Lidar Laser Scanner Time-Staggered Beam Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LIDAR systems face limitations in resolution due to the fixed configuration of laser beams and sensor pixels, which restricts the ability to achieve high spatial resolution without significant hardware upgrades.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a laser scanner configuration where multiple laser beams are emitted into adjacent angular ranges, with a receiver optics system that focuses reflected light onto offset sensor pixels, allowing for time-staggered actuation to ensure only one beam's reflection is detected per pixel, thereby increasing resolution without substantial hardware changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple laser beams are emitted simultaneously into adjacent angular ranges, then the scanning coverage is improved, but the resolution decreases due to overlapping reflections on sensor pixels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by emitting laser beams into adjacent angular ranges in a time-staggered manner rather than simultaneously. The control electronics alternates between emitting beams into different angular ranges, ensuring that reflections from different beams do not overlap on the same sensor pixel at the same time. This temporal separation maintains high resolution while achieving comprehensive scanning coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to resolve the spatial conflict. By offsetting the timing of beam emissions into different angular ranges, the system transforms a spatial overlap problem into a temporal sequencing problem. The sensor pixels receive reflections from different angular ranges at different times, effectively doubling the resolution without requiring additional hardware pixels.
2Measurement precision
If the number of sensor pixels is increased to improve resolution, then the measurement precision is improved, but the device complexity and hardware investment increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the number of sensor pixels, the patent uses periodic action in the laser beam emission. By alternating between emitting beams into different angular ranges at different times, the existing sensor pixels can resolve twice as many angular ranges, effectively doubling the resolution without adding hardware pixels or increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameter of beam emission from simultaneous to time-staggered. This parameter change allows the same hardware configuration to achieve doubled resolution by controlling when beams are emitted into different angular ranges, rather than requiring more sensor pixels.
3Productivity
If laser beams are emitted into overlapping angular ranges, then the scanning efficiency is improved, but the ability to resolve adjacent objects decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic action to emit beams into adjacent angular ranges at different times. This allows the scanning system to cover overlapping angular ranges efficiently while maintaining the ability to resolve adjacent objects, as reflections from different angular ranges are detected at different times rather than overlapping simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The control electronics preliminarily determines the timing sequence for emitting beams into different angular ranges. By planning the emission schedule in advance, the system ensures that reflections from adjacent angular ranges are separated in time, allowing efficient scanning while maintaining object resolution capability.
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 approach effectively doubles the resolution of the LIDAR system while maintaining minimal hardware investment, enabling more precise object detection and reducing the need for additional evaluation electronics.
Implementation Method 1
a receiver optics of the laser scanner being configured to concentrate reflected portions of the emitted light beams on exposure regions of a sensor plane
Data Source
AI summary
A laser-scanner for a LIDAR system scanning in a scanning direction, having a laser-source to emit a plurality of individual light-beams into a plurality of angular-ranges which are situated next to one another transversely to the scanning-direction. A receiver-optics of the laser-scanner is configured to concentrate reflected portions of the emitted-light-beams on exposure-regions of a sensor-plane of the laser-scanner that are situated next to one another transversely to the scanning-direction. A plurality of sensor-pixels of the laser-scanner are situated next to one another in the sensor-plane transversely to the scanning-direction. The sensor pixels are situated at an offset vis-a-vis the exposure-regions transversely to the scanning-direction. A control-electronics of the laser-scanner is configured to actuate the laser-source so that a plurality of light-beams is emitted in a time-staggered manner such that no more than the reflected portion of one of the light-beams impinges upon a sensor-pixel at the same time.