposite to the laser emitting end is raised, causing the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 to deviate from the parallel direction of the installation plane 102, resulting in a downward error, which is a type of pitch error.

[0031] Below Figure 2 The error compensation principle of this embodiment is specifically described using the example of FIG. Figure 2 After the laser emitting end of the laser radar 10 is raised, the angle a is generated between the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 and the parallel direction of the installation plane 102, that is, the initial angle of the laser beam 101 is not 0. In actual operation, the scanner that generates the laser beam 101 is deflected to the side of the installation plane 102 by an angle a to compensate for the above installation error. Specifically, inside the laser radar 10, the inclination sensor detects the above angle a and transmits it to the controller. The controller calculates the actual angle that the scanner should deflect according to the angle a and the target inclination angle, and controls the driver to drive the scanner to deflect accordingly.

[0032] It should be noted that the target inclination angle is the angle between the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 and the parallel direction of the mounting plane 102 that should be finally achieved. For example, when the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 is parallel to the mounting plane, the target inclination angle is 0°, and the scanning range of the laser beam 101 is -15° to +15°; when the angle between the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 and the mounting plane is -5°, the target inclination angle is -5°, and the scanning range of the laser beam 101 is -10° to +20°. It can be seen that the target inclination angle is related to the scanning range of the laser beam 101. Therefore, in practical applications, in order to obtain the target scanning range of the laser beam, the target inclination angle needs to be adjusted.

[0033] Optionally, the angle between the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 and the direction parallel to the mounting plane 102 includes positive and negative values. For example, when the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 is located on the side of the first straight line 103 away from the mounting plane 102, the angle between the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 and the direction parallel to the mounting plane 102 is a positive value. When the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 is located on the side of the first straight line 103 close to the mounting plane 102, the angle between the central axis 111 of the laser beam 101 and the direction parallel to the mounting plane 102 is a negative value, wherein the first straight line 103 is a straight line passing through the laser emission center of the scanner and parallel to the mounting plane 102. At this time, the actual deflection angle of the scanner is equal to the difference between the target inclination angle and the pitch error angle of the laser radar 10. Correspondingly, the controller includes a subtractor for performing the above-mentioned subtraction operation to obtain the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the target inclination angle and the angle detected by the inclination sensor.

[0034] For example, if the target tilt angle is -4°, and the pitch installation error angle detected by the tilt sensor is 4°, the actual deflection angle b of the scanner 400 is -4-4=-8°, i.e., it deflects 8° toward the side close to the installation plane 102. In another embodiment, if the target tilt angle is 5°, and the pitch installation error angle detected by the tilt sensor 100 is 4°, the actual deflection angle b of the scanner 400 is 5-4=1°, i.e., it deflects 1° toward the side away from the installation plane 102.

[0035] It should also be noted that the installation angle of the laser radar 10 detected by the inclination sensor can be the sum of the pitch error and the roll error, or it can only include the pitch error. This embodiment does not make specific limitations on this, but it should be noted that if it is the former, after receiving the detection result of the inclination sensor, the controller needs to separate the pitch error component from the detection structure.

[0036] The laser radar 10 provided in this embodiment includes a tilt sensor 100, a controller 200, a driver 300 and a scanner 400, wherein the tilt sensor 100, the controller 200, the driver 300 and the scanner 400 are connected in series in sequence, the tilt sensor 100 is used to detect the installation angle of the laser radar 10, the controller 200 is used to obtain the actual deflection angle of the scanner 400 according to the installation angle and the target tilt angle of the laser beam 101 emitted by the scanner 400, and generate a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle, and the driver 300 is used to drive the scanner 400 to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction, so that for the laser radar 10 with installation errors, the controller 200 can use the installation angle of the laser radar 10 detected by the tilt sensor 100 to correct the deflection angle of the scanner 400, and then the inclination angle of the laser beam 101 emitted by the scanner 400 after deflection in the direction perpendicular to the installation plane 102 can be equal to the target inclination angle, thereby realizing automatic compensation for the installation error of the laser radar 10, without manual labor consumption and short working hours, and with high measurement and debugging accuracy.

[0037] Optionally, the controller 200 is further configured to compare the actual deflection angle with a preset angle, and when determining that the actual deflection angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, execute an operation of generating a drive instruction carrying the actual deflection angle.

