Safe laser radar

Abstract

The utility model discloses a safe laser radar, which is characterized in that an optical window pollution detection system is additionally arranged in the safe laser radar and covers the whole area of the surface of an optical window through a plurality of groups of pollution detection units consisting of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units; the pollution detection indicating unit is added to prompt the position and / or state of pollution, and the pollution detection processing unit starts multiple groups of pollution detection units at the same time or according to time-sharing logic, so that the effect of dynamically displaying the pollution condition of the light window is realized, and the position and / or state of the pollution can be rapidly indicated after the surface of the light window is polluted; and maintenance personnel are reminded to maintain or replace the optical window of the safety laser radar in advance, so that troubles caused by sudden shutdown to equipment operation are avoided, and the usability of the safety laser radar is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of lidar technology, specifically, it relates to a safety lidar. Background Technology

[0002] Safety lidar is a lidar system designed and constructed based on safety technology. Its main task is to protect against hazards in a designated area. If an unauthorized object enters the protected area, the safety lidar will output a corresponding signal to cut off operating equipment to prevent accidents. Its detection of objects within the area is essentially based on Time-of-Flight (TOF) technology. On one hand, it calculates the distance to the object by directly measuring the optical path and time; on the other hand, it obtains the object's orientation through the lidar's scanning angle information. Combining these two pieces of information yields the object's precise location, which is then compared with the preset protected area to determine whether an intrusion has occurred.

[0003] Safety lidar used in secure environments must operate with exceptional reliability, thus meeting stringent safety requirements such as EN13849 for machine safety and EN61496 for non-contact protective devices. Various measures and methods are needed to meet these safety standards, including redundant design, safety electronic assessment using heterogeneous electronics, and functional monitoring. A key safety requirement is the autonomous evaluation of the lidar's transmission window to eliminate safety risks arising from reduced detection capability due to window damage or contamination; this feature is a significant technical characteristic of safety lidar.

[0004] In existing technologies, when a safety lidar detects damage or dirt to the optical window that reduces its detection capability, it typically outputs a safety control signal to cut off external hazards, such as shutting down the equipment. However, this requires specialized software or professional technicians to determine the state of contamination of the optical window, which is a very cumbersome process that needs improvement and optimization. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a safety lidar that can dynamically display the dirt status of the light window, quickly display the location of the dirt, and set reminders based on the dirt status, thereby reducing abnormal shutdowns caused by dirt contamination of the safety lidar light window.

[0006] This utility model is achieved using the following technical solution:

[0007] A safe lidar is proposed, comprising a body, a laser scanning module, a main control module, an optical window, and an optical window contamination detection system; the optical window contamination detection system includes:

[0008] The system includes a contaminant detection transmitting unit and a contaminant detection receiving unit. The contaminant detection transmitting unit is configured on the outer / inner side of the optical window and consists of multiple optical transmitters. Each optical transmitter is equipped with a collimating lens, and the optical transmitter is located at the focal point of the collimating lens. The contaminant detection receiving unit is configured on the inner / outer side of the optical window and consists of multiple optical receivers. Each optical receiver is equipped with a receiving lens, and the optical receiver is located at the focal point of the receiving lens. Furthermore, one contaminant detection transmitting unit and one contaminant detection receiving unit are installed in pairs on one optical path, and the optical paths of multiple pairs of contaminant detection transmitting units and contaminant detection receiving units cover the entire area of ​​the optical window.

[0009] The contamination indicator unit is used to indicate the contamination status of the light window;

[0010] The pollution detection processing unit is used to control multiple sets of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units to work simultaneously, or to work in pairs sequentially according to time-division logic; and to control the pollution detection indicating unit according to the electrical signals converted by the pollution detection receiving unit.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, the pollution detection processing unit includes multiple sets of switching circuits, each set of switching circuits being connected to a set of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units, for powering on to start the operation of the corresponding set of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units, and powering off to stop the operation of the corresponding set of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units;

[0012] The output of the pollution detection receiving unit is connected to the pollution detection indicating unit, so that the electrical signal converted by the pollution detection receiving unit serves as the control signal for the pollution detection indicating unit.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the contamination detection unit includes a logic processing circuit, which is composed of multiple sets of transistor circuits forming a logic switching circuit. Each set of transistor circuits is used to turn on or off a set of contamination detection transmitting units and contamination detection receiving units. Each set of transistor circuits forms a time-division conduction logic through a delay circuit.

[0014] The output of the pollution detection receiving unit is connected to the pollution detection indicating unit, so that the electrical signal converted by the pollution detection receiving unit serves as the control signal for the pollution detection indicating unit.

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, the contamination indicator unit is a liquid crystal screen that graphically displays the location and / or status of contamination on the light window.

