Point cloud delay measurement device and method, and computer readable medium

Abstract

The invention provides a point cloud delay measurement device and method, and a computer readable medium. The point cloud delay measuring device (100) is used for measuring first point cloud delay and / or second point cloud delay and comprises a target unit (1), a detection light beam emitted by a laser radar (200) is reflected by the target unit to generate an echo light beam, and the laser radar receives the echo light beam to generate point cloud data; the light emitting detection assembly (2) is configured on the target unit and used for receiving part of the detection light beams and determining the light emitting time; and an operation processing unit (3) coupled to the luminescence detection assembly and the laser radar and configured to receive a point cloud data packet carrying point cloud data sent by the laser radar, the operation processing unit (3) further configured to determine a point cloud sending moment and determine a first point cloud delay according to the luminescence moment and the point cloud sending moment; and / or determining a point cloud receiving moment, and determining a second point cloud delay according to the light emitting moment and the point cloud receiving moment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a point cloud delay measurement device and method, and in particular to a point cloud delay measurement device for analyzing and measuring the point cloud delay of a laser radar used in an autonomous driving system, a point cloud delay measurement method, and a computer-readable medium storing a program for executing the point cloud delay measurement method. Background Art

[0002] In autonomous driving systems, system response time is an important indicator that is receiving more and more attention. Take braking control in autonomous driving as an example. In order to achieve a braking distance of no more than 30cm at a speed of 100km / h, the overall response time of the system cannot exceed 10 milliseconds. In this context, it is crucial for users such as developers and maintenance personnel of autonomous driving systems to know the point cloud delay time of the lidar in the system.

[0003] In the past, in order to detect the point cloud delay time of the laser radar, for example, in Patent Document 1, the following scheme was proposed: performing a point cloud delay detection operation to obtain a data packet point cloud delay, wherein the data packet point cloud delay includes the communication link delay between the laser radar and the external terminal and the total data packet delay, wherein the total data packet delay is determined based on the time when the external terminal obtains the data packet, i.e., the packet receiving time, and the point cloud time, and the point cloud time is obtained by parsing the data packet to obtain the trigger signal sending time, the data packet filling time, etc.

[0004] According to the above scheme, the demand for obtaining the delay of the LiDAR point cloud can be met to a certain extent, which is helpful to improve the performance of the LiDAR system.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent document 1: CN114910887A Summary of the invention

[0008] Problems to be solved by the present disclosure

[0009] From the user's perspective, regarding the point cloud delay time, what users are concerned about is how much the time when the sensor outputs information lags behind the time when the information is actually generated. How to simply and effectively obtain the above lag is a technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0010] The present disclosure is completed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a point cloud delay measurement device, method and computer-readable medium, which can accurately obtain the point cloud delay of the lidar with a simple structure, thereby helping to judge and improve the overall performance of the system, realize information fusion between multiple sensors, and meet the standard indicators of low latency in autonomous driving.

[0011] Technical solutions adopted to solve technical problems

[0012] In order to solve the above problem, the point cloud delay measurement device involved in the first aspect of the present disclosure is used to measure the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of the laser radar, including:

[0013] A target unit, wherein the detection beam emitted by the laser radar is reflected by the target unit to generate an echo beam, and the laser radar receives the echo beam to generate point cloud data;

[0014] a light emitting detection component, which is disposed at the target unit, receives a portion of the detection light beam, and determines the light emitting moment of the laser radar; and

[0015] A processing unit is coupled to the light emitting detection component and the laser radar, and is configured to receive a point cloud data packet sent by the laser radar, wherein the point cloud data packet carries the point cloud data.

[0016] The processing unit is further configured to determine a point cloud sending time, and determine the first point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud sending time, wherein the point cloud sending time is the time when the laser radar sends the point cloud data packet; and / or

[0017] The operation processing unit is further configured to determine a point cloud receiving time, and determine the second point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud receiving time, wherein the point cloud receiving time is the time when the point cloud data packet is received from the laser radar.

[0018] Optionally, the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time according to a timestamp of the sending time of the point cloud data packet, or determines the point cloud receiving time according to a timestamp of the receiving time of the point cloud data packet.

[0019] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine the second point cloud delay based on the data transmission time between the laser radar and the first point cloud delay, or to determine the first point cloud delay based on the data transmission time between the laser radar and the second point cloud delay.

[0020] Optionally, the target unit has at least two different reflectivities, and the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time according to the point cloud data whose reflection intensity corresponding to the reflectivity changes.

[0021] Optionally, the target unit is sequentially configured with a first area with a first reflectivity, a second area with a second reflectivity, and a third area with a third reflectivity along a horizontal direction, and the second reflectivity is higher than the first reflectivity and higher than the third reflectivity.

[0022] Optionally, the horizontal field of view angle formed by the laser radar in the second area is smaller than the angle corresponding to the two horizontal angular resolutions of the laser radar, and the horizontal field of view angle formed by the laser radar in the first area and / or the third area is larger than the angle corresponding to the two horizontal angular resolutions of the laser radar.

[0023] Optionally, the target unit has one or more through holes, and the partial light beam passes through the through holes. The light emitting detection component is configured on a side of the target unit away from the laser radar to receive the partial light beam passing through the through holes.

[0024] Optionally, the light emitting detection component is arranged on a side of the target unit close to the laser radar to receive the partial light beam.

[0025] Optionally, the luminescence detection component includes a lens, and the lens is configured to shape the partial light beam before injecting it into the luminescence detection component.