[0038] Exemplarily, the preset angle may be 10°.

[0039] It should be noted that even if an excessively large installation error is successfully compensated, the change in the installation size will still lead to an increase in the occupied space. Therefore, the preferred setting of the preset angle in this embodiment is 10° to achieve installation error compensation within a smaller installation error range.

[0040] Optionally, the controller 200 may include a comparator to implement the above-mentioned operation of comparing the actual deflection angle with the preset angle.

[0041] It should be noted that the deflection angle of the scanner 400 is limited. When the installation error of the laser radar 10 is too large, the installation error can no longer be compensated by the technical solution of this embodiment, and the installation position of the laser radar 10 needs to be manually adjusted. Therefore, this embodiment arranges the controller 200 to compare the actual deflection angle with the preset angle after obtaining the actual deflection angle of the scanner 400. When the actual deflection angle is less than the preset angle, that is, the scanner 400 can achieve the corresponding deflection, subsequent control operations are performed.

[0042] Furthermore, the controller 200 is also used to generate and output an alarm message when it is determined that the actual deflection angle is greater than a preset angle.

[0043] It should be noted that when the actual deflection angle is greater than the preset angle, the actual deflection angle exceeds the deflectable angle range of the scanner 400, and the scanner cannot achieve the corresponding deflection. At this time, the controller 200 will transmit the generated alarm information to the external control unit to prompt the operator to manually adjust the installation angle of the laser radar.

[0044] Exemplarily, the external control unit may be electronic equipment such as a vehicle-mounted controller, a laptop computer, or a mobile phone.

[0045] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of another laser radar provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, in Figure 1 On the basis of the laser radar 10 shown, the laser radar 10 in this embodiment further includes a communication interface 500 , and the communication interface 500 is used to transmit the target inclination angle input from the outside to the controller 200 .

[0046] It should also be noted that the target inclination angle can be one or more angles stored in the controller 200 and output in a preset order, or it can be an angle input from the outside. For the latter, the target inclination angle can be input from the external control unit, and the controller 200 is connected to the external control unit through the communication interface 500 to transmit the target inclination angle and alarm information between the external control unit and the controller 200.

[0047] The method of inputting the target inclination angle from the communication interface 500 can improve the application range of the laser radar 10. The operator can select a suitable target inclination angle according to actual needs and input the inclination angle to the controller 200 through the communication interface 500.

[0048] Optionally, the communication interface 500 can be multiplexed as a network interface of the laser radar 10 .

[0049] It should be noted that the above-mentioned setting method eliminates the need to set up a dedicated communication interface 500. On the one hand, it reduces the difficulty of preparing the laser radar 10 and simplifies the structure of the laser radar 10. On the other hand, it avoids the separately set communication structure occupying the internal space of the laser radar 10 and increasing the size of the laser radar 10.

[0050] Optionally, the communication interface 500 may be a wireless communication interface.

[0051] It should be noted that such a configuration enables the external control unit to be wirelessly connected to the laser radar 10, thereby reducing the instability caused by the connecting wires. For situations similar to the roof-loaded laser radar 10, it can reduce the occurrence of problems such as easy breakage caused by excessively long wires.

[0052] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a device provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the device 20 includes a laser radar 10 according to any embodiment of the present invention and a main body 30 , and the laser radar 10 is installed on the main body 30 .

[0053] For example, see Figure 5 The body 30 may be a vehicle. Specifically, the laser radar 10 may be installed on the top of the vehicle. It is understood that in this case, the installation plane is the roof. It is understood that in other implementations of this embodiment, the body 30 may also be other components besides the vehicle, and this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0054] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a laser radar installation angle calibration method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The calibration method is applied to the laser radar of any embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 6 As shown, the calibration method of the laser radar installation angle includes the following:

[0055] Step 11: The inclination sensor detects the installation angle of the laser radar on the installation plane.

[0056] Step 12: The controller obtains the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generates a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle.

[0057] Step 13: The driver controls the scanner to deflect an actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction.