[0016] In some embodiments of this application, the liquid crystal screen is a transparent flexible screen, which is arranged outside the light window according to the shape of the light window.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, the light window is installed at an angle, the contamination detection emitting unit is installed at the top of the outer / inner side of the light window, and the contamination detection receiving unit is installed at the bottom of the inner / outer side of the light window, so that the optical path between the contamination detection emitting unit and the contamination detection receiving unit is perpendicular to each other, so as to maximize the coverage of the light window surface by the optical path.

[0018] In some embodiments of this application, the contamination indicator unit consists of an indicator light and an indicator light guide strip; the indicator light indicates the degree of contamination through different colors or different brightness.

[0019] In some embodiments of this application, the indicator light guide strip is made of transparent or translucent plastic material.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the advantages and positive effects of this utility model are as follows: The safety lidar proposed in this utility model adds a light window contamination detection system. This light window contamination detection system covers the entire area of ​​the light window surface through multiple sets of contamination detection units composed of contamination detection transmitting units and contamination detection receiving units. It also adds a contamination detection indicator unit to indicate the location and / or status of contamination. The contamination processing unit simultaneously or according to time-division logic activates multiple sets of contamination detection units to achieve the effect of dynamically displaying the contamination status of the light window. After contamination appears on the light window surface, it can quickly indicate the location and / or status of the contamination, reminding maintenance personnel to perform maintenance or replacement of the light window of the safety lidar in advance, so as to avoid sudden shutdown causing trouble for equipment operation and improve the usability of the safety lidar.

[0021] Other features and advantages of this utility model will become clearer after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of this utility model in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the optical window contamination detection system of the safety lidar proposed in this utility model;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the safety lidar proposed in this utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the safety lidar proposed in this utility model;

[0026] Figure 4This is one embodiment of the pollution detection and treatment circuit in this utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 This is another embodiment of the pollution detection and treatment circuit in this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0029] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0030] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances. In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0031] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0032] The safety lidar proposed in this application is based on a structure design that integrates a through-beam optical window contamination measurement method. When one or more areas of the optical window become contaminated, the indicator light quickly displays the contamination status, helping equipment maintenance personnel to make judgments and handle the problem.

[0033] The safety lidar described in this application has an external optical window structure on its laser scanning module to protect the optical structure from contamination and damage. The optical window structure is generally made of infrared-transparent optical plastic, and its shape is determined according to the rotational contour of the optical scanning structure, allowing for maintenance and replacement. The optical window contamination mentioned in this application refers to dust accumulation on the optical window surface during prolonged operation of the safety lidar or surface damage caused during maintenance cleaning. The optical window contamination detection described below refers to a detection system that uses optical measurement to analyze and judge the contamination status of the optical window surface.

[0034] The safety lidar in this application consists of a body, a laser scanning module, a main control module, a light window protecting the internal optical structure, and a light window contamination detection system. The laser scanning module uses the dTOF (time-of-flight) ranging principle with coaxial or split-axis optical paths to detect distance and azimuth; this can be implemented according to existing technology and is not limited to this application. The main control module consists of a control chip and its peripheral circuits, used to control and implement the operation of the lidar; this can also be implemented according to existing technology and is not limited to this application.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the light window contamination detection system includes:

[0036] The contamination detection emission unit is located on the outside / inside of the light window 5 (outside in the figure) and consists of multiple optical emitters 11. Each optical emitter 11 is equipped with a collimating lens 12. The light emitted by the optical emitter 11 is, for example, an infrared emitter. After being collimated by the collimating lens 12, the light emitted from the optical emitter 11 passes through the light window 5 along the optical path a07 from one side of the light window 5 and is received by the contamination detection receiving unit located on the other side of the light window 5.

[0037] The contamination detection receiving unit is located inside / outside the light window 5 (inside in the figure) and consists of multiple optical receivers 21. Each optical receiver 21 is equipped with a receiving lens 22. The detection light emitted by the contamination detection transmitting unit passes through the light window 5 from the other side of the light window 5 along the light path a07, and is then converged by the receiving lens 22 and received by the optical receiver 21.

[0038] The contamination detection indicator unit 3 indicates the location and / or state of contamination on the light window 5 through display or other indication methods. In some embodiments, it can be an LCD screen disposed outside the safety lidar, which graphically displays the location and / or state of contamination on the light window 5. Preferably, the LCD screen can be a transparent flexible screen, disposed outside the light window 5 according to its shape. In other embodiments, it can be an indicator unit disposed outside the light window or the housing, corresponding one-to-one in spatial position to a pair of contamination detection transmitting units and contamination detection receiving units, and controlled by the contamination detection processing unit 4. When the corresponding contamination detection receiving unit receives a signal indicating that there is contamination at the light window position corresponding to optical path a07, the contamination detection processing unit 4 controls the corresponding indicator unit to make corresponding changes. Generally, the location and / or state are indicated using indicator lights. By adding the contamination detection indicator unit 3, this application can quickly indicate the location and / or state of contamination when contamination appears on the surface of the light window 5 of the safety lidar, reminding maintenance personnel to maintain or replace the light window 5 of the safety lidar in advance, so as to avoid sudden shutdown causing trouble for equipment operation and improving the usability of the safety lidar.

