Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device with light guide manifold

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device having a light guide manifold.SOLUTION: An example LIDAR device includes a transmit subsystem. The transmitting subsystem includes a light emitting element. The transmitting subsystem also includes a light guide manifold optically coupled to the light emitting element. Further, the transmitting sub-system includes a telecentric lens assembly optically coupled to the light guide manifold. The LIDAR device also includes a receive subsystem. The receive subsystem includes a telecentric lens assembly. The receive subsystem also includes an aperture plate having an aperture defined therein. The aperture plate is positioned at a focal plane of the telecentric lens assembly. Further, the receive subsystem includes a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) positioned to receive the light traveling through the aperture.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] Unless otherwise stated herein, the material described in this section is not prior art to the claims of this application and should not be admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0002] A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device can estimate the distance to an object in a given environment. For example, an emitter subsystem of a LIDAR device can emit near-infrared light pulses that can interact with objects in the device's environment. At least a portion of the light pulses can be redirected back toward the LIDAR (e.g., due to reflection or scattering) and detected by a detector subsystem. A conventional detector subsystem can include multiple detectors and a corresponding controller configured to determine the arrival time of each light pulse with high temporal resolution. The distance between the LIDAR device and a given object can be determined based on the time-of-flight of the corresponding light pulse that interacts with the given object. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a LIDAR device having an array of light-emitting elements and a corresponding array of light detectors. Optical signals may be emitted by the light-emitting elements through a shared telecentric lens. These optical signals may reflect from objects in the surrounding environment, be transmitted again through the shared telecentric lens, and then be detected by a photodetector. The LIDAR device may also include other optical elements (e.g., a light guide manifold, an astigmatic lens, and an aperture plate). The emission intensity, emission time, detection power, and detection time can be used to determine one or more characteristics of the surrounding environment (e.g., a three-dimensional point cloud can be generated based on the emission time and the corresponding detection time).

[0004] In one aspect, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device is provided. The LIDAR device includes a transmit subsystem. The transmit subsystem includes a light emitting element. The transmit subsystem also includes a light guide manifold optically coupled to the light emitting element. Further, the transmit subsystem includes a telecentric lens assembly optically coupled to the light guide manifold. The LIDAR device also includes a receive subsystem. The receive subsystem includes the telecentric lens assembly. The receive subsystem also includes an aperture plate having an aperture defined therein. The aperture plate is positioned in a focal plane of the telecentric lens assembly. Further, the receive subsystem includes a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) positioned to receive light traveling through the aperture.

[0005] In another aspect, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device is also provided. The LIDAR device includes an array of light emitting elements controlled by a firing circuit. The LIDAR device also includes an array of astigmatic lenses configured to couple optical signals from the array of light emitting elements to a corresponding array of light guide manifolds. The LIDAR device further includes a shared telecentric lens assembly configured to receive optical signals from the light guide manifold and transmit the optical signals toward an environment surrounding the LIDAR device. The LIDAR device further includes an array of photodetectors. Each of the photodetectors corresponds to one of the light emitting elements. Still further, the LIDAR device includes an aperture plate having an array of apertures defined therein. Each aperture in the array of apertures corresponds to one of the photodetectors. The shared telecentric lens assembly is configured to receive optical signals reflected from objects in the environment surrounding the LIDAR device and transmit the optical signals reflected from objects in the environment surrounding the LIDAR device through the array of apertures to the array of photodetectors. The aperture plate is positioned in a focal plane of the shared telecentric lens assembly.

[0006] In another aspect, a method is provided. The method also includes emitting one or more optical signals from a light emitting element of the LIDAR device. The method also includes coupling the optical signals into a light guide manifold of the LIDAR device. The method further includes propagating the optical signals through the light guide manifold. In addition, the method includes receiving the optical signals with a telecentric lens assembly of the LIDAR device. Still further, the method includes transmitting the optical signals from the telecentric lens assembly to an environment outside the LIDAR device. Still further, the method includes receiving reflections of the optical signals from one or more objects in the environment with the telecentric lens assembly. Further, the method includes coupling the received reflections from the telecentric lens assembly through an aperture defined in an aperture plate. The aperture plate is positioned at a focal plane of the telecentric lens assembly. Still further, the method still further includes detecting the received reflections with a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM).

[0007] In yet another aspect, a method is provided. The method includes emitting a plurality of optical signals from an array of light-emitting elements controlled by a firing circuit. The method also includes coupling the plurality of optical signals into an array of light guide manifolds using an array of astigmatic lenses corresponding to the array of light-emitting elements. The light guide manifold corresponds to the array of light-emitting elements. The method further includes propagating the plurality of optical signals through the light guide manifolds. In addition, the method includes receiving the plurality of optical signals with a shared telecentric lens assembly. Still further, the method includes transmitting the plurality of optical signals from the shared telecentric lens assembly to an ambient environment. Still further, the method includes receiving reflections of the plurality of optical signals from one or more objects in the ambient environment with the shared telecentric lens assembly. Still further, the method includes coupling the received reflections from the shared telecentric lens assembly through an aperture plate having an array of apertures defined therein. Each aperture in the array of apertures may correspond to a photodetector in the array of photodetectors. The aperture plate is positioned in a focal plane of the shared telecentric lens assembly. Still further, the method includes detecting the received reflections with the photodetector.

[0008] In an additional aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein is provided. The instructions, when executed by a processor, perform a method. The method includes controlling a firing circuit to cause a light emitting element of a LIDAR device to emit an optical signal. When the optical signal is emitted, the optical signal is coupled to a light guide manifold of the LIDAR device. Further, when the optical signal is emitted, the optical signal is propagated through the light guide manifold. Further, when the optical signal is emitted, the optical signal is received by a telecentric lens assembly of the LIDAR device. Still further, when the optical signal is emitted, the optical signal is transmitted from the telecentric lens assembly to an environment outside the LIDAR device. Further, when the optical signal is emitted, reflections of the optical signal from one or more objects in the environment are received by the telecentric lens assembly. Still further, when the optical signal is emitted, the received reflections are coupled from the telecentric lens assembly through an aperture defined in an aperture plate. The aperture plate is positioned at a focal plane of the telecentric lens assembly. Still further, when the optical signal is emitted, a received reflection is detected with a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). The method also includes determining a distance to one or more objects in the environment based on the detection of the received reflection.

[0009] In an additional aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein is further provided. The instructions, when executed by a processor, perform a method. The method includes controlling a firing circuit to cause an array of light-emitting elements to emit a plurality of optical signals. When the plurality of optical signals are emitted, the plurality of optical signals are transmitted to an array of light guide manifolds using an array of astigmatic lenses corresponding to the array of light-emitting elements. Light guide manifolds in the array of light guide manifolds correspond to the array of light-emitting elements. The plurality of optical signals are propagated through the light guide manifolds. Furthermore, when the plurality of optical signals are emitted, the plurality of optical signals are received by a shared telecentric lens assembly. The plurality of optical signals are then transmitted from the shared telecentric lens assembly to an ambient environment. Reflections of the plurality of optical signals from one or more objects in the ambient environment are received by the shared telecentric lens assembly. The received reflections are transmitted from the shared telecentric lens assembly through an aperture plate having an array of apertures. Each aperture in the array of apertures corresponds to a photodetector in the array of photodetectors. The aperture plate is positioned at a focal plane of the shared telecentric lens assembly. Still further, the plurality of optical signals are emitted and received reflections are detected at a photodetector. The method also includes determining distances to one or more objects in the surrounding environment based on detecting the received reflections.

[0010] These and other aspects, advantages, and alternatives will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description, where appropriate with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a vehicle, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is an illustrative diagram of a vehicle's physical configuration, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is an illustrative diagram of a vehicle's physical configuration, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C is an illustrative diagram of a vehicle's physical configuration, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2D] FIG. 2D is an illustrative diagram of a vehicle's physical configuration in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2E] FIG. 2E is an illustrative diagram of a vehicle's physical configuration, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a conceptual, illustrative diagram of wireless communication between various computing systems associated with an autonomous vehicle, in accordance with an example embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram of a LIDAR device in accordance with an example embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 5A is an illustrative view of a substrate, according to an example embodiment. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is an illustrative view of a substrate, according to an example embodiment. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5C is an illustrative diagram of an aperture plate, according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5D] FIG. 5D is an illustrative diagram of a substrate and an aperture plate according to an example embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a LIDAR in accordance with an example embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart illustration of a method according to an exemplary embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Exemplary methods and systems are contemplated herein. Any example embodiment or feature described herein should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or features. The exemplary embodiments described herein are not meant to be limiting. It will be readily understood that certain aspects of the disclosed systems and methods can be arranged and combined in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are contemplated herein.

[0013] Furthermore, the particular arrangements shown in the figures should not be considered limiting. It should be understood that other embodiments may include more or fewer of each element shown in a given figure. Furthermore, some of the illustrated elements may be combined or omitted. Still further, example embodiments may include elements not illustrated in the figures.

[0014] I. Overview The LIDAR device may include a transmitter, a receiver, a shared optical lens assembly (e.g., a telecentric optical lens assembly), a housing, and one or more adjustable stages (e.g., a movable mount).

[0015] The transmitter may include more than 200 light-emitting elements. In some embodiments, for example, the light-emitting elements may be arranged in two groups with more than 100 light-emitting element devices in each group. The light-emitting elements may include semiconductor laser diode bars (e.g., InGaAs laser diodes and / or quantum well-based devices), among other possibilities. The transmitter may also include a pulse circuit configured to cause corresponding light-emitting element devices to emit one or more optical signals (e.g., optical pulses). In some embodiments, the pulser circuit may include a GaNFET-based circuit configured to trigger optical pulses with pulse widths of about 1 nanosecond to about 10 nanoseconds. In some embodiments, the pulser circuit and corresponding light-emitting element may fire simultaneously or with a predetermined delay based on a common clock or another time reference. In other words, the transmitter can emit multiple optical pulses into the environment simultaneously.

[0016] In some embodiments, the light-emitting elements can be optically coupled to a corresponding plurality of light guide manifolds via one or more astigmatic lenses (e.g., one or more cylindrical lenses). By utilizing total internal reflection, the light guide manifolds can be configured to direct the optical signals toward corresponding reflective surfaces. The reflective surfaces can be configured to redirect the optical pulses toward a shared optical lens assembly. In such a scenario, the transmitter block can include over 200 transmit channels, one for each light-emitting element and one corresponding light guide manifold. The light guide manifolds can enable distribution of emission points of the optical signals across a large surface of the device while maintaining the light-emitting elements in a relatively compact location. Furthermore, the light guide manifolds can have low loss (e.g., less than 10%, less than 5%, less than 1%, or less than 0.1%), which can optimize the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting elements that is transmitted to the environment at the emission point (e.g., the end of the light guide manifold). Furthermore, the light guide manifolds can provide a lower-cost, more robust LIDAR, especially when fabricated using novel manufacturing techniques developed by the inventors, which are the subject of other pending patent applications.

[0017] The receiver may include one receive channel for each transmit channel (e.g., more than 200 receive channels). Similar to the transmit channels, the receive channels may be arranged in two groups with more than 100 receive channels in each group. Each receive channel may include an aperture (e.g., a pinhole) aligned over a photodetector (e.g., a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)). In an exemplary embodiment, multiple apertures may be formed in an aperture plate such that all of the apertures can be simultaneously aligned to correspond to multiple SiPMs. Such an aperture plate may be positioned in the focal plane of a shared optical lens assembly. In some examples, each SiPM may include thousands of Geiger-mode operated photodetectors, such as more than 2,000 single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) connected in a parallel or alternative circuit configuration. Multiple SiPMs may be bonded to a common substrate and powered by circuitry configured to enable Geiger-mode operation. Multiple SiPMs may also be coupled to circuitry and / or a controller specifically configured to convert signals from the Geiger-mode operated photodetectors. In some embodiments, various structures can provide electrical and / or optical isolation between adjacent SiPMs (e.g., to reduce crosstalk between adjacent receive channels). For example, one or more baffles may optically isolate adjacent SiPMs and / or adjacent light guide manifolds. In some embodiments, paired transmit and receive channels can be spatially arranged such that the SiPM of a receive channel is at least partially under the reflective surface of the corresponding transmit channel (e.g., a 45-degree mirror positioned at the transmit end of each light guide manifold).

