Window of laser radar, laser radar and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a window of a laser radar, the laser radar and a vehicle. The window comprises a non-working area located at the top of the window; the working area is located below the non-working area; wherein the thickness of the non-working area of the window is different from the thickness of the working area of the window, and the working area of the window is matched with a light emitting and receiving system of the laser radar, so that the laser radar has a vertical view field range larger than 90 degrees. The window is divided into the non-working area and the working area, the working area can be matched with the light emitting and receiving system to achieve a large vertical view field range, the size of the non-working area can be reduced, the size of the laser radar can be reduced, and the height of the laser radar exposed out of the vehicle body can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of laser radar, and more particularly to a laser radar window, a laser radar and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] LiDAR is a radar system that emits laser beams to detect the position, speed and other characteristic quantities of an object. It is an advanced detection method that combines laser technology with photoelectric detection technology. LiDAR is widely used in fields such as autonomous driving due to its advantages such as high resolution, good concealment, strong anti-active interference ability, good low-altitude detection performance, small size and light weight.

[0003] Autonomous driving includes the use of main detection LiDAR and blind spot LiDAR; the main LiDAR is responsible for detecting distant objects, and the blind spot LiDAR is used to detect objects around the car (walls, steps, pits, low obstacles, etc.). A larger vertical field of view (FOV) and a smaller exposed vehicle size are both design goals of blind spot LiDAR. Existing LiDARs, such as Figure 1A The solid-state radar / semi-solid-state radar (forward-facing radar using a scanner) shown has a smaller field of view, and Figure 1B The mechanical rotating radar shown is installed on the top surface of the car or on the car bracket, and the laser radar is completely exposed outside the car body. These laser radars are not suitable as blind spot radars, and cannot have a large FOV and a small height exposed from the car body. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present disclosure is to overcome the above-mentioned and / or other problems in the prior art, and it provides a laser radar window, a laser radar and a vehicle.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a laser radar window is provided, comprising: a non-working area, located at the top of the window; and a working area, located below the non-working area; wherein the thickness of the non-working area of ​​the window is different from the thickness of the working area of ​​the window, and the working area of ​​the window cooperates with the light transmitting and receiving system of the laser radar, so that the laser radar has a vertical field of view greater than 90 degrees. The present disclosure divides the window into a non-working area and a working area, and the working area can cooperate with the light transmitting and receiving system to achieve a larger vertical FOV, and the volume of the non-working area can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the volume of the laser radar and reducing the height of the laser radar exposed to the vehicle body.

[0006] Optionally, the working area of ​​the window has a non-uniform thickness and is configured to correct the aberration of a light beam passing through the working area.

[0007] Optionally, at least one of the inner surface and the outer surface of the working area of ​​the window is a free-form surface.

[0008] Optionally, the working area of ​​the window includes multiple sub-areas, wherein each sub-area corresponds to each of the multiple transmitters in the optical transmitting and receiving system and is configured to adjust the incident angle and the exit angle of the detection light emitted by the corresponding transmitter on the working area; and / or each sub-area corresponds to each of the multiple receivers in the optical transmitting and receiving system and is configured to adjust the incident angle and the exit angle of the echo light received by the corresponding receiver on the working area.

[0009] Optionally, each sub-area is configured to adjust a transmission field of view of a corresponding transmitter and / or a reception field of view of a corresponding receiver.

[0010] Optionally, a radius of curvature of a working area of ​​the window is smaller than a radius of curvature of a non-working area of ​​the window.

[0011] Optionally, the window further includes a connection area at the bottom of the window, wherein the connection area is configured to be fixedly connected to a base of the laser radar.

[0012] Optionally, the non-working area is a light-proof area.

[0013] Optionally, the outer surface of the non-working area of ​​the window is a flat surface configured to reduce the height of the laser radar exposed from the vehicle body.

[0014] Optionally, outer surfaces of the non-working area and the working area of ​​the window form a spherical surface.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a laser radar is provided, comprising: a base; a window as described above, wherein the window is placed on the base to form an internal space of the laser radar; a light transmitting and receiving system, located in the internal space and comprising a transmitting end and a receiving end, wherein the detection light generated by the transmitting end is emitted to the outside of the laser radar through a working area of ​​the window, and the echo light formed by the emitted detection light after being reflected by an object is received by the receiving end through the working area of ​​the window; and a driver, located in the internal space and configured to rotate the light transmitting and receiving system around a rotation axis.

