A highly integrated laser radar

Abstract

The present application proposes a highly integrated laser radar, the key points of its technical solution include: a radar body; an optical window is arranged on the radar body; a laser emitting mechanism; the laser emitting mechanism is arranged in the radar body; a cleaning mechanism, which can clean contaminants on the optical window; the cleaning mechanism is arranged at the upper end of the radar body, and the cleaning mechanism is connected to the laser emitting mechanism; a camera, which is used to obtain image information of the measured object; the camera is arranged on the radar body, and the camera is connected to the laser emitting mechanism; the present application has the advantages of facilitating the acquisition of image information of the measured object and regularly cleaning the laser radar window.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of radar equipment, and in particular to a highly integrated laser radar. Background Art

[0002] LiDAR is an active laser detector that uses laser to illuminate objects and obtain distance information of the measured objects through ranging. At the same time, it uses a scanning mechanism to measure the contour information of the external scene or object of the radar. Due to its excellent anti-interference performance, LiDAR is often installed outdoors or in harsh environments.

[0003] However, after a period of use, LiDAR is prone to accumulating various pollutants such as dust, rainwater, and mud, causing the LiDAR to malfunction due to contamination of the optical window, so it needs to be cleaned regularly. In addition, existing LiDARs are unable to obtain image information of the measured scene and objects during use, and are often subject to other interference, resulting in false alarms or abnormal data. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the embodiments of the present application provide a highly integrated laser radar to solve the problems existing in the related technology. The technical solution is as follows:

[0005] An embodiment of the present application provides a highly integrated laser radar, comprising: a radar body; an optical window provided on the radar body; a laser emitting mechanism; the laser emitting mechanism being provided in the radar body; a cleaning mechanism capable of cleaning contaminants on the optical window; the cleaning mechanism being provided at the upper end of the radar body and connected to the laser emitting mechanism; a camera for acquiring image information of a measured object; the camera being provided on the radar body and connected to the laser emitting mechanism.

[0006] In one embodiment, the cleaning mechanism includes: a servo and a wiper assembly; the servo is arranged at the upper end of the radar body, and the servo is connected to the laser emitting mechanism; the wiper assembly is arranged on the movable end of the servo.

[0007] In one embodiment, the wiper assembly includes: a servo connection plate, a wiper base and a cleaning wiper; the servo connection plate is arranged on the movable end of the servo; the wiper base is arranged on the servo connection plate; the cleaning wiper is movably arranged on the wiper base.

[0008] In one embodiment, a cleaning strip is detachably provided at one end of the cleaning wiper; a compression spring is provided at the other end of the cleaning wiper; and the compression spring is connected to the wiper base.

[0009] In one embodiment, a first limiting screw is provided at the lower end of the cleaning wiper; and a second limiting screw corresponding to and adapted to the first limiting screw is provided at the upper end of the wiper base.

[0010] In one embodiment, the laser emitting mechanism includes: a radar main control, a rotating scanning motor and a rotating scanning mirror; the radar main control is arranged in the radar body; the rotating scanning motor is arranged in the radar body, and the rotating scanning motor is connected to the radar main control; the rotating scanning mirror is arranged on the movable end of the rotating scanning motor; the radar main control is respectively connected to the servo and the camera.

[0011] In one embodiment, the laser emitting mechanism also includes: a support frame, a laser emitter and a laser receiver; the support frame is arranged on one side of the rotating scanning mirror; the laser emitter is arranged at the lower end of the support frame, and the laser emitter is connected to the radar main control; the laser receiver is arranged at the upper end of the support frame, and the laser receiver is connected to the radar main control.

[0012] In one embodiment, a partition that can prevent optical path interference is provided on the support frame; the partition is located between the laser transmitter and the laser receiver.

[0013] In one embodiment, the optical window is a flat plate-shaped window; the optical window is tiltedly arranged on the radar body.

[0014] In one embodiment, the angle between the optical window and the bottom surface of the radar body is 80°.

