公开(公告)号：US09529079B1

公开(公告)日：2016-12-27

申请号：US14669109

申请日：2015-03-26

Applicant: Google Inc.

Inventor： Pierre Yves Droz ,  Samuel William Lenius

IPC: H04N5/335 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S17/08 ,  H04N5/341

CPC classification number: G01S7/4861 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/497 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/42 ,  H04N5/341 ,  H04N5/3745 ,  H04N5/37455

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system can emit light toward an environment and detect responsively reflected light to determine a distance to one or more points in the environment. The reflected light can be detected by a plurality of plurality of photodiodes that are reverse-biased using a high voltage. Signals from the plurality of reverse-biased photodiodes can be amplified by respective transistors and applied to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The signal from a particular photodiode can be applied to the ADC by biasing a respective transistor corresponding to the particular photodiode while not biasing transistors corresponding to other photodiodes. The gain of each photodiode/transistor pair can be controlled by adjusting the bias voltage applied to each photodiode using a digital-to-analog converter. The gain of each photodiode/transistor pair can be controlled based on the detected temperature of each photodiode.

Abstract translation: 光检测和测距（LIDAR）系统可以向环境发射光并响应于反射光检测以确定到环境中的一个或多个点的距离。 反射光可以由使用高电压反向偏置的多个多个光电二极管来检测。 来自多个反向偏置光电二极管的信号可以由相应的晶体管放大并施加到模数转换器（ADC）。 来自特定光电二极管的信号可以通过偏置对应于特定光电二极管的相应晶体管而被施加到ADC，而不偏置对应于其它光电二极管的晶体管。 可以通过使用数模转换器调节施加到每个光电二极管的偏置电压来控制每个光电二极管/晶体管对的增益。 可以基于每个光电二极管的检测温度来控制每个光电二极管/晶体管对的增益。