Hybrid LiDAR System with Segmented Subsystems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flash LiDAR systems face challenges in achieving the required sub-millimeter resolution for detecting smaller objects, particularly in applications like autonomous driving, due to limitations in cost, size, power consumption, and range, with existing systems often restricted to a couple of hundred meters.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid LiDAR system comprising a long-range LiDAR subsystem and a short-range LiDAR subsystem, where the long-range subsystem provides high-resolution detection at distances up to 800 meters with narrow illuminator and detector fields of view, and the short-range subsystem offers high accuracy up to 300 meters with wider coverage, both operating simultaneously and fusing their point clouds using optimal transport theory for enhanced accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a single high-powered laser pulse is used to illuminate a large field-of-view in conventional flash LiDAR systems, then the system can detect objects across a wide area, but the range is limited to a couple of hundred meters and power consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the detection task into two specialized subsystems: a long-range LiDAR subsystem for distant detection and a short-range LiDAR subsystem for nearby detection. Each subsystem uses illuminators and detectors configured for its specific range, avoiding the need for a single high-powered system to cover all distances, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining wide area coverage.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the range of the LiDAR system is extended to detect objects at longer distances, then the detection capability improves, but the resolution and accuracy decrease
Solution Approach 1:
Each LiDAR subsystem is optimized with specific local qualities: the long-range subsystem uses narrow-field illuminators and detectors positioned for distant detection, while the short-range subsystem uses wider-field components for nearby detection. This localized optimization allows each subsystem to achieve high precision within its designated range, and the combined system provides both extended range and maintained accuracy across different distances.
3Device complexity
If a single LiDAR subsystem is designed to cover both long and short ranges, then the system complexity is reduced, but it cannot simultaneously achieve high resolution at long range and high accuracy at short range
Solution Approach 1:
The detection function is segmented into two specialized subsystems, each optimized for specific range requirements. The long-range subsystem handles distant objects with appropriate resolution, while the short-range subsystem handles nearby objects with high accuracy. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing each subsystem to be independently optimized, thereby maintaining high detection performance across all ranges despite increased system structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hybrid LiDAR system effectively combines the advantages of long-range high-resolution detection and short-range high-accuracy measurements, enabling accurate object tracking and scanning over a broader range while reducing power consumption and costs, thus addressing the limitations of conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
measure how long it takes for reflected pulses to be returned to a receiver
Implementation Method 2
reflected light corresponding to a frame of data
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid LiDAR system may include a long-range LiDAR subsystem characterized by a first range and a first azimuth angular coverage, and a short-range LiDAR subsystem characterized by a second range and a second azimuth angular coverage, wherein the first range is greater than the second range, and the second azimuth angular coverage is greater than the first azimuth angular coverage.