Lidar, method for adjusting lidar of vehicle, and vehicle

Abstract

This application provides a lidar, a lidar adjustment method for a vehicle, and a vehicle. The lidar includes a dimming element, a receiving lens group, and a photoelectric detection module. The dimming element is located on the side of the receiving lens group away from the photoelectric detection module. The dimming element has a fully transparent state and a light-blocking state. In the fully transparent state, all areas of the dimming element are transparent. In the light-blocking state, at least a portion of the dimming element is in a light-blocking state. The orthographic projection of the light-blocking area onto the plane of the light-incident end of the receiving lens is a first orthographic projection, which is located in a preset local area at the light-incident end of the receiving lens. In this embodiment, the light-blocking area can block stray light before it enters the receiving lens group, thereby preventing stray light from interfering with the signal detection of the SPAD chip at the receiving end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of lidar technology, and in particular to a lidar, a lidar adjustment method for a vehicle, and the vehicle itself. Background Technology

[0002] In automotive environmental perception systems, solid-state lidar has become one of the main sensors due to its advantages such as having no moving mechanical parts, high reliability, and small size.

[0003] In related technologies, the receiver of a solid-state lidar typically includes a SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode) chip to achieve high-sensitivity reception and processing of echo signals. Solid-state lidar is usually positioned at the lateral center of the front and rear bumpers of a vehicle to utilize the installation space at this location to achieve a wider horizontal field of view (FOV).

[0004] However, the lateral center of the front and rear bumpers is also the usual installation area for license plates. Since the license plate has a highly reflective coating and is close to the solid-state lidar, when the solid-state lidar is working, part of the laser beam emitted by it will hit the surface of the license plate and be strongly reflected, thus forming strongly reflected stray light. Part of this stray light will enter the receiving end of the lidar and be superimposed with the echo signal of the normal environment, thereby interfering with the signal detection of the SPAD chip at the receiving end, which will lead to a decrease in the detection accuracy of the lidar, or even failure problems such as misjudgment or missed detection of targets. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, this application aims to propose a lidar, a lidar adjustment method for a vehicle, and a vehicle, in order to solve the technical problem that the strong reflected stray light generated after the license plate reflects the emitted beam of the lidar interferes with the receiving end of the lidar.

[0006] According to a first aspect of this application, a lidar is provided, including a dimming element, a receiving lens group disposed within a receiving lens barrel, and a photoelectric detection module, wherein the dimming element is located on the side of the receiving lens group away from the photoelectric detection module; The dimming element has a fully transparent state and a light-blocking state. In the fully transparent state, all areas of the dimming element are transparent. In the light-blocking state, at least a portion of the dimming element is in a light-blocking state, and the orthographic projection of the light-blocking area onto the plane of the light-incident end of the receiving lens barrel is a first orthographic projection, which is located in a preset local area of ​​the light-incident end of the receiving lens barrel.

[0007] In this embodiment, the dimming element is located on the side of the receiving lens group away from the photoelectric detection module. The area in the light-shielding state can block stray light before it enters the receiving lens group, preventing it from entering or reducing its energy to a negligible level, thus preventing stray light from interfering with the signal detection of the SPAD chip at the receiving end. Furthermore, the first orthographic projection of the area in the light-shielding state is located in a preset local area at the light-incident end of the receiving lens barrel, which does not affect the reception of echo light from other areas, i.e., it does not affect the detection of echo light incident from other areas, thus not affecting the normal operation of the lidar. Additionally, when the dimming element is in a fully transparent state, the laser light incident on the receiving end of the lidar is unaffected, allowing the lidar to achieve a set vertical field of view (FOV) to ensure the integrity of environmental perception and detection range, avoiding loss of detection range.

[0008] Optionally, the area of ​​the shaded region can be adjusted when the light is blocked.

[0009] Optionally, the dimming element has at least one electrically controlled zone group, the electrically controlled zone group including multiple electrically controlled zones, each of the electrically controlled zones having a liquid crystal layer; When the liquid crystal layer is not subjected to an electric field, the electrically controlled partition is in a light-transmitting state; when the liquid crystal layer is subjected to an electric field, the electrically controlled partition is in a light-blocking state. The lidar also includes a partition control module, which is used to selectively apply a driving voltage to at least one of the electrically controlled partitions to energize at least one of the electrically controlled partitions.

[0010] Optionally, the preset local area is the top or bottom area of ​​the light-incident end of the receiving lens tube; the dimming element is circular in shape, and the top and / or bottom of the dimming element has an electrically controlled partition group; In the light-blocking state, the top or bottom area of ​​the dimming element is in a light-blocking state; The dimming element also has a light-transmitting area, which does not have a liquid crystal layer.