[0026] Optionally, the luminescence detection component includes a filter component, which filters light outside a specified wavelength range, and the specified wavelength range at least includes the wavelength of the detection light beam.

[0027] Optionally, the light emitting detection component is time synchronized with the laser radar and the computing processing unit.

[0028] Optionally, a pitch turntable is also included, and the laser radar is rotatably arranged on the pitch turntable.

[0029] Optionally, a horizontal turntable is also included, and the laser radar is rotatably arranged on the horizontal turntable.

[0030] Optionally, a plurality of the light emitting detection components are included, and each of the light emitting detection components is arranged on the target unit along a vertical direction.

[0031] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, the point cloud delay measurement method involved in the second aspect of the present disclosure is used to measure the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of the laser radar, including:

[0032] The first step, in which the processing unit receives a point cloud data packet sent by the laser radar, the point cloud data packet carries point cloud data, the point cloud data is generated by the laser radar receiving an echo beam, and the echo beam is generated by reflecting the detection beam emitted by the laser radar through the target unit;

[0033] A second step, in which the processing unit obtains the light emission moment of the laser radar from a light emission detection component, the light emission detection component is configured on the target unit, receives a portion of the detection light beam, and determines the light emission moment; and

[0034] A third step, in which the processing unit determines a point cloud sending time, and determines the first point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud sending time, wherein the point cloud sending time is the time when the laser radar sends the point cloud data packet; and / or

[0035] The processing unit determines a point cloud receiving time, and determines the second point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud receiving time, wherein the point cloud receiving time is a time when the point cloud data packet is received from the laser radar.

[0036] Optionally, in the third step, the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time according to the timestamp of the sending time of the point cloud data packet, or determines the point cloud receiving time according to the timestamp of the receiving time of the point cloud data packet.

[0037] Optionally, a fourth step is also included, in which the processing unit further determines the second point cloud delay based on the data transmission time between the laser radar and the first point cloud delay, or determines the first point cloud delay based on the data transmission time between the laser radar and the second point cloud delay.

[0038] Optionally, the target unit has at least two different reflectivities. In the third step, the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time based on the point cloud data in which the reflection intensity corresponding to the reflectivity changes.

[0039] Optionally, the target unit is sequentially configured with a first area with a first reflectivity, a second area with a second reflectivity, and a third area with a third reflectivity along the horizontal direction, wherein the second reflectivity is higher than the first reflectivity and higher than the third reflectivity. In the third step, the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time based on the point cloud data of the reflection intensity corresponding to the second reflectivity.

[0040] Optionally, a timing step is also included, in which the light detection component is synchronized with the processing unit and the laser radar.

[0041] Optionally, a multi-channel measurement step is also included. In the multi-channel measurement step, the laser radar is rotated in the vertical direction so that the detection light beams of different channels in the vertical direction of the laser radar are respectively directed to the areas of the target unit corresponding to the light-emitting detection component, thereby measuring the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of each channel.

[0042] Optionally, it also includes a multi-horizontal field of view angle measurement step. In the multi-horizontal field of view angle measurement step, the laser radar is rotated in the horizontal direction so that the detection light beams with different horizontal field of view angles emitted by the laser radar are respectively directed to the areas of the target unit corresponding to the light-emitting detection component, thereby measuring the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of each horizontal field of view angle.

[0043] Optionally, a multi-channel measurement step is also included, in which a plurality of the light-emitting detection components arranged in the target unit along the vertical direction are used to receive the partial light beams of different channels in the vertical direction of the laser radar, so as to measure the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of each channel.

[0044] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the computer-readable medium involved in the third aspect of the present disclosure stores the following program, which is used to execute the point cloud delay measurement method as described in the second aspect of the present disclosure.

[0045] Technical Effects of the Present Disclosure

[0046] According to the point cloud delay measurement device, method and computer-readable medium involved in the present disclosure, the point cloud delay of the lidar can be accurately obtained with a simple structure, which can help to judge and improve the overall performance of the system, improve the accuracy of information fusion between multiple sensors, meet the standard indicators of low latency in autonomous driving, and improve the safety of autonomous driving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram for explaining point cloud delay.

[0048] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the structure of the point cloud delay measurement device involved in embodiment 1.

[0049] Figure 3 This is a flowchart showing the point cloud delay measurement method involved in Implementation Example 1.

[0050] Figure 4 is a flow chart showing a method for determining a delay of one point cloud based on the delay of another point cloud.

[0051] Figure 5 This is a simplified structural diagram for illustrating a point cloud delay measurement device according to Example 1 of Implementation Method 1.

[0052] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram showing a structural example of a target unit.

[0053] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram showing a structural example of a light emitting detection component.

[0054] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram for explaining the calculation processing of the calculation processing unit.

[0055] Fig. 9 This is a simplified structural diagram for explaining the point cloud delay measurement device involved in Example 2 of Implementation Method 1.

[0056] Fig.10 This is a brief structural diagram for illustrating the point cloud delay measurement device involved in Example 1 of Implementation Method 2.

[0057] Fig.11 This is a flowchart for illustrating the point cloud delay measurement method involved in Example 1 of Implementation Method 2.

[0058] Fig.12 This is a brief structural diagram for illustrating a point cloud delay measurement device according to Example 2 of Implementation Method 2.

[0059] Fig.13 This is a flowchart for illustrating the point cloud delay measurement method involved in Example 2 of Implementation Method 2.

[0060] Fig.14 This is a brief structural diagram for illustrating a point cloud delay measurement device according to Example 3 of Implementation Method 2.

