Window contamination detection method and related device.
By emitting laser beams of different intensities at intervals, the interference problem between laser sensor window pollution detection and environmental detection is solved, improving reliability and efficiency, and simplifying the structure.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- KUKA ROBOTICS AUTOMATION (GUANGDONG) CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-02
AI Technical Summary
Interference exists between existing laser sensors for window contamination detection and environmental detection, leading to loss of detection information and low reliability.
The system employs a method of emitting a first laser beam at intervals and a second laser beam with a weaker intensity in adjacent time periods to detect contaminants in the viewing window, thus avoiding interference with the detection of the target object.
It improves the reliability and detection efficiency of laser sensors, reduces the number of components, simplifies the structure, and lowers power consumption.
Smart Images

Figure CN2025140487_02072026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Window contamination detection methods and related equipment
[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2024119245381, filed on December 24, 2024, entitled “Window Contamination Detection Method, Laser Sensor and Computer Storage Medium”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Technical Field]
[0002] This application relates to the field of robotics technology, specifically to methods and related equipment for detecting window contamination. [Background Technology]
[0003] A laser sensor is a device that uses a laser beam to measure distance. By scanning the surrounding environment, it acquires information such as the distance, shape, and size of objects, thereby achieving perception and positioning of the surrounding environment. It is applied in automated equipment to enable the equipment to sense its surroundings and avoid collisions with people or other objects. Examples of automated equipment include Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs).
[0004] However, during use, laser sensors are easily affected by environmental factors such as dust. For example, dust and other contaminants can adhere to the window used to transmit the laser beam, causing the laser sensor to be unable to measure accurately. This can lead to safety issues caused by misjudgment when automated equipment senses its surrounding environment.
[0005] In response, existing laser sensors are equipped with both pollutant detection for the viewing window and object detection for the surrounding environment. However, these two detection processes interfere with each other, resulting in loss of detection information and low reliability. [Summary of the Invention]
[0006] The main technical problem addressed by this application is to provide a method and related equipment for detecting contamination in a viewing window, which reduces interference between contamination detection by laser sensors and environmental detection, thereby improving reliability.
[0007] A first aspect of this application provides a method for detecting window contamination, applied to a laser sensor. The method includes: emitting a first laser beam at intervals and detecting a detection object outside the window of the laser sensor based on the first laser beam, wherein the time interval between any two adjacent first laser beams is a time interval between corresponding emission times; emitting a second laser beam during at least a portion of the time interval and detecting whether contaminants exist in the window based on the second laser beam; wherein the light intensity of the first laser beam is less than the light intensity of the second laser beam.
[0008] In some embodiments, the time period includes a first flight period of the first laser beam, a first excitation period of the first laser beam, and an idle period between the first flight period and the first excitation period, wherein emitting the second laser beam during at least a portion of the time period includes emitting the second laser beam during the idle period during at least a portion of the time period.
[0009] In some embodiments, the idle period includes a second excitation period of the second laser beam and a second flight period of the second laser beam.
[0010] In some embodiments, the first laser beam and the second laser beam are emitted by the same laser emitter of the laser sensor.
[0011] In some embodiments, the laser sensor further includes a boost circuit, which includes an excitation sub-circuit and an output circuit electrically connected to the excitation sub-circuit. The excitation sub-circuit controls the output circuit to emit the first laser beam and the second laser beam via an excitation signal. The ratio between the pulse width of the excitation signal for the second laser beam and the pulse width of the excitation signal for the first laser beam is 1.8-2.2, such that the ratio between the output voltage of the second laser beam and the output voltage of the first laser beam is 1.8-2.2.
[0012] In some embodiments, the boost circuit includes a boost circuit, and the laser emitter includes a pulsed laser diode.
[0013] In some embodiments, the step of detecting whether the window contains contaminants based on the second laser beam includes: acquiring the signal intensity of the echo signal of the second laser beam; determining that the window contains contaminants in response to the signal intensity being greater than or equal to a preset intensity threshold; and determining that the window is free of contaminants in response to the signal intensity being less than the preset intensity threshold.
