Patent Description:
Lidar is a radar system that emits laser beams to detect position, velocity, or other characteristics of an object in a detection region. In particular, a Lidar may have a light transmitting system configured to generate and output an outgoing light signal (e.g., a laser signal) to the detection region for detecting the object, and a light receiving system configured to receive a reflected light signal from the object in the detection region. The reflected light signal is compared with the outgoing light signal. Based on the comparison, relevant information or characteristics of the object can be obtained, such as distance, orientation, height, speed, attitude, shape, etc..

At present, mechanical rotary Lidars have been widely used because of its technical maturity. Generally, a mechanical rotary Lidar uses a transmitting system and a receiving system arranged horizontally. The Lidar is rotated horizontally to achieve scanning in the horizontal direction.

US Patent No. <CIT> discloses methods and systems for performing multiple pulse LIDAR measurements. In one aspect, each LIDAR measurement beam illuminates a location in a three dimensional environment with a sequence of multiple pulses of illumination light. Light reflected from the location is detected by a photosensitive detector of the LIDAR system during a measurement window having a duration that is greater than or equal to the time of flight of light from the LIDAR system out to the programmed range of the LIDAR system, and back. The pulses in a measurement pulse sequence can vary in magnitude and duration. Furthermore, the delay between pulses and the number of pulses in each measurement pulse sequence can also be varied. In some embodiments, the multi-pulse illumination beam is encoded and the return measurement pulse sequence is decoded to distinguish the measurement pulse sequence from exogenous signals.

Chinese Patent Application No. <CIT> discloses a laser-based measurement device, which includes a motor comprising a hollow shaft. The laser-based measurement device further includes a laser transmitter disposed in the hollow shaft. The laser-based measurement device also includes an optical device disposed at the motor. The motor is configured to drive the optical device to rotate. The optical device is configured to guide a laser beam transmitted by the laser transmitter out of the hollow shaft, or to guide the laser beam reflected by an external environment into the hollow shaft.

<CIT> discloses a navigation and control system including one or more position sensors configured to generate position signals indicative of the location and heading of a vehicle. An imaging sensor is described and includes an emitter <NUM> that transmits laser pulses from the imaging sensor into the environment about the vehicle. Before transmitted into the environment, the laser pulses pass through a beam expander and a collimator, reflected at a stationary mirror to a rotating mirror, and then forwarded through lens and a telescope to form a beam for the laser pulses with a specific diameter.

<CIT> relates to a 3D coordinate measuring system includes a six degree-of-freedom (six-DOF). It discloses a laser tracker embodiment in which a beam expander is employed. Two lens configurations for the beam expander are described. The first configuration is based on the use of a negative lens and a positive lens, and the second configuration is based on the use of two positive lenses.

However, in some applications, such as autonomous vehicle, in addition to scanning in the lateral directions of the vehicle, it is also necessary to extend the vertical field of view downward to scan road conditions, such as ground pits, and/or upward to scan the sky. Therefore, there is a need for Lidars with a wider field of view.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a sensor is provided. Aspects of the present invention are set out in the accompanying claims.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a sensor comprises a rotating component rotatably mounted to a base and configured to rotate about a central shaft; and an optical component mounted on the rotating component. The optical component has an optical axis that is oblique with respect to the central shaft.

The optical component includes: a transmitting system and a receiving system. The transmitting system is configured to generate and transmit an outgoing light signal to a detection region. The transmitting system includes a transmitting lens barrel and a transmitting lens group. The transmitting lens barrel has a first aperture at a first end and a second aperture at a second end, the first aperture being smaller than the second aperture. The transmitting lens group is disposed in the transmitting lens barrel. The transmitting lens group has a first transmitting lens having a first diameter and disposed at the first end of the transmitting lens barrel and a second transmitting lens having a second diameter and disposed at the second end of the transmitting lens barrel, the first diameter being smaller than the second diameter.

The receiving system includes a receiving lens barrel and a receiving lens group. The receiving lens barrel has a first aperture at a first end and a second aperture at a second end, the first aperture being smaller than the second aperture. The receiving lens group is disposed in the receiving lens barrel. The receiving lens group has a first receiving lens having a first diameter and disposed at the first end of the receiving lens barrel and a second receiving lens having a second diameter and disposed at the second end of the receiving lens barrel, the first diameter being smaller than the second diameter. The receiving system further includes a light receiver array configured to receive a reflected light signal from the receiving lens group. The receiving lens group receives the reflected light signal through the first receiving lens from the detection region and transmit the reflected light signal through the second receiving lens to the light receiver array.