[0061] Fig.15 This is a flowchart for illustrating the point cloud delay measurement method involved in Example 3 of Implementation Method 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Implementation Method 1

[0064] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram used to illustrate the point cloud delay. Figure 1As shown, when the laser radar 200 is used to detect a vehicle as a detection target 400, a detection beam such as a laser emitted from the laser radar 200 is reflected by the detection target 400 to generate an echo beam, and the laser radar 200 receives the echo beam and generates point cloud data. The laser radar 200 packages the generated multiple point cloud data into a point cloud data packet, and sends the point cloud data packet to the external control system 300.

[0065] In the present disclosure, the laser radar 200 may be, for example, a mechanical rotating radar, or other types of radars such as a solid-state radar. In addition, as an example of the external control system 300, it may be a vehicle-mounted host (for example, a vehicle-mounted ECU (Electronic Control Unit), a central switch, and other vehicle Ethernet-related devices), or other control systems such as a robot main control system, an aircraft main control system, and a computer.

[0066] As mentioned above, for users such as developers and maintenance personnel of the autonomous driving system, what they are mainly concerned about is how much the information output from the laser radar lags behind the information generated in the real world in time. Therefore, for the laser radar 200, it is hoped to know the time difference from the moment of light emission (sometimes also referred to as "light emission moment" in this disclosure) to the time when the external control system 300 actually receives the point cloud.

[0067] In the present disclosure, the point cloud delay can be defined as the following two parameters: a first point cloud delay Δt1, which represents the time difference between the light-emitting moment and the moment when the laser radar 200 sends a point cloud data packet to the external control system (sometimes also referred to as the "point cloud sending moment" in the present disclosure), that is, Δt1 = point cloud sending moment - light-emitting moment; and a second point cloud delay Δt2, which represents the time difference between the light-emitting moment and the moment when the external control system 300 actually receives the point cloud data packet (sometimes also referred to as the "point cloud receiving moment" in the present disclosure), that is, Δt2 = point cloud receiving moment - light-emitting moment.

[0068] like Figure 1As shown, if the flight time of the detection beam from the laser radar 200 to the detection beam irradiating the detection target 400 is set as ①, the flight time of the echo beam from the laser radar 200 to the laser radar 200 receiving the echo beam after the reflection of the detection target 400 is set as ②, the time from the laser radar 200 receiving the echo beam to the point cloud data being generated is set as ③, and the time from the laser radar 200 transmitting the point cloud data packet to the external control system 300 receiving the point cloud data packet is set as ④, then the first point cloud delay Δt1 = ① + ② + ③, and the second point cloud delay Δt2 = ① + ② + ③ + ④. It can be seen that the difference between the first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay is the data transmission time between the external control system 300 and the laser radar 200, that is, Δt2-Δt1 = ④. As a specific example of the data transmission time ④, for example, it can be the time for signal transmission between the laser radar and the external control system using the vehicle Ethernet, FPD-link (serial bus), etc. The data transmission time can be measured using various test methods known in the art.

[0069] In addition, in actual environments, the flight time of the detection beam ① and the flight time of the echo beam ② are much shorter than the time to generate point cloud data ③ and the data transmission time ④. In addition, even if the accuracy of the beam flight time is required, ① and ② can be calculated by detecting the distance between the laser radar and the detection target and combining it with the speed of light. Therefore, in fact, as long as the time to generate point cloud data ③ and the data transmission time ④ are mastered, the first point cloud delay Δt1 and the second point cloud delay Δt2 can be basically mastered.

[0070] In order to accurately measure the first point cloud delay Δt1 and the second point cloud delay Δt2 of the laser radar 200, a point cloud delay measurement device and a point cloud delay measurement method for measuring the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of the laser radar are proposed.

[0071] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the point cloud delay measurement device 100 according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 As shown, the point cloud delay measurement device 100 includes a target unit 1, a light detection component 2 and an operation processing unit 3. The detection beam a emitted from the laser radar 200 is emitted by the target unit 1 to generate an echo beam b, and the laser radar 200 receives the echo beam b to generate point cloud data.

[0072] The light detection component 2 is configured on the target unit 1. The specific configuration of the light detection component 2 will be described in detail later. The light detection component 2 receives a partial light beam c in the detection light beam a, and determines the light emission time of the laser radar 200 based on the received partial light beam c. The specific method of determining the light emission time will be described in detail later.

[0073] The operation processing unit 3 is coupled to the light-emitting detection component 2 and the laser radar 200, receives a point cloud data packet carrying point cloud data from the laser radar 200, and obtains the light-emitting time from the light-emitting detection component 2. In addition, the operation processing unit 3 determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time according to the received point cloud data packet. In this embodiment, the operation processing unit 3 determines the point cloud sending time according to the timestamp of the sending time of the received point cloud data packet, or determines the point cloud receiving time according to the timestamp of the receiving time of the point cloud data packet. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the operation processing unit 3 can also be configured in the external control system as described above, or the data transmission time when the external control system receives the point cloud data packet can be simulated when detecting the point cloud delay.

[0074] The processing unit 3 determines the first point cloud delay according to the obtained light-emitting moment and the point cloud sending moment, and specifically stores or outputs the time difference between the point cloud sending moment and the light-emitting moment as the first point cloud delay. Alternatively, the processing unit 3 determines the second point cloud delay according to the obtained light-emitting moment and the point cloud receiving moment, and specifically stores or outputs the time difference between the point cloud receiving moment and the light-emitting moment as the second point cloud delay.