[0014] In some implementations, the duration of the time period is 5 microseconds, the duration of the first flight period is 2 microseconds, the duration of the idle period is 2 microseconds, and the duration of the first excitation period is 1 microsecond.
[0015] In a second aspect, this application provides a laser sensor, comprising: a housing having a viewing window; a laser emitter disposed within the housing and used to emit a first laser beam and a second laser beam toward the viewing window to detect a detection object outside the housing and the viewing window; and a controller connected to the laser emitter for executing the viewing window contamination detection method of the first aspect to determine whether contaminants are present in the viewing window.
[0016] In a third aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium having internally stored program instructions that are executed by a processor to perform the window contamination detection method of the first aspect described above.
[0017] In a fourth aspect, this application provides a computer program product comprising a computer program that is executed by a processor to implement the window contamination detection method of the first aspect.
[0018] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: This application emits a first laser beam at intervals and emits a second laser beam at least during a partial interval period. The second laser beam is used to detect whether there are contaminants on the window of the laser sensor. Since the second laser beam used to detect contaminants on the window is emitted during the interval period between adjacent first laser beams, it will not affect the detection of the object by the first laser beam, thereby improving the reliability and detection efficiency of the laser sensor. [Attached Image Description]
[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.
[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a laser sensor detecting an object;
[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a laser sensor detecting contaminants in a viewing window;
[0022] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of the window contamination detection method of this application;
[0023] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of the time interval between adjacent first laser beam emission times in this application;
[0024] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the window contamination detection method of this application;
[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the circuit structure of a boost circuit of the laser sensor of this application;
[0026] Figure 7 is a timing diagram of an embodiment of the boost circuit of the laser sensor of this application;
[0027] Figure 8 is a timing diagram of another embodiment of the boost circuit of the laser sensor of this application;
[0028] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the laser sensor of this application.
Detailed Implementation Methods
[0029] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.
[0030] A laser sensor is used to periodically detect objects. It includes a laser emitter and a laser receiver, as well as a housing that protects the core components of the laser sensor. The laser emitter is used to emit a laser beam, and the laser receiver is used to receive the reflected laser beam from the object being detected. The housing is provided with windows for transmitting the laser beam and reflecting the laser beam.
[0031] During the detection process, the laser sensor periodically probes the target object according to the set laser beam optical path to obtain the physical information of the target object. In simple terms, the laser beam is emitted from the laser emitter, passes through a window to the outside of the laser sensor, then reaches the target object and is reflected by it, passing through the window again into the laser sensor, where it is received by the laser receiver to complete the detection task.
[0032] Different laser beams have different applications. Common laser beams are used to detect objects (detection targets) in the external environment of laser sensors, such as vehicles, people, and plants. Please refer to Figure 1, which illustrates the detection of objects (obstacles) based on the laser beam optical path. However, contaminants in the laser optical path can cause poor detection accuracy, leading to safety hazards. Therefore, it is necessary to detect contaminants within the laser sensor itself, such as contaminants adhering to the laser sensor's window. Please refer to Figure 2, which illustrates the laser sensor detecting contaminants (dust) in the laser beam optical path, for example, when contaminants are attached to the window.
[0033] Referring to Figure 3, this application provides a window contamination detection method. In the time dimension, the contaminant detection sequence is inserted between the detection sequence of the target object, that is, contaminant detection is inserted within the interval between two adjacent target object detections. This reduces the interference problem in the time dimension caused by the independent operation of contaminant detection and target object detection, thus improving the reliability of detection. Secondly, by performing contaminant detection during the interval between adjacent target object detections, the time utilization rate of the laser sensor in performing the detection task can be improved, thereby increasing the efficiency of the laser sensor. Specifically, the window contamination detection method of this embodiment includes the following steps:
[0034] 301: The first laser beam is emitted at intervals, and the object to be detected outside the window of the laser sensor is detected based on the first laser beam. The time interval between any two adjacent first laser beams is the time interval between the corresponding emission times.
