LiDAR Sensor Window Layout for Optical Interferent Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
LIDAR sensors in autonomous vehicles are prone to performance degradation due to optical interferents such as dust, water, and other substances on the sensor windows, leading to incorrect data generation and potentially dangerous situations.
Innovation Solution
A system with two sensor windows having different hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface properties is used to detect and differentiate between clean and contaminated areas by comparing sensor data from both windows, allowing the system to temporarily ignore unreliable data and maintain safe autonomous driving.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single sensor window is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of sensor data deteriorates due to undetected optical interferents
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor window is divided into multiple regions (first sensor window region and second sensor window region) with different surface properties. Each region independently deflects water in different directions, allowing the system to maintain functionality even when one region is contaminated, thus improving reliability without requiring a completely redundant dual-window system.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the sensor window are given different local properties (hydrophobic vs. hydrophilic surface characteristics) to create distinct water deflection patterns. This local differentiation enables the system to identify contaminated regions by comparing expected versus actual water deflection behavior, maintaining data reliability while using a single integrated window structure.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If sensor windows with different surface properties are used, then the ability to detect optical interferents is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the surface property parameters of different window regions (hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity) to create distinguishable water deflection patterns. By modifying surface energy characteristics rather than using completely different materials, the system achieves detectable differentiation while maintaining compatibility with standard manufacturing processes, thus balancing detection capability with manufacturing feasibility.
3Measurement precision
If water deflection patterns are used to identify contamination, then the measurement precision of sensor data is maintained, but the device complexity increases due to additional processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from water deflection patterns observed in sensor data to identify contaminated regions. By analyzing the characteristic deflection patterns (hydrophobic regions showing one pattern, hydrophilic regions showing another) and comparing them against expected patterns, the system can flag contaminated measurements without requiring complex external sensing or processing hardware, thus maintaining measurement precision with moderate complexity increase.
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 identifies and mitigates the impact of optical interferents, ensuring reliable sensor data and enhancing the safety of autonomous vehicle operations by selectively using data from the most reliable sensor window based on environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The first sensor window has a first external surface property for deflecting water and the second sensor window has a second external surface property for deflecting water different from the first external surface property
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to determining whether an optical interferent is located on a sensor window and providing a way to identify and discard erroneous sensor data. An example system includes a housing, having a first sensor window and a second sensor window, a laser light source, and an optical sensor. The first window has a first property for deflecting water, and the second window has a second property for deflecting water different from the first property. The source is configured to generate a beam of light through the first window. One or more processors are configured to receive sensor data from the optical sensor and determine that an optical interferent is located on a surface of at least one of the first window and the sensor window based on a comparison between sensor data corresponding to the first window and sensor data corresponding to the second window.