[0011] Optionally, the number of electronically controlled zones in the electronically controlled zone group is 2 to 4; And / or, each of the electronically controlled partitions includes an arc-shaped main body; And / or, in the electronically controlled partition group, along the arrangement direction of the electronically controlled partitions, the width of the electronically controlled partition is 0.5mm-1.5mm; And / or, the area ratio of the electronically controlled partition group is less than or equal to 30%.

[0012] According to a second aspect of this application, a method for adjusting a vehicle's lidar is also provided, applied to the adjustment of the lidar as described above, the method comprising: Get current vehicle model information; Determine whether the current vehicle model information matches a certain vehicle model information in the preset vehicle model region correspondence relationship; If so, then based on the current vehicle model information and the preset vehicle model area correspondence, the area to be adjusted of the dimming component corresponding to the current vehicle model information is determined, and the area to be adjusted is put into a light-blocking state, thereby putting the dimming component into a light-blocking state.

[0013] Optionally, the dimming element has at least one electrically controlled zone group, the electrically controlled zone group including multiple electrically controlled zones, each of the electrically controlled zones having a liquid crystal layer; The area to be adjusted includes at least one of the electronically controlled zones in the group of electronically controlled zones; The step of putting the area to be adjusted into a light-shielded state includes: energizing all the electrically controlled partitions in the area to be adjusted.

[0014] Optionally, after determining the adjustment area of ​​the dimming element corresponding to the current vehicle model information based on the current vehicle model information and the preset vehicle model area correspondence, and putting the adjustment area in a light-blocking state, thereby putting the dimming element in a light-blocking state, the method further includes: Obtain the actual distance between the license plate and the lidar along the height direction of the vehicle; Based on the matching situation between the actual distance and the preset theoretical distance range, adjust the number of electrically controlled zones that are powered on, or keep all electrically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted powered on.

[0015] Optionally, the dimming element also has a light-transmitting area; The step of adjusting the number of energized electronically controlled zones based on the matching between the actual distance and the preset theoretical distance range, or maintaining the energization of all electronically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted, includes: If the actual distance is not within the theoretical distance range, and the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is less than 0, and the deviation is within the first preset range, and at least one of the electrical control zones in the electrical control zone group corresponding to the area to be adjusted is not powered, then power on the electrical control zone that is currently de-powered and closest to the area to be adjusted. If the actual distance is not within the theoretical distance range, and the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is greater than 0, and the deviation is within the second preset range, then the power is cut off to the electronically controlled partition closest to the light-transmitting area in the area to be adjusted. If the actual distance is within the theoretical distance range, then all electrically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted will remain powered.

[0016] According to a third aspect of this application, a vehicle is also provided, including the lidar described above.

[0017] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, the following are specific embodiments of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the relative position of a lidar and a license plate in a vehicle, provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vertical field of view (FOV) of a lidar system in a vehicle, provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the relative positions of a lidar and a license plate in a vehicle, provided as an embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is an exploded structural diagram of a portion of a lidar provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a receiving lens barrel, receiving lens group and dimming device in a lidar according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dimming component in the lidar provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dimming component in the lidar provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dimming component in the lidar provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 ; Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a vehicle lidar adjustment method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure label: 10-LiDAR, 11-Receiving lens tube, 111-Incident light end, 12-Dimming component, 121-Electrically controlled zone, 122-Transmitting zone, 13-Receiving lens group, 14-Photoelectric detection module, 15-First protection window, 16-Emitting lens tube, 20-License plate. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the various embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many technical details have been presented in the various embodiments of this application to enable readers to better understand this application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solutions claimed in this application can be implemented. The division of the various embodiments below is for the convenience of description and should not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of this application. The various embodiments can be combined with and referenced by each other without contradiction.

[0021] This application provides a vehicle, as shown in reference to Figures 1 to 3 The vehicle includes a lidar sensor 10 and a license plate 20. The vehicle can be an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a gasoline-powered vehicle, etc. It can be a sedan, a commercial vehicle, an SUV, a sport utility vehicle, a heavy truck, etc. In the diagram, the Y-axis represents the width of the vehicle, and the Z-axis represents its height.

[0022] Reference Figure 4 The aforementioned lidar 10 includes a receiving lens tube 11, a receiving lens group 13 disposed within the receiving lens tube 11, and a photoelectric detection module 14. The end of the receiving lens tube 11 facing away from the photoelectric detection module 14 is the light input end 111. The photoelectric detection module 14 includes a SPAD chip. The receiving lens tube 11 has a hollow cylindrical structure, used to guide the echo light into and focus it onto the SPAD chip. The echo light refers to the light signal reflected back by the target after the laser emitted by the lidar 10 illuminates the external target. The lidar 10 also includes a transmitting lens tube 16 and a transmitting lens group disposed within the transmitting lens tube 16. The lidar 10 can be a solid-state lidar.

