Kinematic Mount for LiDAR Receiver Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing LiDAR systems face challenges in accurately aligning optical components due to manufacturing and assembly tolerances, which affects the accuracy and performance, especially in compact systems with limited space, where traditional mechanical mounts are either bulky or lack the necessary degrees of freedom.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of kinematic mounts with multiple degrees of freedom, such as translations in x, y, and z directions and rotations around x, y, and z axes, allows for precise adjustment of small optical components like MEMS devices, galvo mirrors, and lenses within a compact LiDAR system, using elastic connectors and adjustable screws to ensure accurate alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional mechanical mounts are used to align optical components, then the alignment stability is improved, but the device size becomes bulky and the manufacturing precision is insufficient to compensate for tolerance errors
Solution Approach 1:
The mount is divided into multiple independent adjustment mechanisms, each responsible for a specific degree of freedom (x-translation, y-translation, z-translation, and rotational adjustments). This segmentation allows precise alignment control while keeping each individual adjustment component compact, resolving the contradiction between alignment precision and overall mount size.
Solution Approach 2:
The mount incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities with multiple degrees of freedom, allowing the optical components to be precisely positioned and then locked. The adjustable screws and elastic connectors enable dynamic repositioning while maintaining stable alignment, achieving high precision without requiring a bulky fixed structure.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional rigid mounts are used to secure optical components, then the structural stability is improved, but the ability to compensate for tolerance errors is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mount transitions from a rigid fixed structure to a dynamically adjustable structure with multiple degrees of freedom. Adjustable screws and elastic connectors allow the system to adapt to manufacturing tolerances during assembly, achieving precise alignment while maintaining structural stability through controlled flexibility rather than rigid constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The mount enables changes in positional parameters (x, y, z coordinates and rotational angles) of optical components through adjustable mechanisms. This parameter adjustability compensates for manufacturing tolerance variations while the locking mechanism preserves structural stability once the optimal alignment is achieved.
3Volume of moving object
If compact LiDAR systems are designed with limited space, then the portability is improved, but the available space for mechanical adjustment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple adjustment functions (translation and rotation) are merged into a single integrated mount structure. The adjustable screws and elastic connectors are combined within a compact framework, allowing comprehensive alignment control in all six degrees of freedom without requiring separate bulky adjustment mechanisms, thus maintaining ease of operation within limited space.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanisms are nested within the compact LiDAR system structure. The adjustable screws, elastic connectors, and mounting features are arranged in a nested configuration where components are integrated within each other, maximizing the use of available space while maintaining accessibility for alignment adjustments.
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
This solution provides improved accuracy and performance by compensating for tolerance errors and allowing fine-tuning of optical components, even in constrained spaces, enhancing the overall precision of the LiDAR system.
Implementation Method 1
a first set of elastic connectors attached to the carrier frame and the lens holder
Data Source
AI summary
A light detection and ranging receiver includes a carrier frame, a lens assembly, a first set of screws, and a light sensor assembly mounted on the carrier frame. The lens assembly includes a lens holder mounted on the carrier frame by a first set of elastic connectors attached to the carrier frame and the lens holder, and a lens installed on the lens holder. The light sensor assembly is configured to both rotate and linearly move with respect to the carrier frame, and includes a board mount and a sensor board installed on the board mount. The first set of screws are in contact with the lens holder, and are adjustable to change a distance and/or an orientation of the lens holder with respect to the carrier frame such that the lens may form an image on a predetermined area on the sensor board.