Sliding heat-conducting device and lidar comprising same

Abstract

The application discloses a sliding heat conduction device for a laser radar, which comprises a sliding contact and a heat conduction elastic sheet, one end of the heat conduction elastic sheet is fixed on one of a rotor and a shell of the laser radar, the other end is connected with the sliding contact, and the sliding contact is in sliding contact with the other one of the rotor and the shell. The application further discloses a laser radar comprising the sliding heat conduction device. Through the embodiment of the application, the heat dissipation effect of internal electronic components of the laser radar can be enhanced, and the performance of the laser radar can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lidar, and more particularly to a sliding heat conduction device and a lidar with the sliding heat conduction device. Background Technology

[0002] LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, velocity, and other characteristics of targets. It is an advanced detection method that combines laser technology with photoelectric detection technology. Due to its advantages such as high resolution, good concealment, strong resistance to active interference, good low-altitude detection performance, small size, and light weight, LiDAR is widely used in fields such as autonomous driving, transportation communication, drones, intelligent robots, energy security monitoring, and resource exploration. It provides extremely important raw data for national economic and social development and scientific research, demonstrating promising application prospects.

[0003] The rotor of a lidar system houses various electronic components, which typically generate a significant amount of heat during operation. Therefore, the heat dissipation of these components greatly impacts the lidar's performance. While designs for heat dissipation of electronic components can usually effectively transfer heat to the rotor body, the lack of contact between the rotor body and the outer casing means that heat dissipation between them relies solely on air convection. This results in relatively high thermal resistance between the rotor and the casing. To reduce this thermal resistance, the heat exchange between the rotor and the casing needs to be optimized.

[0004] Based on the above problems, existing technical solutions mainly focus on increasing the heat exchange area between the rotor and the outer casing and enhancing air convection. However, due to the small size of lidar, its internal structural space is severely limited, and there is no direct contact between the stator and rotor of the lidar, relying solely on air convection for heat exchange. Under conditions of high heat flux density, the optimized forced convection can usually only bring about a certain degree of improvement, and its enhancement is limited, still unable to meet the temperature control requirements of lidar.

[0005] The content of the background section is merely the technology known to the inventor and does not necessarily represent the prior art in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The lidar of the present invention solves the problem of insufficient heat exchange capacity of lidar caused by relying solely on air convection for heat dissipation in the prior art by employing a sliding heat conduction device.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a sliding heat conduction device for lidar, including a sliding contact and a heat conduction spring. One end of the heat conduction spring is fixed to one of the rotor and housing of the lidar, and the other end is connected to the sliding contact. The sliding contact is in sliding contact with the other of the rotor and the housing.

[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, the sliding heat-conducting device further includes a spring, one end of which is fixed to one of the rotor and the housing, and the other end of which is connected to the sliding contact to abut the sliding contact against the other of the rotor and the housing.

[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, the sliding contact is a carbon brush.

[0010] According to one aspect of the invention, one end of the heat-conducting spring is fixed to the rotor, and the sliding contact is in sliding contact with the housing.

[0011] According to one aspect of the invention, the heat-conducting spring is made of copper or a copper alloy or a composite material.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, a metal ring is further included, which is in close contact with the sliding contact.

[0013] The present invention also provides a lidar, comprising:

[0014] case;

[0015] A rotor, which is disposed in the housing and is rotatable relative to the housing; and a sliding heat-conducting device disposed between the housing and the rotor as described above.

[0016] According to one aspect of the invention, the lidar includes a plurality of the aforementioned sliding heat-conducting devices.

[0017] According to one aspect of the invention, the rotor includes a heating element and a heat transfer element, the heating element being located inside the rotor, and the heat transfer element conducting heat from the heating element to the outer surface of the rotor.

[0018] According to one aspect of the invention, the heat transfer portion includes a heat-conducting pad and / or a boss.

[0019] According to one aspect of the invention, the rotor further includes a bearing located at the center of the rotor to support the rotation of the rotor.