[0015] The advantages or beneficial effects of the above technical solution include at least:

[0016] This application integrates a cleaning mechanism and a camera on the laser radar body. When the laser radar is working, the cleaning mechanism can clean the pollutants on the optical window to prevent various pollutants from accumulating on the optical window. The camera can take pictures to obtain image information of the measured objects in the surrounding environment, thereby reducing the impact of interference on the laser radar and enabling the laser radar to obtain more accurate monitoring data.

[0017] The above summary is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments and features described above, further aspects, embodiments and features of the present application will be readily apparent by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the multiple drawings represent the same or similar components or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings only depict some embodiments disclosed in this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the optical path of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of light path simulation of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the wiper assembly in the present invention.

[0024] In the figure: 1. Radar body; 11. Optical window; 2. Laser emitting mechanism; 21. Radar main control; 22. Rotating scanning motor; 23. Rotating scanning mirror; 3. Cleaning mechanism; 31. Servo; 32. Wiper assembly; 4. Camera; 51. Servo connection plate; 52. Wiper base; 53. Cleaning wiper; 54. Cleaning strip; 55. Compression spring; 61. First limit screw; 62. Second limit screw; 71. Laser emitter; 72. Laser receiver; 73. Partition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In the following, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described to make the objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

[0026] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 3As shown, the present invention provides a highly integrated laser radar, comprising a radar body 1; an optical window 11 is provided on the radar body 1; a laser emitting mechanism 2; the laser emitting mechanism 2 is provided in the radar body 1; a cleaning mechanism 3, which can clean contaminants on the optical window 11; the cleaning mechanism 3 is provided at the upper end of the radar body 1, and the cleaning mechanism 3 is connected to the laser emitting mechanism 2; a camera 4, which is used to obtain image information of the measured object; the camera 4 is provided on the radar body 1, and the camera 4 is connected to the laser emitting mechanism 2.

[0028] In this embodiment, the laser emitting mechanism 2, the cleaning mechanism 3 and the camera 4 are integrated and arranged on the radar body 1. The laser emitting mechanism 2 is the core of the laser radar as a whole. The deep learning model for rainy and foggy weather is embedded in the laser emitting mechanism 2, which plays the function of controlling each component and performing calculation processing. It can control the cleaning mechanism 3 and the camera 4 respectively; the camera 4 can obtain image information of the measured object and transmit the photo to the laser emitting mechanism 2, and the laser emitting mechanism 2 can judge whether the weather is rainy or foggy through the deep learning model for rainy and foggy weather; the cleaning mechanism 3 can realize routine cleaning of the optical window 11 on the radar body 1, because most dust and muddy water are accumulated over time, making it impossible for the laser radar to measure accurately, and slight dust and muddy water do not affect the measurement. When the camera 4 determines that it is heavy rain weather, the laser radar can start the cleaning mechanism 3 to clean the optical window 11 by stopping for a few seconds without measuring data, so that the laser radar can work normally as much as possible in heavy rain weather;

[0029] In addition, LiDAR has the following functions in certain application scenarios:

[0030] ① Security: The function of the laser radar is to determine whether there is a foreign object intrusion. When the laser radar determines that there is a foreign object intrusion, it confirms it through the camera 4 and then outputs the relevant judgment signal, which can reduce the false alarm rate of the laser radar and thus improve the accuracy of foreign object intrusion;

[0031] ② Screening: Camera 4 can screen out some living objects that are not foreign objects. For example, a laser radar used to detect foreign object intrusion on a railway cannot distinguish between birds and stones (because birds, as foreign objects, usually remain motionless and fly away when a train approaches, so birds do not affect train operation). If the laser radar alone is used for judgment, many false alarm signals will be generated, affecting the normal operation of the train.

[0032] ③ Noise Reduction: Camera 4 can remove ghost images and noise caused by mirror reflections. LiDAR uses optical measurement. If it encounters glass or mirrors, at certain angles, the LiDAR can measure the target in the mirror through mirror reflections, resulting in ghost images and noise. Camera 4 can determine whether there is glass or mirrors, thereby removing the effects of ghost images and noise.

[0033] ④ Modeling: In some scenarios where real 3D model rendering is required (such as virtual reality, scene mapping, etc.), the photos taken by the camera 4 can be used to fuse the image and the point cloud model; in specific scenarios, a multi-line laser radar or a single-line laser radar installed on a gimbal can realize the 3D contour model measurement of the target or scene, and a real 3D model can be obtained by fusing the photos with the 3D contour point cloud model.