The optical axis and the central shaft may form an acute angle. The sensor may have a field of view that covers a direction along the central shaft and a direction perpendicular to the central shaft. The field of view may be equal to <NUM> degrees.

The sensor may further comprise a housing and a cover coupled to form a seal cavity for housing the rotating component and the optical component. The cover may have a dome shape.

The sensor may have a field of view that covers a direction along the central shaft and a direction perpendicular to the central shaft. The field of view may be equal to <NUM> degrees.

The receiving system is configured to receive a reflected light signal from the detection region. The reflected light signal may include a portion of the outgoing light signal reflected from the detection region.

The transmitting system may further include one or more transmitters configured to generate the outgoing light signal. The transmitting lens group may receive the outgoing light signal through the second transmitting lens from the one or more transmitters, and transmit the outgoing signal through the first transmitting lens to the detection region. The transmitting lens group may further include a third transmitting lens having a third diameter and disposed in the transmitting lens barrel between the first end and the second end, the third diameter being greater than the first diameter of the first transmitting lens and smaller than the second diameter of the second transmitting lens. The transmitting lens group may further include a fourth transmitting lens having a fourth diameter and disposed in the transmitting lens barrel between the third transmitting lens and the second transmitting lens, the fourth diameter being greater than the third diameter of the third transmitting lens and smaller than the second diameter of the second transmitting lens.

Each of the second transmitting lens and the fourth transmitting lens may have a refractive index between <NUM> and <NUM>. The first transmitting lens may have a first diopter, the second transmitting lens may have a second diopter, the third transmitting lens may have a third diopter, and the fourth transmitting lens may have a fourth diopter. The first, second, third, and fourth diopters may be configured according to one of the followings: (a) the first, second, and fourth diopters are positive, and the third diopter is negative; (b) the first and second diopters are positive, and the third and fourth diopters are negative; (c) the first and fourth diopters are positive, and the second and third diopters are negative; (d) the first and fourth diopters are negative, and the second and third diopters are positive; or (e) the first and second diopters are negative, and the third and fourth diopters are positive. The transmitting lens barrel may have a cone or pyramid shape.

The receiving lens group may further include a third receiving lens having a third diameter and disposed in the receiving lens barrel between the first end and the second end, the third diameter being greater than the first diameter of the first receiving lens and smaller than the second diameter of the second receiving lens. The receiving lens group may further include a fourth receiving lens having a fourth diameter and disposed in the receiving lens barrel between the third lens and the second lens, the fourth diameter being greater than the third diameter of the third receiving lens and smaller than the second diameter of the second receiving lens.

Each of the second receiving lens and the fourth receiving lens may have a refractive index between <NUM> and <NUM>. The first receiving lens may have a first diopter, the second receiving lens may have a second diopter, the third receiving lens may have a third diopter, and the fourth receiving lens may have a fourth diopter. The first, second, third, and fourth diopters may be configured according to one of the followings:.

The rotating component may have a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. The optical sensor may be mounted to the first side of the rotating component. The optical component may be mounted to the first side of the rotating component, and the central shaft may be coupled to the second side of the rotating component and configured to drive the rotating component to rotate.

The rotating component may be coupled to a base through the central shaft. The transmitting system and the receiving system may be disposed on the rotating component. The rotating component drives the transmitting system and the receiving system to rotate.

The transmitting system may have a field of view of <NUM>° along the central shaft. The field of view of the transmitting system may cover from <NUM>° to <NUM>°, wherein <NUM>° corresponds to a direction along the central shaft and <NUM>° corresponds to a direction perpendicular to the central shaft.

The transmitting system may have a transmitting axis and the receiving system may have a receiving axis. The optical axis of the optical component may be parallel to the transmitting axis and the receiving axis. The transmitting axis and the receiving axis each form a <NUM>° angle with the central shaft.

The transmitting system may include a transmitting lens module and a transmitting device. The receiving system may include a receiving lens module and a receiving device. The transmitting lens module may have a transmitting lens group having a plurality of transmitting lenses arranged according to their sizes, the transmitting lens group receiving the outgoing laser signal from the transmitting device through the transmitting lens having the largest size and transmitting the outgoing laser signal to the detection area through the transmitting lens having the smallest size. The receiving lens module may have a receiving lens group having a plurality of receiving lenses arranged according to their sizes, the receiving lens group receiving the reflected laser signal from the detection area through the receiving lens having the smallest size and transmitting the reflected laser signal to the receiving device through the receiving lens having the largest size.