[0018] As described above, both the transmit and receive channels may be arranged in multiple groups (e.g., two groups of transmit channels and / or two groups of receive channels). Multiple groups can provide redundancy. For example, if a first group of transmit channels malfunctions or fails (e.g., due to a power loss affecting the first group of transmit channels), the second group of transmit channels may remain fully functional. In such cases, the second group of transmit channels may be relied upon to provide an appropriate mapping of the surrounding environment (e.g., object detection and avoidance in a fallback autonomous vehicle operating mode) while the first group of transmit channels is deactivated, repaired (e.g., reset), and / or replaced (e.g., by using another signal in its place). Additionally, the multiple groups can operate differently to probe different aspects of the surrounding environment. For example, the first group of transmit channels may emit optical signals at a first wavelength, while the second group of transmit channels may emit optical signals at a second wavelength. Additionally or alternatively, a first group of transmit channels may emit optical signals with a first polarization, while a second group of transmit channels may emit optical signals with a second polarization. Additionally or alternatively, a first group of transmit channels may emit optical signals with a first intensity or intensity pattern, while a second group of transmit channels may emit optical signals with a second intensity or intensity pattern. Still further, a first group of transmit channels may emit optical signals at a first time point or a first time pattern, while a second group of transmit channels may emit optical signals delayed in time relative to the first time point and / or according to a second time pattern. The intensity pattern or time pattern may change over time. For example, the intensity and / or time pattern may change over time based on the environment in which the autonomous vehicle is operating (e.g., weather, time of day, operating design domain (ODD), road type, road conditions, density of actual or potential road users near the vehicle, geographic location of the vehicle, etc.) or the driving maneuver in which the autonomous vehicle is performing.Corresponding groups of photodetectors may be configured to detect different optical signals emitted by different groups of transmit and receive channels.

[0019] The shared optical lens assembly may include a multi-element telecentric lens with a focal length of 50 mm to 500 mm and an f-number of 1.5 to 3.0 (the f-number is the ratio of the focal length of the shared optical lens assembly to the diameter of the entrance pupil). Other types of optical lens characteristics are possible and are contemplated herein. Optical signals emitted by the light-emitting elements of the transmitter block may interact with elements of the shared optical lens assembly so as to be directed toward the environment of the LIDAR device. Optical signals interacting with objects in the environment may be reflected toward the LIDAR device. The shared optical lens assembly may collect and focus the reflected light for optical detection by the receiver block.

[0020] In some embodiments, the transmitter block, the receiver block, and at least a portion of the shared optical lens assembly may be housed within a housing. In some examples, the housing may include a weatherproof cover that may include one or more optical windows. The housing may also include other auxiliary sensors (e.g., a camera, a temperature sensor, a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a radar unit, a pressure sensor, an inertial sensor, a humidity sensor, etc.) and / or a communication device configured to provide a communication interface between the LIDAR device and one or more computing devices (e.g., another vehicle computer and / or a cloud computing resource such as a cloud server). In some embodiments, the housing may include one or more heated optical windows. The heated optical windows, which may be coated with indium tin oxide (ITO), may help prevent ice or frost buildup on the optical windows under cold conditions. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the housing may be coated with a hydrophilic coating and / or an anti-reflective (AR) coating. Additionally, in some embodiments, the housing may be formed from black glass or a similar material, which may be selected or configured to efficiently transmit light having near-infrared wavelengths used by LIDAR devices while blocking the transmission of light in the visible spectrum. Other housing materials are possible.

[0021] The adjustable stage can be configured to adjust the pointing direction of the LIDAR device relative to the environment. For example, a movable mount can be coupled to the housing and can include an actuator motor. In some embodiments, the actuator motor can be configured to rotate at least a portion of the movable mount to adjust the pointing direction of the LIDAR device about one or more rotational axes (e.g., an azimuth axis and / or an elevation axis). In such a scenario, the movable mount can adjust the pointing direction of the LIDAR device at a constant angular velocity in yaw and / or pitch. Additionally or alternatively, the movable mount can be configured to adjust the pointing direction of the LIDAR device to obtain information about an area of ​​interest in the environment.

[0022] In some embodiments, the movable mount may be coupled to a vehicle (e.g., an autonomous vehicle or a vehicle operating in an autonomous or semi-autonomous mode). Alternatively, the movable mount may be coupled to another object, such as a building, a robot, or other structure. Additionally, in some embodiments, the pointing direction of the LIDAR may be adjusted in other ways (e.g., beam steering).

[0023] II. Exemplary Systems The following description and accompanying drawings highlight features of various exemplary embodiments. The embodiments provided are by way of example and are not intended to be limiting. Accordingly, dimensions of the drawings are not necessarily to scale.

[0024] Exemplary systems within the scope of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail. The exemplary system may be implemented in or take the form of an automobile. However, the exemplary system may also be implemented in or take the form of other vehicles, such as automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, buses, boats, airplanes, helicopters, lawn mowers, earth movers, boats, snowmobiles, aircraft, recreational vehicles, pleasure vehicles, agricultural equipment, construction equipment, trams, golf carts, trains, dollies, and robotic devices. Other vehicles are possible as well. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the exemplary system may not include a vehicle.

[0025] Referring now to the figures, Figure 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an exemplary vehicle 100 that may be configured to operate fully or partially in an autonomous mode. More specifically, vehicle 100 may operate in the autonomous mode without human interaction through receiving control instructions from a computing system. As part of operation in the autonomous mode, vehicle 100 may use sensors to detect and possibly identify objects in the surrounding environment to enable safe navigation. In some embodiments, vehicle 100 may also include subsystems that enable a driver to control the operation of vehicle 100.

[0026] 1 , vehicle 100 may include various subsystems, such as propulsion system 102, sensor system 104, control system 106, one or more peripherals 108, power source 110, computer system 112 (which may also be referred to as a computing system), data storage 114, and user interface 116. In other examples, vehicle 100 may include more or fewer subsystems, each of which may include multiple elements. The subsystems and components of vehicle 100 may be interconnected in various ways. Additionally, the functionality of vehicle 100 described herein may be divided into additional functional or physical components or combined into fewer functional or physical components within an embodiment. For example, control system 106 and computer system 112 may be combined into a single system that operates vehicle 100 according to various operations.

[0027] Propulsion system 102 may include one or more components operable to provide powered motion for vehicle 100 and may include, among other possible components, an engine / motor 118, an energy source 119, a transmission 120, and wheels / tires 121. For example, engine / motor 118 may be configured to convert energy source 119 into mechanical energy and may correspond to one or a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a steam engine, or a Stirling engine, among other possible options. For example, in some embodiments, propulsion system 102 may include multiple types of engines and / or motors, such as gasoline engines and electric motors.

[0028] Energy source 119 represents an energy source that may fully or partially power one or more systems (e.g., engine / motor 118) of vehicle 100. For example, energy source 119 may correspond to gasoline, diesel, other petroleum-based fuels, propane, other compressed gas-based fuels, ethanol, solar panels, batteries, and / or other power sources. In some embodiments, energy source 119 may include a combination of a fuel tank, batteries, a capacitor, and / or a flywheel.

[0029] The transmission 120 may transfer mechanical power from the engine / motor 118 to the wheels / tires 121 and / or other possible systems of the vehicle 100. Accordingly, the transmission 120 may include, among other possible components, a gearbox, a clutch, a differential, and a drive shaft. The drive shaft may include an axle that connects to one or more wheels / tires 121.

[0030] The wheels / tires 121 of the vehicle 100 may have a variety of configurations within the exemplary embodiment. For example, the vehicle 100 may exist in the form of a unicycle, a bicycle / motorcycle, a tricycle, or four wheels of a car / truck, among other possible configurations. Thus, the wheels / tires 121 may be connected to the vehicle 100 in a variety of ways and may exist in different materials, such as metal and rubber.

[0031] The sensor system 104 may include various types of sensors, such as a GPS 122, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 124, a radar 126, a laser rangefinder / LIDAR 128, a camera 130, a steering sensor 123, and a throttle / brake sensor 125, among other possible sensors. In some embodiments, the sensor system 104 may also include sensors configured to monitor internal systems of the vehicle 100 (e.g., O monitor, fuel gauge, engine oil temperature, brake wear).

[0032] The GPS 122 may include a transceiver operable to provide information regarding the position of the vehicle 100 relative to the Earth. The IMU 124 may be configured to use one or more accelerometers and / or gyroscopes to sense changes in the position and orientation of the vehicle 100 based on inertial acceleration. For example, the IMU 124 may detect the pitch and yaw of the vehicle 100 while the vehicle 100 is stationary or moving.

[0033] Radar 126 may represent one or more systems configured to sense objects in the local environment of vehicle 100 using radio signals, including the object's speed and orientation. Thus, radar 126 may include an antenna configured to transmit and receive radio signals. In some embodiments, radar 126 may correspond to an attachable radar system configured to obtain measurements of the vehicle 100's surrounding environment.

[0034] The laser rangefinder / LIDAR 128 may include one or more laser sources, a laser scanner, and one or more detectors, among other system components, and may operate in a coherent mode (e.g., using heterodyne detection) or an incoherent detection mode. In some embodiments, one or more detectors of the laser rangefinder / LIDAR 128 may include one or more photodetectors. Such photodetectors may be avalanche photodiodes (APDs). In some examples, such photodetectors may be capable of detecting single photons (e.g., SPADs). Furthermore, such photodetectors may be arranged in an array (e.g., as in SiPMs) (e.g., through serial electrical connections). In some examples, one or more photodetectors are devices operating in Geiger mode, and the LIDAR includes subcomponents designed for such Geiger mode operation.

[0035] Camera 130 may include one or more devices (eg, still cameras or video cameras) configured to capture images of the environment surrounding vehicle 100.

[0036] Steering sensor 123 may sense the steering angle of vehicle 100, which may include measuring the angle of the steering wheel or measuring an electrical signal representative of the angle of the steering wheel. In some embodiments, steering sensor 123 may measure the angle of the wheels of vehicle 100, such as detecting the angle of the wheels relative to the forward axle of vehicle 100. Steering sensor 123 may also be configured to measure a combination (or subset) of the steering wheel angle, the electrical signal representative of the steering wheel angle, and the angle of the wheels of vehicle 100.

[0037] The throttle / brake sensor 125 may detect the position of either the throttle or the brake of the vehicle 100. For example, the throttle / brake sensor 125 may measure the angle of both the accelerator (throttle) and brake pedals, or may measure an electrical signal that may represent, for example, the accelerator (throttle) and / or brake pedal angle. The throttle / brake sensor 125 may also measure the angle of a throttle body of the vehicle 100, which may include part of the physical mechanism that provides modulation of the energy source 119 to the engine / motor 118 (e.g., a butterfly valve or a carburetor). Additionally, the throttle / brake sensor 125 may measure the pressure of one or more brake pads on a rotor of the vehicle 100, or a combination (or subset) of the accelerator (throttle) and brake pedal angles, an electrical signal representing the accelerator (throttle) and brake pedal angles, the throttle body angle, and the pressure applied by at least one brake pad to a rotor of the vehicle 100. In other embodiments, the throttle / brake sensor 125 may be configured to measure pressure applied to a vehicle pedal, such as a throttle or brake pedal.

[0038] The control system 106 may include components configured to assist in navigating the vehicle 100, such as a steering unit 132, a throttle 134, a braking unit 136, a sensor fusion algorithm 138, a computer vision system 140, a navigation / pathfinding system 142, and an obstacle avoidance system 144. More specifically, the steering unit 132 may be operable to adjust the heading of the vehicle 100, and the throttle 134 may control the operating speed of the engine / motor 118 to control the acceleration of the vehicle 100. The braking unit 136 can decelerate the vehicle 100, which may involve slowing the wheels / tires 121 using friction. In some embodiments, the braking unit 136 may convert the kinetic energy of the wheels / tires 121 into electrical current for subsequent use by one or more systems of the vehicle 100.