[0016] Optionally, the optical centers of each of the transmitting end and the receiving end are located between the rotation axis and the window, wherein the aperture position of the transmitting lens in the transmitting end is set to the optical center of the transmitting end, and the aperture position of the receiving lens in the receiving end is set to the optical center of the receiving end.

[0017] Optionally, the rotation axis is perpendicular to the first plane, and the optical axes of the transmitting end and the receiving end are parallel to each other and are inclined relative to the first plane.

[0018] Optionally, the curvature radius distribution of the inner surface and / or outer surface of the working area of ​​the window is configured so that the incident angle of the detection light on at least a part of the working area of ​​the window is less than a predetermined threshold.

[0019] Optionally, the transmitting end includes multiple transmitters, wherein the polarization state of the detection light emitted by some of the transmitters is configured as P polarization, and the incident angle of the detection light on the inner surface or outer surface of the working area of ​​the window is greater than a predetermined angle.

[0020] Optionally, the connection between the base and the window is sealed, and a waterproof breathable valve is provided on the base.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided, comprising the laser radar as described above.

[0022] Optionally, the laser radar is arranged on the lower side of the rearview mirror of the vehicle, and the rotation axis is substantially perpendicular to the driving surface of the vehicle.

[0023] Optionally, the laser radar is arranged on the side of the vehicle, and the rotation axis is substantially parallel to the driving surface of the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present disclosure, they are used to explain the present disclosure and do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings:

[0025] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Examples of existing laser radars are shown respectively;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a viewing window of a laser radar according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the adjustment of the incident angle and the exit angle of the detection light in each sub-area of ​​the working area of ​​the window;

[0028] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the adjustment of the incident angle and the emergent angle of the echo light in each sub-area of ​​the working area of ​​the window;

[0029] Figure 5 An exemplary schematic diagram showing that the outer surface of the non-working area of ​​the viewing window is a flat surface;

[0030] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing a fixed connection between the window and the base of the laser radar;

[0031] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a laser radar according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the base of the laser radar and the rotation axis;

[0033] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram showing that the optical center of the light transmitting and receiving system is arranged on the rotation axis;

[0034] Fig.10 A schematic diagram showing that the optical center of the light transmitting and receiving system is arranged between the rotation axis and the viewing window;

[0035] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a vehicle including a lidar according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will describe the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that in the specific description of these embodiments, in order to provide a concise description, it is impossible for this specification to provide a detailed description of all the features of the actual embodiments. It should be understood that in the actual implementation of any embodiment, just as in the process of any engineering project or design project, in order to achieve the specific goals of the developer and to meet system-related or business-related restrictions, various specific decisions are often made, and this will also change from one embodiment to another. In addition, it can also be understood that although the efforts made in this development process may be complex and lengthy, for ordinary technicians in the field related to the content disclosed by the present disclosure, some changes in design, manufacturing or production based on the technical content disclosed in the present disclosure are just conventional technical means, and should not be understood as insufficient content of the present disclosure.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the claims and the specification shall have the usual meanings understood by persons with ordinary skills in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the patent application specification and the claims of the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Words such as "one" or "one" do not indicate a quantitative limitation, but indicate the existence of at least one. Words such as "include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before "include" or "comprise" include the elements or objects listed after "include" or "comprise" and their equivalent elements, and do not exclude other elements or objects. Words such as "connect", "couple" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, nor are they limited to direct or indirect connections.

[0038] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, all embodiments and preferred embodiments mentioned herein can be combined with each other to form a new technical solution. In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, all technical features and preferred features mentioned herein can be combined with each other to form a new technical solution.

[0039] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship.

[0040] The window of the laser radar provided according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] In response to the problems described in the background technology section, the present disclosure proposes a window for a laser radar. The window includes: a non-working area, located at the top of the window; and a working area, located below the non-working area; wherein the thickness of the non-working area of ​​the window is different from the thickness of the working area of ​​the window, and the working area of ​​the window cooperates with the light emitting and receiving system of the laser radar, so that the laser radar has a vertical field of view greater than 90 degrees. The window of the laser radar disclosed in the present disclosure is divided into a non-working area and a working area. The working area can cooperate with the light emitting and receiving system to achieve a larger vertical FOV, and the volume of the non-working area can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the volume of the laser radar and reducing the height of the laser radar exposed to the vehicle body.

