公开(公告)号：US20200284906A1

公开(公告)日：2020-09-10

申请号：US16879091

申请日：2020-05-20

Applicant: Luminar Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Jason M. Eichenholz ,  Scott R. Campbell ,  John E. McWhirter ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Lane A. Martin

IPC: G01S17/08 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G02B26/10 ,  G02B26/12 ,  H01L27/146 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/931 ,  G02B5/09 ,  G02B7/182 ,  G01S17/89 ,  G02B27/09 ,  G02B27/10 ,  G02B27/30 ,  H01L25/16

Abstract: A lidar system includes one or more light sources configured to generate a first beam of light and a second beam of light, a scanner configured to scan the first and second beams of light across a field of regard of the lidar system, and a receiver configured to detect the first beam of light and the second beam of light scattered by one or more remote targets. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror that includes multiple reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the polygon mirror, the reflective surfaces configured to reflect the first and second beams of light to produce a series of scan lines as the polygon mirror rotates. The scanner also includes a pivotable scan mirror configured to (i) reflect the first and second beams of light and (ii) pivot to distribute the scan lines across the field of regard.

公开(公告)号：US20200256964A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-13

申请号：US16861696

申请日：2020-04-29

Applicant: Luminar Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Scott R. Campbell ,  Lane A. Martin ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Jason M. Eichenholz

IPC: G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S17/42

Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source, a scanner, and a receiver and is configured to detect remote targets located up to RMAX meters away. The receiver includes a detector with a field of view larger than the light-source field of view. The scanner causes the detector field of view to move relative to the instantaneous light-source field of view along the scan direction, so that (i) when a pulse of light is emitted, the instantaneous light-source field of view is approximately centered within the detector field of view, and (ii) when a scattered pulse of light returns from a target located RMAX meters away, the instantaneous light-source field of view is located near an edge of the field of view of the detector and is contained within the field of view of the detector.

公开(公告)号：US10401481B2

公开(公告)日：2019-09-03

申请号：US15941677

申请日：2018-03-30

Applicant: LUMINAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Scott R. Campbell ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Lane A. Martin ,  Jason M. Eichenholz

IPC: G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/93 ,  G01S7/484

Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source configured to emit light, a scanner configured to scan a field of regard of the lidar system using (i) a first output beam that includes at least a portion of the emitted light and has a first amount of power and (ii) a second output beam that includes at least a portion of the emitted light and has a second amount of power different from the first amount of power, with an angular separation between the first output beam and the second output beam along a vertical dimension of the field of regard, and a receiver configured to detect light associated with the first output beam and light associated with the second output beam scattered by one or more remote targets.

公开(公告)号：US20190250254A1

公开(公告)日：2019-08-15

申请号：US16390923

申请日：2019-04-22

Applicant: Luminar Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Scott R. Campbell ,  Rodger W. Cleye ,  Jason M. Eichenholz ,  Lane A. Martin ,  Matthew D. Weed

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/87 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/486

CPC classification number: G01S7/4815 ,  G01S7/4817 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/87

Abstract: A system includes a first lidar sensor and a second lidar sensor, where each lidar sensor includes a scanner configured to direct a set of pulses of light along a scan pattern and a receiver configured to detect scattered light from the set of light pulses. The scan patterns are at least partially overlapped in an overlap region. The system further includes an enclosure, where the first lidar sensor and the second lidar sensor are contained within the enclosure. Each scanner includes one or more mirrors, and each mirror is driven by a scan mechanism.

公开(公告)号：US20190154802A1

公开(公告)日：2019-05-23

申请号：US15965288

申请日：2018-04-27

Applicant: LUMINAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Scott R. Campbell ,  Jason M. Eichenholz ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Lane A. Martin

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G02B26/10

Abstract: A lidar system includes one or more light sources configured to generate a first and second beams of light, a scanner configured to synchronously scan a field of regard of the lidar system using the two beams, and a receiver configured to detect light of the two beams scattered by one or more remote targets. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror having a block having a first wall, a second wall, and reflective surfaces extending between the first and second walls, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block; a polygon mirror axle extending into the block, about which the block rotates; optical elements configured to direct the first and second beams of light respectively to two adjacent reflective surfaces of the rotatable polygon mirror; and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle.

公开(公告)号：US10254388B2

公开(公告)日：2019-04-09

申请号：US15909012

申请日：2018-03-01

Applicant: LUMINAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Joseph G. LaChapelle ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Scott R. Campbell ,  Jason M. Eichenholz ,  Austin K. Russell ,  Lane A. Martin

IPC: G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01W1/02 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S7/00 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G01S17/95 ,  G01S17/93 ,  G01S7/486

Abstract: To detect an atmospheric condition at the current location of a lidar system, a receiver in the lidar system detects a return light pulse scattered by a target and analyzes the characteristics of the return light pulse. The characteristics of the return light pulse include a rise time, a fall time, a duration, a peak power, an amount of energy, etc. When the rise time, fall time, and/or duration exceed respective thresholds, the lidar system detects the atmospheric condition such as fog, sleet, snow, rain, dust, smog, exhaust, or insects. In response to detecting the atmospheric condition, the lidar system adjusts the characteristics of subsequent pulses to compensate for attenuation or distortion of return light pulses due to the atmospheric condition. For example, the lidar system adjusts the peak power, pulse energy, pulse duration, inter-pulse-train spacing, number of pulses, or any other suitable characteristic.