[0039] The sensor fusion algorithm 138 may include a Kalman filter, a Bayesian network, or other algorithm capable of processing data from the sensor system 104. In some embodiments, the sensor fusion algorithm 138 may provide an assessment based on the incoming sensor data, such as an assessment of individual objects and / or features, an assessment of a particular situation, and / or an assessment of possible effects within a given situation.

[0040] Computer vision system 140 may include hardware and software operable to process and analyze images in an attempt to determine objects, environmental objects (e.g., traffic signals, roadway boundaries, etc.), and obstacles. Thus, computer vision system 140 may employ object recognition, structure-from-motion (SFM), video tracking, and other algorithms used in computer vision, for example, to recognize objects, map the environment, track objects, estimate object speed, etc.

[0041] Navigation / routing system 142 may determine a driving path for vehicle 100, which may involve dynamically adjusting navigation during operation. Thus, navigation / routing system 142 may use data from sensor fusion algorithms 138, GPS 122, and maps, among other sources, to navigate vehicle 100. Obstacle avoidance system 144 may assess potential obstacles based on sensor data and cause systems of vehicle 100 to avoid or otherwise navigate the potential obstacles.

[0042] 1 , vehicle 100 may also include peripherals 108, such as a wireless communication system 146, a touchscreen 148, a microphone 150, and / or a speaker 152. Peripherals 108 may provide controls or other elements for a user to interact with a user interface 116. For example, touchscreen 148 may provide information to a user of vehicle 100. User interface 116 may also accept input from a user via touchscreen 148. Peripherals 108 may also enable vehicle 100 to communicate with devices, such as devices in other vehicles.

[0043] The wireless communication system 146 may communicate with one or more devices directly or wirelessly via a communication network. For example, the wireless communication system 146 may use 3G cellular communications such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), or 4G Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) or Long Term Evolution (LTE), or 5G. Alternatively, the wireless communication system 146 may communicate with a wireless local area network (WLAN) using Wi-Fi or other possible connections. The wireless communication system 146 may also communicate directly with devices using, for example, an infrared link, Bluetooth, or ZigBee. Other wireless protocols, such as various vehicle communication systems, are possible within the context of this disclosure. For example, the wireless communication system 146 may include one or more dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) devices, which may include public and / or private data communications between vehicles and / or roadside gas stations.

[0044] Vehicle 100 may include a power source 110 for powering its components. Power source 110, in some embodiments, may include a rechargeable lithium-ion or lead-acid battery. For example, power source 110 may include one or more batteries configured to provide power. Vehicle 100 may also use other types of power sources. In an exemplary embodiment, power source 110 and energy source 119 may be integrated into a single energy source.

[0045] Vehicle 100 may also include a computer system 112 for performing operations such as those described therein. Accordingly, computer system 112 may include at least one processor 113 (which may include at least one microprocessor) operable to execute instructions 115 stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as data storage 114. In some embodiments, computer system 112 may represent multiple computing devices that may function to control individual components or subsystems of vehicle 100 in a distributed manner.

[0046] In some embodiments, data storage 114 may include instructions 115 (e.g., program logic) executable by processor 113 for performing various functions of vehicle 100, including those described above in connection with Figure 1. Data storage 114 may also include additional instructions, including instructions for transmitting data to, receiving data from, interacting with, and / or controlling one or more of propulsion system 102, sensor system 104, control system 106, and peripherals 108.

[0047] In addition to instructions 115, data storage 114 may store data such as road maps, route information, etc., among other information. Such information may be used by vehicle 100 and computer system 112 during operation of vehicle 100 in autonomous, semi-autonomous, and / or manual modes.

[0048] Vehicle 100 may include a user interface 116 for providing information to or receiving input from a user of vehicle 100. User interface 116 may control or allow for control of the layout of content and / or interactive images that may be displayed on touchscreen 148. Additionally, user interface 116 may include one or more input / output devices in the set of peripherals 108, such as wireless communication system 146, touchscreen 148, microphone 150, and speaker 152.

[0049] Computer system 112 may control functions of vehicle 100 based on inputs received from various subsystems (e.g., propulsion system 102, sensor system 104, and control system 106) as well as from user interface 116. For example, computer system 112 may utilize inputs from sensor system 104 to estimate outputs generated by propulsion system 102 and control system 106. Depending on the embodiment, computer system 112 may be operable to monitor many aspects of vehicle 100 and its subsystems. In some embodiments, computer system 112 may disable some or all functions of vehicle 100 based on signals received from sensor system 104.

[0050] Components of vehicle 100 may be configured to function in an interconnected manner with other components within or external to their respective systems. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, camera 130 may capture multiple images that may represent information about the state of the environment of vehicle 100 operating in autonomous mode. The state of the environment may include parameters of the road on which the vehicle is operating. For example, computer vision system 140 may be capable of recognizing slopes (gradients) or other features based on multiple images of the road. Additionally, the combination of GPS 122 and features recognized by computer vision system 140 may be used along with map data stored in data storage 114 to determine specific road parameters. Furthermore, radar 126 may also provide information about the vehicle's surroundings.

[0051] In other words, a combination of various sensors (which may be referred to as input indicator sensors and output indicator sensors) and computer system 112 may interact to provide an indication of the inputs provided to control the vehicle or an indication of the vehicle's surroundings.

[0052] In some embodiments, computer system 112 may make decisions regarding various objects based on data provided by systems other than a wireless system. For example, vehicle 100 may have laser or other optical sensors configured to sense objects within the vehicle's field of view. Computer system 112 may use output from the various sensors to determine information about objects within the vehicle's field of view and may determine distance and direction information to the various objects. Computer system 112 may also determine whether an object is desirable or undesirable based on output from the various sensors.

[0053] 1 depicts various components of vehicle 100 (i.e., wireless communication system 146, computer system 112, data storage 114, and user interface 116) as being integrated into vehicle 100, one or more of these components may be separately mounted or associated with vehicle 100. For example, data storage 114 may exist partially or completely separate from vehicle 100. Thus, vehicle 100 may be provided in the form of device elements that may be located separately or together. The device elements that make up vehicle 100 may be communicatively coupled together in a wired and / or wireless manner.

[0054] 2A-2E show an example vehicle 200 that may include some or all of the features described in connection with vehicle 100 with reference to FIG. 1. Vehicle 200 is illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2E as a van for illustrative purposes, but the present disclosure is not so limited. For example, vehicle 200 may represent a truck, a car, a semi-trailer truck, a motorcycle, a golf cart, an off-road vehicle, an agricultural vehicle, etc.

[0055] The exemplary vehicle 200 includes a sensor unit 202, a first LIDAR unit 204, a second LIDAR unit 206, a first radar unit 208, a second radar unit 210, a first LIDAR / radar unit 212, a second LIDAR / radar unit 214, and two additional locations 216, 218 where radar units, LIDAR units, laser ranging units, and / or other types of sensors may be located on the vehicle 200. Each of the first LIDAR / radar unit 212 and the second LIDAR / radar unit 214 may take the form of a LIDAR unit, a radar unit, or both.

[0056] Additionally, the exemplary vehicle 200 may include any of the components described in connection with the vehicle 100 of Figure 1. The first and second radar units 208, 210 and / or the first and second LIDAR units 204, 206 may actively scan the surrounding environment for the presence of potential obstacles and may be similar to the radar 126 and / or laser rangefinder / LIDAR 128 in the vehicle 100.

[0057] The sensor unit 202 is mounted on top of the vehicle 200 and includes one or more sensors configured to detect information about the environment surrounding the vehicle 200 and output an indication of the information. For example, the sensor unit 202 may include any combination of cameras, radar, LIDAR, range finders, inertial sensors, humidity sensors, and acoustic sensors. The sensor unit 202 may include one or more movable mounts that may be operable to adjust the orientation of one or more sensors within the sensor unit 202. In one embodiment, the movable mount may include a rotating platform that can scan the sensors to obtain information from each direction around the vehicle 200. In another embodiment, the movable mount of the sensor unit 202 may be movable in a scanning manner within a specific range of angles and / or azimuth and / or elevation angles. The sensor unit 202 may be mounted on the roof of the vehicle, although other mounting locations are also possible.

[0058] Additionally, the sensors of the sensor unit 202 may be distributed at various locations and need not be co-located in a single location. Possible sensor types and mounting locations include two additional locations 216, 218. Furthermore, each sensor of the sensor unit 202 may be configured to be moved or scanned independently of the other sensors of the sensor unit 202.

[0059] In one exemplary configuration, one or more radar scanners (e.g., first and second radar units 208 and 210) may be located near the rear of vehicle 200 to actively scan the environment near the rear of vehicle 200 for the presence of radio-reflective objects. Similarly, first LIDAR / radar unit 212 and second LIDAR / radar unit 214 may be mounted near the front of vehicle 200 to actively scan the environment near the front of vehicle 200. The radar scanners may be positioned in a location suitable for illuminating an area including the forward path of vehicle 200, for example, without being obstructed by other features of vehicle 200. For example, the radar scanners may be embedded in and / or mounted on or near the front bumper, front headlights, cowl, and / or hood, etc. Additionally, one or more additional radar scanner devices may be positioned to actively scan the sides and / or rear of vehicle 200 for the presence of radio wave reflective objects, such as by including such devices on or near the rear bumper, side panels, rocker panels, and / or undercarriage, etc.

[0060] 2A-2E, vehicle 200 may include a wireless communication system. The wireless communication system may include a wireless transmitter and a wireless receiver that may be configured to communicate with devices external or internal to vehicle 200. Specifically, the wireless communication system may include a transceiver configured to communicate with other vehicles and / or computing devices, for example, in a vehicle communication system or roadside gas station. Examples of such vehicle communication systems include DSRC, radio frequency identification (RFID), and other communication standards proposed for intelligent transport systems.

[0061] Vehicle 200 may include a camera, possibly located inside sensor unit 202. The camera may be a light-sensitive device, such as a still camera or a video camera, configured to capture multiple images of the vehicle's 200 environment. To this end, the camera may be configured to detect visible light and, additionally or alternatively, may be configured to detect light from other parts of the spectrum, such as infrared or ultraviolet light. The camera may be a two-dimensional detector and, optionally, may have a three-dimensional spatial sensitivity range. In some embodiments, the camera may include a range detector configured to generate a two-dimensional image indicating, for example, the distance from the camera to several points in the environment. To this end, the camera may use one or more range detection techniques. For example, the camera may provide range information by using structured light techniques, in which vehicle 200 illuminates objects in the environment with a predetermined light pattern, such as a grid or checkerboard pattern, and uses the camera to detect reflections of the predetermined light pattern from the surrounding environment. Based on the distortion of the reflected light pattern, vehicle 200 may determine the distance to a point on the object. The predetermined light pattern may include infrared light or other wavelengths of radiation suitable for such measurements. In some examples, the camera may be mounted inside the windshield of vehicle 200. Specifically, the camera may be positioned to capture images from a forward-looking perspective relative to the orientation of vehicle 200. Other mounting locations and viewing angles for the camera, whether interior or exterior of vehicle 200, may be used. The camera may also have associated optics operable to provide an adjustable field of view. Furthermore, the camera may be mounted to vehicle 200 using a movable mount to change the pointing angle of the camera, such as via a pan / tilt mechanism.

[0062] Vehicle 200 may include one or more other components in addition to or instead of those shown. The additional components may include electrical or mechanical functions.

[0063] A control system of vehicle 200 may be configured to control vehicle 200 according to a control strategy from among a plurality of possible control strategies. The control system may be configured to receive information from sensors (on or off vehicle 200) coupled to vehicle 200, modify the control strategy (and associated driving behavior) based on the information, and control vehicle 200 according to the modified control strategy. The control system may be further configured to monitor the information received from the sensors and continuously evaluate driving conditions, and may be configured to modify the control strategy and driving behavior based on changes in driving conditions.

[0064] 3 is a conceptual, illustrative diagram of wireless communication between various computing systems associated with an autonomous vehicle, according to an example embodiment. In particular, wireless communication may occur between a remote computing system 302 and the vehicle 200 via a network 304. Wireless communication may also occur between a server computing system 306 and the remote computing system 302, and between the server computing system 306 and the vehicle 200.

