Lidar Pulse Reconstruction Using Multi-Threshold Signal Slices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lidar systems face challenges in accurately reconstructing pulses with various types of artifacts under sparse or nonuniform sampling conditions, leading to inefficiencies in distance measurement and object detection.
Innovation Solution
A lidar system that includes a signal transmitter and receiver with comparators to sample reflected pulses at different intensity threshold levels, and processors to analyze timing overlaps between slices to reconstruct pulses, effectively addressing pulse artifacts and improving computational efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional uniform sampling methods are used to detect reflected pulses, then the system structure remains simple, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to accurately reconstruct pulses with artifacts under sparse sampling conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the pulse detection process into multiple intensity threshold levels using comparators. Each comparator samples the reflected pulse at a different intensity threshold, creating multiple slices of the pulse signal. This segmentation allows accurate reconstruction of pulses with artifacts by capturing information at multiple intensity levels, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and device complexity.
2Measurement precision
If sparse sampling is used to reduce data processing load, then productivity improves, but measurement precision deteriorates due to difficulty in accurately reconstructing pulses with artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by using comparators to pre-process the reflected pulse signal and generate multiple intensity threshold slices before further processing. This preliminary segmentation captures essential pulse characteristics at different intensity levels, enabling accurate reconstruction even with sparse sampling. The timing overlap analysis that follows requires less computational effort than traditional dense sampling methods, thus improving productivity while maintaining measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If multiple intensity threshold levels are used to sample reflected pulses, then pulse reconstruction accuracy improves, but device complexity increases due to additional comparators and processing circuitry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds another dimension to pulse sampling by introducing multiple intensity threshold levels. Instead of sampling at a single time point or using a single threshold, the system creates a two-dimensional sampling space with time and intensity threshold dimensions. This dimensional expansion enables accurate pulse reconstruction with artifacts while the analysis of timing overlaps provides a computationally efficient processing method that mitigates the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a signal transmitter configured to emit a signal pulse and a signal receiver configured to receive one or more reflected pulses of the emitted signal pulse, wherein the signal receiver includes a plurality of comparators configured to sample the one or more reflected pulses at different intensity threshold levels to determine a group of slices representative of the received one or more reflected pulses, wherein each slice of at least a portion of the group of slices identifies a corresponding timing of when at least a portion of the received one or more reflected pulses met a corresponding intensity threshold level. The system further includes one or more processors configured to use the determined slices to reconstruct the one or more reflected pulses.