[0042] See also Figure 2, which shows a schematic diagram of a window of a laser radar according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The window 100 of the laser radar may include a non-working area 101 and a working area 102 located below the non-working area 101. The working area 102 of the window 100 may cooperate with the optical transmission and receiving system 200 of the laser radar, so that the laser radar has a vertical field of view (FOV) greater than 90 degrees.

[0043] The optical transmission and receiving system 200 may include a plurality of transmitters configured to generate detection light, each detection light forms a transmission field of view of each transmitter, and all transmission fields of view form a transmission field of view of the optical transmission and receiving system 200. The optical transmission and receiving system 200 may also include a plurality of receivers configured to receive echo light, each receiver having a receiving field of view, and the receiving fields of view of all receivers form a receiving field of view of the optical transmission and receiving system 200. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the working area 102 of the window 100 may match the transmission field of view and the receiving field of view of the optical transmission and receiving system 200, so that the laser radar has a vertical FOV greater than 90 degrees. For example, the optical transmission and receiving system 200 itself can form a vertical FOV greater than 90 degrees, and the matching of the working area 102 of the window 100 with the transmission field of view and the receiving field of view of the optical transmission and receiving system 200 indicates that the working area 102 of the window 100 does not cause a loss of field of view of the optical transmission and receiving system 200.

[0044] The non-working area 101 of the window 100 does not participate in the detection of the laser radar, for example, the detection light and the echo light of the laser radar do not pass through the non-working area 101 of the window 100. In some embodiments, the non-working area 101 can be a light-proof area, which helps prevent undesired light (for example, sunlight) from being transmitted to the optical transmission and receiving system 200 through the non-working area 101, thereby affecting the detection performance of the laser radar.

[0045] For the working area 102 of the window 100, when the light beam passes through the interface between the window and the air, refraction will occur. If the working area 102 is of equal thickness, when the detection lights of different field angles emitted by different transmitters in the optical transmission and receiving system 200 pass through the inner and outer surfaces of the window 100, different degrees of refraction will occur. Refraction causes the emission direction of the light beam to deviate from the ideal propagation direction, thereby causing aberration. The detection lights of different field angles correspond to the formation of echo lights of different field angles. When the echo lights of different field angles pass through the inner and outer surfaces of the window 100, different degrees of refraction will also occur, thereby causing aberration. The present disclosure can achieve a comprehensive optimal solution for the image quality of the detection lights of different field angles and the corresponding echo lights of different field angles after passing through the working area 102 by giving the working area 102 different thicknesses. The working area 102 of the window 100 can have a non-uniform thickness, configured to correct the aberration of the light beam passing through the working area 101.

[0046] In some embodiments, the setting factors of the non-working area 101 of the window 100 may include, but are not limited to: support strength, smooth connection with the working area 102, reducing the volume of the non-working area 101, etc. For example, while ensuring sufficient support strength, the thickness of the non-working area 101 can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the exposed height of the laser radar. For example, when the laser radar is installed on a vehicle, the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 of the window 100 can be configured to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle, and the exposed height of the laser radar may include the vertical height d of the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 of the window 100. For example, if the stress on the non-working area 101 of the window 100 is greater in a certain area, the thickness of the window in this area can also be increased to improve the strength.

[0047] Based on the above-mentioned setting factors of the non-operating area 101 and the operating area 102 , the thickness of the non-operating area 101 of the window 100 is different from the thickness of the operating area 102 of the window 100 .

[0048] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one of the inner surface and the outer surface of the working area 102 of the window 100 may be a free-form surface. The free-form surface is conducive to optimizing the optical performance of the working area 102, and provides a certain degree of design freedom for each sub-area of ​​the working area 102 of the window 100, so that the incident angle and the exit angle of the detection light and the echo light corresponding to each field angle on the window 100 can be adjusted, thereby correcting the aberration.