[0065] Vehicle 200 may correspond to various types of vehicles capable of transporting passengers or objects between locations and may take the form of any one or more of the vehicles discussed above. In some cases, vehicle 200 may operate in an autonomous mode that enables a control system to use sensor measurements to safely navigate vehicle 200 between destinations. When operating in an autonomous mode, vehicle 200 may navigate with or without passengers. As a result, vehicle 200 may pick up and drop off passengers between desired destinations.

[0066] Remote computing system 302 may represent any type of device associated with remote assistance technologies, including but not limited to those described herein. In examples, remote computing system 302 may represent any type of device configured to (i) receive information related to vehicle 200, (ii) provide an interface through which a human operator can then perceive the information and enter a response related to the information, and (iii) transmit the response to vehicle 200 or to another device. Remote computing system 302 may take various forms, such as a workstation, a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet, a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone), and / or a server. In some examples, remote computing system 302 may include multiple computing devices operating together in a network configuration.

[0067] The remote computing system 302 may include one or more subsystems and components similar to or identical to those of the vehicle 200. At a minimum, the remote computing system 302 may include a processor configured to perform the various operations described herein. In some embodiments, the remote computing system 302 may also include a user interface including input / output devices such as a touchscreen and speakers. Other examples are possible as well.

[0068] Network 304 represents an infrastructure that enables wireless communication between remote computing system 302 and vehicle 200. Network 304 also enables wireless communication between server computing system 306 and remote computing system 302, and between server computing system 306 and vehicle 200.

[0069] The location of remote computing system 302 can vary within the examples. For example, remote computing system 302 can be at a location remote from vehicle 200 with wireless communication over network 304. In another example, remote computing system 302 may correspond to a computing device within vehicle 200 that is separate from vehicle 200 but that allows a human operator to interact with a passenger or driver of vehicle 200. In some examples, remote computing system 302 can be a computing device with a touchscreen that can be operated by a passenger of vehicle 200.

[0070] In some embodiments, the operations described herein performed by remote computing system 302 may additionally or alternatively be performed by vehicle 200 (i.e., by any system or subsystem of vehicle 200). In other words, vehicle 200 may be configured to provide remote assistance mechanisms with which a driver or passengers of the vehicle can interact.

[0071] Server computing system 306 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with remote computing system 302 and vehicle 200 over network 304 (or, in some cases, directly with remote computing system 302 and / or vehicle 200). Server computing system 306 may represent any computing device configured to receive, store, determine, and / or transmit information related to vehicle 200 and its remote assistance. As such, server computing system 306 may be configured to perform any operation or portion of such operation described herein as being performed by remote computing system 302 and / or vehicle 200. Wireless communication related to remote assistance may utilize server computing system 306 in some embodiments, but not in other embodiments.

[0072] The server computing system 306 may include one or more subsystems and components similar to or identical to the subsystems and components of the remote computing system 302 and / or the vehicle 200, such as a processor configured to perform the various operations described herein, and a wireless communication interface for receiving information from and providing information to the remote computing system 302 and the vehicle 200.

[0073] The various systems described above may perform various operations, and these operations and associated features will now be described.

[0074] In keeping with the above discussion, a computing system (e.g., remote computing system 302, server computing system 306, or a computing system local to vehicle 200) may operate to capture images of the autonomous vehicle's environment using a camera. Generally, at least one computing system may analyze the images and possibly control the autonomous vehicle.

[0075] In some embodiments, to facilitate autonomous operation, a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 200) may receive data representing objects in the environment in which the vehicle operates (also referred to herein as "environmental data") in various ways. A sensor system on the vehicle may provide the environmental data representing objects in the environment. For example, the vehicle may have various sensors including cameras, radar units, laser range finders, microphones, radio units, and other sensors. Each of these sensors may communicate environmental data to a processor within the vehicle regarding information each respective sensor receives.

[0076] In one example, the camera may be configured to capture still images and / or video. In some embodiments, the vehicle may have two or more cameras positioned at different orientations. Also, in some embodiments, the camera may be capable of moving to capture images and / or video in different directions. The camera may be configured to store captured images and video in memory for later processing by the vehicle's processing system. The captured images and / or video may be environmental data. Additionally, the camera may include an image sensor as described herein.

[0077] In another example, a radar unit may be configured to transmit electromagnetic signals that are reflected by various objects near the vehicle and then capture the electromagnetic signals that reflect from the objects. The captured reflected electromagnetic signals may enable the radar system (or processing system) to make various determinations about the objects that reflected the electromagnetic signals. For example, the distance and location to the various reflecting objects may be determined. In some embodiments, the vehicle may have two or more radars in different orientations. The radar system may be configured to store the captured information in memory for later processing by the vehicle's processing system. The information captured by the radar system may be environmental data.

[0078] In another example, a laser rangefinder may be configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal (e.g., infrared light such as from a gas or diode laser, or other possible light source) that is reflected by a target object near the vehicle. The laser rangefinder may be capable of capturing the reflected electromagnetic signal (e.g., laser). The captured reflected electromagnetic signal may enable a ranging system (or processing system) to determine the distance to various objects. The laser rangefinder may also be capable of determining the velocity or speed of the target object and storing it as environmental data.

[0079] Additionally, in one example, a microphone may be configured to capture audio of the environment surrounding the vehicle. Sounds captured by the microphone may include sounds of emergency vehicle sirens and other vehicles. For example, the microphone may capture the sounds of sirens from an ambulance, a fire engine, and a police vehicle. The processing system may be able to identify that the captured audio signal is indicative of an emergency vehicle. In another example, the microphone may capture the sound of an exhaust from another vehicle, such as an exhaust from a motorcycle. The processing system may be able to identify that the captured audio signal is indicative of a motorcycle. Data captured by the microphone may form part of the environmental data.

[0080] In yet another example, the wireless unit may be configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal, which may take the form of a Bluetooth signal, an 802.11 signal, and / or other wireless technology signal. The first electromagnetic radiation signal may be transmitted via one or more antennas located on the wireless unit. Furthermore, the first electromagnetic radiation signal may be transmitted in one of many different wireless signal modes. However, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to transmit the first electromagnetic radiation signal in a signal mode that requests a response from devices located near the autonomous vehicle. The processing system may detect nearby devices based on the responses transmitted back to the wireless unit and use this communicated information as part of the environmental data.

[0081] In some embodiments, the processing system may be able to combine information from various sensors to further determine the vehicle's environment. For example, the processing system may combine data from both radar information and captured imagery to determine whether another vehicle or pedestrian is in front of the autonomous vehicle. In other embodiments, other combinations of sensor data may be used by the processing system to make decisions about the environment.

[0082] While operating in autonomous mode, the vehicle may control its operation with little or no human input. For example, a human operator may input an address into the vehicle, and the vehicle may then be able to drive to the specified destination without further input from the human (e.g., the human does not need to turn the steering wheel or touch the brake / accelerator pedals). Additionally, while the vehicle is operating autonomously, the sensor system may receive environmental data. The vehicle's processing system may alter the control of the vehicle based on the environmental data received from the various sensors. In some examples, the vehicle may alter the vehicle's speed in response to the environmental data from the various sensors. The vehicle may alter its speed to avoid obstacles, obey traffic laws, etc. When the processing system in the vehicle identifies an object near the vehicle, the vehicle may be able to alter its speed or otherwise modify its movement.

[0083] If the vehicle detects an object but is not fully confident in its detection, the vehicle can request a human operator (or a more powerful computer) to perform one or more remote assistance tasks, such as (i) verifying whether the object is actually present in the environment (e.g., is there actually a stop sign or is there actually no stop sign), (ii) verifying whether the vehicle's identification of the object is correct, (iii) correcting the identification if it is incorrect, and / or (iv) providing supplemental instructions (or correcting current instructions) to the autonomous vehicle. Remote assistance tasks also include the human operator providing instructions to control the vehicle's behavior (e.g., if the human operator determines that the object is a stop sign, commanding the vehicle to stop at the stop sign), although in some scenarios the vehicle itself may control its own behavior based on the human operator's feedback related to the object's identification.

[0084] To facilitate this, the vehicle may analyze environmental data representative of objects in the environment to determine at least one object having a detection confidence below a threshold. A processor in the vehicle may be configured to detect various objects in the environment based on the environmental data from various sensors. For example, in one embodiment, the processor may be configured to detect objects that may be important for the vehicle to recognize. Such objects may include pedestrians, street signs, other vehicles, indicator signals of other vehicles, and various other objects detected in the captured environmental data.

[0085] The detection confidence may indicate the likelihood that a determined object is correctly identified or present in the environment. For example, the processor may perform object detection of objects in image data of the received environmental data and determine that at least one object has a detection confidence below a threshold based on failing to identify the object with a detection confidence above a threshold. If the object detection or object recognition results for an object are inconclusive, the detection confidence may be low or below a set threshold.

[0086] The vehicle may detect environmental objects in various ways, depending on the source of the environmental data. In some embodiments, the environmental data may be image or video data coming from a camera. In other embodiments, the environmental data may come from a LIDAR unit. The vehicle may analyze the captured image or video data to identify objects in the image or video data. Methods and apparatus may be configured to monitor the image and / or video data for the presence of environmental objects. In other embodiments, the environmental data may be radar, audio, or other data. The vehicle may be configured to identify environmental objects based on the radar, audio, or other data.

[0087] In some embodiments, the technique used by the vehicle to detect objects may be based on a set of known data. For example, data related to environmental objects may be stored in a memory located in the vehicle. The vehicle may compare received data with the stored data to determine the object. In other embodiments, the vehicle may be configured to determine the object based on the context of the data. For example, construction-related street signs may generally have an orange color. Thus, the vehicle may be configured to detect an orange object located near the side of the road as a construction-related street sign. Additionally, as the vehicle's processing system detects objects in the captured data, it may also calculate a confidence score for each object.

[0088] Additionally, the vehicle may also have a confidence threshold. The confidence threshold may vary depending on the type of object detected. For example, the confidence threshold may be lower for an object that may require a quick response action from the vehicle, such as the brake lights of another vehicle. However, in other embodiments, the confidence threshold may be the same for all detected objects. If the confidence associated with a detected object is higher than the confidence threshold, the vehicle may assume that the object was correctly recognized and responsively adjust the vehicle's controls based on that assumption.

[0089] If the confidence associated with the detected object is lower than a confidence threshold, the action taken by the vehicle may vary. In some embodiments, the vehicle may react as if the detected object is present despite the low confidence level. In other embodiments, the vehicle may react as if the detected object is not present.

[0090] Upon detecting an object in the environment, the vehicle may also calculate a confidence level associated with the particular detected object. The confidence level may be calculated in various ways depending on the embodiment. In one example, upon detecting an object in the environment, the vehicle may compare environmental data to predetermined data associated with known objects. The closer the match between the environmental data and the predetermined data, the higher the confidence level. In other embodiments, the vehicle may use a mathematical analysis of the environmental data to determine the confidence level associated with the object.

[0091] In response to determining that the object has a detection confidence below a threshold, the vehicle may transmit a request for remote assistance along with an identification of the object to a remote computing system. As discussed above, the remote computing system may take a variety of forms. For example, the remote computing system may be an in-vehicle computing device that is separate from the vehicle, but which may include a touchscreen interface for displaying remote assistance information, etc., through which a human operator may interact with a passenger or driver of the vehicle. Additionally or alternatively, as another example, the remote computing system may be a remote computer terminal or other device located at a location not near the vehicle.

[0092] The request for remote assistance may include environmental data, including the object, such as image data, audio data, etc. The vehicle may transmit the environmental data over a network (e.g., network 304) to a remote computing system, in some embodiments, via a server (e.g., server computing system 306). A human operator of the remote computing system may then use the environmental data as a basis for responding to the request.

[0093] In some embodiments, if an object is detected as having a confidence below a confidence threshold, the object may be given a preliminary identification, and the vehicle may be configured to adjust the vehicle's operation in response to the preliminary identification. Such adjustments in operation may take the form of stopping the vehicle, switching the vehicle to a human-controlled mode, changing the vehicle's performance (e.g., speed and / or direction), among other possible adjustments.