[0075] In addition, in this embodiment, since the flight time of the partial light beam c is very short compared to the time of generating the point cloud data and is almost negligible, the moment when the light detection component 2 receives the partial light beam c can be used as the light emission moment. However, as described above, the light emission moment can also be determined by taking the flight time of the partial light beam c into consideration. In this case, the light detection component 2 only needs to obtain the distance between it and the laser radar 200 by various known methods and divide it by the speed of light to obtain the flight time.

[0076] The point cloud delay measurement method implemented by using the point cloud delay measurement device 100 is described below.

[0077] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the point cloud delay measurement method involved in this embodiment 1. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The processing unit 3 receives a point cloud data packet carrying point cloud data from the laser radar 200 (step ST1). The point cloud data is generated by the laser radar 200 receiving an echo beam b, which is generated by the target unit 1 reflecting the detection beam a emitted by the laser radar 200.

[0078] In addition, the processing unit 3 obtains the light-emitting time of the laser radar 200 from the light-emitting detection component 2 (step ST2). The light-emitting detection component 2 configured in the target unit 1 receives the partial light beam c in the detection light beam a, and determines the time when the partial light beam c is received, or the time obtained by reversely calculating the flight time of the light beam between the laser radar 200 and the target unit 1 from the time when the partial light beam c is received as the light-emitting time.

[0079] In addition, it is determined which point cloud delay needs to be measured (step ST3).

[0080] When it is determined that the first point cloud delay needs to be measured (step ST3: measuring the first point cloud delay), the processing unit 3 determines the point cloud sending time according to the received point cloud data packet (step ST4). The point cloud sending time is the time when the laser radar 200 sends the point cloud data packet, which can be determined according to the timestamp of the sending time of the point cloud data packet. After determining the point cloud sending time, the processing unit 3 determines the first point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud sending time (step ST5), and ends the processing.

[0081] On the other hand, when it is determined that the second point cloud delay needs to be measured (step ST3: measuring the second point cloud delay), the operation processing unit 3 determines the point cloud reception time according to the received point cloud data packet (step ST6). Among them, since the operation processing unit 3 can have the function of simulating the external control system 300, the point cloud reception time is the time when the operation processing unit 3 receives the point cloud data packet from the laser radar 200, which can be determined according to the timestamp of the reception time of the point cloud data packet. After determining the point cloud reception time, the operation processing unit 3 determines the second point cloud delay according to the light emission time and the point cloud reception time (step ST7), and ends the processing.

[0082] In the above Figure 3 In the embodiment, the case of using step ST3 to determine which point cloud delay needs to be measured is described, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, it is also possible to directly determine whether to obtain the first point cloud delay or the second point cloud delay based on user settings without having to determine through the determination step.

[0083] In addition, after determining any one of the first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay, the other one may be further determined by the following method. Figure 4 is a flow chart showing a method for determining the delay of one point cloud based on the delay of another point cloud. Figure 4As shown, for example, after determining any one of the first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay through the above steps ST1 to ST7 (step ST10), the data transmission time between it and the laser radar 200 can be further determined by various existing methods (step ST11). Then, the processing unit 3 determines the other of the first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay according to the data transmission time between the laser radar 200 and any one of the determined first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay (step ST12), and ends the processing.

[0084] As described above, according to the point cloud delay measurement device and point cloud delay measurement method involved in this embodiment, since the target unit and the light-emitting detection component are used to obtain the point cloud sending time, the point cloud receiving time and the light-emitting time respectively to determine the first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay, there is no need to conduct a detailed analysis of the mechanism of the laser radar generating point cloud data itself, and the point cloud delay of the laser radar can be accurately obtained.

[0085] In addition, according to the point cloud delay measurement device and point cloud delay measurement method involved in this embodiment, when any one of the first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay has been determined, the other one can be inferred by obtaining the data transmission time, thereby further simplifying the processing process of measuring each point cloud delay.

[0086] Next, preferred examples of this embodiment will be described.

[0087] Example 1

[0088] Figure 5 This is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the point cloud delay measurement device according to Example 1 of the present embodiment 1.

[0089] In the present disclosure, the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time can be determined in the following manner, namely: the target unit is configured to have at least two different reflectivities, and the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time based on the point cloud data with changed reflection intensity corresponding to the reflectivity.

[0090] Specifically, in this embodiment, if Figure 5As shown, the target unit 1 is sequentially configured with three regions with different reflectivities along the horizontal direction, namely: a first region A with a first reflectivity; a second region B with a second reflectivity; and a third region C with a third reflectivity. Among them, the second reflectivity is higher than the first reflectivity and higher than the third reflectivity. Preferably, the reflectivity of the second region B is much higher than the reflectivity of the first region A and the third region C, which can differ by hundreds of times (for example, 255 times). In addition, the first reflectivity can also be equal to the third reflectivity. The detection beam emitted from the laser radar 200 is reflected by the target unit 1 to form an echo beam and return to the laser radar 200, generating point cloud data in the laser radar 200. The laser radar 200 is connected to the operation processing unit 3 through a data line, and the point cloud data packet carrying the point cloud data is sent to the operation processing unit 3. When the laser radar 200 sends the point cloud data packet to the operation processing unit 3, it can mark the time value of the sending, and use the marked time value as additional information of the point cloud data packet, and the marked time value can be used as the sending time of sending the point cloud data packet. In addition, the processing unit 3 receives one or more point cloud data packets, each of which carries a timestamp corresponding to the sending time and point cloud data.