[0049] See also Figure 3 , the working area 102 of the window 100 may include multiple sub-areas 102n. The optical transmission and receiving system 200 may include multiple emitters 210 and an emission lens 220. The emission lens 220 may be configured to collimate the detection light emitted by the emitter 210 and emit the detection light to the sub-area 102n on the working area 102 of the window 100. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each sub-area 102n of the working area 102 of the window 100 may correspond to each emitter 210 of the multiple emitters 210 in the optical transmission and receiving system 200, and the incident angle and the emission angle of the detection light emitted by the corresponding emitter 210 on the working area 102 may be adjusted. See Figure 3 , each sub-area 102n of the working area 102 of the window 100 corresponds one-to-one to each emitter 210.

[0050] See also Figure 4, the optical transmission and receiving system 200 may further include a plurality of receivers 230 and a receiving lens 240. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each sub-area 102n of the working area 102 of the window 100 may correspond to each receiver 230 of the plurality of receivers 230 in the optical transmission and receiving system 200, and the incident angle and the exit angle of the return light received by the corresponding receiver 230 on the working area 102 may be adjusted. The receiving lens 240 may transmit the return light to the receiver 230. See Figure 4 , each sub-area 102n of the working area 102 of the window 100 also corresponds to each receiver 230. In this way, it can be ensured that the echo beam formed by the detection beam of a certain transmitter can return to the corresponding receiver.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, each sub-area 102n can adjust the transmission field of view of the corresponding transmitter and / or the reception field of view of the corresponding receiver. For example, by adjusting each sub-area 102n of the working area 102 of the window 100, the field of view angle of each transmitter and / or receiver can be changed, which helps to achieve uniform angular resolution in the field of view. The angular resolution can be the minimum angular interval between two adjacent points in the field of view.

[0052] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the curvature radius of the working area 102 of the window 100 may be smaller than the curvature radius of the non-working area 101 of the window 100. The non-working area 101 of the window 100 has a larger curvature radius and a smaller curvature, which can reduce the volume of the non-working area 101 of the window 100. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outer surface 50 of the non-working area 101 of the window 100 may be a flat surface (e.g., Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the vertical height d of the window 100 can be reduced, which is beneficial to reducing the height of the laser radar exposed from the vehicle body. Another advantage of configuring the outer surface 50 of the non-working area 101 of the window 100 as a flat surface is that the outer surface 50 can be embossed, stamped, laser processed or printed with patterns or visual signs.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the laser radar is installed on the outside of the car (such as the roof, etc.), the window 100 will be exposed to the external environment, and the dirt on the window 100 will affect the detection performance of the laser radar. In view of this, a dedicated window cleaner can be designed to clean the window 100. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outer surfaces of the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 of the window 100 can be formed as spherical surfaces, which is convenient for cleaning by the window cleaner, and the inner surface of the working area 102 of the window 100 is formed as a free-form surface to correct aberrations.

[0054] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the outer surfaces of the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 of the window 100 may also be configured as surfaces that reduce wind resistance, and the inner surface of the working area 102 of the window 100 is formed as a free-form surface to correct aberrations. The surface that reduces wind resistance may include a smooth surface (processing the surface to be smoother can reduce the friction of the air when it moves), a textured surface (processing the surface into a regular texture or a loose surface can change the direction of air flow), a coated surface (coating a special material with a drag-reducing effect on the surface can change the contact area between the air and the surface), etc.

[0055] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the window 100 may further include a connection area 103 located at the bottom of the window 100. Figure 6 The connection area 103 can be configured to be fixedly connected to the base 300 of the laser radar.

[0056] According to some other exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a laser radar is also provided.