[0094] In other embodiments, if the vehicle detects an object with a confidence level that meets or exceeds a threshold, the vehicle may still act on the detected object (e.g., stop if the object is identified with high confidence as a stop sign), but may be configured to request remote assistance at the same time (or after) the vehicle acts on the detected object.

[0095] FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram of a LIDAR device 400 according to an example embodiment. In some embodiments, the LIDAR device 400 may be a component of an autonomous vehicle and may be usable for object detection and avoidance. The LIDAR device 400 may include a substrate 412, an aperture plate 422, a detector substrate 433, cooling components 452, and a shared telecentric lens assembly 460. Additionally, the LIDAR device 400 may include a casing 470 configured to maintain the components of the LIDAR device 400 in proper position and / or orientation relative to one another when mounted within the casing 470 (e.g., the casing 470 may be transparent to optical signals emitted by light-emitting elements of the LIDAR device 400). The substrate 412, the aperture plate 422, and the detector substrate 433 are shown and described below with reference to FIGS. 5A-5D .

[0096] The cooling component 452 may cool one or more of the components of the LIDAR device 400. For example, the cooling component 452 may cool one or more controllers (e.g., including a processor) of the LIDAR device 400. Additionally or alternatively, the cooling component 452 may cool one or more light-emitting elements of the LIDAR device 400, one or more firing circuits associated with the light-emitting elements of the LIDAR device 400, and / or one or more photodetectors of the LIDAR device 400. In some embodiments, the cooling component 452 may include one or more passive cooling devices (e.g., heat sinks). In other embodiments, the cooling component 452 may include one or more active cooling devices (e.g., fans or liquid cooling devices).

[0097] The shared telecentric lens assembly 460 may be shared between both the transmit and receive channels in the LIDAR device 400. For example, the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 may receive optical signals transmitted from a light guide manifold on the substrate 412 and emit those optical signals toward the environment surrounding the LIDAR device. Similarly, the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 may receive optical signals reflected from objects in the environment surrounding the LIDAR device 400. These received optical signals may be transmitted through apertures in the aperture plate 422 to an array of photodetectors on the detector substrate 433. In alternative embodiments, the transmit channels may use different lens assemblies than the receive channels.

[0098] Because the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 is concentrically designed, the visualization of the surrounding scene (e.g., point cloud) generated using the LIDAR device 400 may be orthographic. As such, the size and shape of objects in the surrounding environment can be accurately determined using the LIDAR device 400, regardless of the object's position within the field of view of the LIDAR device 400.

[0099] The shared telecentric lens assembly 460 may include a series of cascaded lens elements, as illustrated in FIG. 4. While five cascaded lenses are illustrated in FIG. 4, it is understood that other numbers of lenses may additionally or alternatively be used (e.g., one lens, two lenses, three lenses, four lenses, six lenses, seven lenses, eight lenses, nine lenses, ten lenses, etc.). Regardless of the number of lenses included in the telecentric lens assembly 460, the cascaded lenses may be separated into one or more groups. For example, the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 illustrated in FIG. 4 may include three groups of lenses.

[0100] The first lens group may have a positive focal length and positive power. The first lens group may introduce positive spherical aberration and positive curvature of field. Furthermore, the lens elements in the first group may be constructed from a material with a high refractive index (e.g., n>1.6) to minimize accumulated spherical aberration. Additionally or alternatively, the first lens group may include two or more separate lens elements to further minimize spherical aberration (e.g., two lenses with positive powers may have less spherical aberration than a single lens with an equivalent positive power). In other embodiments, the first group may include a single lens element.

[0101] The second lens group (e.g., located between the first and third lens groups) may have negative power. This second group may compensate for spherical aberration and / or field curvature introduced into the signal by the first lens group. In some embodiments, the second lens group may also include two or more separate lens elements. In other embodiments, the second group may include a single lens element. Furthermore, the lens elements in the second group may be constructed from a material having a lower refractive index (e.g., n less than 1.6 to more significantly reduce the amount of spherical aberration and field curvature) than the lens elements in the first group. The negative power of the second lens group may be less than the positive power of the first lens group. In this way, the second lens group may correct the aberrations produced by the first lens group while maintaining a positive total power (and, for example, a positive effective focal length) between the first and second groups.

[0102] The third lens group may have a positive power (e.g., like the first lens group). In some embodiments, the third lens group may include a single lens element. In other embodiments, the third lens group may include two or more lens elements. The focal length of the third lens group may be selected based on the first and second groups of lenses such that the combination of lenses in the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 is telecentric. Additionally, the lens elements of the third group may be constructed from a material with a high refractive index (e.g., n>1.6) to reduce spherical aberration.

[0103] The use of materials with the above-mentioned refractive indices may reduce spherical aberration. However, in conventional multi-wavelength imaging systems, such refractive indices may lead to undesirable chromatic aberrations (e.g., glasses with higher refractive indices tend to have a greater wavelength dependence on refractive index, i.e., experience higher optical dispersion). However, if the LIDAR device 400 includes light-emitting elements that emit light over a narrow wavelength band, such chromatic aberrations can be mitigated, allowing for improved image quality even with a limited number of lens elements in the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 without deleterious chromatic aberration effects.

[0104] 5A is a diagram of a substrate of a LIDAR device (e.g., substrate 412 of LIDAR device 400 shown in FIG. 4). Substrate 412 may include one or more mounting holes 402, one or more alignment marks 404, an array of light emitting elements 406, an array of light guide manifolds 408, conductive traces 410, and launch circuitry 444.

[0105] The mounting holes 402 may be used to attach the substrate 412 to other components of the LIDAR device 400. For example, the mounting holes 402 may be through-holes through which the aperture plate 422 is attached to the substrate 412. In some embodiments, the mounting holes 402 may be threaded so that the substrate 412 can be affixed to other components using bolts or screws. In some embodiments, the substrate 412 may be attached to other components of the LIDAR device 400 using pins, snaps, and / or clamps (e.g., with or without mounting holes 402 defined in the substrate 412). In some embodiments, the mounting holes 402 may be used to align one or more components of the LIDAR device 400. For example, the mounting holes 402 may have reference pins inserted therethrough to ensure that the light emitting elements 406 are aligned with their respective photodetectors 434. Furthermore, in addition to the reference pins for alignment, compression springs (not shown) may be used to attach the aperture plate 422 to the substrate 412 and / or the detector substrate 433 to the substrate 412.

[0106] In some embodiments, the alignment marks 404 may be used to align the substrate 412 with other components to which the substrate 412 is attached (e.g., in addition to or instead of the mounting holes 402 used for alignment). For example, the alignment marks 404 may properly position the substrate 412 relative to the aperture plate 422 and / or the detector substrate 433 so that transmitted and received optical signals can properly pass through the apertures in the aperture plate 422 and reach the photodetectors on the detector substrate 433. As shown, the alignment marks 404 may be positioned near the four corners of the substrate 412. While four alignment marks 404 are illustrated in FIG. 5A , it is understood and contemplated herein that other numbers of alignment marks are possible in alternative embodiments (e.g., zero, one, two, three, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, etc.). Furthermore, it is understood and contemplated herein that other shapes, sizes, and locations of any alignment marks are possible. Additionally or alternatively, the alignment marks on the substrate may have non-uniform shapes and / or sizes (e.g., one alignment mark may be larger than another and / or may have a different shape than another alignment mark).

[0107] The light emitting elements 406 in the array may include light sources such as laser diodes. In some embodiments, the light emitting elements 406 may include pulsed light sources. For example, the light source may include one or more pulsed lasers (e.g., Q-switched lasers). In alternative embodiments, a continuous wave (CW) light source may be used. In some embodiments, the light emitting elements 406 may include a fiber laser coupled to an optical amplifier. In particular, a fiber laser may be a laser in which the active gain medium (i.e., the source of optical gain in the laser) is located within the optical fiber. Furthermore, the fiber laser may be disposed in various ways within the LIDAR device 400 (e.g., partially disposed on the substrate 412 or completely disposed on the substrate 412). However, in still other embodiments, one or more of the light emitting elements 406 in the array may additionally or alternatively comprise light emitting diodes (LEDs), vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs), light emitting polymers (LEPs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and / or any other devices configured to selectively transmit, reflect, and / or emit light to provide emitted light beams and / or pulses. The light emitting elements 406 may be configured to emit light signals toward objects in the surrounding environment that, when reflected by such objects, can be detected by a photodetector to determine the distance between the LIDAR device 400 and the respective objects.

[0108] The wavelength range emitted by the light emitting element 406 can be, for example, within the ultraviolet, visible, and / or infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some examples, the wavelength range can be a narrow wavelength range such as that provided by a laser. In some embodiments, the wavelength range includes a wavelength of approximately 905 nm. Note that this wavelength is provided by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting.

[0109] Optical signals (e.g., optical pulses) emitted by the light-emitting elements 406 in the array may be coupled to a corresponding array of light guide manifolds 408. Additionally or alternatively, the optical signals emitted by the light-emitting elements 406 may be redirected, focused, collimated, filtered, and / or otherwise conditioned before being coupled to the light guide manifolds 408. In some embodiments, coupling the optical signals may include directly abutting the light guide manifolds 408 against the emitting surfaces of the light-emitting elements 406. Alternatively, coupling light from the light-emitting elements 406 into the light guide manifolds 408 may be achieved by coupling optics between the light-emitting elements 406 and the light guide manifolds 408. For example, one or more Bragg gratings may be positioned between the light-emitting elements 406 and the light guide manifolds 408. In other embodiments, an array of astigmatic lenses may be used to couple the optical signals from the array of light-emitting elements 406 to a corresponding array of light guide manifolds 408. For example, an astigmatic lens (e.g., a cylindrical lens) may be positioned between each light emitting element 406 and each corresponding light guide manifold 408. Alternatively, two astigmatic lenses (e.g., cylindrical lenses) may be used to couple the optical signals into the light guide manifolds 408. For example, a first cylindrical lens may span the entire length of the left side of the substrate 412 between each of the light emitting elements 406 on the left side of the substrate 412 and the light guide manifold 408 on the left side of the substrate 412. Thus, the first cylindrical lens may couple the optical signals from each of the light emitting elements 406 on the left side of the substrate 412 to the corresponding light guide manifold 408 on the left side of the substrate 412. Similarly, a second cylindrical lens may span the entire length of the right side of the substrate 412 between each of the light emitting elements 406 on the right side of the substrate 412 and the light guide manifold 408 on the right side of the substrate 412. Similarly, a second cylindrical lens may couple the optical signal from each of the light emitting elements 406 on the right side of the substrate 412 to a corresponding light guide manifold 408 on the right side of the substrate 412. Other light coupling configurations are possible and contemplated herein.

[0110] The light guide manifolds 408 may receive the optical signals emitted by the light emitting elements 406. After receiving the optical signals from the light emitting elements 406, the light guide manifolds 408 may each propagate the respective optical signals from one end of the respective light guide manifold 408 to the other end. In some embodiments, the light guide manifolds 408 may include an optical waveguide. Such an optical waveguide may be made of a material (e.g., photoresist, epoxy, etc.) having a higher refractive index than the surrounding medium (e.g., air, vacuum, etc.) within the LIDAR device 400. Thus, the optical signals may propagate from one end of the light guide manifold 408 to the other by total internal reflection. In other words, when the optical signal interacts with the interface between the light guide manifold 408 and the surrounding medium, the optical signal may be internally reflected as long as the angle of incidence is less than a critical angle (which may be based on, for example, the ratio of the refractive index of each of the light guide manifolds 408 compared to the surrounding medium).

