Steerable LiDAR Sector Scanning for Faster Threat Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing active sensors, such as lidar, struggle to provide multi-directional long-range perception efficiently, particularly in scenarios requiring rapid detection of multiple points of interest, leading to suboptimal reaction times in autonomous vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A steerable lidar system that partitions the environment into sectors based on priority scores assigned to points of interest, adjusting scanning regions dynamically to prioritize high-risk areas and optimize scanning time, using algorithms like K-means for sector aggregation and scheduling to ensure timely detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lidar scans the entire environment uniformly, then all areas are covered, but the reaction time to detect high-priority points of interest increases
Solution Approach 1:
The environment is divided into multiple sectors based on priority scores of points of interest. The lidar scans only the highest-priority sector at any given time rather than uniformly scanning all areas, thus reducing reaction time while maintaining detection coverage through systematic sector rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The scanning pattern is dynamically adjusted based on real-time priority scores. The system rotates between different sectors according to their current priority levels, allowing the lidar to focus on high-risk areas when they emerge and reducing reaction time to newly identified threats.
2Loss of time
If the lidar focuses on high-priority sectors only, then reaction time is reduced, but coverage of low-priority areas decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic rotation through all sectors in priority order. After completing scans of high-priority sectors, the lidar systematically visits lower-priority sectors, ensuring complete coverage over time while maintaining rapid response to high-priority threats during each cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
The scanning operation continues uninterrupted through all sectors in a predetermined priority sequence. This ensures that while the lidar focuses on high-priority areas during each cycle, no sector is permanently neglected and complete environmental monitoring is maintained through continuous operation.
3Reliability
If the system scans all sectors with equal attention, then detection uniformity is maintained, but the ability to respond to critical threats is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Different scanning frequencies and attention levels are applied to different sectors based on their priority scores. High-priority sectors receive more frequent and intensive scanning, while low-priority sectors are scanned less frequently, optimizing the system's threat response capability without completely sacrificing detection uniformity through periodic rotation.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the lidar rotates between multiple sectors, then multi-directional perception is achieved, but the time to detect any single point of interest increases
Solution Approach 1:
The environment is segmented into sectors with assigned priority scores. The lidar rotates through sectors in priority order, spending more time scanning high-priority sectors and less time on low-priority ones. This segmented approach maintains multi-directional perception capability while reducing detection time for critical threats by focusing resources on the most important areas first.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to systems, vehicles, and methods for adjusting a pointing direction and/or a scanning region of a lidar. An example method includes determining a plurality of points of interest within an environment of a vehicle. The method also includes assigning, to each point of interest of the plurality of points of interest, a respective priority score. The method additionally includes partitioning at least a portion of the environment of the vehicle into a plurality of sectors. Each sector of the plurality of sectors includes at least one point of interest. For each sector of the plurality of sectors, the method includes adjusting a scanning region of a lidar unit based on the respective sector and causing the lidar unit to scan the respective sector.