[0023] Reference Figures 5 to 8 The aforementioned lidar 10 also includes a dimming element 12, which is located on the side of the receiving lens group 13 away from the photoelectric detection module 14, that is, the dimming element 12 is closer to the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens tube 11. The receiving lens group 13 is located between the dimming element 12 and the photoelectric detection module 14.

[0024] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4The lidar 10 also includes a first protective window 15, which is located on the front side of the receiving lens tube 11 and the transmitting lens tube 16 away from the photoelectric detection module 14, and the two share a single first protective window 15. In this embodiment, as shown... Figure 5 The dimming element 12 can be connected to the front end of the receiving lens tube 11 away from the photoelectric detection module 14. The dimming element 12 can also be disposed inside the receiving lens tube 11, for example, fixed inside the receiving lens tube 11 by sealant.

[0025] In some embodiments, the receiving lens tube 11 and the transmitting lens tube 16 are respectively provided with a second protective window and a third protective window on the front side away from the photoelectric detection module 14. In this case, the receiving lens tube 11 and the transmitting lens tube 16 can be installed independently. In this embodiment, the dimming element 12 is disposed inside the receiving lens tube 11, for example, fixed inside the receiving lens tube 11 by sealant, and located between the second protective window and the receiving lens group 13.

[0026] The dimming element 12 can be circular, annular, semi-circular, or semi-annular in shape. The dimming element 12 has a fully transparent state and a light-blocking state. In the fully transparent state, all areas of the dimming element 12 are transparent. In the light-blocking state, at least a portion of the dimming element 12 is in a light-blocking state. The orthographic projection of the light-blocking area onto the plane of the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens barrel 11 is a first orthographic projection. The first orthographic projection is located in a preset local area of ​​the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens barrel 11.

[0027] The dimming element 12 can be switched between a fully transparent state and a light-blocking state using an electronically controlled method. For example, the dimming element 12 has an electronically controlled partition group, which includes multiple electronically controlled partitions 121, each of which has a liquid crystal layer. Alternatively, the dimming element 12 can be switched between a fully transparent state and a light-blocking state using a mechanical method. For example, the dimming element 12 includes a light-transmitting body and a movable light-blocking plate.

[0028] The lidar 10 emits laser light of a specific wavelength. "All areas of the dimming element 12 are transparent" means that all areas of the dimming element 12 are transparent to at least the specific wavelength of laser light, for example, the transmittance is greater than or equal to 90%. For areas in a light-blocking state, the transmittance to at least the specific wavelength of laser light is reduced, for example, the transmittance is less than or equal to 10%, in order to block laser light incident on that area, such as the aforementioned stray light.

[0029] The preset local area can be the top, bottom, left, or right area of ​​the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens 11. Since the lidar 10 is usually located below or above the license plate 20, the preset local area is preferably the top or bottom area of ​​the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens 11. The top area of ​​the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens 11 refers to the area of ​​the light-incident end 111 near the roof of the vehicle along the Z direction when the lidar 10 is installed in the vehicle, and the bottom area of ​​the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens 11 refers to the area of ​​the light-incident end 111 near the bottom of the vehicle along the Z direction when the lidar 10 is installed in the vehicle.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the lidar 10 is located below the license plate 20. The vertical field of view (FOV) of the lidar 10 is set to... Figure 2 The α1 shown can be 140°. (Refer to...) Figure 2 Along the Z-direction, because the lidar 10 is relatively close to the license plate 20, a small portion of the upper part of the laser beam emitted by the lidar 10 will illuminate the surface of the license plate 20 and be strongly reflected. For example, the α2 portion of the emitted laser beam will illuminate the surface of the license plate 20 and be strongly reflected, thus forming strongly reflected stray light. Part of this stray light will enter the top region of the receiving end of the lidar 10. The receiving end of the lidar 10 is also the light-incident end 111 of the aforementioned receiving lens tube 11.

[0031] Reference Figure 3 In some embodiments, the lidar 10 is located above the license plate 20. In this embodiment, a small portion of the lower part of the laser beam emitted by the lidar 10 illuminates the surface of the license plate 20 and is strongly reflected, and some of this stray light enters the bottom region of the receiver of the lidar 10.