[0111] Based on the propagation described above, at least a portion of the optical signal coupled into a first end of the light guide manifold 408 may reach the opposite output end of the light guide manifold 408. A mirror 409 may be located at each output end of the light guide manifold 408. The mirror 409 may include reflective material on an angled portion of each light guide (e.g., an angle between 30° and 60°, such as 45°). Based on the angle, a portion of each optical signal may be directed in the negative z direction (e.g., into the page, as shown in FIG. 5A). The optical signals may then pass through the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 and exit the LIDAR device 400 into the surrounding environment. The ends of the light guide manifold 408 may be positioned relative to the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 such that the emitted optical signals are transmitted into the surrounding environment over a range of azimuth and / or elevation angles (e.g., to interrogate a corresponding range of angles in the surrounding environment). For example, based on the array of (x, y) positions of light emitting elements 406 on substrate 412 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5A ), each optical signal transmitted from light guide manifold 408 to shared telecentric lens assembly 460 (e.g., through aperture plate 422) may intercept a different position on shared telecentric lens assembly 460. Because of this and the shape of shared telecentric lens assembly 460, the optical signals may be spread across a range of azimuth and / or elevation angles.

[0112] In some embodiments, substrate 412 may be partially or fully transparent and / or partially or fully translucent below the output end of light guide manifold 408, allowing optical signals to be transmitted to or returned from the environment (e.g., and directed through shared telecentric lens assembly 460 and apertures 432 of aperture plate 422) through and / or around the output end of light guide manifold 408 and substrate 412 and directed into the surrounding environment (transmission side) or detected (on the receive side) by an array of photodetectors 434 (e.g., as shown and described with reference to Figures 5B and 5D). In other embodiments, the substrate 412 may have holes defined therein below the output end of the light guide manifold 408, again allowing optical signals to be transmitted to or back from the environment, passing through and / or around the output end of the light guide manifold 408 and the substrate 412, and directed into the surrounding environment (on the transmission side) or detected by an array of photodetectors 434 (on the receiving side).

[0113] In alternative embodiments, mirror 409 may include one or more alternative mirrors (e.g., aluminum-glass mirrors or silver-glass mirrors) positioned at the ends of light guide manifold 408. Such alternative mirrors may also be positioned at an angle relative to the propagation direction of the optical signal within light guide manifold 408 so as to direct the optical signal from light guide manifold 408 towards the surrounding environment.

[0114] It is understood that the light guide manifolds 408 can take shapes different from those depicted in FIG. 5A (which is provided by way of example only). For example, some light guide manifolds 408 can have an S-shape as depicted, while others are straight or other curved (e.g., arc) shapes. The light guide manifolds can take any shape so long as at least a portion of the optical signal emitted by each light emitting element 406 can propagate through the light guide manifold 408 and ultimately out of the LIDAR device 400. Additionally, some embodiments may include a different number of light guide manifolds 408 and / or light emitting elements 406 than those depicted in FIG. 5A.

[0115] It is also understood that light guide manifold 408 may include components other than or in place of light guides. For example, light guide manifold 408 may include a series of mirrors to direct optical signals from light emitting elements 406 to telecentric lens assembly 460. Furthermore, in some embodiments, light guide manifold 408 may additionally or alternatively be used in a receive channel (e.g., to propagate optical signals reflected from a scene and received by a LIDAR device to one or more photodetectors).

[0116] In some embodiments, the light guide manifolds 408 may be spaced apart a sufficient distance on the substrate 412 to prevent crosstalk (e.g., prevent cross-coupling of optical signals between adjacent light guides). Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, one or more baffles may be positioned between the light guide manifolds 408. The baffles may be opaque to one or more wavelengths of the optical signals emitted by the light emitting elements 406. Such baffles may prevent crosstalk between channels (e.g., on both the transmit and receive sides).

[0117] The array of light-emitting elements 406 may be powered and / or controlled by a firing circuit 444. As shown, the firing circuit 444 may be connected to one or more of the light-emitting elements 406 by conductive traces 410 defined in the substrate 412. FIG. 5A illustrates a first conductive trace 410 connecting the firing circuit 444 to the light-emitting elements 406 on the left side of the substrate 412 and a second conductive trace 410 connecting the firing circuit 444 to the light-emitting elements 406 on the right side of the substrate 412. It is understood that this is provided by way of example only. In other embodiments, the firing circuit 444 may be individually connected to each light-emitting element 406 by a separate conductive trace. Alternatively, the firing circuit 444 may be connected to a bank of light-emitting elements 406 by a conductive trace. For example, a group of five light-emitting elements 406 may be connected to the firing circuit 444 by a single conductive trace. In this manner, the bank of light-emitting elements 406 may be fired simultaneously by the firing circuit 444. Other numbers of light-emitting elements 406 in a group are also possible.

[0118] In some embodiments, the firing circuitry 444 may include one or more capacitors. Such capacitors may be charged by one or more power sources. The stored energy in the capacitors may then be released through the light-emitting elements 406 to cause the light-emitting elements 406 to emit (i.e., "fire") light signals. In some embodiments, the firing circuitry 444 may cause the light-emitting elements 406 to emit light signals simultaneously with one another. In other embodiments, the firing circuitry 444 may cause the light-emitting elements 406 to emit light signals sequentially.

[0119] Other firing patterns (including random and pseudo-random firing patterns) are also possible and contemplated herein. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A , the array of light emitting elements 406 may be divided into subarrays of light emitting elements (e.g., a first subarray corresponding to light emitting elements 406 on the left side of the substrate 412 and a second subarray corresponding to light emitting elements 406 on the right side of the substrate 412). The subarrays of light emitting elements 406 may be powered independently of each other. In this manner, the first subarray of light emitting elements 406 and the second subarray of light emitting elements 406 may be configured to fire at different times from each other (e.g., the second subarray of light emitting elements 406 may be fired with a delay relative to the firing of the first subarray of light emitting elements 406, or vice versa). The first and second subarrays of light emitting elements 406 may correspond to first and second subarrays of photodetectors 434 (e.g., on the backside of the substrate 412, as shown in FIG. 5B ). The first and second subarrays of photodetectors 434 may also be powered independently of each other. Based on the difference in emission time between the first subarray of light-emitting elements 406 and the second subarray of light-emitting elements 406, signal detection using the first subarray of photodetectors 434 and the second subarray of photodetectors 434 may also be shifted in time.

[0120] Further, in some embodiments, the firing circuitry 444 may be controlled by a controller (e.g., a microprocessor configured to execute instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The controller may selectively fire the light emitting elements 406 using the firing circuitry 444 via firing control signals (e.g., according to a predetermined pattern). In some embodiments, the controller may also be configured to control other functions of the LIDAR device 400. For example, the controller may control the movement of one or more movable stages associated with the LIDAR device 400 and / or generate a point cloud representation of the environment surrounding the LIDAR device 400 based on electronic signals received from the photodetectors 434 within the LIDAR device 400 corresponding to detected light signals reflected from objects in the environment. The generation of the point cloud representation may, in various embodiments, be based on the strength of the detected signals compared to the strength of the emitted signals and / or based on the timing of the detected signals compared to the timing of the emitted signals. In alternative embodiments, data regarding the detected and / or emitted light signals (e.g., timing data or intensity data) may be transmitted to a separate computing device (e.g., a remotely located server computing device or an on-board vehicle controller), which may be configured to generate the point cloud representation (e.g., store the point cloud representation in memory and / or transmit the point cloud representation to the LIDAR controller).

[0121] 5B is an illustrative diagram of a detector substrate 433 according to an example embodiment. For example, the detector substrate 433 may have an array of photodetectors 434 defined thereon. Similar to the substrate 412 illustrated in FIG. 5A, the detector substrate 433 may include one or more mounting holes 402. Similar to the light emitting elements 406 illustrated in FIG. 5A, one or more conductive traces 410 may extend to each of the photodetectors 434.

[0122] The conductive traces 410 may be connected to a controller (e.g., a controller in the firing circuit 444, as shown in FIG. 5A). The controller may receive electrical signals from the photodetectors 434 corresponding to detection events in the photodetectors 434. Further, the controller may use these electrical signals to determine information about objects in the environment surrounding the LIDAR device 400. For example, the controller may determine the range of one or more objects in the surrounding environment and / or the reflectivity of one or more objects in the surrounding environment based on the electrical signals. As shown, the conductive traces 410 may be connected to multiple photodetectors 434. In this manner, the electrical signals from each of the photodetectors 434 may include identification information (e.g., a header code) to identify which photodetector 434 the electrical signal originated from. Additionally or alternatively, the photodetectors 434 may be configured to transmit electrical signals along the same conductive traces 410 according to a particular timing scheme so that the electrical signals can be aligned by the controller with the photodetector 434 from which the signal originated. In alternative embodiments, each conductive trace 410 may be connected to only a single photodetector 434 (e.g., a single conductive trace may extend between a controller and a single photodetector 434). In such embodiments, electrical signal multiplexing may not be used.

[0123] The photodetector 434 may include various types of detectors (e.g., single-photon detectors). For example, the photodetector 434 may include a SPAD and / or a SiPM. The SPAD may use avalanche breakdown in a reverse-biased p-n junction (i.e., a diode) to increase the output current of a given incident illumination to the SPAD. Furthermore, the SPAD can generate multiple electron-hole pairs for a single incident photon. Additionally or alternatively, the photodetector 434 may include an APD. In some embodiments, the photodetector 434 may be biased above an avalanche breakdown voltage. Such a biasing state may create a positive feedback loop with a loop gain greater than one. Furthermore, a SPAD biased above a threshold avalanche breakdown voltage may be single-photon sensitive. In other examples, the photodetector 434 may include a photoresistor, a charge-coupled device (CCD), a photovoltaic cell, and / or any other type of photodetector.

[0124] In some embodiments, the array of photodetectors 434 may include multiple types of photodetectors across the array. For example, the array of photodetectors 434 may be configured to detect multiple predetermined wavelengths of light (e.g., in embodiments in which the light emitting elements 406 emit different wavelengths of light across the array of light emitting elements 406). To that end, for example, the array of photodetectors 434 may include some SPADs sensitive to one range of wavelengths and other SPADs sensitive to a different range of wavelengths. In some embodiments, the photodetectors 434 may be sensitive to wavelengths between 400 nm and 1.6 μm (visible and / or infrared wavelengths). Furthermore, the photodetectors 434 may have various sizes and shapes. For example, the photodetectors 434 may include SPADs having a package size that is 1%, 0.1%, or 0.01% of the total area of ​​the substrate 412. Furthermore, in some embodiments, one or more of the photodetectors 434 may include detector-specific optical elements. For example, each of the photodetectors 434 may include a microlens disposed over the photodetector 434 to enhance the amount of received light transmitted to the detection surface of the photodetector 434. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the photodetectors 434 may include one or more optical filters (e.g., neutral density filters, polarizing filters, and / or color filters).

[0125] The photodetectors 434 illustrated in FIG. 5B may be disposed to correspond to the ends of the light guide manifolds 408 on the substrate 412. In this manner, if the substrate 412 is sufficiently transparent or translucent to allow some light transmission (as shown and described with reference to FIG. 5C), the photodetectors 434 may detect optical signals reflected from the surrounding environment and transmitted through the shared telecentric lens assembly 460, through the substrate 412, and then through the aperture plate 422. Thus, each of the photodetectors 434 may correspond to one of the light emitting elements 406 (e.g., and one of the light guide manifolds 408). For example, each of the photodetectors 434 may be positioned above an output end of the light guide manifold 408 corresponding to one of the light emitting elements 406 (e.g., as shown and described with reference to FIG. 5D).

[0126] In some embodiments, each of the photodetectors 434 may correspond to a respective light emitting element 406 in the LIDAR device 400. In other embodiments, multiple photodetectors 434 may correspond to a single light emitting element 406, or a single photodetector 434 may correspond to multiple light emitting elements 406.

[0127] Similar to the light emitting elements 406 illustrated in FIG. 5A , the photodetectors 434 may be divided into subarrays of photodetectors 434. For example, a first subarray of photodetectors 434 may be defined on the right side of the substrate 412, and a second subarray of photodetectors 434 may be defined on the right side of the substrate 412. Furthermore, the first subarray of photodetectors 434 may correspond to the first subarray of light emitting elements 406, and the second subarray of photodetectors 434 may correspond to the second subarray of light emitting elements 406. Similar to the subarrays of light emitting elements 406, the subarrays of photodetectors 434 may be powered independently of each other. As described above, signal detection using the first subarray of photodetectors 434 and the second subarray of photodetectors 434 may also be staggered in time based on the difference in firing time between the first subarray of light emitting elements 406 and the second subarray of light emitting elements 406. Having multiple sub-arrays of light emitting elements 406 and photodetectors 434 (particularly independently powered sub-arrays) may also provide redundancy for detecting objects in the surrounding environment.