[0035] The first laser emitter of the laser sensor emits a first laser beam, and the first laser receiver of the laser sensor receives the first laser beam reflected back by the detected object, that is, the reflected beam of the first laser beam.
[0036] In some embodiments, the first laser emitter emits first laser beams at intervals, where interval emission means that there is a period of time during which no first laser beam is emitted between any two adjacent first laser beams at their respective emission times.
[0037] In some embodiments, the duration of the interval emission time is fixed, and thus, the laser sensor emits the first laser beam periodically. Furthermore, the periodicity of the periodic emission of the first laser beam is adjustable; that is, the duration of the interval emission time within the periodic emission of the first laser beam is adjustable.
[0038] In some embodiments, the durations of the multiple interval emission time periods are at least partially different, and thus, the laser sensor emits the first laser beam aperiodically. Furthermore, the aperiodicity of the aperiodic emission of the first laser beam is adjustable, meaning that the duration of each interval emission time period in the aperiodic emission of the first laser beam is adjustable.
[0039] 302: Emitting a second laser beam for at least a portion of the time period, and detecting the presence of contaminants in the viewing window based on the second laser beam; wherein the intensity of the first laser beam is less than the intensity of the second laser beam.
[0040] Because there is a gap between the laser sensor's emission of two adjacent first laser beams, the laser sensor's second laser emitter can emit a second laser beam during the interval between the emission of the two adjacent first laser beams. The laser sensor's second laser receiver receives the second laser beam used to detect whether there are contaminants in the window. Since the reflection intensity of the contaminants in the window to the second laser beam is less than the reflection intensity of the detected object to the first laser beam, the light intensity of the first laser beam is less than the light intensity of the second laser beam. That is, the light intensity of the second laser beam is greater than the light intensity of the first laser beam, which can increase the reflection intensity of the contaminants in the window to the second laser beam, thereby improving the reliability of window contaminant detection, and at the same time reducing the power consumption of the first laser beam.
[0041] In some embodiments, the second laser emitter emits a second laser beam during all intervals between the first laser emitter emitting the first laser beam, in order to maximize the accuracy of contaminant detection in the viewing window.
[0042] In some embodiments, the second laser emitter emits a second laser beam during a portion of the interval between the first laser emitter emitting the first laser beam, thereby reducing the power consumption of the second laser emitter.
[0043] In some embodiments, the first laser emitter and the second laser emitter are different laser emitters to improve the reliability of the first laser beam and the second laser beam.
[0044] In some embodiments, the first laser emitter and the second laser emitter are the same laser emitter. Furthermore, to reduce the number of components in the laser sensor, thereby reducing the overall size and weight of the laser sensor and simplifying its structure, the first laser emitter and the second laser emitter are the same laser emitter, and the first laser receiver and the second laser receiver are the same laser receiver.
[0045] In some embodiments, the first laser receiver and the second laser receiver are different laser receivers to improve the reliability of the first laser beam and the second laser beam.
[0046] Please refer to Figure 4, which shows a schematic diagram of the time interval structure between adjacent laser beam emission times, which includes the flight period, idle period and excitation period in sequence.
[0047] The flight period refers to the time from when the laser emitter emits a laser beam to when the corresponding laser receiver receives the laser beam. The excitation period refers to the time it takes for the laser emitter to store energy in order to emit the laser beam. The idle period refers to the time between the flight period and the excitation period, during which the laser emitter is in a non-operating state.
[0048] In some embodiments, when the first laser beam and the second laser beam are emitted by the same laser emitter and received by the same or different laser receivers, the excitation period and flight period of the second laser beam are both set within the idle period of the first laser beam, that is, the idle period of the first laser beam includes the second excitation period of the second laser beam and the second flight period of the second laser beam.