[0057] like Figure 7 As shown, the laser radar 70 may include a base 300 and the window 100 described above. The window may be placed on the base 300 to form an internal space of the laser radar 70. The laser radar 70 may also include the light transmitting and receiving system 200 described above. The light transmitting and receiving system 200 may be placed on the base, located in the internal space and include a transmitting end and a receiving end. The detection light generated by the transmitting end may be emitted to the outside of the laser radar 70 through the working area 102 of the window 100, and the echo light formed by the emitted detection light after being reflected by the object may be received by the receiving end through the working area 102 of the window 100.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transmitting end may include multiple transmitters 210 and transmitting lenses 220 (such as Figure 3 As shown), the receiving end may include multiple receivers 230 and receiving lenses 240 (as shown Figure 4As shown). The transmitter 210 may use various types of lasers, including but not limited to vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), edge emitting lasers (EELs), etc.; the receiver 230 may use various types of detectors, including but not limited to photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), avalanche photodiodes (APDs), silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), etc. The detection beam emitted by each transmitter 210 (i.e., the transmission channel) of the multiple transmitters 210 forms a certain transmission field of view after being collimated by the transmission lens 220. When an object appears in a certain transmission field of view, the detection beam is reflected to form an echo beam, which is received by the receiving lens 240 and converged on the corresponding receiver 230 (i.e., the receiving channel) through the receiving lens 240 to form a detection loop of the laser radar. The one-to-one correspondence between the transmission channel and the receiving channel may be that the transmission field of view formed by the detection light emitted by each transmitter 210 corresponds to the receiving field of view of a single receiver 230, or that the transmission field of view formed by the detection light emitted by each transmitter 210 corresponds to the receiving field of view of multiple receivers 230.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the optical centers of the transmitting end and the receiving end are respectively set to be located between the rotation axis R and the window 100, which is beneficial to increase the vertical field of view of the laser radar 70. For example, the aperture position of the transmitting lens 220 can be set to the optical center of the transmitting end (i.e., the intersection of the detection beams of different field angles) and the aperture position of the receiving lens 240 can be set to the optical center of the receiving end (i.e., the intersection of the echo beams of different field angles). In the prior art, there is a solution to set the optical center C of the transmitting end and the receiving end on the rotation axis R, such as Fig. 9 As shown. The working area of ​​the window has a large vertical height H 0 , configured to match the vertical field of view of the optical transmitting and receiving system 200, but it will increase the exposure height of the laser radar and increase the difficulty of setting a non-uniform thickness working area to correct aberrations. The present disclosure can set the optical center C of the transmitting end and the receiving end not on the rotation axis R, but between the rotation axis R and the window 100. Fig. 9 Compared with the solution in which the optical center C is set on the rotation axis R, the vertical height H of the working area 102 of the window 100 can be significantly reduced by setting the optical center C between the rotation axis R and the window 100 while being able to match substantially the same vertical field of view. 1 (H 1 <H 0 ),like Fig.10 As shown, the exposed height of the laser radar 70 can be reduced.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the rotation axis R may be perpendicular to the first plane (eg, the XY plane), and the optical axis O of the transmitting end T and the optical axis O at the receiving endR They are parallel to each other and tilted relative to the first plane. Compared with the optical axes of the transmitting end and the receiving end being arranged parallel to the first plane, the tilted arrangement can move the transmitting field of view and the receiving field of view upward, and be more concentrated in the upper area of ​​the window 100, which is conducive to forming a vertical field of view greater than 90 degrees, and can also reduce the size of the non-working area 101 of the window 100, and can reduce the exposed height of the laser radar 70.

[0061] The laser radar 70 may further include a driver 400. The driver 400 may be located in the internal space, for example, may be placed in the base 300, and is configured to rotate the optical transmission and reception system 200 around the rotation axis R. Figure 8 , the rotation axis R of the driver 400 can be parallel to the Z axis and rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around the Z axis. The base 300 can be installed in the XY plane. In this way, the horizontal field of view of the laser radar 70 can be achieved by rotating the optical emitting and receiving system 200. The horizontal field of view range may correspond to the rotation angle of the optical emitting and receiving system 200. For example, the optical emitting and receiving system 200 can be rotated 360 degrees. Accordingly, the working area 102 of the window 100 may be annular, and the window 100 including the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 may appear hemispherical. In the present disclosure, the term "hemispherical" is intended to indicate that the window 100 has a shape similar to a hemisphere, but not necessarily a hemisphere in the strict sense. This is because Figure 5 As shown in the example of , the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 of the window 100 may have different radii of curvature, so in this case, the surface of the window 100 is not a spherical surface.

[0062] In some embodiments, the optical transmitting and receiving system 200 has 128 transmitters and 128 corresponding receivers along the vertical direction, the transmitting field of view of each transmitter corresponds to the receiving field of view of each receiver one by one, and the transmitting field of view outside the laser radar 70 is matched with its corresponding receiving field of view, and all the transmitting fields of view or all the receiving fields of view formed by rotating 360 degrees in the horizontal direction are combined to form the field of view range of the laser radar 70; in this example, the laser radar 70 can include a horizontal field of view range of 360 degrees and a vertical field of view range greater than 90 degrees, achieving a detection range greater than a hemisphere.