[0128] 5A, the number and positions of the photodetectors 434 in FIG. 5B are provided by way of example only. If the position of the light guide manifold 408, the size / shape of the light guide manifold 408, the angle of the mirror 409, the number of light guide manifolds 408, etc. are changed, the number and / or positions of the photodetectors 434 may change accordingly.

[0129] As described above, the light emitting elements 406 may be configured to transmit optical signals into the surrounding environment (e.g., based on the position and characteristics of the corresponding light guide manifold 408 and shared telecentric lens assembly 460) over a range of azimuth and / or elevation angles. Similarly, based on the position of the photodetector 434 relative to the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 (and light guide manifold 408), the photodetector 434 may be positioned to receive optical signals reflected from objects in the environment surrounding the LIDAR device 400 over the same range of azimuth and / or elevation angles.

[0130] In some embodiments, one or more baffles may be positioned between one or more of the photodetectors 434 and one or more subsets of the photodetectors 434 (e.g., between a group of five photodetectors 434), and / or between one or more subarrays of the photodetectors 434 (e.g., between a first subarray of photodetectors 434 and a second subarray of photodetectors 434). Such baffles may be opaque to one or more wavelengths of the optical signals emitted by, for example, the light-emitting elements 406. The baffles may therefore prevent crosstalk between receive channels, thereby preventing detection noise from adjacent receive channels based on the optical signals emitted by adjacent light-emitting elements 406.

[0131] 5C is an illustrative diagram of an aperture plate 422, according to an example embodiment. The aperture plate 422 may be made of an opaque material (e.g., a material that reflects and / or absorbs light of the wavelengths emitted by the light emitting elements 406 of the LIDAR device 400). Similar to the substrate 412 illustrated in FIG. 5A, the aperture plate 422 may include one or more mounting holes 402 and one or more alignment marks 404. As described above, the mounting holes 402 may be used to affix and / or align the aperture plate 422 to the substrate 412 and / or the detector substrate 433, and the alignment marks 404 may assist in positioning. In some embodiments (e.g., to minimize noise in the detected signal), the aperture plate 422 may be positioned in the focal plane of the shared telecentric lens assembly 460 (e.g., the aperture plate 422 may act as an aperture stop for the LIDAR device 400).

[0132] As shown in FIG. 5C , the aperture plate 422 may have an array of apertures 432 defined therein. The apertures 432 may be positioned within the aperture plate 422 such that, when the aperture plate 422 is aligned with the substrate 412, each aperture 432 overlaps a corresponding end of a light guide manifold 408 (e.g., overlaps a mirror 409 at the end of the light guide manifold 408, as shown in FIG. 5A ) and / or overlaps a corresponding photodetector 434. In this manner, an optical signal emitted from one of the light guide manifolds 408 may be received through the corresponding aperture 432 reflected from the surrounding environment. As shown in FIG. 4 , the aperture plate 422 may be positioned between the substrate 412 and a detector substrate 433.

[0133] 5D is a diagram of a substrate, a detector substrate, and an aperture plate (e.g., from a bottom view) according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, FIG. 5D includes the substrate 412 shown in FIG. 5A, the detector substrate shown in FIG. 5B, and the aperture plate 422 shown in FIG. 5C. As shown in FIG. 5D, the aperture plate 422, the detector substrate 433, and the substrate 412 may be affixed to one another (e.g., using bolts, screws, or other connectors via mounting holes 402 on the aperture plate 422, the detector substrate 433, and the substrate 412). The aperture plate 422, the detector substrate 433, and the substrate 412 may also be oriented so that the alignment marks 404 on the top of each align with one another, as shown.

[0134] As described above, the apertures 432 defined in the aperture plate 422 may be positioned above the output ends of the corresponding light guide manifolds 408. In a related manner, the photodetectors 434 may be positioned on the bottom side of the detector substrate 433 opposite the output ends of the light guide manifolds 408. In this manner, the photodetectors 434 may also be positioned above the apertures 432 defined in the aperture plate 422. Accordingly, the photodetectors 434 may be configured to capture optical signals reflected from objects in the surrounding environment through and / or around the respective output ends of the light guide manifolds 408 and through the respective apertures 432 as the reflected optical signals pass through the respective portions of the substrate 412 (e.g., if the substrate 412 is transparent or has holes defined therein). In some embodiments, the photosensitive surface of one or more of the photodetectors 434 may face the negative z-direction, as shown in FIG. 5D (i.e., the photosensitive surface may be the bottom surface of the respective photodetector 434, as shown). Additionally or alternatively, the photosensitive surface of one or more of the photodetectors 434 may face the positive z-direction shown in FIG. 5D (i.e., the photosensitive surface may be the top surface of each photodetector 434 as shown).

[0135] Figure 6 is an illustrative diagram of a LIDAR 600, according to an example embodiment. The LIDAR 600 depicted in Figure 6 may include the LIDAR device 400 depicted in Figure 4 (e.g., including the substrate 412, aperture plate 422, detector substrate 433, cooling components 452, shared telecentric lens assembly 460, and casing 470), as well as additional components. For example, the LIDAR 600 may include a protective housing 610 (e.g., including additional cooling components 602 that drive airflow along an airflow path 608, an optical window 604, a window coating 606, and a drip trough 668), a water collection tank 662 with an associated volume sensor 664, and a rotational stage 652 with an associated controller 654.

[0136] The protective housing 610 may enclose one or more components of the LIDAR device 400. For example, the protective housing 610 may enclose the array of light emitting elements 406, the array of astigmatic lenses (e.g., cylindrical lenses used to couple optical signals from the light emitting elements 406 into the light guide manifold 408), the shared telecentric lens assembly 460, the array of photodetectors 434 on the detector substrate 433, and the aperture plate 422 to protect each of those components from potentially harmful exposure to the environment. Additionally or alternatively, the protective housing 610 may enclose one or more additional sensors (e.g., one or more auxiliary sensors other than the photodetectors 434 of the LIDAR device 400). For example, the protective housing 610 may enclose a thermometer, a barometer, a hygrometer, a radar unit for sensing objects in the surrounding environment, one or more additional LIDAR devices, a GPS sensor, a camera, etc. Further, the protective housing 610 may enclose one or more communication devices that enable the LIDAR 600 to communicate with one or more computing devices (e.g., another LIDAR's computing device and / or a cloud computing device, such as a remotely located cloud server). In some embodiments, the LIDAR device 400 and / or one or more auxiliary sensors may be connected to an external processing device (e.g., an external computing device that generates a point cloud based on data captured by the LIDAR device 400). For example, the LIDAR device 400 may transmit data used to detect objects to an external processing or storage device. Such data may include coordinates, distance, range, angle (e.g., yaw / azimuth angles and / or pitch / elevation angles), detected intensity, timestamp, normal, pulse width, beam size, return index, etc. In some embodiments, a rotary data link may be used to transmit such data from the protective housing 610 to an external device along a rotation axis connected to a rotation stage. For example, the interface waveguide may have two portions with aligned axes, allowing them to rotate adjacent to each other along the same rotation axis and communicate information with each other.

[0137] The protective housing 610 may also have one or more additional cooling components 602 defined therein (e.g., along the top side of the protective housing 610, as illustrated in FIG. 6 ) and / or thereon. The additional cooling components 602 may include one or more passive cooling components (e.g., vents configured to allow airflow to cool the LIDAR 600 as the housing and / or LIDAR device 400 rotates about an axis, e.g., an elevation axis and / or an azimuth axis). Additionally or alternatively, the additional cooling components 602 may include one or more active cooling components (e.g., fans configured to force air through the protective housing 610 to cool the LIDAR device 400). Additionally, based on the location of the additional cooling component 602, one or more air outlets defined within the protective housing 610 (e.g., along a bottom side of the protective housing 610), and / or the internal design of the protective housing 610, the protective housing 610 may include a predetermined airflow path 608 for enhancing passive cooling of the LIDAR 600. The predetermined airflow path 608 may extend along one or more components of the LIDAR device 400 (e.g., the light emitting element 406 and / or the photodetector 434 on the substrate 412) to provide enhanced cooling to the one or more components.

[0138] As described herein, in some embodiments, it may be beneficial to maintain the emission wavelength(s) associated with one or more of the light emitting elements 406 within a narrow wavelength range. Thus, it may be beneficial to maintain one or more of the light emitting elements 406 within a narrow temperature range (e.g., to maintain a narrow wavelength range for light emission), regardless of the ambient temperature. For example, in embodiments in which the light emitting elements 406 are laser diodes, it may be beneficial to maintain the light emitting elements 406 within a temperature range of between approximately 55°C and 65°C (e.g., even when the ambient temperature is between -30°C and +65°C). One technique that may maintain the temperature range of the light emitting elements 406 may include airflow through the LIDAR 600 to cool one or more components of the LIDAR 600 (e.g., the light emitting elements 406) (e.g., while the protective housing 610 of the LIDAR 600 is rotating about its axis). Additionally or alternatively, the temperature range of the light emitting element 406 can be maintained by actively heating or cooling the light emitting element 406 (e.g., using a thermoelectric cooler such as a Peltier element operating in a cooling mode, using a refrigeration device operating in a heat pump mode, and / or using a resistive heater). In yet other embodiments, the light emitting characteristics of the light emitting element 406 may be modulated (e.g., based on the waste heat emitted by the light emitting element 406 when emitting an optical signal) to maintain the temperature range of the light emitting element 406. For example, the duty cycle and / or radiant power may be adjusted to regulate the waste heat provided by the light emitting element 406, thereby maintaining the light emitting element 406 within a given temperature range.

[0139] In some embodiments, there may be a strip of light emitting diodes (e.g., 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, 100, etc. diodes) positioned along (e.g., oriented vertically along) protective housing 600. The light emitting diodes may be configured to selectively activate and deactivate to display images or messages (e.g., pictures, alerts, warnings, or other information) in the environment around the LIDAR device as protective housing 600 rotates (e.g., rotational stage 652 rotates protective housing 600). Such strips of light emitting diodes may be controlled, for example, by an LED controller.

[0140] In some embodiments, the LIDAR 600 may also include one or more optical windows 604. The optical windows may provide a surface that mechanically protects the components of the LIDAR device 400 without optically isolating the LIDAR device 400 from the surrounding environment. In other words, optical signals emitted by the LIDAR device 400 can pass through the optical windows 604 to and from the environment.

[0141] In some embodiments, the optical window 604 may be covered with one or more optical components. For example, the optical window 604 may be covered with a window coating 606, such as an AR coating or a hydrophobic coating. Additionally or alternatively, the optical window 604 may be covered with an optical filter (e.g., a color filter or a neutral density filter) that absorbs (and / or reflects) light not emitted by the array of light emitters 406 of the LIDAR device 400 (e.g., light not within the wavelength range emitted by the light emitters 406). In some embodiments, the optical window 604 itself may be made of black glass to effectively transmit light of the wavelengths emitted by the LIDAR device 400 (e.g., infrared wavelengths) while blocking transmission of other wavelengths (e.g., wavelengths in the visible spectrum).

[0142] In some embodiments, a wiper blade (e.g., with an associated actuator and controller) may be positioned over the optical window 604 to prevent debris from collecting on the optical window 604 and potentially obscuring measurements made by the lid 600. Additionally, in some embodiments, the optical window 604 may include one or more weatherproof (e.g., waterproof) covers and / or one or more heated covers (e.g., to prevent ice and / or frost from collecting on the optical window 604). Such heated coatings may be made from ITO. Additionally, or alternatively, in some embodiments, there may be one or more heating elements built into the optical window 604 itself (e.g., one or more heating coils within the optical window 604).