The transmitting lens module may include a transmitting lens barrel configured to house the transmitting lens group, the transmitting lens barrel being inclined with respect to the central shaft, and an aperture of an outgoing end of the transmitting lens barrel being smaller than an aperture of an incoming end of the transmitting lens barrel. The receiving lens module may include a receiving lens barrel configured to house the receiving lens group, the receiving lens barrel being included with respect to the central shaft, and an aperture of an incoming end of the receiving lens barrel being smaller than an aperture of an outgoing end of the receiving lens barrel.

Each of the transmitting lens group and the receiving lens group may have a first spherical lens having a positive diopter, a second spherical lens having a negative diopter, a third spherical lens having a positive diopter, and a fourth spherical lens having a positive diopter. The first spherical lens, the second spherical lens, the third spherical lens, and the fourth spherical lens may be arranged from the smallest to the largest and disposed in the transmitting lens barrel and the receiving lens barrel, respectively.

Alternatively, each of the transmitting lens group and the receiving lens group may have:.

The first spherical lens, the second spherical lens, the third spherical lens, and the fourth spherical lens may be arranged from the smallest to the largest and disposed in the transmitting lens barrel and the receiving lens barrel, respectively.

A diaphragm may be disposed between the first spherical lens and the second spherical lens of each of the transmitting lens group and the receiving lens group. A filter may be disposed on a side of the first spherical lens away from the second spherical lens. Each of the third spherical lens and the fourth spherical lens may have a refractive index between <NUM> and <NUM>. Alternatively, each of the third spherical lens and the fourth spherical lens may have a refractive index between <NUM> and <NUM>.

The transmitting lens module and the receiving lens module may be disposed side by side on the same side of the rotating component and are disposed symmetrically with respect to a plane passing the central shaft. The transmitting device may be disposed on the rotating component and configured to transmit the outgoing laser signal through the transmitting lens module. The transmitting device may include a substrate and a plurality of transmitters disposed on the substrate along a direction of the central shaft. Optical axes of adjacent transmitters may form an angle. The receiving device may be disposed on the rotating component, and the receiving lens module may transmit the reflected laser signal to the receiving device.

The sensor may further include a housing and a spherical cover, wherein the transmitting system, the receiving system, and the rotating component are disposed in a cavity formed by the base, the housing, and the spherical cover. The central shaft may be fixed to the base and rotatably coupled to the rotating component. Alternatively, the central shaft may be fixed to the rotating component and rotatably coupled to the base.

In order to facilitate understanding of the present application, and in order to make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present application more comprehensible, specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present application, and the preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented in many other ways than described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the content of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless it is specifically defined otherwise.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

<FIG> shows a perspective view of a sensor such as a Lidar device <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. <FIG> shows a cross-sectional view of the Lidar <NUM> of <FIG> according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The Lidar device <NUM> may include a rotating component <NUM> and an optical component disposed on the rotating component. The optical component may include a transmitting system <NUM> and a receiving system <NUM>.

The transmitting system <NUM> may be configured to emit an outgoing light signal, such as a laser signal, to a detection region. The detection region may have one or more objects that reflect at least a portion of the outgoing light signal. The reflected portion of the outgoing light signal may become a reflected light signal and return to the Lidar device <NUM>. The receiving system <NUM> may be configured to receive the reflected light signal from the object in the detection region. The rotating component <NUM> may be driven by a vertical shaft <NUM> to rotate around a central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>. Since the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> are disposed on and secured to the rotating component <NUM>, they may rotate with the rotating component <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the transmitting system <NUM> may include a transmitting device <NUM> and a transmitting lens module <NUM>. The transmitting device <NUM> may include one or more transmitters <NUM> and a transmitting substrate <NUM>. The one or more transmitters <NUM> may be arranged on the transmitting substrate <NUM>. The transmitters <NUM> may be configured to emit the outgoing light signal directly towards the transmitting lens module <NUM> so that the outgoing light signal may be output through the transmitting lens module <NUM>. The straight light path between the transmitters <NUM> and the transmitting lens module <NUM> may improve the transmission efficiency of the transmitting system <NUM>.