[0049] For example, the emission interval between two adjacent first laser beams, i.e. the aforementioned time period, is 5 microseconds, the duration of the first flight period of the first laser beam is 2 microseconds, the duration of the idle period of the first laser beam is 2 microseconds, the duration of the first excitation period of the first laser beam is 1 microsecond, and the emission action of the second laser beam can be set during the idle period of the first laser beam.
[0050] In some embodiments, when the first laser beam and the second laser beam are emitted by the same laser emitter, the second laser beam is emitted during all idle periods of the first laser beam, that is, the second laser beam is emitted during each idle period of the first laser beam.
[0051] In some embodiments, when the first laser beam and the second laser beam are emitted by the same laser emitter, the second laser beam is emitted during a portion of the idle period of the first laser beam, that is, during a portion of the idle period between the occurrence of the first laser beam and the occurrence of the second laser beam.
[0052] This application creates a novel emission time configuration for the first and second laser beams by emitting a second laser beam within the emission interval of the adjacent first laser beams, i.e., the aforementioned time period. On the one hand, this configuration can improve the problem of interference between pollutant detection and target detection in the time dimension caused by their independent operation, thereby improving the reliability of detection. On the other hand, the emission time configuration can also improve the time utilization rate of the laser sensor in performing detection tasks, further enhancing the detection efficiency of the laser sensor.
[0053] Furthermore, while taking into account reducing mutual interference between laser sensor pollutant detection and environmental detection and improving detection efficiency, the first laser beam and the second laser beam are emitted by the same laser emitter and received by the same laser receiver. This reduces the number of components in the laser sensor, thereby reducing the overall size and weight of the laser sensor and simplifying its structure.
[0054] Please refer to Figure 5, which illustrates how a laser sensor determines contaminants in its viewing window. The laser sensor stores an adjustable preset intensity threshold, which is used to determine the presence or absence of contaminants in the viewing window.
[0055] 501: Obtain the signal strength of the echo signal of the second laser beam.
[0056] After receiving the echo signal of the second laser beam, that is, the electrical signal corresponding to the reflected beam of the second laser beam, the laser sensor obtains its signal strength.
[0057] 502: If the signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset strength threshold, it is determined that there is a contaminant in the window.
[0058] The laser sensor determines that there is a contaminant in the window when the signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset intensity threshold.
[0059] 503: If the signal strength is less than the preset strength threshold, it is determined that there are no contaminants in the window.
[0060] If the laser sensor detects that the signal intensity is less than a preset intensity threshold, it determines that there are no contaminants in the viewing window.
[0061] This application also provides a laser sensor, including a boost circuit. The boost circuit includes an exciter circuit and an output circuit. The output circuit is electrically connected to the exciter circuit. The exciter circuit controls the output circuit to emit a first laser beam and a second laser beam through an excitation signal. The pulse width of the excitation signal for the second laser beam is greater than the pulse width of the excitation signal for the first laser beam, so that the output voltage of the second laser beam is greater than the output voltage of the first laser beam.
[0062] In some embodiments, the ratio between the pulse width of the excitation signal of the second laser beam and the pulse width of the excitation signal of the first laser beam is 1.8-2.2, such that the ratio between the output voltage of the second laser beam and the output voltage of the first laser beam is 1.8-2.2.
[0063] Preferably, the pulse width of the excitation signal of the second laser beam is twice the pulse width of the excitation signal of the first laser beam, and the output voltage of the second laser beam is twice the output voltage of the first laser beam. In some embodiments, the above ratio can also be 1.8, 2.2, etc.
[0064] In some embodiments, the excitation signal includes an emission excitation signal for emitting a laser beam and an energy storage excitation signal for storing energy for emitting the laser beam from the laser emitter.
[0065] Please refer to Figures 6, 7, and 8. Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a rapidly adjustable boost circuit structure for a laser sensor, used to control the same laser emitter of the laser sensor to emit a first laser beam and a second laser beam at high frequency. Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the timing variation of the PLD emitting a complete first laser beam, and Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the timing variation of the second laser beam emitted during the timing of the PLD emitting a complete first laser beam in Figure 7.
