Lidar Light-Guide Manifold for Precise, Redundant Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lidar devices face challenges in efficiently detecting and mapping surrounding environments with high precision and redundancy, particularly in autonomous vehicles, due to limitations in light emission and detection systems.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a shared telecentric lens assembly with an array of light emitters and detectors, coupled with light-guide manifolds and astigmatic lenses, allows for precise light distribution and detection across a wide area, enhancing the generation of three-dimensional point clouds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional light emission and detection systems are used in lidar devices, then the system can detect and map surrounding environments, but the precision, redundancy, and efficiency are insufficient for autonomous vehicle applications
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the light detection and emission functions into multiple independent channels, each with its own light emitter, light-guide manifold, and detector. This segmentation allows for redundant detection paths and improves both precision and reliability by enabling cross-validation of measurements across multiple channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple light emitters and detectors into a shared optical system using a common telecentric lens assembly and aperture plate. This merging allows multiple detection channels to share common optical components, improving system compactness while maintaining detection precision through the shared high-quality optics.
2Reliability
If multiple light emitters and detectors are used to improve detection redundancy, then the reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The telecentric lens assembly and aperture plate serve multiple functions: they are shared across all light emitters and detectors, providing both illumination and detection optics. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate optical components needed, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining detection reliability through redundant channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The light-guide manifolds act as intermediary components that couple light from multiple emitters to the shared telecentric lens system and distribute returned light to multiple detectors. These intermediaries simplify the optical coupling between the redundant emitter-detector pairs and the shared optics, reducing system complexity.
3Device complexity
If a shared telecentric lens assembly is used to reduce device complexity, then the number of components decreases, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The telecentric lens assembly is designed with self-aligning features where the aperture plate's aperture array is precisely registered to the lens optical axis. The system uses the telecentric property itself to provide automatic alignment tolerance, where the chief rays remain parallel to the optical axis across the field, reducing the precision requirements for mounting the aperture plate and other components.
4Productivity
If light-guide manifolds are used to distribute light efficiently, then the light distribution improves, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light-guide manifolds are designed with specific geometric parameters (cross-sectional shape, length, refractive index) that optimize light distribution efficiency. By carefully selecting these parameters, the system achieves efficient light coupling and distribution while maintaining manufacturability through standard fabrication processes for optical waveguides.
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 configuration enables robust and redundant object detection and mapping, improving the accuracy and reliability of autonomous vehicle navigation by providing a compact, low-loss, and cost-effective lidar system.
Implementation Method 1
a light-guide manifold optically coupled to the light emitter
Implementation Method 2
a telecentric lens assembly optically coupled to the light-guide manifold
Implementation Method 3
a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) positioned to receive light traveling through the aperture
Data Source
AI summary
Example embodiments relate to light detection and ranging (lidar) devices having a light-guide manifold. An example lidar device includes a transmit subsystem. The transmit subsystem includes a light emitter. The transmit subsystem also includes a light-guide manifold optically coupled to the light emitter. 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 at 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.