Laser emission system and lidar

Abstract

This application relates to the field of lidar technology and provides a laser emitting system and lidar. The laser emitting system includes a back support and a bottom support, which are perpendicular to each other. A drive circuit board is mounted on the back support, and an edge-emitting laser is disposed on the drive circuit board. An angle adjustment component is provided at the emission end of the edge-emitting laser to adjust the emission angle of the laser beam emitted by the edge-emitting laser. By adding an angle adjustment component at the emission end of the edge-emitting laser, this application allows for more flexible installation position and direction of the drive circuit board, enabling the drive circuit board to have a larger contact area with the housing, thus improving heat dissipation and enhancing the performance of the edge-emitting laser, thereby improving the environmental adaptability of the lidar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of lidar technology, and more specifically, relates to a laser emitting system and lidar. Background Technology

[0002] LiDAR is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, velocity, and other characteristics of targets. Its working principle involves emitting a detection signal (laser beam) towards the target, then comparing the received signal reflected back from the target (target echo) with the emitted signal. After appropriate processing, information about the target can be obtained, such as its distance, azimuth, altitude, speed, attitude, and even shape. This allows for the location, detection, and tracking of targets such as vehicles, cargo, roads, obstacles, people, aircraft, and missiles.

[0003] Existing lidar typically uses side-emitting lasers, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the direction of its emitted beam perpendicular to the slow axis of the side-emitting laser 100 is as follows. Figure 2 As shown, the horizontal direction is the fast axis direction of the side-emitting laser 100. The laser beam emitted by the side-emitting laser 100 passes through the collimating lens group 400 and then enters the perforated reflector 500.

[0004] Regarding the aforementioned related technologies, the inventors believe that the following defects exist:

[0005] Since temperature has a significant impact on the output power, center wavelength, and other performance characteristics of the side-emitting laser 100, and the slow axis direction of the side-emitting laser 100 is parallel to the drive circuit board 200, the drive circuit board 200 of the side-emitting laser 100 is not parallel to the back support and bottom support of the housing 300. This results in the laser drive circuit board not being able to make large-area contact with the housing 300, leading to poor heat dissipation of the drive circuit board 200, which affects the performance of the side-emitting laser 100 and thus makes the environmental adaptability of the lidar relatively poor. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application is to provide a laser emitting system and a lidar to solve the following technical problems:

[0007] The slow axis of the side-emitting laser is parallel to the drive circuit board. Therefore, the drive circuit board of the side-emitting laser is not parallel to the back support and bottom support of the housing. This results in the laser drive circuit board not being able to make large-area contact with the housing, which leads to poor heat dissipation of the drive circuit board, affects the performance of the side-emitting laser, and thus makes the environmental adaptability of the lidar relatively poor.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, firstly, the technical solution adopted in this application is:

[0009] A laser emitting system is provided, including a back support and a bottom support, the back support and the bottom support being arranged perpendicularly to each other. A drive circuit board is mounted on the back support, and a side-emitting laser is disposed on the drive circuit board. An angle adjustment component is disposed at the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser, and the angle adjustment component is used to adjust the emission angle of the beam emitted by the side-emitting laser.

[0010] In one feasible technical solution of this application, the angle adjustment component is a right-angle prism, and one right-angle face of the right-angle prism is fitted and installed on the end face of the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser. The angle between the inclined face of the right-angle prism and the driving circuit board is an acute angle. The angle adjustment component is used to rotate the beam emission angle of the side-emitting laser by 90 degrees.

[0011] In one feasible technical solution of this application, the angle adjustment component is a micro-reflector, which is installed at an acute angle to the beam emission direction. The angle adjustment component is used to rotate the beam emission angle of the side-emitting laser by 90 degrees.

[0012] In one feasible technical solution of this application, the angle adjustment component is separately installed from the side-emitting laser, and the angle adjustment component can be detachably installed on the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser or on the driving circuit board.

[0013] The above technical solution facilitates the replacement of individual parts later.

[0014] In one feasible technical solution of this application, the angle adjustment component is integrally installed with the side-emitting laser, and the angle adjustment component is integrated into the housing of the side-emitting laser.

[0015] In one feasible technical solution of this application, the side-emitting laser is located at one end of the driving circuit board away from the bottom support, and the side-emitting laser is located on the side of the driving circuit board away from the back support.

[0016] In one feasible technical solution of this application, a thermally conductive coating is provided between the drive circuit board and the back support portion.

[0017] The above technical solutions can effectively improve heat dissipation.

[0018] In one feasible technical solution of this application, a gap is provided between the drive circuit board and the bottom support portion.

[0019] The above technical solution can effectively prevent the drive circuit board and the bottom support from contacting each other, and effectively prevent the drive circuit board from being interfered with during operation. The size of the gap can be determined according to the actual installation needs, but it is generally greater than 10 cm.

[0020] In one feasible technical solution of this application, it further includes: a collimating lens group and a punched-hole reflector, wherein the angle adjustment member, the collimating lens group and the punched-hole reflector are arranged at intervals, and the beam emitted by the side-emitting laser passes through the angle adjustment member, the collimating lens group and the punched-hole reflector in sequence.