[0058] The technical solution provided in this embodiment detects the installation angle of the laser radar on the installation plane through the inclination sensor. The controller obtains the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generates a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle. The driver controls the scanner to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction. For the laser radar with installation errors, the controller can use the installation angle of the laser radar detected by the inclination sensor to correct the deflection angle of the scanner, and then the inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner after deflection in the direction perpendicular to the installation plane can be equal to the target inclination angle, thereby realizing automatic compensation for the laser radar installation error, without manual labor consumption and short working hours, and with high measurement and debugging accuracy.

[0059] Figure 7 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of another method for calibrating the installation angle of a laser radar provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 Based on the calibration method of the laser radar installation angle shown in the figure, before the inclination sensor detects the installation angle of the laser radar on the installation plane, it can also include: the controller receives the target inclination angle input from the outside through the communication interface, specifically, Figure 7As shown, the laser radar installation angle calibration method provided in this embodiment specifically includes the following:

[0060] Step 21: The controller receives a target tilt angle input from the outside through a communication interface.

[0061] Step 22: The inclination sensor detects the installation angle of the laser radar on the installation plane.

[0062] Step 23: The controller obtains the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generates a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle.

[0063] Step 24: The driver controls the scanner to deflect an actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction.

[0064] In this embodiment, before generating a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle, the following steps may also be included: the controller compares the actual deflection angle with the preset angle; when the controller determines that the actual deflection angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, the controller executes the operation of generating a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle.

[0065] Optionally, when the controller determines that the actual deflection angle is greater than the preset angle, it generates and outputs an alarm message.

[0066] The following is a specific implementation process of a laser radar installation angle calibration method: the operator inputs the target inclination angle from the external control unit, the target inclination angle is transmitted to the controller through the communication interface, the controller controls the inclination sensor to start the installation angle detection, the inclination sensor detects the installation angle of the laser radar, and transmits the detected installation angle to the controller, the controller calculates the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target inclination angle, compares the actual deflection angle with the preset angle, and generates a drive instruction carrying the actual deflection angle when it is determined that the actual deflection angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, and the driver controls the scanner to deflect the above-mentioned actual deflection angle according to the drive instruction. In addition, when the controller determines that the actual deflection angle is greater than the preset angle, it generates an alarm message and outputs the alarm message from the communication interface to the external control unit.

[0067] Note that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in more detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include more other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A laser radar, characterized in that: include: Inclination sensors, controllers, drivers, and scanners; Wherein, the inclination sensor, the controller, the driver and the scanner are connected in series in sequence; The inclination sensor is used to detect the installation angle of the laser radar; The controller is used to obtain an actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and a target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generate a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle; The driver is used for driving the scanner to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction; The controller is also used to compare the actual deflection angle with a preset angle, and when it is determined that the actual deflection angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, execute the operation of generating a drive instruction carrying the actual deflection angle.

2. The laser radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is also used to generate and output alarm information when it is determined that the actual deflection angle is greater than the preset angle.

3. The laser radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a communication interface, which is used to transmit the target inclination angle input from the outside to the controller.

4. The laser radar according to claim 3, characterized in that: The communication interface is multiplexed as the network interface of the laser radar.

5. The laser radar according to claim 4, characterized in that: The communication interface is a wireless communication interface.

6. The laser radar according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The preset angle is 10°.

7. A device, characterized in that: It comprises the laser radar as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 above, and a main body, wherein the laser radar is installed on the main body.

8. A method for calibrating the installation angle of a laser radar, applied to the laser radar according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: include: The inclination sensor detects the installation angle of the laser radar on the installation plane; The controller obtains the actual deflection angle of the scanner according to the installation angle and the target inclination angle of the laser beam emitted by the scanner, and generates a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle; The driver controls the scanner to deflect the actual deflection angle according to the driving instruction.

9. The calibration method according to claim 8, characterized in that: Before generating the driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle, the method further includes: The controller compares the actual deflection angle with the preset angle; When the controller determines that the actual deflection angle is less than or equal to the preset angle, the controller generates a driving instruction carrying the actual deflection angle.

10. The calibration method according to claim 9, characterized in that: Also includes: When the controller determines that the actual deflection angle is greater than the preset angle, it generates and outputs an alarm message.

11. The calibration method according to claim 8, characterized in that: Before the inclination sensor detects the installation angle of the laser radar on the installation plane, the method further includes: The controller receives the target inclination angle input from the outside through a communication interface on the laser radar.

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