The receiving system <NUM> may include a receiving device and a receiving lens module <NUM>. The receiving device may include one or more receivers and a receiving substrate. The one or more receivers may be arranged on the receiving substrate. The receiving lens module <NUM> may be aligned with the receiver and configured to direct and focus the reflected light signal directly onto the receivers. The direct light path between the receiving lens module <NUM> and the receivers may improve the receiving efficiency of the reflected light signal.

As shown in <FIG>, according to some embodiments the rotating component <NUM> may include a supporting member <NUM>. The supporting member <NUM> may be connected to the vertical shaft <NUM> through a connector. The vertical shaft <NUM> then may drive the rotating component <NUM> to rotate around a first axis. The transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> may be fixed to the supporting member <NUM> of the rotating component <NUM> and rotated with the rotating component <NUM>. The first axis may be a central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM> and arranged vertically as shown in <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, according to some embodiments, the optical component of the Lidar device <NUM> may have one or more optical axes. For example, the one or more optical axes may include an optical axis of the transmitting system <NUM>, which is a signal transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The one or more optical axes may also include an optical axis of the receiving system <NUM>, which is a signal receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM>. The one or more optical axes may also include any axis that is separated from and parallel to at least one of the signal transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> and the signal receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM>.

The transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> may be disposed on the rotating component <NUM> in an oblique position with respect to the vertical shaft <NUM>. Specifically, at least one of the signal transmitting and signal receiving optical axes <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> may form an angle with the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>, which is greater than <NUM>° and smaller than <NUM>°. As a result, the Lidar device <NUM> may have a greater field of view than conventional Lidar devices and may have the ability to detect objects in a greater detection region surrounding the Lidar device.

According to some embodiments, as shown in <FIG>, the transmitting system <NUM> may have a field of view angle equal to or substantially equal to <NUM>° in the vertical direction along the vertical shaft <NUM>. The <NUM>° field of view angle of the transmitting system <NUM> may provide a large detection region, thereby improving the detection capability of the Lidar device <NUM>. The <NUM>° field of view angle of the transmitting system <NUM> may be configured to cover any region along the vertical shaft <NUM>. Of course, the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> may each have a field of view angle smaller than <NUM>° or greater than <NUM>° according to some embodiments of the present application.

As further shown in <FIG>, the field of view of the transmitting system <NUM> along the vertical shaft <NUM> may cover a range of <NUM>°-<NUM>°, where <NUM>° corresponds to a direction parallel to the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM> and <NUM>° corresponds to a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the one or more optical axes such as the signal transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> of the transmitting system <NUM> and the signal receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> of the receiving system <NUM> may each form an angle of <NUM>° with the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>.

As another example, the one or more optical axes such as the signal transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> of the transmitting system <NUM> and the signal receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> of the receiving system <NUM> may each form an angle β less or greater than <NUM>° with the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>. Accordingly, the field of view of the transmitting system <NUM> may be greater than <NUM>° so that it still covers the <NUM>° direction, which is along the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>, and the <NUM>° direction, which is perpendicular to the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>. For example, when the angle β between the one or more optical axes and the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM> is less than <NUM>°, the field of view may be set to 2x(<NUM>°-β). When the angle β is greater than <NUM>°, the field of view may be set to 2xβ.

As still another example, the optical component of the Lidar device <NUM> may have an optical axis that is separated from the signal transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> and the signal receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> but parallel to at least one of the signal transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> or the signal receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM>. The optical axis of the optical component of the Lidar device <NUM> may form an angle with the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>. This angle may have a value between <NUM>° and <NUM>°. In a further example, the angle may be <NUM>°.

Since the field of view covers <NUM>°-<NUM>° around the vertical shaft <NUM> and, at the same time, the rotating component <NUM> drives the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> to rotate around the vertical shaft <NUM>, the Lidar device <NUM> may thus have a <NUM>°×<NUM>° field of view, which may cover the entire upper hemisphere of the Lidar device <NUM>. As a result, the field of view of the Lidar device <NUM> is significantly expanded from that of the conventional Lidar device. When installed or mounted on a base, such as an autonomous vehicle, the field of view may cover all directions in the entire hemisphere corresponding to the side of the vehicle where the Lidar device <NUM> is installed. The Lidar device <NUM> may detect not only objects in the direction perpendicular to the vertical shaft <NUM> but also objects above and around the vertical shaft <NUM> within the hemisphere described above. As another example, the outgoing light signal and the reflected light signal are symmetrically distributed around the vertical shaft <NUM> within the hemisphere of the Lidar device <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, the transmitting lens module <NUM> and the receiving lens module <NUM> are disposed side by side on the rotating component <NUM>, aligned in the horizontal direction, and arranged symmetrical with respect to a plane that cuts the Lidar device <NUM> in halves.