[0020] Through the above embodiments, heat is transferred between the rotor and the housing of the lidar via a sliding heat-conducting device, reducing the thermal resistance between the rotor and the housing and improving the heat dissipation problem of the lidar to a certain extent. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this disclosure, are used to provide a further understanding of this disclosure. The illustrative embodiments of this disclosure and their descriptions are used to explain this disclosure and do not constitute an undue limitation of this disclosure. In the drawings:

[0022] Figure 1A An overall structural diagram of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 1B A bottom view of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0024] Figure 1C A top view of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; and

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the heat dissipation path of a lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0026] In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the drawings and description are considered to be exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0027] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a connection that allows for communication; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0029] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0030] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing various structures of the invention. To simplify the disclosure, specific examples of components and arrangements are described below. These are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, reference numerals and / or letters may be repeated in different examples; such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or arrangements discussed. In addition, examples of various specific processes and materials are provided in this invention, but those skilled in the art will recognize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0031] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0032] This invention is applicable to lidar with a rotating mechanism, and solves the problem that lidar with a rotating mechanism has limited heat dissipation capacity and low heat dissipation efficiency because the rotor and the outer shell do not have direct contact and heat exchange relies solely on air convection.

[0033] A typical lidar system includes a transmitting unit, a receiving unit, a signal processing unit, and a rotating mechanism. The transmitting unit includes a laser, configured to emit a laser beam into the surrounding environment. The receiving unit includes a detector; after the laser beam illuminates a target object, it undergoes diffuse reflection from the target, and the reflected echo returns to the lidar and is received by the detector. The signal processing unit controls the emission of the laser in the transmitting unit and processes the received signal, such as converting the received echo signal into an electrical signal and generating a point cloud. Finally, based on the analysis of this information, the distance between the target object and the lidar is calculated. The rotating mechanism is usually located at the bottom of the lidar and is configured to rotate the upper assembly of the lidar, consisting of the transmitting unit, receiving unit, and signal processing unit, at a stable rotational speed, thereby scanning the plane on which the lidar is located and generating real-time planar image information. The structure of the lidar will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Figure 1A , Figure 1B and Figure 1C The following diagrams show the overall structure, bottom view, and top view of a lidar 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] As shown in the figure, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lidar 10 includes a housing 1, a rotor 6, and a sliding heat-conducting device. The housing 1 is typically fixed, while the rotor 6 is located inside the housing 1 and can rotate relative to it. Various optoelectronic components and electronic devices are arranged inside the rotor 6, such as lasers, laser drive circuits, detectors, and signal processing chips. These optoelectronic components and electronic devices typically generate a large amount of heat during operation, which needs to be dissipated promptly to ensure the lidar's performance is not affected. The sliding heat-conducting device is disposed between the housing 1 and the rotor 6, and includes a sliding contact 3 and a heat-conducting spring 4. One end of the sliding heat-conducting device can be fixed to one of the housing 1 and the rotor 6, while the other end can slide along the surface of the other of the housing 1 and the rotor 6, thereby conducting the heat generated on the rotor 6 to the housing 1 through the sliding heat-conducting device. The housing 1 typically has a large surface area, which facilitates heat dissipation. Figure 1CAs shown, one end of the heat-conducting spring plate 4 is fixed to the outer surface of the rotor 6 along the circumferential direction, and the other end is tightly connected to the sliding contact member 3, for example, inserted into the interior of the sliding contact member 3. The sliding contact member 3 is in sliding contact with the housing 1 and can slide on the inner surface of the housing 1. When the lidar rotates, a large amount of heat is generated inside it. This heat is transferred from the inside to the outside of the rotor 6. The rotor 6 transfers the heat to the sliding contact member 3, which is tightly connected to it, through the heat-conducting spring plate 4, and then to the housing 1 for heat dissipation. That is, the heat is transferred along the heat transfer path from the rotor 6 to the heat-conducting spring plate 4 to the sliding contact member 3 to the housing 1, realizing direct heat conduction between the housing and the rotor of the lidar rotating mechanism. On the other hand, one end of the heat-conducting spring plate 4 is fixedly connected to the rotor 6, and the other end is tightly connected to the sliding contact member 3, which abuts against the interior of the housing 1. Thus, the heat-conducting spring plate 4 realizes an elastic connection between the rotor 6 and the housing 1.

