Patent ID: 11899110
Assignee: CEPTON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 7:
8. A method of operating a LiDAR system, the method comprising:
emitting, using a plurality of light sources disposed as an array, a plurality of sets of light pulses to be directed toward a scene within a field of view of the LiDAR system, wherein each respective set of light pulses comprises a plurality of light pulses in a temporal sequence, each respective light pulse being emitted by a respective light source of the plurality of light sources;
detecting, using a plurality of detectors disposed as an array, a plurality of return light pulses, wherein each respective detector corresponds to a respective light source, and at least a subset of the plurality of return light pulses corresponds to the plurality of sets of light pulses that have been reflected off of one or more objects in the scene;
determining a time of flight for each respective return light pulse of the plurality of return light pulses;
obtaining a point cloud based on the times of flight of the plurality of return light pulses, the point cloud including a plurality of points representing one or more surfaces of the one or more objects, each respective point corresponding to a respective return light pulse; and
for each respective point in the point cloud:
analyzing spatial and temporal relationships between the respective point and neighboring points in the point cloud; and
evaluating a quality factor for the respective point based on the spatial and temporal relationships.