[0066] The rapidly adjustable boost circuit is a boost converter circuit, which includes a power supply (DC), an inductor L, two MOSFETs (M1 and M2), a diode (D), two capacitors (C1 and C2), a pulsed laser diode (PLD), and a resistor R. The PLD is used to emit the first and second laser beams.
[0067] Please refer to Figure 7. The start pulse signal indicates the emission status signal of the PLD emitting the first laser beam, the stop pulse signal indicates the reception status signal of the laser receiver receiving the first laser beam, pulse1 is a pulse control signal used to control the conduction of M1 in the boost circuit to store the energy required for the PLD to emit the first laser beam, pulse2 is a pulse control signal used to control the conduction of M2 in the boost circuit to enable the PLD to emit the first laser beam, and the U pulse signal indicates the voltage of the PLD.
[0068] Understandably, when pulse1 is high, M1 is turned on, and inductor L is charged; when pulse1 is low, M1 is turned off, and the energy in inductor L is discharged through diode D and stored in capacitor C1. Furthermore, when pulse2 is high, M2 is turned on, and capacitor C1 discharges, causing the PLD to emit the first laser beam; when pulse2 is low, M2 is turned off, and the PLD stops emitting the first laser beam. Pulse1 and pulse2 work together: pulse1 controls capacitor C1 to store the energy required for the PLD to emit the first laser beam, and pulse2 controls the PLD to emit the first laser beam after the corresponding energy has been stored in capacitor C1.
[0069] Please refer to Figure 7. ΔT0 represents the flight duration of the laser emitter during the first flight period when it emits the first laser beam. ΔT2 represents the idle duration of the laser emitter during the idle period when it is not working. ΔT3 represents the first excitation duration of the laser emitter emitting the first laser beam for energy storage. By inputting pulse1 during the P period, capacitor C1 is charged during ΔT3 (excitation period) to form voltage V. Then, by inputting pulse2 during the subsequent ΔT0 period (first flight period), PLD emits the first laser beam during the same subsequent ΔT0 period (first flight period) and receives the first laser beam through the laser receiver.
[0070] Furthermore, referring to Figure 8, based on Figure 7, by inputting pulse1 during the P2 period during the idle period, capacitor C1 is charged during the ΔT2 period (idle period) to form voltage V2. Then, by inputting pulse2 during the same ΔT2 period (idle period), PLD emits a second laser beam and receives the second laser beam through the laser receiver. It can be seen that the excitation duration and flight duration of the second laser beam are both set during the idle period of the first laser beam.
[0071] This application also includes a laser sensor, comprising: a housing having a viewing window; a laser emitter and a controller disposed within the housing, wherein the laser emitter is used to emit a first laser beam and a second laser beam toward the viewing window to detect the object to be detected outside the housing and the viewing window, and the controller is electrically connected to the laser emitter to enable the laser emitter to execute the viewing window contamination detection method of the aforementioned embodiment under the control of the controller to determine whether there are contaminants in the viewing window.
[0072] This application also includes a schematic diagram of a laser sensor, as shown in Figure 9. The laser sensor includes a memory 901 and a processor 902 coupled to each other. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program in the memory to perform the method of the above embodiments, so that the laser emitter of the laser sensor emits a first laser beam and a second laser beam.
[0073] In some embodiments, the memory 901 and the processor 902 may be connected via, but are not limited to, a bus system to enable communication between the memory and the processor.
[0074] The processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), but it can also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.
[0075] In some embodiments, memory 901 may be an internal storage unit of the cloud device, such as a hard drive or memory. In other embodiments, memory 901 may be an external storage device of the cloud device, such as a plug-in hard drive, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., provided on the cloud device. Furthermore, memory may include both internal and external storage units of the cloud device. Memory is used to store operating systems, applications, bootloaders, data, and other programs, such as program code for computer programs. Memory can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.