[0032] When the lidar 10 is located below the license plate 20, a portion of the strongly reflected stray light will enter the top region of the receiver of the lidar 10; when the lidar 10 is located above the license plate 20, a portion of the strongly reflected stray light will enter the bottom region of the receiver of the lidar 10. When the first orthographic projection of the region in the light-shielding state is located at the top region of the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens tube 11, the strongly reflected stray light incident on the top region can be shielded. When the first orthographic projection of the region in the light-shielding state is located at the bottom region of the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens tube 11, the strongly reflected stray light incident on the bottom region can be shielded.

[0033] In this embodiment, the dimming element 12 is located on the side of the receiving lens group 13 away from the photoelectric detection module 14. The region in the light-shielding state can block stray light before it enters the receiving lens group 13, thereby preventing stray light from entering the receiving lens group 13 or reducing the light energy of stray light entering the receiving lens group 13 to a negligible level, thus preventing stray light from interfering with the signal detection of the SPAD chip at the receiving end. In addition, the first orthographic projection of the region in the light-shielding state is located in a preset local area of ​​the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens barrel 11, which will not affect the reception of echo light from other areas, that is, it will not affect the detection of echo light incident from other areas, thus not affecting the normal use of the lidar 10.

[0034] It should be noted that when the dimming element 12 is in the light-shielding state, the vertical FOV of the lidar 10 is smaller than the set vertical FOV, but the difference between the two is less than or equal to 30% of the set vertical FOV. Therefore, it will not affect the normal use of the lidar 10. Preferably, when the dimming element 12 is in the light-shielding state, the difference between the vertical FOV of the lidar 10 and the set vertical FOV is less than or equal to 10% of the set vertical FOV.

[0035] In this embodiment, when the dimming element 12 is in a fully transparent state, the laser light incident on the receiving end of the lidar 10 will not be affected, thereby enabling the lidar 10 to achieve the set vertical field of view (FOV) to ensure the integrity of environmental perception and detection range, and avoid loss of detection range of the lidar 10. For example, for vehicle models where the lidar 10 is far from the license plate 20, and no stray light enters the receiving end of the lidar 10, the dimming element 12 is in a fully transparent state. As another example, when the lidar 10 is installed in other locations and no stray light enters the receiving end of the lidar 10, the dimming element 12 is in a fully transparent state.

[0036] In some embodiments, the area of ​​the region in the shaded state is adjustable.

[0037] The dimming element 12 has an electrically controlled partition group, which includes multiple electrically controlled partitions 121. When each electrically controlled partition 121 has a liquid crystal layer, the area of ​​the light-shielded region can be adjusted by adjusting the number of electrically controlled partitions 121 that are energized. When the dimming element 12 includes a light-transmitting body and a movable light-shielding plate, the area of ​​the light-shielded region can be adjusted by adjusting the area of ​​the light-shielding plate blocking the light-transmitting body.

[0038] Different vehicle models may have variations in the installation height of the license plate 20, its protrusion, its installation angle, and the installation position of the lidar 10. Therefore, the area affected by stray light at the receiving end may differ across vehicle models. For example, in some models, the area affected by stray light at the receiving end is the top region, resulting in a smaller affected area; in others, it is the top region, resulting in a larger affected area. In this embodiment, the area of ​​the region in the light-shielding state is adjustable, allowing the lidar 10 to adapt to different vehicle models, thereby reducing R&D costs and simplifying supply chain management.

[0039] In some embodiments, refer to Figures 6 to 8 The dimming element 12 has at least one electrically controlled partition group, each electrically controlled partition group includes multiple electrically controlled partitions 121, and each electrically controlled partition 121 has a liquid crystal layer; when the liquid crystal layer is not subjected to an electric field, the electrically controlled partition is in a light-transmitting state, and when the liquid crystal layer is subjected to an electric field, the electrically controlled partition 121 is in a light-blocking state; the lidar 10 also includes a partition control module, the partition control module includes a voltage driving unit, the partition control module is used to selectively apply a driving voltage to at least one electrically controlled partition 121 to energize at least one electrically controlled partition 121.

[0040] For example, the dimming element 12 has one or two electrically controlled partition groups. Each electrically controlled partition group includes at least two electrically controlled partitions 121, and the area in the light-blocking state includes at least one electrically controlled partition 121. The dimming element 12 may have electrically controlled partition groups and light-transmitting areas 122. For example, when the shape of the dimming element 12 is circular or annular, at least one electrically controlled partition group is located at the top and / or bottom of the dimming element 12, and the remaining area is the light-transmitting area 122. The dimming element 12 may only have electrically controlled partition groups, in which case the light-transmitting area 122 is removed.