[0091] Since the reflection intensity of the generated point cloud data changes due to the different reflectivities of the three areas A to C that the detection beam sequentially scans, for the calculation processing unit 3, finding the point cloud data with the changed reflection intensity in the received point cloud data packet is equivalent to finding the point cloud data generated by the echo beam reflected by the target unit. Therefore, the sending time and / or receiving time of the point cloud data packet carrying the point cloud data can be determined.

[0092] In addition, since the second reflectivity is higher than the first reflectivity and higher than the third reflectivity, the echo light beam reflected from the first area A and the third area C is not likely to interfere with the echo light beam emitted from the second area B, thereby further improving the accuracy of the calculation processing unit 3 in determining the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time.

[0093] In addition, in this embodiment, the horizontal field of view angle formed by the laser radar 200 in the second area B is smaller than the angle corresponding to the two horizontal angular resolutions of the laser radar 200, and the horizontal field of view angle formed by the laser radar 200 in the first area A and / or the third area C is larger than the angle corresponding to the two horizontal angular resolutions of the laser radar 200. Specifically, the horizontal field of view angle formed by the laser radar 200 in the second area B can be 1.8 times, 1.5 times, 1.2 times, 1 times or 0.9, 0.5 times, etc. of the angle corresponding to the horizontal angular resolution of the laser radar 200. Thus, it can be basically ensured that the echo beam only generates a small amount, such as 1, of point cloud data in the second area B with high reflectivity, thereby further improving the accuracy of the calculation processing unit 3 in determining the point cloud sending time and / or point cloud receiving time.

[0094] In this embodiment, if Figure 5 As shown, a light emitting detection component 2 is arranged on a side of the target unit 1 away from the laser radar 200 , and the light emitting detection component 2 is used to receive a part of the detection light beam emitted from the laser radar 200 and passing through the target unit 1 .

[0095] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a structural example of the target unit 1 in this embodiment. Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , as an example of allowing a portion of the light beam to pass through, a plurality of through holes may be provided at the second region B of the target unit 1, and a portion of the light beam passes through the through holes and irradiates the light emitting detection component 2. Figure 6 As shown, the location of the plurality of through holes can extend from the second area B to a part of the first area A and / or the third area C. In addition, although not shown, the number of through holes can also be one, as long as part of the light beam can pass through. In addition, the location of the through hole on the target unit 1 is preferably corresponding to the location of the light emitting detection component 2.

[0096] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing a structural example of the light emitting detection component 2. In this embodiment, the light emitting detection component 2 includes a photosensitive component for receiving a portion of the light beam passing through the target unit 1. Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the photosensitive components can also be arranged inside the mask to obtain better light receiving performance. Figure 7 As shown, a filter component 23 such as a filter can also be arranged at the opening of the light shield. The filter component 23 can filter light outside the specified wavelength range. For example, the specified range can at least include the wavelength of the detection beam of the laser radar 200. In this way, wavelengths other than the working light of the laser radar can be filtered out, thereby further improving the accuracy of the calculation processing unit 3 in determining the light emission time.

[0097] In addition, in the light detection component 2, a lens 22 may be arranged on the optical path of the partial light beam, and the partial light beam is shaped by the lens 22 and then incident on the light detection component 2. Thus, the accuracy of the calculation processing unit 3 in determining the light emission time can be further improved.

[0098] In addition, the above Figure 7 The structure of the luminescence detection component 2 is also applicable to the following embodiments and examples.

[0099] Back to Figure 5 The light-emitting detection component 2 includes a driving circuit 21, and the photosensitive element is coupled to the driving circuit 21. The driving circuit 21 supplies power to the light-emitting detection component 2 to drive it, so that the light-emitting detection component 2 can receive the partial light beam at a high frequency higher than the light-emitting frequency of the laser radar 200 (preferably 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher). In addition, when the driving circuit 21 receives the partial light beam passing through the target unit 1, it can record the receiving timestamp information and transmit the timestamp information to the operation processing unit 3 as the light-emitting moment.

[0100] In the present disclosure, the light detection component 2, the operation processing component 3 and the laser radar 200 can be synchronized to achieve time synchronization among the three. As a specific method of synchronization, for example, it can be achieved through a PTP time synchronization network. In addition, it is also possible to set local clocks in the light detection component 2 and the operation processing unit 3 respectively, and then achieve clock synchronization through GPS (Global Positioning System: Global Positioning System).

[0101] After receiving the point cloud data packet and the timestamp information of the partial light beam from the laser radar 200 and the light detection component 2 respectively, the processing unit 3 can determine the first point cloud delay / the second point cloud delay in the following manner. Figure 8 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation processing of the operation processing unit 3, in which the vertical axis represents the reflection intensity of the point cloud data and the horizontal axis represents time. Figure 8As shown, at different moments, point cloud data packets are sent from the laser radar 200 to the processing unit 3 in sequence, and each point cloud data packet contains multiple (4 are shown in the figure, and the amount of point cloud data in the point cloud data packet can be more) point cloud data. When the detection beam sweeps over the first area A or the third area C, the reflection intensity of the generated point cloud data is about r1, and the reflection intensity r1 corresponds to the reflectivity of the first area A and the third area C in the target unit 1. On the other hand, when the detection beam sweeps over the second area B, the reflection intensity of the generated point cloud data changes significantly, increasing to about r2, and the reflection intensity r2 corresponds to the reflectivity of the second area B in the target unit 1. The processing unit 3 determines the point cloud sending time / point cloud receiving time based on the timestamp of the sending / receiving time of the point cloud data packet containing the point cloud data with a significant change in reflection intensity, and thus determines the first point cloud delay Δt1 / second point cloud delay Δt2 based on the time difference between the light-emitting time and the point cloud sending time / point cloud receiving time.