Additionally, the transmitting lens module <NUM> and the receiving lens module <NUM> may be arranged as close to each other as the structures allows, so that most of the outgoing light signal that passes through the transmitting lens module <NUM> and gets reflected by the objects, i.e., the reflected light signal, may be received by the receiving lens module <NUM>. The close proximity between the transmitting lens module <NUM> and the receiving lens module <NUM> may enable the receiving lens module <NUM> to receive a significant portion of the reflected light signal. A light blocking plate <NUM> may be further provided between the transmitting lens module <NUM> and the receiving lens module <NUM>. The light blocking plate <NUM> may be used to prevent crosstalk between the outgoing light signal transmitted from the transmitting lens module <NUM> and the reflected light signal received by the receiving lens module <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the transmitting lens module <NUM> may include a transmitting lens barrel <NUM> and a transmitting lens group <NUM>. The transmitting lens group <NUM> may be fixed in the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>. The receiving lens module <NUM> may include a receiving lens barrel (not shown in the figure) and a receiving lens group (not shown in the figure). The receiving lens group is fixed in the receiving lens barrel. The transmitting lens group <NUM> is fixed to the rotating component <NUM> through the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>, and the receiving lens group is fixed to the rotating component <NUM> through the receiving lens barrel.

The symmetrical structure formed by the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> provides dynamic balance for the entire rotating component <NUM> and the various systems disposed thereon, thereby reducing wear and impact of the vertical shaft <NUM> during rotation and improving service life and reliability of the entire device.

As shown in <FIG>, the transmitting device <NUM> may be disposed on the rotating component <NUM>, and the outgoing light signal emitted by the transmitting device <NUM> may be aligned with the transmitting lens module <NUM> and may be transmitted outward through the transmitting lens module <NUM>. As further shown in <FIG>, the transmitting device <NUM> may include a transmitting substrate <NUM> and a plurality of transmitters <NUM> fixed on the transmitting substrate <NUM>. For example, the transmitting substrate <NUM> may be a flat plate arranged in parallel with the vertical shaft <NUM>. The transmitters <NUM> may be arranged and disposed on the transmitting substrate <NUM> along the vertical shaft <NUM> in an axial direction. Alternatively, as shown in <FIG>, the transmitting substrate <NUM> may have an arched surface, on which the transmitters <NUM> are disposed. The transmitters <NUM> may be disposed along the arched surface of the transmitting substrate <NUM> so that the light rays emitted by the transmitters <NUM> form the sectorial form. The sectorial form may be in a plane that is parallel to the vertical shaft <NUM> or passes through the vertical shaft <NUM>. Accordingly, the fan-shaped distribution of light rays in the outgoing light signal provides a large field of view in comparison with the field of view of a single light ray. Further, the transmitting lens module <NUM> may include a collimating lens group, which is used to collimate the outgoing light signal to improve its directionality.

Further, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the Lidar device <NUM> may further include a housing <NUM> and a cover <NUM>. The housing <NUM> and the cover <NUM>, when coupled together, formed a sealed cavity, in which the transmitting system <NUM>, the receiving system <NUM>, and the rotating component <NUM> may all be disposed. The sealed cavity may be waterproof, dustproof, and windproof, and thus provide a stable and reliable working environment for its internal components such as the transmitting system <NUM>, the receiving system <NUM>, and the rotating component <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the cover <NUM> may have a dome shape, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. The cover <NUM> may be a window made of materials that allow the outgoing light signal and the reflected light signal to pass through, while filtering out interfering light signals in the reflected light signal, thereby improving detection accuracy. The dome-shaped cover <NUM> is configured to pass through the outgoing light signal and the reflected light signal with minimum distortions. Further, the dome-shaped cover <NUM> does not interfere with the rotation of the internal components. The dome shape of the cover <NUM> may be substantially semi-spherical. In another example, the cover <NUM> may have a cylindrical shape, a cone shape, or any other shape that may be appreciated by one of ordinary skills in the art.

