Lidar Waveguide Segmentation for Lag-Angle Signal Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) LIDAR systems face signal-to-noise ratio degradation due to lag-angle effects caused by high-speed mirror movement, which results in light being off-angle at the receiver, especially for distant targets.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a LIDAR system with multiple waveguides positioned at different angles to receive and process return signals, combined with a signal processing system that uses local oscillator signals and band-pass filters to determine target distance and velocity, effectively mitigating lag-angle issues by increasing the field of view and maintaining signal quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If high-speed mirrors are used to scan the field of view, then the scanning speed and field of view coverage are improved, but lag-angle effects cause signal-to-noise ratio degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver is divided into multiple segments (first receiver and second receiver) positioned at different locations. Each receiver collects light at different angles, allowing the system to capture signals despite mirror movement during the round trip, thus resolving the lag-angle effect while maintaining high scanning speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a spatial dimension by positioning receivers at different locations and angles. This multi-dimensional approach allows the system to accommodate the angular displacement caused by mirror movement, converting the lag-angle problem into a solvable geometric configuration
2Productivity
If mirror speeds are increased, then the scanning performance is improved, but light returned from targets becomes off-angle at the receiver
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver is segmented into multiple receivers at different positions and angles. This segmentation allows each receiver to be optimized for specific angular ranges, ensuring accurate signal reception even when mirror movement causes off-angle returns, thus maintaining scanning performance while improving reception accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
Each receiver is positioned and oriented with specific local characteristics tailored to its spatial location. This local optimization ensures that each receiver efficiently captures light at its specific angle, compensating for the off-angle effects introduced by high-speed mirror scanning
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 enhances the signal-to-noise ratio and allows for accurate real-time measurement of range, velocity, and elevation across two dimensions, improving the overall performance of FMCW LIDAR systems by compensating for lag-angle effects.
Implementation Method 1
an optical source to generate an optical beam towards a target object
Implementation Method 2
A plurality of waveguides may be disposed at different positions within the LIDAR system to receive the return signal at the different angles
Implementation Method 3
A plurality of optical detectors disposed at different positions within the LIDAR system. A first optical detector from the plurality of optical detectors receives the first portion of the return signal from the first waveguide
Implementation Method 4
a local oscillator signal is combined with the return signal at the plurality of optical detectors to produce a beat frequency to calculate the distance
Implementation Method 5
Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) LIDAR systems use tunable lasers for frequency-chirped illumination of targets
Data Source
AI summary
A LIDAR system includes multiple waveguides to receive a return signal at different angles from a scanning mirror, multiple optical detectors to receive the return signal the plurality of waveguides, and a signal processing system operatively coupled to the plurality of optical detectors. The signal processing system is to process a signal generated from each of the optical detectors and combine the processed signals from the different optical detectors into a combined signal, wherein the combined signal is used to determine range and velocity information associated with a target.