[0041] The liquid crystal layer can be an electro-absorption type liquid crystal, a guest-host type liquid crystal (GH-LCD), etc. Each electronically controlled partition 121 can be powered independently. The partition control module is used to apply a driving voltage to the electronically controlled partition 121 to power it; after the electronically controlled partition 121 is powered on, the liquid crystal layer is subjected to an electric field, the alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules changes, and the electronically controlled partition 121 is in a light-blocking state. The driving voltage value can be 5V-12V.

[0042] In this embodiment, the area of ​​the region in the light-shielding state can be adjusted by adjusting the number of electrically controlled partitions 121 that are powered on.

[0043] When there is only one energized control partition 121, this energized control partition 121 is the one furthest from the optical axis C0 of the receiving optical path; for each additional energized control partition 121, an additional control partition 121 adjacent to the currently energized control partition 121 is added. For example, refer to... Figures 6 to 8 When the electronically controlled partition group includes three electronically controlled partitions 121, the direction from the electronically controlled partition group to the optical axis C0 of the receiving optical path is defined as follows: the three electronically controlled partitions 121 are, in order, the first electronically controlled partition, the second electronically controlled partition, and the third electronically controlled partition. The first electronically controlled partition is the one furthest from the optical axis C0 of the receiving optical path, and the third electronically controlled partition is the one closest to the optical axis C0 of the receiving optical path. The energization status of the electronically controlled partitions 121 in the electronically controlled partition group is as follows: the first electronically controlled partition is energized, the first and second electronically controlled partitions are energized, or the first, second, and third electronically controlled partitions are energized.

[0044] Furthermore, the electronically controlled partition 121 is stably controlled by the driving voltage, ensuring high reliability and a service life consistent with that of the lidar 10. Additionally, the dimming component 12 has no moving mechanical parts, resulting in a simple structure. This lidar 10 can be modified from conventional solid-state lidars with minimal modifications, allowing it to be adapted to existing production lines and thus shortening the mass production cycle.

[0045] In some embodiments, refer to Figures 6 to 8 The dimming element 12 is circular in shape, which facilitates assembly. Preferably, the center line of the dimming element 12 is on the same straight line as the optical axis C0 of the receiving optical path.

[0046] Reference Figures 6 to 8 The preset local area is the top or bottom area of ​​the light-incident end 111 of the receiving lens barrel 11; the top and / or bottom of the dimming element 12 have an electronically controlled partition group, and in the light-shielding state, the top or bottom area of ​​the dimming element 12 is in the light-shielding state.

[0047] The area affected by stray light at the receiver may differ across vehicle models. For example, in some models, the area affected by stray light at the receiver is the top region; in others, it's the bottom region. (See reference...) Figure 8 When the dimming element 12 has electronically controlled partition groups at both its top and bottom, that is, when the two electronically controlled partition groups are located at the top and bottom of the dimming element 12 respectively, the lidar 10 can adapt to different vehicle models, thereby reducing R&D costs and simplifying supply chain management. (Refer to...) Figure 6 When only the top of the dimming element 12 has an electronically controlled partition group, the lidar 10 is suitable for installation in vehicle models where the area affected by stray light at the receiving end is the top region, thus reducing manufacturing costs. (Refer to...) Figure 7 When only the bottom of the dimming element 12 has an electronically controlled partition group, the lidar 10 is suitable for installation in vehicle models where the area of ​​stray light effect at the receiving end is the bottom area, which can reduce manufacturing costs.

[0048] Reference Figures 6 to 8The dimming element 12 also has a light-transmitting area 122, which does not have a liquid crystal layer to reduce manufacturing costs. The light-transmitting area 122 is transparent to laser light of at least the specific wavelength mentioned above, for example, the transmittance is greater than or equal to 90%.

[0049] In some embodiments, the number of electrically controlled partitions 121 in the electrically controlled partition group is 2 to 4, enabling fine-tuning of the area of ​​the light-shielding region. For example, Figures 6 to 8 In the electronically controlled zone group, there are 3 electronically controlled zones 121. It can be understood that in the dimming element 12, there is one or two electronically controlled zone groups, and in one electronically controlled zone group, there are 2 to 4 electronically controlled zones 121.

[0050] In some embodiments, each electrically controlled partition 121 includes an arc-shaped body. In the group of electrically controlled partitions, along the arrangement direction of the partitions 121, the width of each partition is 0.5mm-1.5mm, for example, 0.5mm, 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm, etc., enabling fine-tuning of the area of ​​the light-shielding region. The widths of each electrically controlled partition 121 can be equal or unequal.