公开(公告)号：US20180364356A1

公开(公告)日：2018-12-20

申请号：US15364085

申请日：2016-11-29

Applicant: Luminar Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Jason M. Eichenholz ,  Austin K. Russell ,  Scott R. Campbell ,  Alain Villeneuve ,  Rodger W. Cleye ,  Joseph G. LaChapelle ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Lane A. Martin

IPC: G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/487 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/484

Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit pulses of light and a scanner configured to scan at least a portion of the emitted pulses of light across a field of regard. The lidar system also includes a receiver configured to detect at least a portion of the scanned pulses of light scattered by a target located a distance from the lidar system.

公开(公告)号：US20180284241A1

公开(公告)日：2018-10-04

申请号：US15710744

申请日：2017-09-20

Applicant: LUMINAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Inventor： Scott R. Campbell ,  Lane A. Martin ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Jason M. Eichenholz

IPC: G01S7/486 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source, a scanner, and a receiver and is configured to detect remote targets located up to RMAX meters away. The receiver includes a detector with a field of view larger than the light-source field of view. The scanner causes the detector field of view to move relative to the instantaneous light-source field of view along the scan direction, so that (i) when a pulse of light is emitted, the instantaneous light-source field of view is approximately centered within the detector field of view, and (ii) when a scattered pulse of light returns from a target located RMAX meters away, the instantaneous light-source field of view is located near an edge of the field of view of the detector and is contained within the field of view of the detector.

公开(公告)号：US09897687B1

公开(公告)日：2018-02-20

申请号：US15479167

申请日：2017-04-04

Applicant: Luminar Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Scott R. Campbell ,  Jason M. Eichenholz ,  Lane A. Martin ,  Matthew D. Weed

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/10

CPC classification number: G01S7/4817 ,  G01S7/4812 ,  G01S7/4816 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/89

Abstract: A lidar system may have a light source configured to emit pulses of light along a field of view of the light source and a scanner to scan the light source field of view in a scanning direction across a plurality of pixels located downrange from the lidar system. The scanner can direct a pulse of light, which is emitted by the light source along the light source field of view, toward a pixel and can scan a field of view of a first detector. The first detector field of view can be scanned in the scanning direction across the plurality of pixels and the scanning speed of the first detector field of view can be approximately equal to the scanning speed of the light source field of view. The first detector can detect a portion of the pulse of light scattered by a target located at least partially within the pixel.

公开(公告)号：US09874635B1

公开(公告)日：2018-01-23

申请号：US15470718

申请日：2017-03-27

Applicant: Luminar Technologies, Inc.

Inventor： Jason M. Eichenholz ,  Austin K. Russell ,  Scott R. Campbell ,  Alain Villeneuve ,  Rodger W. Cleye ,  Joseph G. LaChapelle ,  Matthew D. Weed ,  Lane A. Martin

IPC: G01S17/02 ,  G01S17/00 ,  G01C3/08

CPC classification number: G01S17/06 ,  G01S7/4804 ,  G01S7/4811 ,  G01S7/4814 ,  G01S7/4815 ,  G01S7/4816 ,  G01S7/4817 ,  G01S7/4818 ,  G01S7/483 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S17/00 ,  G01S17/02 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/32 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/88 ,  G01S17/89 ,  G01S17/936 ,  H01S3/0007 ,  H01S3/0078 ,  H01S3/0085 ,  H01S3/06733 ,  H01S3/0675 ,  H01S3/06754 ,  H01S3/06758 ,  H01S3/08086 ,  H01S3/094003 ,  H01S3/094042 ,  H01S3/094076 ,  H01S3/0941 ,  H01S3/10023 ,  H01S3/1106 ,  H01S3/1608 ,  H01S3/2383 ,  H01S5/0057 ,  H01S5/0085 ,  H01S5/4012 ,  H01S5/4087 ,  H01S2301/02

Abstract: A lidar system having a light source to emit an output beam and an overlap mirror having a reflecting surface with an aperture through which the output beam passes. The lidar system may include mirrors driven by a galvanometer scanner, a resonant scanner, a microelectromechanical systems device, or a voice coil motor. The mirrors may direct the output beam toward a light source field of view (FOV) and may move the light source FOV to different locations within a field of regard. The mirrors may receive reflected portions of the output beam as an input beam and direct the input beam toward the reflecting surface of the overlap mirror. The lidar system may include a receiver to receive the input beam from the reflecting surface of the overlap mirror. The receiver may have a receiver FOV that moves synchronously with, and at least partially overlaps, the light source FOV.