[0063] When the laser radar 70 is installed on a vehicle, the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 of the window 100 can be configured to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle, and the exposed height of the laser radar 70 can include the vertical height d of the non-working area 101 and the working area 102 of the window 100, and the connecting area 103 below the working area 102 of the laser radar 70 can be partially or completely set inside the vehicle body, thereby reducing the height of the laser radar 70 exposed to the vehicle body.

[0064] The laser radar 70 disclosed in the present invention can achieve a 360-degree horizontal field of view, a vertical field of view greater than 90 degrees, and a smaller height of the exposed vehicle body. The laser radar 70 disclosed in the present invention can be a blind spot laser radar to detect objects around the vehicle (such as walls, steps, pits, low obstacles, etc.).

[0065] The transmittance of the detection light / echo light passing through the window 100 is related to the incident angle. When the light beam is incident at an incident angle perpendicular to the surface of the window 100, the transmittance is the highest. When the light beam is incident at a larger incident angle, the transmittance may decrease. The present disclosure can achieve the incident angle of the detection light and / or echo light relative to the window 100 by configuring the curvature radius distribution of the inner surface and / or outer surface of the working area 102 of the window 100. For example, the detection light from the transmitter 210 has a fixed pointing angle. By changing the local shape of the (inner / outer) surface of the window 100, the normal direction of the window 100 changes, causing the angle between the detection light and the normal (i.e., the incident angle) to change. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the curvature radius distribution of the inner surface and / or outer surface of the working area 102 of the window 100 can be configured so that the incident angle of the detection light in at least a portion of the working area 102 of the window 100 is less than a predetermined threshold, thereby reducing the incident angle of the detection light on the window 100. In this way, each detection light and each echo light emitted by all transmitters can be basically incident on each sub-area in the working area 102, increasing the transmittance of the detection light / echo light through the window 100, which is beneficial to improving the distance measurement capability of the laser radar 70. On the other hand, the aberration can also be corrected by configuring the curvature radius of the inner surface and / or outer surface of the working area 102 of the window 100.

[0066] In addition to the incident angle, the transmittance of the detection light / echo light passing through the window 100 may also be related to the polarization state. For light incident on the window 100 at a large angle, the transmittance of S-polarized light is low and the transmittance of P-polarized light is high, so the transmittance of light incident on the window 100 at a large angle can also be increased by configuring different polarization states for the detection light emitted by the emitter. For example, for those emitters whose incident angle of the emitted detection light on the inner surface or outer surface of the working area 102 of the window 100 is greater than a predetermined angle, the polarization state of the detection light emitted by these emitters can be configured as P polarization. As an example, the transmitting end may include a plurality of columns of staggered emitters, including emitters in overlapping parts and emitters in non-overlapping parts. The emitters in the non-overlapping parts can be used as emitters at the edge position, configured to emit detection light incident on the window 100 at a large angle.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connection between the base 300 and the window 100 can be sealed to achieve internal and external air pressure balance of the laser radar 70, and a waterproof breathable valve (not shown) is provided on the base 300.

[0068] According to some further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, a vehicle is further provided. The vehicle may include the laser radar 70 as described above.

[0069] In some embodiments, the laser radar 70 may be disposed on the lower side of the rearview mirror of the vehicle 1100 (eg, Fig.11 70-1), and the rotation axis R of the optical transmission and receiving system 200 is substantially perpendicular to the driving road surface of the vehicle. In the present disclosure, the angle of the rotation axis R relative to the driving road surface of the vehicle can be between 80 degrees and 100 degrees, which can be regarded as "substantially perpendicular".

[0070] In some embodiments, the laser radar 70 may be disposed on the side of the vehicle 1100 (eg, Fig.11 70-2), and the rotation axis R of the optical transmitting and receiving system 200 is substantially parallel to the driving road surface of the vehicle. In the present disclosure, the angle of the rotation axis R relative to the driving road surface of the vehicle can be between -10 degrees and 10 degrees, which can be regarded as "substantially parallel".

[0071] So far, the window, laser radar and vehicle according to the present disclosure are described. The present disclosure can make the laser radar have a smaller exposure height while having a larger vertical FOV by dividing the window into a non-working area and a working area. The working area can cooperate with the light transmitting and receiving system to achieve a larger vertical field of view, and the volume of the non-working area can be reduced, which is conducive to reducing the volume of the laser radar and can reduce the height of the laser radar exposed from the vehicle body.