[0051] For example, in an electrically controlled partition group, the reduction in vertical FOV can be 2°-8° for each additional electrically controlled partition 121 that is powered on, and the reduction in vertical FOV can be different when electrically controlled partitions 121 at different locations are powered on.

[0052] In some embodiments, the dimming element 12 is circular in shape, and the area of ​​the electronically controlled partition group is less than or equal to 30% to avoid excessive reduction in the vertical FOV of the lidar 10. The aforementioned area ratio refers to the ratio of the area of ​​the electronically controlled partition group to the area of ​​the circular dimming element 12. It is understood that the dimming element 12 may contain one or two electronically controlled partition groups, with the area of ​​one electronically controlled partition group being less than or equal to 30%.

[0053] Reference Figure 9 This application also provides a method for adjusting a vehicle's lidar, applied to the adjustment of the lidar 10 described above. The method for adjusting a vehicle's lidar includes: S101, retrieve current vehicle model information; S102, determine whether the current vehicle model information is consistent with a certain vehicle model information in the preset vehicle model area correspondence relationship; S103, if so, then based on the current vehicle model information and the preset vehicle model area correspondence, determine the dimming area to be adjusted corresponding to the current vehicle model information, and put the dimming area to be adjusted into a light-blocking state, thereby putting the dimming element into a light-blocking state.

[0054] The lidar 10 includes a main control module and a zone control module. The zone control module is communicatively connected to the main control module and is used to selectively apply a driving voltage to at least one electronically controlled zone 121 to energize it. Current vehicle model information refers to information indicating the current vehicle model, which may include the vehicle's model identification code. The main control module communicates with the vehicle's control module to obtain the current vehicle model information from it.

[0055] The vehicle model area correspondence refers to the correspondence between vehicle model information and the area to be adjusted. The vehicle model information in the vehicle model area correspondence covers the vehicle models whose stray light will enter the receiver of the lidar 10. The area to be adjusted is the area that needs to be adjusted to a light-shielding state according to the vehicle model. When the dimming element 12 is circular, the area to be adjusted is located at the top or bottom of the dimming element 12. For different vehicle models, the position and / or area of ​​the area to be adjusted are different.

[0056] The vehicle information in the vehicle model region correspondence does not cover vehicle models where no stray light enters the receiver of the lidar 10. In other words, the current vehicle model information in the vehicle model region correspondence may not cover all vehicle models. If the current vehicle model information matches a certain vehicle model information in the preset vehicle model region correspondence, it means that the vehicle model corresponding to the current vehicle model information is one of the vehicle models covered by the vehicle model information in the vehicle model region correspondence, that is, the vehicle model is one of the vehicle models where stray light enters the receiver of the lidar 10.

[0057] In step S103, after the area to be adjusted is placed in a shaded state, the area to be adjusted is the area in the shaded state as described above. In this embodiment, the area in the shaded state can be adjusted according to different vehicle models, thereby adapting to different vehicle models.

[0058] In some embodiments, the dimming element 12 has at least one electrically controlled partition group, which includes a plurality of electrically controlled partitions 121, each of which has a liquid crystal layer; the area to be adjusted includes at least one electrically controlled partition 121 in an electrically controlled partition group, that is, the area of ​​the area to be adjusted is less than or equal to the area of ​​the corresponding electrically controlled partition group; putting the area to be adjusted in a light-blocking state includes energizing all the electrically controlled partitions 121 in the area to be adjusted. The partition control module applies a driving voltage to at least one electrically controlled partition 121 in the area to be adjusted to energize at least one electrically controlled partition 121. The driving voltage value can be 5V-12V.

[0059] The effective area of ​​stray light at the receiver may differ across different vehicle models. For example, in some models, the effective area of ​​stray light at the receiver is the top region; in others, it is the bottom region. In some embodiments, multiple vehicle models share a single lidar system, in which the lidar references… Figure 8The dimming element 12 has electronically controlled partition groups at both its top and bottom, meaning that two electronically controlled partition groups are located at the top and bottom of the dimming element 12, respectively, and each electronically controlled partition group includes three electronically controlled partitions 121. As an example, the area to be adjusted corresponding to a certain vehicle model is located at the top and includes one electronically controlled partition 121 from the top electronically controlled partition group; the area to be adjusted corresponding to another vehicle model is located at the bottom and includes two electronically controlled partitions 121 from the bottom electronically controlled partition group.