[0076] This application also includes a computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods of the above embodiments.
[0077] In one embodiment, a computer program product or computer program is provided, which includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, is capable of implementing the steps of the methods described in any of the foregoing embodiments. Specifically, the computer program product may be a software or program product containing a computer program that can run on a computing device or be stored on any available medium.
[0078] The description of the various embodiments above tends to emphasize the differences between the various embodiments. The similarities or similarities between them can be referred to, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be repeated here.
[0079] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed methods and apparatus can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus implementations described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.
[0080] In the various embodiments of this application, the functional units can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.
[0081] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments of this application can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above.
[0082] Computer programs include computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. Computer-readable media can include at least: any entity or device capable of carrying computer program code to a photographic device / terminal device, recording media, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution media. Examples include USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, or optical discs. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, computer-readable media cannot be electrical carrier signals or telecommunication signals.
[0083] The above are merely embodiments of this application and do not limit the scope of patent protection of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural changes made using the content of this application’s specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the scope of patent protection of this application.
[0084] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.
[0085] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0086] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.
Claims
1. A method for detecting window contamination, applied to a laser sensor, wherein, The method for detecting window contamination includes: The first laser beam is emitted at intervals, and the object outside the window of the laser sensor is detected based on the first laser beam. The time interval between any two adjacent first laser beams is the time interval between the corresponding emission times. A second laser beam is emitted for at least a portion of the time period, and the presence of contaminants in the viewing window is detected based on the second laser beam; The intensity of the first laser beam is less than the intensity of the second laser beam.
2. The window contamination detection method according to claim 1, wherein, The time period includes the first flight period of the first laser beam, the first excitation period of the first laser beam, and the idle period between the first flight period and the first excitation period. The step of emitting the second laser beam during at least a portion of the time period includes: The second laser beam is emitted during the idle period of at least part of the said time period.
3. The window contamination detection method according to claim 2, wherein, The idle period includes the second excitation period of the second laser beam and the second flight period of the second laser beam.
4. The window contamination detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The first laser beam and the second laser beam are emitted by the same laser emitter of the laser sensor.
5. The window contamination detection method according to claim 4, wherein, The laser sensor further includes a boost circuit, which includes an excitation sub-circuit and an output circuit electrically connected to the excitation sub-circuit. The excitation sub-circuit controls the output circuit to emit the first laser beam and the second laser beam through an excitation signal. The ratio of the pulse width of the excitation signal of the second laser beam to the pulse width of the excitation signal of the first laser beam is 1.8-2.2, so that the ratio of the output voltage of the second laser beam to the output voltage of the first laser beam is 1.8-2.
2.
6. The window contamination detection method according to claim 5, wherein, The boost circuit includes a boost circuit, and the laser emitter includes a pulsed laser diode.
7. The method for detecting window contamination according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The step of detecting whether there are contaminants in the window based on the second laser beam includes: Obtain the signal intensity of the echo signal of the second laser beam; If the signal strength is greater than or equal to a preset strength threshold, it is determined that there is a contaminant in the window; If the signal strength is less than the preset strength threshold, it is determined that the window is free of contaminants.
8. The window contamination detection method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The duration of the time period is 5 microseconds, the duration of the first flight period is 2 microseconds, the duration of the idle period is 2 microseconds, and the duration of the first excitation period is 1 microsecond.
9. A laser sensor, wherein, include: The casing has a viewing window; A laser emitter is disposed inside the housing and is used to emit a first laser beam and a second laser beam toward the viewing window to detect the object outside the housing and the viewing window; A controller, connected to the laser emitter, is used to control the operation of the laser emitter using the window contamination detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and to determine whether there are contaminants in the window.
10. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, It internally stores program instructions, which are executed by a processor to implement the window contamination detection method according to any one of claims 1-8.
11. A computer program product, wherein, Includes a computer program, which is executed by a processor to implement the window contamination detection method according to any one of claims 1-8.