[0072] It should be understood that the above description is illustrative and not restrictive. For example, the above embodiments (and / or their various aspects) can be used in combination with each other. In addition, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, many modifications can be made to adapt specific conditions or materials to the teachings of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. Although the size and type of the material described herein are used to define the parameters of the various embodiments of the present disclosure, the various embodiments are not meant to be restrictive, but exemplary embodiments. In reading the above description, many other embodiments are obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be determined with reference to the attached claims, and the full range of equivalent forms claimed by these claims.

Claims

1. A laser radar window, include: a non-working area, located at the top of the viewing window; as well as A working area, located below the non-working area; Among them, the thickness of the non-working area of ​​the window is different from the thickness of the working area of ​​the window, and the working area of ​​the window cooperates with the optical transmitting and receiving system of the laser radar so that the laser radar has a vertical field of view greater than 90 degrees.

2. The window according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The active region of the window has a non-uniform thickness and is configured to correct aberrations of a light beam passing through the active region.

3. The window according to claim 2, It is characterized in that At least one of an inner surface and an outer surface of the working area of ​​the window is a free-form surface.

4. The window according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The working area of ​​the window includes multiple sub-areas. Wherein, each sub-area corresponds to each of the multiple transmitters in the optical transmission and reception system and is configured to adjust the incident angle and the exit angle of the detection light emitted by the corresponding transmitter on the working area; and / or Each of the sub-areas corresponds to each of the plurality of receivers in the optical transmitting and receiving system and is configured to adjust an incident angle and an exit angle of the echo light received by the corresponding receiver on the working area.

5. The window according to claim 4, It is characterized in that Each of the sub-areas is configured to adjust a transmission field of view of a corresponding transmitter and / or a reception field of view of a corresponding receiver.

6. The window according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The curvature radius of the working area of ​​the window is smaller than the curvature radius of the non-working area of ​​the window.

7. The window according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The viewing window also includes a connection area located at the bottom of the viewing window, wherein the connection area is configured to be fixedly connected to the base of the laser radar.

8. The window according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The non-working area is an area where no light passes.

9. The window according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The outer surface of the non-working area of ​​the viewing window is a flat surface configured to reduce the height of the laser radar exposed from the vehicle body.

10. The window according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The outer surfaces of the non-working area and the working area of ​​the viewing window form a spherical surface.

11. A laser radar, include: Base; The window according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the window is placed on the base to form an internal space of the laser radar; an optical transmitting and receiving system, located in the internal space and comprising a transmitting end and a receiving end, wherein the detection light generated by the transmitting end is emitted to the outside of the laser radar through the working area of ​​the window, and the echo light formed by the emitted detection light after being reflected by the object is received by the receiving end through the working area of ​​the window; as well as A driver is located in the interior space and is configured to rotate the optical transmitting and receiving system around a rotation axis.

12. The laser radar according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The optical centers of the transmitting end and the receiving end are respectively located between the rotation axis and the window, wherein the aperture position of the transmitting lens in the transmitting end is set to the optical center of the transmitting end, and the aperture position of the receiving lens in the receiving end is set to the optical center of the receiving end.

13. The laser radar according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The rotation axis is perpendicular to the first plane, and the optical axes of the transmitting end and the receiving end are parallel to each other and are tilted relative to the first plane.

14. The laser radar according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The curvature radius distribution of the inner surface and / or the outer surface of the working area of ​​the window is configured so that the incident angle of the detection light on at least a part of the working area of ​​the window is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

15. The laser radar according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The transmitting end includes a plurality of transmitters, wherein the polarization state of the detection light emitted by some of the transmitters is configured as P polarization, wherein the incident angle of the detection light on the inner surface or the outer surface of the working area of ​​the window is greater than a predetermined angle.

16. The laser radar according to claim 11, It is characterized in that The connection between the base and the window is sealed, and a waterproof and breathable valve is provided on the base.

17. A vehicle comprising the laser radar according to any one of claims 11-16.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the laser radar is disposed on a lower side of a rearview mirror of the vehicle, and the rotation axis is substantially perpendicular to a driving surface of the vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the laser radar is disposed on a side of the vehicle, and the rotation axis is substantially parallel to a driving surface of the vehicle.

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