[0021] To achieve the above objectives, secondly, the technical solution adopted in this application is:

[0022] A lidar is provided, including the laser emitting system described above.

[0023] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0024] By adding an angle adjustment component to the light-emitting end of the edge-emitting laser, the installation position and direction of the drive motor board can be more flexible, allowing the drive circuit board to have a larger contact area with the outer casing, resulting in better heat dissipation of the drive circuit board, improved performance of the edge-emitting laser, and thus better environmental adaptability of the lidar.

[0025] In a further design, a thermally conductive coating is provided between the drive circuit board and the rear support, thereby achieving better heat dissipation.

[0026] In a further design, the angle adjustment component and the side-emitting laser are installed separately to facilitate the replacement of individual components later. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of a laser emitter in the slow axis direction in the prior art.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of a laser emitter in the fast axis direction in the prior art.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting structure of the driving circuit board, the edge-emitting laser, and the angle adjustment component in an embodiment of this application.

[0031] Figure 4 This is a top view of the laser emission system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a side view of the laser emitting system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0033] The following are the labeling elements in the figure:

[0034] 100. Side-emitting laser;

[0035] 200. Driver circuit board;

[0036] 300. LiDAR housing; 31. Rear support; 32. Bottom support;

[0037] 400. Collimating lens group;

[0038] 500. Hole-punched reflector;

[0039] 600. Angle adjustment component. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0041] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0042] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0043] 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 technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0044] Currently, lidar systems are widely used in the field of intelligent driving, playing an important role in distance measurement, target recognition, and road monitoring.

[0045] In the field of intelligent driving, lidar systems can perceive the driving environment. The working principle is to emit collimated detection light into the surrounding environment through a laser emitter, and receive the reflected light formed when the detection light encounters the object being measured in the surrounding environment through a laser receiver. Then, the position, size and other information of the object in the surrounding environment can be calculated using the time-of-flight method.

[0046] LiDAR is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, velocity, and other characteristics of targets. Its working principle involves emitting a detection signal (laser beam) towards the target, then comparing the received signal reflected back from the target (target echo) with the emitted signal. After appropriate processing, information about the target can be obtained, such as its distance, azimuth, altitude, speed, attitude, and even shape. This allows for the location, detection, and tracking of targets such as vehicles, cargo, roads, obstacles, people, aircraft, and missiles.

[0047] LiDAR has many advantages such as high accuracy, fast operation speed and high efficiency, and it is an indispensable core sensor in fields such as autonomous driving, robot positioning and navigation, space environment mapping, and security.

[0048] In order to effectively solve the following technical problems objectively existing in the existing lidar technology: "Since temperature has a great influence on the output power, center wavelength and other performance of the side-emitting laser, and the slow axis direction of the side-emitting laser is parallel to the drive circuit board, the drive circuit board of the side-emitting laser is not parallel to the back support and bottom support of the housing, resulting in the laser drive circuit board not being able to make large-area contact with the housing, which leads to poor heat dissipation of the drive circuit board, affects the performance of the side-emitting laser, and thus the lidar has poor environmental adaptability," the technical solution of this application is provided.

[0049] Please refer to the following: Figures 3-5 The side-emitting laser emission system and lidar provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described.

[0050] This application provides a laser emitting system; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 It includes a rear support portion 31 and a bottom support portion 32, which are arranged perpendicularly to each other.

[0051] A drive circuit board 200 is mounted on the back support 31. A side-emitting laser 100 is provided on the drive circuit board 200. An angle adjustment component 600 is provided at the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser 100. The angle adjustment component 600 is used to adjust the emission angle of the beam emitted by the side-emitting laser 100.

[0052] The back support 31 and the bottom support 32 are part of the lidar housing 300 and form a simple L shape. Both the back support 31 and the bottom support 32 are made of plastic and are integrally molded.

[0053] Furthermore, the laser emission system also includes: collimating lens group 400 and perforated reflector 500.

[0054] Angle adjustment component 600, collimating lens group 400 and perforated reflector 500 are arranged at intervals, and the beam emitted by the side-emitting laser 100 passes through angle adjustment component 600, collimating lens group 400 and perforated reflector 500 in sequence.

[0055] The reflective surface of the punched mirror 500 can be a coated mirror, which can make the punched mirror 500 reflect mirrors. The mirror described here is a surface-polished optical lens, whose surface roughness can be expressed by surface finish with high precision. Therefore, this optical lens can be regarded as a mirror, and the reflection it produces can be regarded as a complete mirror reflection, rather than defining the mirror as an idealized mirror reflection.

[0056] In addition, the reflecting surface of the perforated reflector 500 can also be a relatively rough reflector, which can cause diffuse reflection of the reflected laser.

[0057] The laser emitting system provided in this application has the following expected technical effects compared with the prior art:

[0058] By adding an angle adjustment component 600 to the light-emitting end of the edge-emitting laser 100, the installation position and direction of the drive motor board can be more flexible, and the drive circuit board 200 can make large-area contact with the housing, resulting in better heat dissipation of the drive circuit board 200, improving the performance of the edge-emitting laser 100, and thus making the lidar more adaptable to different environments.