[0060] In some embodiments, for vehicle models where the stray light's effective area at the receiver is the top region, a first lidar is shared. In the first lidar, a reference... Figure 6 Only the top of the dimming element 12 has an electronically controlled partition group, which includes three electronically controlled partitions 121. These models share a second lidar where stray light affects the bottom area of ​​the receiving end. In the second lidar, reference... Figure 7 Only the bottom of the dimming element 12 has an electronically controlled partition group, which includes three electronically controlled partitions 121. Of course, in other embodiments, different LiDARs can be customized for different vehicle models. In these customized LiDARs, the dimming element 12 includes an electronically controlled partition group, and the number of electronically controlled partitions 121 in the electronically controlled partition group is different.

[0061] In some embodiments, S103, based on the current vehicle model information and a preset vehicle model area correspondence, the adjustment area of ​​the dimming element corresponding to the current vehicle model information is determined, and the adjustment area is placed in a light-blocking state. After the dimming element is placed in a light-blocking state, the method further includes: Obtain the actual distance between the license plate and the lidar along the vehicle's height direction; Based on the matching between the actual distance and the preset theoretical distance range, adjust the number of electrically controlled zones that are powered on, or keep all electrically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted powered on.

[0062] For the same vehicle model, after long-distance operation and high-temperature conditions, the license plate 20 may be deformed, bent, or have its installation angle offset. These factors will cause the actual distance between the license plate 20 and the lidar 10 along the Z direction to change, making the actual distance may not be within the theoretical distance range. For the same vehicle model, during the installation process, the actual distance between the license plate 20 and the lidar 10 along the Z direction may not be within the theoretical distance range.

[0063] In the vehicle model area correspondence, the correspondence between vehicle model information and the area to be adjusted refers to the correspondence between vehicle model information and the area to be adjusted under the theoretical installation scenario. If the actual distance along the Z direction between license plate 20 and LiDAR 10 is not within the theoretical distance range, the aforementioned area to be adjusted may not be suitable for the actual scenario. In this embodiment, based on the matching situation between the actual distance and the preset theoretical distance range, the energized electronic control zone is adjusted in real time, enabling the area in the shaded state to adapt to the actual scenario.

[0064] In some embodiments, the number of energized electronically controlled zones is adjusted based on the matching of the actual distance with a preset theoretical distance range, or all electronically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted are kept energized, including: if the actual distance is within the theoretical distance range, then all electronically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted are kept energized. If the actual distance between the license plate 20 and the lidar 10 along the Z direction is within the theoretical distance range, it means that the area currently in the shaded state can meet the actual usage requirements, and the currently energized electronically controlled zone 121 can be kept energized.

[0065] If the actual distance along the Z-axis between license plate 20 and lidar 10 is not within the theoretical distance range, it means that the area in the shaded state cannot meet the actual usage requirements. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the number of energized electronic control zones 121 to adjust the size of the shaded area to meet the actual usage requirements. Since the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is usually small, it is only necessary to add one energized electronic control zone 121 or remove one energized electronic control zone 121. When adding one energized electronic control zone 121 or removing one energized electronic control zone 121, the response time is usually less than 10ms.

[0066] Specifically, based on the matching between the actual distance and the preset theoretical distance range, the number of electrically controlled zones that are powered on is adjusted, or all electrically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted are kept powered on, including: If the actual distance is not within the theoretical distance range, and the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is less than 0, and the deviation is within the first preset range, and at least one of the electrical control zones in the electrical control zone group corresponding to the area to be adjusted is not powered, then power on the electrical control zone that is currently de-powered and closest to the area to be adjusted. If the actual distance is not within the theoretical distance range, and the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is greater than 0, and the deviation is within the second preset range, then the power is cut off to the electronically controlled zone closest to the light-transmitting area in the area to be adjusted.

[0067] The deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range refers to the difference between the actual distance and the endpoint value of the closest theoretical distance range. When the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is less than 0, the actual distance is less than the lower limit endpoint value of the theoretical distance range, and the deviation refers to the difference between the actual distance and the lower limit endpoint value of the theoretical distance range. When the actual distance is relatively small and the deviation is within the first preset range, the area affected by stray light at the receiving end of the lidar 10 will increase. Therefore, it is necessary to add an electrical control zone 121 to be powered on, even if at least one electrical control zone 121 in the corresponding electrical control zone group of the area to be adjusted is not powered on, in order to increase the area of ​​the area in the light-shielding state and thus meet the actual use requirements.

[0068] When the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is greater than 0, the actual distance is greater than the upper limit of the theoretical distance range. The deviation refers to the difference between the actual distance and the upper limit of the theoretical distance range. When the actual distance is relatively large and the deviation is within the second preset range, the area affected by stray light at the receiving end of the lidar 10 will decrease. At this time, one electronic control zone 121 can be de-energized to reduce the area of ​​the region in the light-shielding state, thus meeting the requirement for a larger vertical field of view (FOV).