[0034] Furthermore, the cleaning mechanism 3 includes: a servo 31 and a wiper assembly 32; the servo 31 is arranged at the upper end of the radar body 1, and the servo 31 is connected to the laser emitting mechanism 2; the wiper assembly 32 is arranged on the movable end of the servo 31.

[0035] In this embodiment, the servo 31 is arranged at the upper end of the radar body 1 and above the optical window 11. The servo 31 is electrically connected to the laser emitting mechanism 2. The wiper assembly 32 is arranged on the movable end of the servo 31. When too much pollutant accumulates on the optical window 11, the laser emitting mechanism 2 sends a working signal to the servo 31, so that the servo 31 drives the wiper assembly 32 to move. When the wiper assembly 32 is working, it can clean the pollutants on the optical window 11.

[0036] Furthermore, if Figure 3 As shown, the wiper assembly 32 includes: a servo connection plate 51, a wiper base 52 and a cleaning wiper 53; the servo connection plate 51 is arranged on the movable end of the servo 31; the wiper base 52 is arranged on the servo connection plate 51; the cleaning wiper 53 is movably arranged on the wiper base 52.

[0037] In this embodiment, a rotating shaft is provided on the wiper base 52, and the cleaning wiper 53 is connected to the wiper base 52 through the rotating shaft, and the cleaning wiper 53 can rotate around the above-mentioned rotating shaft; the two ends of the servo connecting disk 51 are respectively connected to the servo 31 and the wiper base 52. When the servo 31 is working, it can drive the wiper base 52 to rotate through the servo connecting disk 51, thereby causing the cleaning wiper 53 on the wiper base 52 to rotate. When the cleaning wiper 53 rotates, it can clean the contaminants on the optical window 11.

[0038] Furthermore, a cleaning rubber strip 54 is detachably provided at one end of the cleaning wiper 53 ; a compression spring 55 is provided at the other end of the cleaning wiper 53 ; and the compression spring 55 is connected to the wiper base 52 .

[0039] In this embodiment, the cleaning wiper 53 is arranged on the wiper base 52 in a lever-type structure, and the cleaning wiper 53 can rotate around the rotating shaft of the wiper base 52; one end of the cleaning wiper 53 is detachably provided with a cleaning strip 54, which abuts against the optical window 11 and can clean the contaminants on the optical window 11. The detachable manner facilitates the replacement of the cleaning strip 54; the other end of the cleaning wiper 53 is provided with a compression spring 55, which is connected to the wiper base 52. Under the elastic action of the compression spring 55, the cleaning strip 54 on the cleaning wiper 53 can be pressed against the optical window 11. When the cleaning wiper 53 moves, it can drive the cleaning strip 54 to move and clean the contaminants on the optical window 11.

[0040] Furthermore, a first limiting screw 61 is provided at the lower end of the cleaning wiper 53 ; and a second limiting screw 62 corresponding to and adapted to the first limiting screw 61 is provided at the upper end of the wiper base 52 .

[0041] In this embodiment, the first limiting screw 61 is provided at the lower end of the cleaning wiper 53, and the second limiting screw 62 is provided at the upper end of the wiper base 52. The first limiting screw 61 and the second limiting screw 62 are located on the same vertical line (see FIG. Figure 5 ), by adjusting the tightness of the first limit screw 61 and the second limit screw 62, the activity of the cleaning wiper 53 on the wiper base 52 can be controlled;

[0042] When the first limiting screw 61 or the second limiting screw 62 is loosened, the cleaning wiper 53 has less movement, and when the first limiting screw 61 or the second limiting screw 62 is tightened, the cleaning wiper 53 has more movement. The pressure of the cleaning wiper 53 on the optical window 11 can be adjusted in the above manner. The greater the pressure of the cleaning wiper 53 on the optical window 11, the better the cleaning effect, but the wear of the cleaning strip 54 will increase accordingly, resulting in a shorter service life. The same is true in reverse. Therefore, the tightness of the cleaning wiper 53 can be adjusted according to the user's usage requirements.