[0036] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the positions of the sliding contact 3 and the heat-conducting spring 4 can be interchanged. Specifically, one end of the heat-conducting spring 4 is fixed to the housing 1 along the circumferential direction, and the other end is tightly connected to the sliding contact 3. The sliding contact 3 abuts against the outer surface of the rotor 6 and can slide along the outer surface of the rotor 6. When the lidar rotates, the heat generated inside it is transferred from the inside to the outside of the rotor 6. The heat is conducted through the sliding contact 3, which is in sliding contact with the rotor 6, to the heat-conducting spring 4, which is tightly connected to it, and then transferred to the housing by the heat-conducting spring 4. This completes the heat transfer from the rotor 6 to the sliding contact 3 to the heat-conducting spring 4 to the housing 1, realizing direct heat conduction between the housing and the rotor of the lidar rotating mechanism.

[0037] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat-conducting spring 4 is elastic, thereby allowing the sliding contact 3 to be directly and elastically pressed against the inner surface of the housing 1 or the outer surface of the rotor 6, ensuring a stable and reliable heat dissipation path is always formed. Alternatively, or alternatively, such as Figure 1CAs shown in the figure, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the sliding heat-conducting device of the lidar 10 further includes a spring 5. One end of the spring 5 is fixed to one of the rotor 6 and the housing 1, that is, fixed on the same side as the heat-conducting spring 4, and the other end is connected to the sliding contact 3 to abut the sliding contact 3 against the other of the rotor 6 (the rotor 6 is designed with a limiting structure for the spring 5) and the housing 1. As can be seen from the figure, the pressure between the sliding contact 3 and the housing 1 is determined by the spring 5, and a suitable spring needs to be selected to ensure a balance between contact and wear. Preferably, the spring 5 is a cylindrical helical spring. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the spring 5 is not limited to its shape, and other types of springs can be selected as needed. Since the friction between the sliding contact 3 and the housing 1 is very small, the wear of the sliding contact 3 can be controlled while ensuring good contact.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 1C As shown, the housing 1 also includes a metal ring 2 fixed to the inner surface of the housing 1 to enhance heat dissipation and reduce frictional resistance. The metal ring 2 is in close contact with the sliding contact 3. When the lidar rotates, the sliding contact 3 slides on the inner surface of the metal ring 2. In an embodiment where the sliding contact 3 slides on the rotor 6, the metal ring 2 may be located on the outer surface of the rotor 6 and in close contact with the sliding contact 3.

[0039] The composition and operation of the sliding heat-conducting device have been described in detail above. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the lidar may include one or more sliding heat-conducting devices. The number of sliding heat-conducting devices can be selected as needed, for example, with... Figure 1C As shown, six sliding heat-conducting devices are evenly distributed along the outer circumference of the rotor between the lidar rotor and the housing to transfer heat.

[0040] As described above, when the lidar is working, the rotor 6 of the rotating mechanism rotates at high speed, and sliding friction occurs between the sliding contact 3 and the metal ring 2. This places high demands on the physical properties of the sliding contact 3. Preferably, the sliding contact 3 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, low frictional resistance, and low wear. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sliding contact 3 is a carbon brush. The material used to make the carbon brush is usually graphite, metallic graphite, or resin-impregnated graphite. The carbon brush is generally square in shape, and a spring inside presses it tightly against the rotor. The main function of the carbon brush is to conduct heat through sliding friction with the metal. Because carbon and metal are two different elements, the carbon brush will not sinter at the junction with the metal due to increased friction.