[0102] In this embodiment, the case where the target unit 1 has two reflectivities is listed, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the target unit may also have more than three reflectivities, as long as the point cloud sending time and / or point cloud receiving time can be determined by the point cloud data with the change of reflection intensity corresponding to the reflectivity.

[0103] Example 2

[0104] In the above embodiment 1, the case where the light emitting detection component 2 is configured on the side of the target unit 1 away from the laser radar 200 is listed, but the configuration of the light emitting detection component is not limited to this.

[0105] Fig. 9 This is a schematic structural diagram for explaining the point cloud delay measurement device involved in Example 2 of the first embodiment.

[0106] like Fig. 9 As shown, the light emitting detection component 2' is arranged on a side of the target unit 1 close to the laser radar 200, and directly receives a part of the detection beam emitted by the laser radar 200. The other structures of this embodiment 2 are the same as those of the above embodiment 1, and the description is omitted here.

[0107] According to the structure of the second embodiment, the light emitting detection component 2 ′ can also accurately detect the light emitting moment and transmit it to the operation processing unit 3 .

[0108] Implementation Method 2

[0109] In the above embodiment 1, the structure and method of measuring the first point cloud delay and the second point cloud delay of the laser radar using the point cloud delay measurement device are described. However, in actual use, the laser radar sometimes has multiple vertical channels, each vertical channel has a different vertical field of view. In addition, the same channel of the laser radar can also have multiple different horizontal field of view angles. Therefore, there is a practical need to measure the point cloud delay of multiple channels and multiple horizontal field of view angles.

[0110] This embodiment 2 can use the structures of the following embodiments to enable different channels of the laser radar and detection beams of different horizontal field of view angles to be directed to the target unit, thereby realizing the measurement of the point cloud delay of each channel and each horizontal field of view angle.

[0111] Example 1

[0112] Fig.10 This is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the point cloud delay measurement device according to Example 1 of Embodiment 2. In the figure, other configurations such as a calculation processing unit are omitted.

[0113] The point cloud delay measurement device of the present embodiment also includes a pitch turntable 4, which is, for example, a platform that can perform pitch rotation around a horizontal rotation axis (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) parallel to the target unit 1. The laser radar 200 is set on the pitch turntable 4 so that the rotation axis of the pitch turntable 4 basically intersects with the vertical center line of the laser radar 200, so that the laser radar 200 can perform pitch rotation in the vertical direction together with the pitch turntable 4.

[0114] By utilizing the above structure, the detection light beams of different channels in the vertical direction of the laser radar 200 can be respectively directed to the area on the target unit 1 corresponding to the light-emitting detection component 2 (the oblique line area surrounded by double dotted lines in the figure), and multiple through holes as described above can be set in this area so that part of the light beam passes through the through holes and is directed to the light-emitting detection component 2 behind the target unit 1, thereby measuring the first point cloud delay and / or second point cloud delay of each channel using the same method as the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0115] Fig.11 This is a flowchart for illustrating the point cloud delay measurement method involved in Example 1 of this embodiment 2.

[0116] like Fig.11 As shown, first, the method of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is used to determine the first point cloud delay / second point cloud delay of a certain channel of the laser radar 200 set on the pitch turntable 4 (step ST20).

[0117] Next, it is determined whether all channels of the laser radar 200 have completed the point cloud delay measurement (step ST21).

[0118] When it is determined that the point cloud delay measurement of all channels has not been completed (step ST21: No), the laser radar 200 is rotated along the rotation axis by a certain angle along the pitch turntable 4, so that the detection beam of the next vertical channel of the laser radar 200 is directed to the area of ​​the target unit 1 corresponding to the light-emitting detection component 2 (step ST22). The point cloud delay measurement of the next channel is continued (step ST20).

[0119] When it is determined that the point cloud delay measurement of all channels has been completed (step ST21 : Yes), the processing ends.

[0120] Example 2

[0121] Fig.12 This is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a point cloud delay measurement device according to Example 2 of Implementation Method 2. In the figure, other configurations such as a calculation processing unit are omitted.

[0122] The point cloud delay measurement device of this embodiment also includes a horizontal turntable 5, which is, for example, a platform that can rotate around a vertical axis (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) parallel to the target unit 1. The laser radar 200 is set on the horizontal turntable 5 so that the vertical center axis of the laser radar 200 basically coincides with the axis of the horizontal turntable 5, so that the laser radar 200 can rotate in the horizontal direction together with the horizontal turntable 5.

[0123] By utilizing the above structure, the detection light beams of the laser radar 200 with different horizontal field of view angles can be respectively directed to the areas on the target unit 1 corresponding to the light detection component 2 (the oblique line area surrounded by double dotted lines in the figure), and multiple through holes as described above can be set in this area so that part of the light beam passes through the through holes and is directed to the light detection component 2 behind the target unit 1, thereby measuring the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of each horizontal field of view angle using the same method as the above-mentioned embodiment 1.

[0124] Fig.13 This is a flowchart for illustrating the point cloud delay measurement method involved in Example 2 of this embodiment 2.

[0125] like Fig.13 As shown, first, the method of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 is used to determine the first point cloud delay / second point cloud delay of a certain horizontal field of view angle of the laser radar 200 set on the horizontal turntable 5 (step ST30).

[0126] Next, it is determined whether the point cloud delay measurement of all horizontal field angles of view of the laser radar 200 is completed (step ST31).