[0143] The first rotational stage 642 may orient the LIDAR device 400 relative to the environment (e.g., in an upward direction). In various embodiments, the first rotational stage 642 may be configured to rotate the LIDAR device 400 relative to the horizon of the surrounding environment between -15.0° and 15.0°, between -5.0° and 5.0°, between -30.0° and 30.0°, between -45.0° and 0.0°, between -20.0° and 10.0°, etc. Other angle ranges are possible. The first rotational stage 642 may include one or more actuators (e.g., electric motors, such as servos). Furthermore, the first rotational stage 642 may be controlled by the first controller 644 to raise the LIDAR device 400 based on a predetermined pattern (e.g., stored in the first controller 644 or in a memory associated with the first controller 644). First controller 644 may be configured to communicate with associated controller 654 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1 ), a controller associated with launch circuitry 444, and / or control system 106. In an alternative embodiment, first rotational stage may orient the entire protective housing 610 (rather than just LIDAR device 400 as illustrated in FIG. 6 ).

[0144] Similarly, the rotational stage 652 may be configured to orient the protective housing 610 (or just the LIDAR device 400) relative to the environment (e.g., in an azimuth direction). In various embodiments, the rotational stage 652 may be configured to rotate the LIDAR device 400 from 0.0° to 180.0° (a half rotation), from 0.0° to 360.0° (a full azimuth rotation), from 0.0° to 90.0°, from 0.0° to 135.0°, etc. Other angular ranges are possible. As the rotational stage 652 rotates the protective housing 610 relative to the surrounding environment, the LIDAR device 600 may be cooled (e.g., based on forcing air through the predetermined airflow path 608). The rotational stage 652 may include one or more actuators (e.g., electric motors such as servos). Additionally, rotational stage 652 may be controlled by associated controller 654 to orient protective housing 610 (or LIDAR device 400) in azimuth based on a predetermined pattern (e.g., stored in or in a memory associated with associated controller 654). Associated controller 654 may be configured to communicate with first controller 644, a controller associated with launch circuitry 444, and / or control system 106 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 1).

[0145] The water collection tank 662 may be used to determine how condensation, frost, ice, snow, rain, etc., has collected on and / or within the protective housing 610 (e.g., dripped from components within the LIDAR 600 and / or the LIDAR device 400 in particular). For example, all rainwater entering the protective housing 610 may travel down the drip trough 668 and into the water collection tank 662. An associated volume sensor 664 may then be used to determine the amount of water collected within the water collection tank 662. If the amount of collected water reaches a threshold (e.g., as determined by a controller associated with the water collection tank 662, the LIDAR device 400, or the associated autonomous vehicle), the LIDAR 600 may be removed from use for cleaning and / or replacement. Additionally or alternatively, a confidence value for three-dimensional point clouds generated using the LIDAR device 400 may be determined based on the amount of water collected in the water collection tank 662.

[0146] III. Process Example 7 is a flowchart diagram of a method 700, according to an example embodiment. In some embodiments, one or more of the blocks of FIG. 10 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a controller of the LIDAR device 400). The computing device may include computing components such as non-volatile memory (e.g., a hard drive or read-only memory (ROM)), volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static random access memory (SRAM)), a user input device (e.g., a mouse or keyboard), a display (e.g., an LED display or LCD), and / or a network communication controller (e.g., a WIFI controller based on the IEEE 802.11 standard or an Ethernet controller). The computing device may, for example, execute instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., a hard drive) to perform one or more of the operations contemplated herein.

[0147] At block 702, the method 700 may include emitting one or more optical signals from a light emitting element of a lidar device.

[0148] At block 704, the method 700 may include transmitting the optical signal to a light guide manifold of the LIDAR device.

[0149] At block 706, the method 700 may include propagating the optical signal through a light guide manifold.

[0150] At block 708, the method 700 may include receiving the optical signal at a telecentric lens assembly of the LIDAR device.

[0151] At block 710, the method 700 may include transmitting an optical signal from the telecentric lens assembly to an environment outside the LIDAR device.

[0152] At block 712, the method 700 may include receiving, at a telecentric lens assembly, reflections of the optical signal from one or more objects in the environment.

[0153] At block 714, the method 700 may include transmitting the reflection received from the telecentric lens assembly through an aperture defined in an aperture plate, which may be positioned at a focal plane of the telecentric lens assembly.

[0154] At block 716, the method 700 may include detecting the received reflection at a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM).

[0155] IV. Conclusion The present disclosure is not limited with respect to the specific embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition to the methods and apparatus recited herein, functionally equivalent methods and apparatus within the scope of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0156] The above detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes various features and functions of the disclosed systems, devices, and methods. In the figures, like symbols typically refer to like components identically, unless the context dictates otherwise. The exemplary embodiments described herein and in the figures are not intended to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are expressly contemplated.

[0157] With respect to any or all of the message flow diagrams, scenarios, and flowcharts in the figures and discussed herein, each step, block, operation, and / or communication may represent the processing of information and / or the transmission of information according to the exemplary embodiments. Alternative embodiments are included within the scope of these exemplary embodiments. In these alternative embodiments, for example, operations described as steps, blocks, transmissions, communications, requests, responses, and / or messages may be executed in an order different from that shown or discussed, such as substantially simultaneously or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved. Furthermore, more or fewer blocks and / or operations may be used in any of the message flow diagrams, scenarios, and flowcharts discussed herein, and these message flow diagrams, scenarios, and flowcharts may be combined with each other, either in part or in whole.

[0158] A step, block, or operation corresponding to the processing of information may correspond to circuitry that can be configured to perform specific logical functions of the methods or techniques described herein. Alternatively or additionally, a step or block corresponding to the processing of information may correspond to a module, segment, or portion of program code (including associated data). The program code may include one or more instructions executable by a processor to perform specific logical operations or actions in the method or technique. The program code and / or associated data may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium, such as a storage device including a RAM, a disk drive, a solid-state drive, or another storage medium.

[0159] Additionally, steps, blocks, or acts corresponding to one or more information transmissions may correspond to information transmissions between software and / or hardware modules in the same physical device, although other information transmissions may be information transmissions between software and / or hardware modules in different physical devices.

[0160] The particular arrangement shown in the figures should not be considered limiting. It should be understood that other embodiments may include more or fewer of each element shown in a given figure. Furthermore, some of the illustrated elements may be combined or omitted. Furthermore, example embodiments may include elements not illustrated in the figures.

[0161] While various aspects and embodiments are disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, the true scope being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device comprising: a transmission subsystem, A light-emitting element; a light guide manifold optically coupled to the light emitting element; a transmit subsystem including a telecentric lens assembly optically coupled to the light guide manifold; a receiving subsystem, the telecentric lens assembly; an aperture plate having an aperture defined therein, said aperture plate being positioned in a focal plane of said telecentric lens assembly; a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) positioned to receive light traveling through the aperture.

2. the light guide manifold comprises a light guide; 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, wherein the light guide manifold is positioned to direct light received from the light emitting elements to the telecentric lens assembly through total internal reflection.

3. the telecentric lens assembly is positioned to receive an optical signal from the light guide manifold and transmit the optical signal toward an environment outside the LIDAR device; 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, wherein the telecentric lens assembly is positioned to receive optical signals reflected from objects in the environment and transmit the optical signals reflected from objects in the environment through the aperture to the SiPM.

4. 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, wherein the transmit subsystem further comprises an astigmatic lens positioned to couple an optical signal from the light emitting element to the light guide manifold.

5. the light emitting element is one of an array of light emitting elements, each configured to emit an optical signal; the SiPM is one of an array of SiPMs; the light guide manifold is one of an array of light guide manifolds; the aperture is one of an array of apertures defined in the aperture plate; 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, wherein each aperture of the array corresponds to one of the SiPMs.

6. the light guide manifold is positioned to emit the optical signal over a range of elevation angles; 6. The LIDAR device of claim 5, wherein the SiPM is positioned to receive the optical signals reflected from an environment external to the LIDAR device over the range of elevation angles.

7. 6. The LIDAR device of claim 5, wherein the array of light emitting elements comprises an independently powered first sub-array of light emitting elements and a second sub-array of light emitting elements.

8. 8. The LIDAR device of claim 7, wherein the second sub-array of light emitting elements is configured to emit with a delay relative to the emission of the first sub-array of light emitting elements.

9. 6. The LIDAR device of claim 5, wherein the array of SiPMs includes a first sub-array of SiPMs and a second sub-array of SiPMs.

10. 10. The LIDAR device of claim 9, wherein the first sub-array of SiPMs is powered independently from the second sub-array of SiPMs.

11. 6. The LIDAR device of claim 5, further comprising one or more baffles configured to prevent detection noise from optical signals emitted by adjacent light-emitting elements.

12. Each of the SiPMs corresponds to one of the light-emitting elements; each of the light guide manifolds corresponds to one of the light emitting elements; 6. The LIDAR device of claim 5, wherein each of the SiPMs is positioned on an opposite side of a substrate from one end of a light guide manifold corresponding to the light emitting element corresponding to the respective SiPM.

13. the transmitting subsystem: a firing circuit configured to control the light emitting element; a controller, controlling the firing circuit via a firing control signal; receiving an electronic signal from the SiPM; 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, further comprising: a controller configured to transmit data used to detect objects in an environment external to the LIDAR device based on the received electronic signal and the launch control signal.

14. 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, wherein the light emitting element comprises a laser diode.

15. 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, wherein the telecentric lens assembly comprises cascaded lens elements.

16. 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, further comprising a protective housing configured to enclose the transmit subsystem and the receive subsystem, the protective housing enclosing an additional sensor.

17. a rotation stage configured to rotate the protective housing relative to an environment outside the LIDAR device; and 17. The LIDAR device of claim 16, further comprising: an associated controller configured to control the rotational stage.

18. 20. The LIDAR device of claim 17, wherein rotating the protective housing relative to the environment cools the LIDAR device using predetermined airflow paths within the LIDAR device.

19. 17. The LIDAR device of claim 16, wherein the protective housing comprises one or more optical windows.

20. 20. The LIDAR device of claim 19, wherein the one or more optical windows are covered with an anti-reflective (AR) coating or optical filter that reflects or absorbs light not emitted by the light emitting element.

21. 20. The LIDAR device of claim 19, wherein the one or more optical windows are heated, coated with indium tin oxide (ITO), or coated with a hydrophobic coating.

22. a protective housing configured to enclose the transmit subsystem and the receive subsystem, the protective housing configured to rotate relative to an environment outside the LIDAR device; and 10. The LIDAR device of claim 1, comprising: a plurality of light emitting diodes positioned in strips along the protective housing, the plurality of light emitting diodes configured to selectively activate and deactivate as the protective housing rotates to display images or messages in the environment.

23. The LIDAR device of claim 1 , further comprising a water collection tank configured to capture water dripping from components of the LIDAR device.

24. 24. The LIDAR device of claim 23, further comprising a volume sensor attached to the water collection tank, the volume sensor configured to determine when the water collection tank contains a threshold amount of water.

25. 1. A method comprising: emitting an optical signal from a light emitting element of the LIDAR device; transmitting the optical signal to a light guide manifold of the LIDAR device; propagating the optical signal through the light guide manifold; receiving the optical signal with a telecentric lens assembly of the LIDAR device; transmitting the optical signal from the telecentric lens assembly to an environment external to the LIDAR device; receiving, with the telecentric lens assembly, reflections of the optical signal from one or more objects in the environment; transmitting the received reflection from the telecentric lens assembly through an aperture defined in an aperture plate, the aperture plate being positioned at a focal plane of the telecentric lens assembly; detecting the received reflection with a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM).

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein, the instructions, when executed by a processor, controlling a emitting circuit to cause a light emitting element of the LIDAR device to emit a light signal; The optical signal transmitted to a light guide manifold of the LIDAR device; propagating through the light guide manifold; received by a telecentric lens assembly of the LIDAR device; transmitted from the telecentric lens assembly to an environment external to the LIDAR device; a reflection of at least a portion of the optical signal from one or more objects in the environment is received at the telecentric lens assembly; the received reflection is coupled from the telecentric lens assembly through an aperture defined in an aperture plate; detecting the received reflection with a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM); and determining a distance to the one or more objects in the environment based on the detection of the received reflections.

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