[0069] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0070] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a related manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions of the method embodiments.

[0071] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application are included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A lidar, characterized in that, It includes a dimming device, a receiving lens group disposed inside the receiving lens barrel, and a photoelectric detection module, wherein the dimming device is located on the side of the receiving lens group away from the photoelectric detection module; The dimming element has a fully transparent state and a light-blocking state. In the fully transparent state, all areas of the dimming element are transparent. In the light-blocking state, at least a portion of the dimming element is in a light-blocking state, and the orthographic projection of the light-blocking area onto the plane of the light-incident end of the receiving lens barrel is a first orthographic projection, which is located in a preset local area of ​​the light-incident end of the receiving lens barrel.

2. The lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that, In the shaded state, the area of ​​the shaded region is adjustable.

3. The lidar according to claim 2, characterized in that, The dimming element has at least one group of electrically controlled zones, the group of electrically controlled zones includes multiple electrically controlled zones, and each of the electrically controlled zones has a liquid crystal layer; When the liquid crystal layer is not subjected to an electric field, the electrically controlled partition is in a light-transmitting state; when the liquid crystal layer is subjected to an electric field, the electrically controlled partition is in a light-blocking state. The lidar also includes a partition control module, which is used to selectively apply a driving voltage to at least one of the electrically controlled partitions to energize at least one of the electrically controlled partitions.

4. The lidar according to claim 3, characterized in that, The preset local area is the top or bottom area of ​​the light-incident end of the receiving lens tube; the dimming element is circular in shape, and the top and / or bottom of the dimming element have electrically controlled partition groups; In the light-blocking state, the top or bottom area of ​​the dimming element is in a light-blocking state; The dimming element also has a light-transmitting area, which does not have a liquid crystal layer.

5. The lidar according to claim 4, characterized in that, In the electronically controlled partition group, the number of electronically controlled partitions is 2 to 4; And / or, each of the electronically controlled zones includes an arc-shaped body; And / or, in the electronically controlled partition group, along the arrangement direction of the electronically controlled partitions, the width of the electronically controlled partition is 0.5mm-1.5mm; And / or, the area ratio of the electronically controlled partition group is less than or equal to 30%.

6. A method for adjusting a vehicle's lidar, characterized in that, The lidar adjustment method for the vehicle, applicable to the adjustment of lidar as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, comprises: Get current vehicle model information; Determine whether the current vehicle model information matches a certain vehicle model information in the preset vehicle model region correspondence relationship; If so, then based on the current vehicle model information and the preset vehicle model area correspondence, the area to be adjusted of the dimming component corresponding to the current vehicle model information is determined, and the area to be adjusted is put into a light-blocking state, thereby putting the dimming component into a light-blocking state.

7. The vehicle lidar adjustment method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The dimming element has at least one group of electrically controlled zones, the group of electrically controlled zones includes multiple electrically controlled zones, and each of the electrically controlled zones has a liquid crystal layer; The area to be adjusted includes at least one of the electronically controlled zones in the group of electronically controlled zones; The step of putting the area to be adjusted into a light-shielded state includes: energizing all the electrically controlled partitions in the area to be adjusted.

8. The vehicle lidar adjustment method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After determining the adjustment area of ​​the dimming component corresponding to the current vehicle model information based on the current vehicle model information and the preset vehicle model area correspondence, and putting the adjustment area into a light-blocking state, thereby putting the dimming component into a light-blocking state, the method further includes: Obtain the actual distance between the license plate and the lidar along the height direction of the vehicle; Based on the matching situation between the actual distance and the preset theoretical distance range, adjust the number of electrically controlled zones that are powered on, or keep all electrically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted powered on.

9. The vehicle lidar adjustment method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The dimming element also has a light-transmitting area; The step of adjusting the number of energized electronically controlled zones based on the matching between the actual distance and the preset theoretical distance range, or maintaining the energization of all electronically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted, includes: If the actual distance is not within the theoretical distance range, the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is less than 0, and the deviation is within the first preset range, and at least one of the electrical control zones in the electrical control zone group corresponding to the area to be adjusted is not powered, then power on the electrical control zone that is currently not powered and is closest to the area to be adjusted. If the actual distance is not within the theoretical distance range, the deviation between the actual distance and the theoretical distance range is greater than 0, and the deviation is within the second preset range, then the power is cut off to the electronically controlled zone closest to the light-transmitting zone in the area to be adjusted. If the actual distance is within the theoretical distance range, then all electrically controlled zones in the area to be adjusted will remain powered.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that, Including the lidar as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images