According to some embodiments of the present application as shown in <FIG>, the transmitting system <NUM> may include a transmitting lens barrel <NUM> and a transmitting lens group <NUM> having a plurality of lenses disposed in the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>. The lenses of the lens group <NUM> may be arranged in an order according to their diameters. Specifically, the lens having the smallest diameter may be disposed at the top end of the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>, and the lens having the largest diameter may be disposed at the bottom end of the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>. Other lenses, if any, may be arranged from the top end to the bottom end of the transmitting lens barrel <NUM> so that each lens has a diameter greater than that of the previous lens in the lens group <NUM>.

The transmitting system <NUM> may be configured to transmit the outgoing light signal emitted by the transmitting device <NUM>. Specifically, the outgoing light signal may be received from the transmitting device <NUM> by the transmitting lens group <NUM> through the lens with the largest diameter, and transmitted to the detection region through the lens with the smallest diameter. The transmitting lens barrel <NUM> may be configured to receive and fix the transmitting lens group <NUM>. The signal transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> of the transmitting system <NUM> may form an angle with the central axis of vertical shaft <NUM> as discussed above. The angle may be of a range of <NUM>°- <NUM> °. For example, the angle is equal to <NUM>° with respect to the central axis of the vertical shaft <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the aperture of the light emitting end (i.e., the top end) of the transmitting lens barrel <NUM> may be smaller than the aperture of the light incident end (i.e., the bottom end). The transmitting lens group <NUM> may have four lenses <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, which may be coaxially arranged in the transmitting lens barrel <NUM> in the order described above. The light transmitting system <NUM> may receive the outgoing light signal from the light transmitting device <NUM> through the lens <NUM> having the largest diameter and outputs the outgoing light signal through the lens <NUM> having the smallest diameter.

A light transmitter array, such as the array <NUM> shown in <FIG>, may be arranged on the light transmitting device <NUM> and correspond to the lens <NUM> having the largest diameter. Additionally, in order to further improve performance of the outgoing light signal, a diaphragm may be disposed between the lens <NUM> having the smallest diameter and the lens <NUM> having the second smallest diameter of the transmitting lens group <NUM> to filter stray light. The diaphragm may be a standalone component or may be integrated with one of the lenses to reduce the size of the structure. By receiving the outgoing light signal through the lens <NUM> having the largest diameter, and gradually reducing the aperture as the outgoing light signal travels through the transmitting lens group <NUM>, the transmitting system <NUM> provides a compact design that may be easily disposed within the dome-shaped cover <NUM>, without sacrificing the optical performance of the system.

<FIG> is an exploded view of the transmitting lens module of the transmitting system <NUM>, according to some embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, the lenses <NUM>-<NUM> of the transmitting lens group <NUM> are coaxially disposed inside the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>. The interior surface of the lens barrel <NUM> is configured with slots and/or steps corresponding to the lenses. The slots and/or steps are configured to hold or fix the lenses <NUM>-<NUM> within the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>. Glue, snap connections, or other fastening means may be used to further secure the lenses <NUM>-<NUM> within the transmitting lens barrel <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, the overall diopter (i.e., the optical power) of the light transmitting system <NUM> may be positive. The light transmitting system <NUM> is an equivalent of a telecentric system toward the top end, i.e., the end of the small aperture. On the other hand, the light transmitting system <NUM> is an equivalent of an afocal system toward the bottom end, i.e., the end of the large aperture. As shown in <FIG> the outgoing light signal is transmitted from the lens <NUM> having the largest diameter to the lens <NUM> having the smallest diameter.

According to some embodiments, the light transmitting system <NUM> may use spherical lenses for the lenses <NUM>-<NUM>. In one embodiment, as shown in <FIG>, the lenses <NUM> having the smallest diameter, the lens <NUM> having the second largest diameter, and the lens <NUM> having the largest diameter each have a positive diopter, the lens <NUM> having the second smallest diameter has a negative diopter. The lens <NUM> having the second largest diameter and the lens <NUM> having the largest diameter may be high-refractive-index lenses. For example, the refractive indices of these two lenses may be between <NUM> and <NUM>.