[0043] Furthermore, the laser emitting mechanism 2 includes: a radar main control 21, a rotating scanning motor 22 and a rotating scanning mirror 23; the radar main control 21 is arranged in the radar body; the rotating scanning motor 22 is arranged in the radar body, and the rotating scanning motor 22 is connected to the radar main control 21; the rotating scanning mirror 23 is arranged on the movable end of the rotating scanning motor 22; the radar main control 21 is respectively connected to the servo 31 and the camera 4.

[0044] In this embodiment, the radar main control 21 serves as the core of the entire laser radar and can adopt an existing controller structure. The controller structure can adopt an MCU, PLC, microprocessor or 51 / 52 series single-chip microcomputer; the radar main control 21 is connected to the rotating scanning motor 22, the servo 31 and the camera 4, and plays the function of controlling various components and computing processing; the rotating scanning motor 22 is arranged in the radar body, and the rotating scanning mirror 23 is arranged on the active end of the rotating scanning motor 22. When the rotating scanning motor 22 is working, it can drive the rotating scanning mirror 23 to rotate and realize laser scanning.

[0045] The rain and fog weather deep learning model is embedded in the radar main control 21, and is used to determine whether the scene is rainy or foggy, and can also determine the magnitude of these two types of weather. The rain and fog weather deep learning model is trained by a convolutional neural network and inputs a large amount of rainy day image data and foggy day weather image data. The rain and fog weather deep learning model is obtained through training with big data. These tasks are completed in advance, and only the rain and fog weather deep learning model needs to be placed in the radar main control 21. When in use, since the lidar is often used in fixed scenes, the background image can be stored in the memory of the radar main control 21 during installation. When it is necessary to judge the weather, a photo is taken with the camera 4, and the photo and the background image are first subtracted to filter out the background image, and then input into the rain and fog weather deep learning model to judge the weather category and classify the magnitude;

[0046] After receiving information from the camera 4, the radar main control 21 judges the weather through the deep learning model of rain and fog weather. In foggy conditions, the radar main control 21 can increase the radar transmission power and the gain of the detector to improve the sensitivity of the lidar, so that it can offset the impact of the decline in laser ranging capability caused by fog. In rainy conditions, the radar main control 21 can switch to the multiple echo mode to measure the target, and use the second echo signal as the target data (because raindrops in rainy days can easily interfere with the lidar measurement and generate noise, using the second echo can allow the radar to filter out the raindrop data), thereby obtaining more real and effective target data.

[0047] Furthermore, the laser emitting mechanism 2 also includes: a support frame, a laser emitter 71 and a laser receiver 72; the support frame is arranged on one side of the rotating scanning mirror 23; the laser emitter 71 is arranged at the lower end of the support frame, and the laser emitter 71 is connected to the radar main control 21; the laser receiver 72 is arranged at the upper end of the support frame, and the laser receiver 72 is connected to the radar main control 21.

[0048] In this embodiment, the support frame is set on one side of the rotating scanning mirror 23, and the laser emitter 71 and the laser receiver 72 are respectively set on the support frame. The laser emitter 71 is used to generate a laser emission light path, and the laser emission light path is reflected and then emitted into the laser receiver 72 (see Figure 3 and Figure 4 ), the above two optical paths can achieve the optical path transmission and reception effect through the mirror reflection of the rotating scanning mirror 23; the laser transmitter 71 and the laser receiver 72 are both connected to the radar main control 21, and the contour information measurement of the external scene of the radar can be realized through the laser transmission and reception scanning.

[0049] Furthermore, a partition 73 is provided on the support frame to prevent interference of the optical path; the partition 73 is located between the laser emitter 71 and the laser receiver 72 .

[0050] In this embodiment, the partition 73 is arranged on the support frame and is located between the laser emitter 71 and the laser receiver 72. After the partition 73 separates the laser emitter 71 and the laser receiver 72, it can prevent cross-interference between the laser emission optical path of the laser emitter 71 and the laser receiving optical path of the laser receiver 72, thereby avoiding interference.

[0051] Furthermore, the optical window 11 is a flat plate-shaped window, and the optical window 11 is tiltedly arranged on the radar body 1. The angle between the optical window 11 and the bottom surface of the radar body 1 is 80°.