[0127] When it is determined that the point cloud delay measurement of all horizontal field angles has not been completed (step ST31: No), the laser radar 200 is rotated along the rotation axis by a certain angle along the horizontal turntable 5, so that the detection beam of the next horizontal field angle of the laser radar 200 is directed to the area of ​​the target unit 1 corresponding to the light-emitting detection component 2 (step ST32). The point cloud delay measurement of the next horizontal field angle is continued (step ST30).

[0128] When it is determined that the point cloud delay measurement of all horizontal field angles has been completed (step ST31 : Yes), the processing ends.

[0129] Example 3

[0130] Fig.14 This is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a point cloud delay measurement device according to Example 3 of Embodiment 2. In the figure, other configurations such as a calculation processing unit are omitted.

[0131] In the point cloud delay measurement device of this embodiment, a plurality of (3 in the figure) light-emitting detection components 2a~2c are included, and these light-emitting detection components 2a~2c may have substantially the same structure. In addition, on the target unit 1, there are areas corresponding to these light-emitting detection components 2a~2c (the oblique line areas surrounded by double dotted lines in the figure), and a plurality of through holes as described above may be respectively provided in these areas, so that part of the light beam passes through the through holes and is emitted to each light-emitting detection component 2a~2c behind the target unit 1. There is no particular limitation on the specific configuration position of each light-emitting detection component 2a~2c and its corresponding area on the target unit 1, as long as each light-emitting detection component 2a~2c can receive part of the detection light beam emitted by each different channel of the laser radar 200.

[0132] By utilizing the above structure, without rotating the laser radar 200, parts of the detection beams of multiple different channels in the vertical direction of the laser radar 200 can be received by different light-emitting detection components respectively, so that the same method as the above-mentioned embodiment 1 can be further utilized to simultaneously measure the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of multiple channels, thereby speeding up the measurement speed.

[0133] Fig.15 This is a flowchart for illustrating the point cloud delay measurement method involved in Example 3 of the second embodiment.

[0134] like Fig.15As shown, first, the processing unit receives the light-emitting timing-related data of a certain light-emitting detection component (for example, the light-emitting detection component 2a), and uses the method of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 to determine the first point cloud delay / second point cloud delay of the channel of the laser radar 200 corresponding to the light-emitting detection component (step ST40).

[0135] Next, it is determined whether all channels of the laser radar 200 have completed the point cloud delay measurement (step ST41).

[0136] When it is determined that the point cloud delay measurement of all channels has not been completed (step ST41: No), the processing unit switches to receiving the light-emitting moment-related data of the next light-emitting detection component (for example, the light-emitting detection component 2b) (step ST42), and continues the point cloud delay measurement of the next channel (step ST40).

[0137] When it is determined that the point cloud delay measurement of all channels has been completed (step ST41 : Yes), the processing ends.

[0138] Fig.15 A method of measuring the point cloud delay of each channel one by one is shown. However, using the structure of this embodiment, the point cloud delay of more than two channels can also be measured simultaneously.

[0139] According to the structure and method of this embodiment 2, the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of different channels and different horizontal field of view angles of the laser radar can be measured. Therefore, the performance of the laser radar in terms of point cloud delay can be more comprehensively understood, so as to better judge and improve the overall performance of the system, realize information fusion between multiple sensors, and meet the standard indicators of low latency in autonomous driving.

[0140] The above describes the specific method for implementing the above-mentioned point cloud delay measurement method through hardware. However, the present disclosure is not limited to implementing the point cloud delay measurement method through hardware, and can also be implemented through software, or through a combination of software and hardware. In addition, the program for executing the point cloud delay measurement method of the present disclosure can also be stored in various computer-readable media and loaded into, for example, a CPU for execution when necessary. There is no particular limitation on the computer-readable medium, for example, optical disks such as HDD, CD-ROM, CD-R, MO, MD, DVD, IC cards, floppy disks, and semiconductor memories such as mask ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, and flash ROM can be used.

[0141] In addition, it should be considered that all aspects of the embodiments disclosed this time are merely illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims, not by the above-mentioned embodiments, and the scope of the present disclosure also includes all modifications and variations within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0142] Industrial Applicability

[0143] The point cloud delay measurement device, point cloud delay measurement method, and computer-readable medium storing a program for executing the point cloud delay measurement method involved in the present disclosure are useful for system development of autonomous driving vehicles, performance testing at the time of shipment, and inspection and maintenance during use.

[0144] Description of symbols

[0145] 1 target unit

[0146] 2, 2', 2a~2c Luminescence detection components

[0147] 3. Processing unit

[0148] 4 Pitch turntable

[0149] 5 horizontal turntable

[0150] 21 drive current

[0151] 22 lenses

[0152] 23 filter components

[0153] 100 point cloud delay measurement device

[0154] 200 LiDAR

[0155] 300 External control system

[0156] 400 Detection target.

Claims

1. A point cloud delay measurement device, which is used to measure the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of a laser radar, characterized in that: include: A target unit, wherein the detection beam emitted by the laser radar is reflected by the target unit to generate an echo beam, and the laser radar receives the echo beam to generate point cloud data; A light emitting detection component, which is disposed at the target unit, receives a portion of the detection light beam and determines the light emitting moment of the laser radar; as well as A processing unit is coupled to the light emitting detection component and the laser radar, and is configured to receive a point cloud data packet sent by the laser radar, wherein the point cloud data packet carries the point cloud data. The processing unit is further configured to determine a point cloud sending time, and determine the first point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud sending time, wherein the point cloud sending time is the time when the laser radar sends the point cloud data packet; and / or The operation processing unit is further configured to determine a point cloud receiving time, and determine the second point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud receiving time, wherein the point cloud receiving time is the time when the point cloud data packet is received from the laser radar.

