LiDAR Window Cover Pollution Detection via Segmented Laser Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lidar sensors face performance deterioration due to pollution on their window covers, which can shield and scatter laser beams, making accurate sensing difficult, especially in bistatic configurations where separate transmission and reception paths are used, requiring a method to detect pollution without interfering with the laser beam's transmission and reception for surrounding sensing.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that utilize a laser signal transmitter to send signals to pollution detecting regions on the window cover and a reflected signal receiver to determine pollution by comparing the amplitude of reflected signals, allowing for real-time detection without influencing the sensor's operation, using a flash laser type and separate detection periods from scanning cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a laser beam is transmitted and received through the window cover for sensing the surrounding, then distance and position information can be collected, but pollution on the window cover deteriorates transmission and reception efficiency due to shielding effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the detection function into separate segments: a pollution detection unit with its own transmitter and receiver is separated from the main sensing unit. This allows independent detection of window cover pollution without interfering with the primary distance sensing function, resolving the contradiction by enabling simultaneous operation of both functions with dedicated hardware paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary pollution detection system that uses a separate laser beam path to detect pollution on the window cover. This intermediary system provides information about pollution without directly interfering with the main sensing beam, allowing the system to compensate for pollution effects and maintain sensing accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If a pollution detection method is implemented using the existing laser beam receiver, then pollution can be detected, but it interferes with the transmission and reception of laser beams for sensing the surrounding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the detection system into two independent units: a pollution detection unit with its own transmitter and receiver, and a main sensing unit. This segmentation allows the pollution detection function to operate independently without interfering with the continuity of the main sensing operations, resolving the contradiction between detection accuracy and operational reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The pollution detection is performed periodically during idle periods between scanning cycles. The controller activates the pollution detection transmitter and receiver during these intervals, allowing pollution monitoring without continuously interfering with the main sensing beam transmission and reception.
3Reliability
If a separate cover is used to protect the sensor from external contaminants, then the sensor is protected, but the window cover itself becomes susceptible to pollution that affects laser beam transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary pollution detection system that monitors the window cover's condition without compromising its protective function. The detection system uses a separate laser path to assess pollution on the window cover, providing information that allows the system to compensate for transmission losses while the window cover continues to protect the sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the pollution detection unit continuously monitors the window cover's transmission characteristics. The controller receives pollution level information and adjusts the sensing system accordingly, compensating for the shielding effect of pollutants while maintaining sensor protection through the window cover.
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
Enables effective detection of pollution on Lidar sensor window covers in real-time, preventing performance deterioration and improving sensor performance by distinguishing polluted areas based on amplitude differences in reflected signals, even in bistatic configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a reflected signal receiver configured to receive reflected signals that have been reflected and returned from the one or more pollution detecting regions
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for detecting pollution in a window cover of a LiDAR sensor includes: a laser signal transmitter that transmits laser signals having a same amplitude and wavelength to one or more pollution detecting regions on the window cover; a reflected signal receiver that receives reflected signals that have been reflected and returned from the one or more pollution detecting regions; a memory that stores one or more instructions; and a processor that executes the one or more instructions stored in the memory to sense pollution on the window cover based on the reflected signals.