In order to further reduce the size of each lens in the light transmitting system <NUM>, the thickness and curvature of each lens may be adjusted. For example, by adjusting the materials of the lens <NUM> having the second largest diameter and the lens <NUM> having the largest diameter, the refractive indices of these lenses may be set between <NUM> and <NUM>. As a result, the total length of the light transmitting system <NUM> may be greatly reduced. For example, the total length of the transmitting lens module of the transmitting system <NUM> may be reduced by about <NUM> compared with the previous example.

Alternatively, different lens configurations may also be applied to the light transmitting system <NUM> as follows:.

Of course, the light transmitting system <NUM> may also use aspherical lenses, such as cylindrical lenses. By combining two or more lenses, the same optical performance may be achieved.

<FIG> shows a Lidar device <NUM> according to another embodiment of the present application. The Lidar device <NUM> may include a base <NUM> and a rotating body <NUM>. The rotating body <NUM> is disposed on the base <NUM> and may be rotated with respect to the base <NUM>. The rotating body <NUM> may include an optical component having a transmitting system <NUM> and a receiving system <NUM> disposed thereon. In order to provide a vertical field of view for scanning and data acquisition, the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> are arranged side by side and aligned horizontally with respect to a central axis <NUM> of the rotating body <NUM>.

As further shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the optical component may have one or more optical axes. For example, the one or more optical axes may include an optical axis of the transmitting system <NUM>, which is a transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The one or more optical axes may also include an optical axis of the receiving system <NUM>, which is a receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> as shown in <FIG>. The one or more optical axes may also include any axis that is parallel to the transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> and/or the receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM>.

The transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> are arranged in an oblique position with respect to the central axis <NUM>, such that at least one of the optical axes, such as the transmitting and receiving optical axes <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> forms an angle β with a horizontal axis <NUM>. For example, the angle β may be equal to <NUM>°. Alternatively, the angle β may be any acute angle between <NUM>° and <NUM>°. Still alternatively, the angle β may be any obtuse angle. Accordingly, the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> may be configured to conduct scanning in the vertical direction while being rotated with respect to the base <NUM>. Compared with conventional Lidar devices, the Lidar device <NUM> has a larger field of view in the vertical direction.

As still another example, the optical component may have an optical axis that is separated from the transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> and the receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> but parallel to at least one of the transmitting optical axis <NUM>-<NUM> or the receiving optical axis <NUM>-<NUM>. The optical axis of the optical component may form an angle β with the horizontal axis <NUM>. This angle β may have a value between <NUM>° and <NUM>°. In a further example, the angle may be <NUM>°.

According to some embodiments, in order to prevent crosstalk between the outgoing light signal and the reflected light signal, a spacer <NUM> is provided between the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM>. For example, the spacer <NUM> may be disposed between the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> and along a center line of the rotating body <NUM>. Thus, the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> may be symmetrical arranged on two sides on the spacer <NUM>. Additionally, the spacer <NUM> may divide the rotating body into two symmetrical parts.

According to still another embodiment, in order to protect the internal structures, such as the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM>, from environmental factors, i.e., water, wind, humidity, dust, etc., a transparent cover <NUM> is disposed on the rotating body <NUM> and may be rotated with the rotating body <NUM>. The transparent cover <NUM> and the rotating body <NUM> are coupled to form a sealed cavity, in which the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> are disposed. Further, the rotating body <NUM> has a cylindrical shape and the transparent cover <NUM> has a dome shape. The rotating body <NUM> and the transparent cover <NUM> may be rotated with respect to the base <NUM> during scanning.

The cylindrical shape of the rotating body <NUM> and the dome shape of the transparent cover <NUM> allow the Lidar device <NUM> to have a compact structure, which may limit the size of the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> disposed therein. As a result, the lens systems of the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> may be restricted. Hence, embodiments of the present application further provide a new design for the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> of the Lidar device <NUM> that allows the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> to each have a compact structure while improving the optical performance of the Lidar device <NUM>.

As further shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> each have a cone or pyramid structure. Specifically, for the transmitting system <NUM>, the aperture of the light emitting end is smaller than the aperture of the light incident end, whereas, for the receiving system <NUM>, the aperture of the light incident end is smaller than the aperture of the light emitting end.