2. The point cloud delay measurement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The processing unit determines the point cloud sending time according to the timestamp of the sending time of the point cloud data packet, or determines the point cloud receiving time according to the timestamp of the receiving time of the point cloud data packet.

3. The point cloud delay measurement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operation processing unit is further configured to Determine the second point cloud delay according to the data transmission time between the laser radar and the first point cloud delay, Alternatively, the first point cloud delay is determined based on the data transmission time between the laser radar and the second point cloud delay.

4. The point cloud delay measurement device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target unit has at least two different reflectivities, The operation processing unit determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time according to the point cloud data in which the reflection intensity corresponding to the reflectivity changes.

5. The point cloud delay measurement device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The target unit is sequentially configured with a first area with a first reflectivity, a second area with a second reflectivity, and a third area with a third reflectivity along a horizontal direction, wherein the second reflectivity is higher than the first reflectivity and higher than the third reflectivity.

6. The point cloud delay measurement device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The horizontal field of view angle formed by the laser radar in the second area is smaller than the angle corresponding to the two horizontal angular resolutions of the laser radar, The horizontal field of view angle formed by the laser radar in the first area and / or the third area is greater than the angle corresponding to the two horizontal angular resolutions of the laser radar.

7. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The target unit has one or more through holes, and the partial light beam passes through the through holes. The light emitting detection component is arranged on a side of the target unit away from the laser radar, and receives the part of the light beam passing through the through hole.

8. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The light emitting detection component is arranged on a side of the target unit close to the laser radar to receive the partial light beam.

9. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The light emitting detection component comprises a lens, and the lens is configured to shape the partial light beam and then inject it into the light emitting detection component.

10. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The luminescence detection component includes a filter component, which filters light outside a specified wavelength range, and the specified wavelength range at least includes the wavelength of the detection light beam.

11. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The light emitting detection component is time synchronized with the laser radar and the computing processing unit.

12. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It also includes a pitch turntable, on which the laser radar is rotatably arranged.

13. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It also includes a horizontal turntable, on which the laser radar is rotatably arranged.

14. The point cloud delay measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It includes a plurality of light emitting detection components, each of which is arranged on the target unit along a vertical direction.

15. A point cloud delay measurement method, the point cloud delay measurement method is used to measure the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of a laser radar, characterized in that: include: The first step, in which the processing unit receives a point cloud data packet sent by the laser radar, the point cloud data packet carries point cloud data, the point cloud data is generated by the laser radar receiving an echo beam, and the echo beam is generated by reflecting the detection beam emitted by the laser radar through the target unit; A second step, in which the processing unit obtains the light-emitting moment of the laser radar from a light-emitting detection component, the light-emitting detection component is configured on the target unit, receives a portion of the detection light beam, and determines the light-emitting moment; as well as A third step, in which the processing unit determines a point cloud sending time, and determines the first point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud sending time, wherein the point cloud sending time is the time when the laser radar sends the point cloud data packet; and / or The processing unit determines a point cloud receiving time, and determines the second point cloud delay according to the light emitting time and the point cloud receiving time, wherein the point cloud receiving time is a time when the point cloud data packet is received from the laser radar.

16. The point cloud delay measurement method according to claim 15, characterized in that: In the third step, the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time according to the timestamp of the sending time of the point cloud data packet, or determines the point cloud receiving time according to the timestamp of the receiving time of the point cloud data packet.

17. The point cloud delay measurement method according to claim 15, characterized in that: It also includes a fourth step, in which the processing unit further determines the second point cloud delay based on the data transmission time between the laser radar and the first point cloud delay, or determines the first point cloud delay based on the data transmission time between the laser radar and the second point cloud delay.

18. The point cloud delay measurement method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The target unit has at least two different reflectivities, In the third step, the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time according to the point cloud data in which the reflection intensity corresponding to the reflectivity changes.

19. The point cloud delay measurement method according to claim 18, characterized in that: The target unit is sequentially configured with a first area having a first reflectivity, a second area having a second reflectivity, and a third area having a third reflectivity along a horizontal direction, wherein the second reflectivity is higher than the first reflectivity and higher than the third reflectivity. In the third step, the processing unit determines the point cloud sending time and / or the point cloud receiving time according to the point cloud data of the reflection intensity corresponding to the second reflectivity.

20. The point cloud delay measurement method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that: It also includes a timing step, in which the light detection component is synchronized with the processing unit and the laser radar.

21. The point cloud delay measurement method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that: It also includes a multi-channel measurement step, in which the laser radar is rotated in the vertical direction so that the detection light beams of different channels in the vertical direction of the laser radar are respectively directed to the areas of the target unit corresponding to the light-emitting detection component, thereby measuring the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of each channel.

22. The point cloud delay measurement method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that: It also includes a multi-horizontal field of view angle measurement step, in which the laser radar is rotated in the horizontal direction so that the detection light beams with different horizontal field of view angles emitted by the laser radar are respectively directed to the areas of the target unit corresponding to the light-emitting detection component, thereby measuring the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of each horizontal field of view angle.

23. The point cloud delay measurement method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that: It also includes a multi-channel measurement step, in which a plurality of the light-emitting detection components arranged in the target unit along the vertical direction are used to receive the partial light beams of different channels in the vertical direction of the laser radar, so as to measure the first point cloud delay and / or the second point cloud delay of each channel. 24 . A computer-readable medium storing a program for executing the point cloud delay measurement method according to claim 15 .

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