[0059] In this embodiment, the angle adjustment component 600 is a right-angle prism. One right-angle face of the right-angle prism is fitted onto the end face of the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser 100. The angle between the inclined face of the right-angle prism and the driving circuit board 200 is an acute angle. The angle adjustment component 600 is used to rotate the beam emission angle of the side-emitting laser 100 by 90 degrees.

[0060] In other embodiments, the angle adjustment member 600 may also be a micromirror, which is mounted at an acute angle (specifically, preferably 45 degrees) to the beam emission direction, and the angle adjustment member 600 is used to rotate the beam emission angle of the side-emitting laser 100 by 90 degrees.

[0061] Specifically, to facilitate the replacement of individual components later, the angle adjustment component 600 is installed separately from the side-emitting laser 100. The angle adjustment component 600 can be detachably installed on the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser 100 or on the drive circuit board 200.

[0062] Moreover, understandably, in order to facilitate quick assembly of the product during manufacturing, the angle adjustment component 600 is integrated with the side-emitting laser 100, that is, the angle adjustment component 600 is integrated into the housing of the side-emitting laser 100.

[0063] In this embodiment, in order to facilitate the installation and fixation of the drive circuit board 200, the side-emitting laser 100 is located at one end of the drive circuit board 200 away from the bottom support 32, and the side-emitting laser 100 is located on the side of the drive circuit board 200 away from the back support 31.

[0064] To further improve heat dissipation, a thermally conductive coating is provided between the drive circuit board 200 and the rear support portion 31. The thermally conductive coating can be formed by spraying with adhesive with good thermal conductivity, or it can be replaced with an aluminum alloy fixing plate, which also has good thermal conductivity, or the thermally conductive material structure can also be made of copper.

[0065] To prevent the drive circuit board 200 and the bottom support 32 from coming into contact with each other and to effectively prevent the drive circuit board 200 from being interfered with during operation, a gap is provided between the drive circuit board 200 and the bottom support 32.

[0066] The size of this gap can be determined according to the actual installation needs, but it is generally greater than 10 centimeters, for example, it can be 12 centimeters or 15 centimeters.

[0067] Embodiment 1 of this application also provides a lidar, including:

[0068] case;

[0069] The laser emitting system described above is installed inside the housing. Since the housing is a conventional design structure in the prior art, it is not shown in the accompanying drawings of this embodiment.

[0070] Based on the numerous advantages mentioned above for the side-emitting laser emission system, lidar also possesses the aforementioned advantages, namely:

[0071] By adding an angle adjustment component 600 to the light-emitting end of the edge-emitting laser 100, the installation position and direction of the drive motor board can be more flexible, and the drive circuit board 200 can make large-area contact with the housing, resulting in better heat dissipation of the drive circuit board 200, improving the performance of the edge-emitting laser 100, and thus making the lidar more adaptable to different environments.

[0072] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A laser emitting system, characterized in that, The device includes a back support (31) and a bottom support (32), which are arranged perpendicularly to each other. A drive circuit board (200) is mounted on the back support (31), and a side-emitting laser (100) is provided on the drive circuit board (200). An angle adjustment member (600) is provided at the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser (100). The angle adjustment member (600) is used to adjust the emission angle of the beam emitted by the side-emitting laser (100). The angle adjustment member (600) is used to rotate the beam emission angle of the side-emitting laser (100) by 90 degrees.

2. The laser emitting system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The angle adjustment component (600) is a right-angle prism. One right-angle face of the right-angle prism is fitted onto the end face of the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser (100). The angle between the inclined face of the right-angle prism and the driving circuit board (200) is an acute angle.

3. The laser emitting system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The angle adjustment component (600) is a micro-reflector, which is installed at an acute angle to the direction of the beam's emission.

4. The laser emitting system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The angle adjustment component (600) is separately installed from the side-emitting laser (100), and the angle adjustment component (600) can be detachably installed on the light-emitting end of the side-emitting laser (100) or on the driving circuit board (200).

5. The laser emitting system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The angle adjustment component (600) is integrally installed with the side-emitting laser (100), and the angle adjustment component (600) is integrated into the housing of the side-emitting laser (100).

6. The laser emitting system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The side-emitting laser (100) is located at one end of the drive circuit board (200) away from the bottom support (32), and the side-emitting laser (100) is located on the side of the drive circuit board (200) away from the back support (31).

7. The laser emitting system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, A thermally conductive coating is provided between the drive circuit board (200) and the back support portion (31).

8. The laser emitting system as described in claim 6, characterized in that, A gap is provided between the drive circuit board (200) and the bottom support (32).

9. The laser emitting system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The collimating lens group (400) and the perforated reflector (500) are arranged at intervals, and the angle adjustment member (600), the collimating lens group (400) and the perforated reflector (500) are arranged at intervals. The beam emitted by the side-emitting laser (100) passes through the angle adjustment member (600), the collimating lens group (400) and the perforated reflector (500) in sequence.

10. A lidar, characterized in that, Including the laser emitting system as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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