[0041] like Figure 1A and Figure 1CAs shown, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotor 6 of the lidar includes a heating element 7 and a heat transfer element (not shown). The heating element 7 is located inside the rotor 6 and includes various optoelectronic devices and electronic components. The heat transfer element conducts heat from the heating element 7 to the outer surface of the rotor 6. The heat transfer element includes a thermal pad and / or a boss. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the heating element 7 and the heat transfer element are not limited to these, and also include other conventional heating components and thermally conductive structures. The rotor 6 also includes a bearing 8 located at the center of the rotor 6, supporting the rotation of the rotor 6.

[0042] The heat-conducting spring 4 needs to have two functions: heat conduction and elastic connection between the rotor 6 and the housing 1. Therefore, it should have both high thermal conductivity and a certain degree of elasticity. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heat-conducting spring 4 is made of copper, copper alloy, or composite material. It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the material of the heat-conducting spring 4 is not limited to these, and a heat-conducting spring made of any material that meets the requirements is within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0043] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a heat dissipation path for a lidar according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. As shown, when the lidar rotates, the heat-generating part 7 inside the rotor 6 of its rotating mechanism generates heat. This heat is transferred to the outer surface of the rotor 6 via a heat transfer part, and then transferred to the sliding contact 3 via a heat-conducting spring 4 fixedly connected to the rotor 6. The sliding contact 3 abuts against the inner surface of the metal ring 2, so the heat is further conducted to the outer surface of the metal ring 2, and finally dissipated outward through the housing 1 fixedly connected to the metal ring 2. This constitutes a heat dissipation path for the lidar during operation, where heat is conducted through direct contact.

[0044] In summary, this invention employs a lidar comprising a sliding heat-conducting device, a housing, and a rotor, such that the rotor and housing of its rotating mechanism are in direct contact via the sliding heat-conducting device. Given that the thermal resistance of contact conduction is significantly lower than the convective thermal resistance relying solely on secondary air heat exchange, this invention solves the problem of insufficient heat exchange capacity of lidars in the prior art, which relies solely on air convection for heat dissipation.

[0045] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sliding heat conducting device for a lidar, characterized in that, The sliding contact piece and the heat-conducting elastic sheet, one end of the heat-conducting elastic sheet is fixed on one of the rotor and the shell of the laser radar, the other end is connected with the sliding contact piece, the sliding contact piece is in sliding contact with the other one of the rotor and the shell; wherein the heat-conducting elastic sheet has elasticity to realize the elastic connection between the rotor and the shell; the sliding heat-conducting device further comprises a spring, one end of the spring is fixed on the one of the rotor and the shell, the other end is connected with the sliding contact piece to abut the sliding contact piece against the other one of the rotor and the shell; the inner surface of the shell or the outer surface of the rotor is fixedly provided with a metal ring, the metal ring is tightly fitted with the sliding contact piece.

2. The sliding heat-conductive device of claim 1, wherein The sliding contact piece is a carbon brush.

3. The sliding heat-conductive device of claim 1, wherein The one end of the heat-conducting elastic sheet is fixed on the rotor, and the sliding contact piece is in sliding contact with the shell.

4. The sliding heat-conductive device of claim 1, wherein The heat-conducting elastic sheet is made of copper or copper alloy or composite material.

5. The sliding heat-conductive device of claim 1, wherein Further comprising a metal ring, the metal ring is tightly fitted with the sliding contact piece.

6. A lidar, comprising: It comprises: a shell; a rotor, the rotor is arranged in the shell and can rotate relative to the shell; and the sliding heat-conducting device as claimed in any one of claims 1-5 is arranged between the shell and the rotor.

7. The lidar of claim 6, wherein, The laser radar comprises a plurality of the sliding heat-conducting devices.

8. The lidar of claim 6, wherein, The rotor comprises a heat generating part and a heat conducting part, the heat generating part is located inside the rotor, and the heat conducting part conducts heat from the heat generating part to the outer surface of the rotor.

9. The lidar of claim 8, wherein, The heat conducting part comprises a heat-conducting pad or / and a boss.

10. The lidar of claim 6, wherein, The rotor further comprises a bearing, the bearing is located in the center of the rotor and supports the rotation of the rotor.

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