[0039] The contamination detection unit 4 is used to control multiple contamination detection transmitting units and contamination detection receiving units to work simultaneously or sequentially in pairs according to time-division logic, and to control the corresponding contamination detection indicating unit 3 to display the location and status of contamination based on the electrical signals converted by each contamination detection receiving unit. In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 4 As shown, the contamination detection unit 4 includes multiple switching circuits. Each switching circuit is responsible for the operation of a set of contamination detection transmitting units and contamination detection receiving units. When switched on, the corresponding set of contamination detection transmitting units and contamination detection receiving units are activated. When a contaminated area is present, the electrical signal converted by the corresponding contamination detection receiver is lower than a threshold. This electrical signal can be used as a control signal for the contamination detection indication unit 3 to generate an indication. In some embodiments of this application, the contamination detection unit includes a logic processing circuit. This logic processing circuit can be a control chip such as an MCU or FPGA, or a logic switching circuit composed of multiple sets of transistor circuits, such as... Figure 5 As shown, each group of transistor circuits is used to turn on or off a group of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units. Each group of transistor circuits forms a time-division conduction logic through a delay circuit. When the pollution detection function is activated, the logic switching circuit sequentially turns on a group of transistor circuits according to the time-division logic. If the light window 5 is not polluted, the light emitted by the pollution detection transmitting unit is received by the corresponding pollution detection receiving unit without damage, and its receiving current is higher than a threshold. If the light window 5 is polluted, the light emitted by the pollution detection transmitting unit is weakened and then received by the corresponding pollution detection receiving unit, and its receiving current is lower than a threshold. Based on this, the corresponding pollution detection indicator unit 3 can be activated to display the pollution location and / or status by setting the corresponding transistor or other switching circuit.

[0040] The following specific embodiment provides a detailed description of the contamination detection structure of the secure lidar proposed in this application.

[0041] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the structure and operation of a contamination detection unit in the optical window contamination detection system of this safety lidar are presented. Here, a contamination detection unit includes a pair of contamination transmission units and a contamination reception unit, a contamination processing unit and a contamination indication unit.

[0042] The light window 5 is installed at an angle. The pollution detection emitting unit is installed at the top outside the light window 5, and the pollution detection receiving unit is installed at the bottom inside the light window 5, so that the optical path between the pollution detection emitting unit and the pollution detection receiving unit is in a vertical state as shown in a07, so as to maximize the coverage of the surface of the light window 5.

[0043] The pollution detection emission unit consists of a pollution detector 11 and a collimating lens 12. The pollution detector 11 is activated by receiving a control signal from the pollution detection control unit 3, and the emitted light is projected onto the surface of the light window 5 through the collimating lens 12. The pollution detection receiving unit consists of an optical receiver 21 and a receiving lens 22. The receiving lens 22 collects the light transmitted from the light window 5, which is converted into a recognizable electrical signal by the optical receiver 21 and transmitted to the pollution detection control unit 3. The pollution detection indication unit consists of an indicator light 31 and an indicator light guide strip 32. The indicator light 31 receives the electrical signal from the pollution detection control unit 3 and makes corresponding indications.

[0044] Specifically, the contaminant emitter 11 is installed at the focal point of the collimating lens 12 to collimate the emitted light from the contaminant emitter 11; the optical receiver 21 is installed at the focal point of the receiving lens 22 to focus and collect the received light.

[0045] Taking the infrared emitter 11 as an example, after the infrared light is collimated by the collimating lens 12, it is directed along the light ray a07 towards the light window 5. If there is no contamination at the position corresponding to the light ray in the light window 5, the light transmitted through the undamaged light window 5 is focused by the receiving lens 22 and received by the optical receiver 21. The optical receiver 21 converts the light into a high-level electrical signal, and the contamination processing unit 4 keeps the indicator light 31 off. If there is no contamination at the position corresponding to the light ray in the light window 5, the light loss is reduced, and the light transmitted through the light window 5 is focused by the receiving lens 22 and received by the optical receiver 21. The optical receiver 21 converts the light into a low-level electrical signal, and the contamination processing unit 4 activates the transistor circuit containing the indicator light 31, causing it to light up. The light emitted by the indicator light 31 is evenly projected onto its outer surface through the light guide strip 32, making it easier for maintenance personnel to observe the changes in the indicator light, thereby providing a reminder of the undamaged position.