[0052] In this embodiment, the optical window 11 is designed as a flat plate structure. The optical window 11 is tilted on the radar body 7 and the angle between the optical window 11 and the bottom surface of the radar body 7 is 80 degrees. The tilted optical window 11 can prevent the laser emission light from interfering with the laser receiving component by the back reflection light of the laser window (see Figure 3 If the angle between the optical window 11 and the bottom surface of the radar body 7 is greater than or equal to 90°, or the positions of the laser emitter 71 and the laser receiver 72 are swapped, the laser emission light will easily interfere with the laser receiving light path after reflection).

[0053] The present invention provides a highly integrated laser radar. The functions of each module in each device of the embodiment can be referred to the corresponding description in the above method. It has the advantages of being easy to obtain image information of the measured object and the laser radar window can be cleaned regularly.

[0054] In the description of this specification, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be a communication between the two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances. The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0055] In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above," "above," and "above" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below," "below," and "below" a second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," "above," "below," and similar expressions are for illustrative purposes only and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0056] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and such modifications or substitutions should be included within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A highly integrated laser radar, characterized in that: include: A radar body; an optical window is provided on the radar body; Laser emitting mechanism; the laser emitting mechanism is arranged in the radar body; A cleaning mechanism, capable of cleaning contaminants on the optical window; the cleaning mechanism is disposed at the upper end of the radar body, and the cleaning mechanism is electrically connected to the laser emitting mechanism, and the cleaning mechanism is controlled by the laser emitting mechanism; A camera, used to obtain image information of the measured object; the camera is arranged on the radar body, and the camera is electrically connected to the laser emitting mechanism, and the camera is controlled by the laser emitting mechanism; The laser emission mechanism includes: a radar main control, a rotating scanning motor and a rotating scanning mirror; The radar main control is arranged in the radar body, and the radar main control has an embedded deep learning model for rain and fog weather, which is used to judge the weather type based on the image information obtained by the camera, and control the cleaning mechanism to start in heavy rain weather; the rotary scanning motor is arranged in the radar body, and the rotary scanning motor is connected to the radar main control; the rotary scanning mirror is arranged on the active end of the rotary scanning motor; the radar main control is respectively connected to the servo of the cleaning mechanism and the camera.

2. The highly integrated laser radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning mechanism includes: a steering gear and a wiper assembly; the steering gear is arranged at the upper end of the radar body and is connected to the laser emitting mechanism; the wiper assembly is arranged on the movable end of the steering gear.

3. The highly integrated laser radar according to claim 2, characterized in that: The wiper assembly includes: a servo connection plate, a wiper base and a cleaning wiper; The steering gear connecting plate is arranged on the movable end of the steering gear; the wiper base is arranged on the steering gear connecting plate; and the cleaning wiper is movably arranged on the wiper base.

4. The highly integrated laser radar according to claim 3, characterized in that: A cleaning rubber strip is detachably provided at one end of the cleaning wiper; a compression spring is provided at the other end of the cleaning wiper; and the compression spring is connected to the wiper base.

5. The highly integrated laser radar according to claim 4, characterized in that: A first limiting screw is provided at the lower end of the cleaning wiper; and a second limiting screw corresponding to and adapted to the first limiting screw is provided at the upper end of the wiper base.

6. The highly integrated laser radar according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser emitting mechanism also includes: a support frame, a laser emitter and a laser receiver; the support frame is arranged on one side of the rotating scanning mirror; the laser emitter is arranged at the lower end of the support frame, and the laser emitter is connected to the radar main control; the laser receiver is arranged at the upper end of the support frame, and the laser receiver is connected to the radar main control.

7. The highly integrated laser radar according to claim 6, characterized in that: A partition plate capable of preventing light path interference is provided on the support frame; the partition plate is located between the laser emitter and the laser receiver.

8. The highly integrated laser radar according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The optical window is a flat plate-shaped window; the optical window is tiltedly arranged on the radar body.

9. The highly integrated laser radar according to claim 8, characterized in that: The included angle between the optical window and the bottom surface of the radar body is 80°.

Images