[0046] The pollution detection transmitting unit, pollution detection receiving unit, and pollution detection indicating unit 3 are all electrically connected to the pollution detection processing unit 4. The optical receiver 21 is connected to the pollution detection processing circuit via connecting wire 6. The diagram only shows one set of pollution detection transmitting unit, pollution detection receiving unit, and pollution detection indicating unit; in the actual structure, a combination of these components is used. Figure 3 As shown, multiple sets of contamination detection transmitting units, contamination detection receiving units, and contamination detection indicating units are arranged at equal intervals along the annular light window 5. Each set of contamination detection transmitting units, contamination detection receiving units, and contamination detection indicating units is electrically connected to the contamination detection processing unit 4. After the safety lidar is powered on, the logic processing circuit of the contamination detection processing unit 4 drives the multiple sets of contamination detection transmitting units and contamination detection receiving units to start sequentially in a time sequence. When there is contamination in the light window area corresponding to a certain set of devices, the indicator light 31 at the corresponding position is lit. Figure 3 In the image, a08 represents a smudged light window.

[0047] In practical application design, the indicator light 31 can display different colors according to the degree of dirt. For example, it can be green when there is no dirt, yellow when the dirt is slight, and red when the dirt is severe. Alternatively, the indicator light 31 can display different brightness according to the degree of dirt. It can be off when there is no dirt, emit a weak light when the dirt is slight, and emit a strong light when the dirt is severe.

[0048] The indicator light guide strip 32 is generally made of transparent or semi-transparent plastic material and is fixed to the outside of the safety lidar by mechanical connection. Its internal light-receiving surface is placed in the light-emitting direction of the indicator light 31, so that the light emitted by the indicator light 31 enters and is scattered and reflected inside it, and can finally be observed from the outside of the safety lidar.

[0049] It should be noted that the above description is not intended to limit the present utility model, and the present utility model is not limited to the examples given above. Any changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present utility model should also fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A safety lidar, comprising a body, a laser scanning module, a main control module, an optical window, and an optical window contamination detection system; characterized in that, The light window contamination detection system includes: The system includes a contaminant detection transmitting unit and a contaminant detection receiving unit. The contaminant detection transmitting unit is configured on the outer / inner side of the optical window and consists of multiple optical transmitters. Each optical transmitter is equipped with a collimating lens, and the optical transmitter is located at the focal point of the collimating lens. The contaminant detection receiving unit is configured on the inner / outer side of the optical window and consists of multiple optical receivers. Each optical receiver is equipped with a receiving lens, and the optical receiver is located at the focal point of the receiving lens. Furthermore, one contaminant detection transmitting unit and one contaminant detection receiving unit are installed in pairs on one optical path, and the optical paths of multiple pairs of contaminant detection transmitting units and contaminant detection receiving units cover the entire area of ​​the optical window. The contamination indicator unit is used to indicate the contamination status of the light window; The pollution detection processing unit is used to control multiple sets of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units to work simultaneously, or to work in pairs sequentially according to time-division logic; and to control the pollution detection indicating unit according to the electrical signals converted by the pollution detection receiving unit.

2. The secure lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pollution detection and processing unit includes multiple sets of switching circuits. Each set of switching circuits is connected to a set of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units. It is used to start the operation of the corresponding set of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units when powered on, and to stop the operation of the corresponding set of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units when powered off. The output of the pollution detection receiving unit is connected to the pollution detection indicating unit, so that the electrical signal converted by the pollution detection receiving unit serves as the control signal for the pollution detection indicating unit.

3. The secure lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pollution detection and processing unit includes a logic processing circuit, which is composed of multiple sets of transistor circuits forming a logic switching circuit. Each set of transistor circuits is used to turn on or off a set of pollution detection transmitting units and pollution detection receiving units. Each set of transistor circuits forms a time-division conduction logic through a delay circuit. The output of the pollution detection receiving unit is connected to the pollution detection indicating unit, so that the electrical signal converted by the pollution detection receiving unit serves as the control signal for the pollution detection indicating unit.

4. The secure lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contamination detection indicator unit is an LCD screen that graphically displays the location and / or status of contamination on the light window.

5. The secure lidar according to claim 4, characterized in that, The LCD screen is a transparent flexible screen, which is set on the outside of the light window according to the shape of the light window.

6. The secure lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light window is installed at an angle, with the pollution detection emitting unit installed at the top of the outer / inner side of the light window and the pollution detection receiving unit installed at the bottom of the inner / outer side of the light window, so that the optical path between the pollution detection emitting unit and the pollution detection receiving unit is perpendicular to each other, so as to maximize the coverage of the light window surface.

7. The secure lidar according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contamination detection indicator unit consists of an indicator light and an indicator light guide strip; the indicator light indicates the degree of contamination through different colors or different brightness.

8. The secure lidar according to claim 7, characterized in that, The indicator light guide strip is made of transparent or semi-transparent plastic material.

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