Similar to the transmitting system <NUM> of <FIG>, the transmitting system <NUM> may include a transmitting lens module, which may include a transmitting lens barrel and a transmitting lens group having a plurality of lenses disposed in the transmitting lens barrel. These lenses are arranged in an order according to their diameters. That is, from the top to the bottom of the transmitting system <NUM>, the diameter of each lens within the transmitting lens group is greater than that of the previous lens within the lens group. As a result, the transmitting system <NUM> is configured to receive the outgoing light signal emitted by the light emission plate through the lens having the largest diameter, and transmit the outgoing light signal through the lens having the smallest diameter to the detection region.

Similarly, the receiving system <NUM> may include a receiving lens module, which may include a receiving lens barrel <NUM> and a receiving lens group having a plurality of lenses disposed in the receiving lens barrel <NUM>. These lenses are also arranged in an order according to their diameters. That is, from the top to the bottom of the receiving system <NUM>, the diameter of each lens within the receiving lens group is greater than that of the previous lens within the receiving lens group. As a result, the receiving system <NUM> is configured to receive the reflected light signal through the lens with the smallest diameter, and output the received reflected light signal from the lens with the largest diameter to a light receiving plate. Compared with a cylindrical design, the cone or pyramid structures of the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM> each having a large aperture at the bottom end and a small aperture at the top end. Such a design may allow a more compact size of the transparent cover <NUM>, while reducing the distance between the light emission plate and light receiving board to the transmitting system <NUM> and the receiving system <NUM>, respectively, thereby improving the performance of the Lidar device <NUM>.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the receiving system <NUM> according to some embodiments of the present application. The receiving system <NUM> may be disposed in the rotating body <NUM> and include a receiving lens module and a light receiving plate <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the receiving lens module may include a receiving lens barrel <NUM> and a receiving lens group disposed in the receiving lens barrel <NUM>. The receiving lens group may include a plurality of lenses. For example, the receiving lens group may include lenses <NUM>-<NUM> disposed inside the receiving lens barrel <NUM>. The lenses <NUM>-<NUM> are coaxially arranged and are configured to modify the reflected light signal.

Further, the lenses <NUM>-<NUM> may be arranged in that order from the top end of the receiving lens barrel <NUM> to the bottom end of the receiving lens barrel <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The lens <NUM> has the smallest diameter, whereas the lens <NUM> has the largest diameter. Each of the lens <NUM> and the lens <NUM> has a diameter greater than that of the previous lens in the lens group. That is, the lens <NUM> has a diameter greater than that of the lens <NUM> and smaller than that of the lens <NUM>; the lens <NUM> has a diameter greater than that of the lens <NUM> and smaller than that of the lens <NUM>. The number of lenses in the receiving system <NUM> may be greater or smaller than four.

After the reflected light signal is adjusted by the receiving lens group including the lenses <NUM>-<NUM>, the adjusted reflected light signal is directed to the light receiving plate <NUM>. The light receiving plate <NUM> may include a light receiver array, which is configured to achieve a desired laser receiving effect. The lens <NUM> is aligned with and faces the laser receiving plate <NUM>.

According to some embodiments, in order to achieve a better receiving effect, a filter <NUM> may be disposed on a side of the lens <NUM> away from the lens <NUM> for filtering the incoming reflected light signal before the reflected light signal is received by the lens <NUM>. Further, in order to better filter the reflected light signal, a diaphragm may be disposed between the lens <NUM> and the lens <NUM> to filter out stray light. The diaphragm may be a standalone component. Alternatively, it may be integrated with the lens <NUM> and/or the lens <NUM> to achieve a more compact design. Compared with conventional designs, the structures and designs disclosed herein allow the light receiving plate <NUM> to retain a large light receiving surface, while reducing the size of the receiving system <NUM>. Thus, the Lidar device <NUM> may have a compact design without sacrificing the performance.

<FIG> is an exploded view of the receiving lens module of the receiving system <NUM>, according to some embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, the lenses <NUM>-<NUM> are coaxially disposed inside the receiving lens barrel <NUM>. The interior surface of the lens barrel <NUM> is configured with slots and/or steps corresponding to the lenses. The slots and/or steps are configured to hold or fix the lenses within the receiving lens barrel <NUM>. Glue, snap connections, or other fastening means may be used to further secure the lenses within the lens barrel <NUM>.

The light receiving system <NUM> disclosed herein, including the lenses <NUM>-<NUM>, may have a positive overall diopter (i.e., the optical power of the system). Specifically, the light receiving system <NUM> is an equivalent of a telecentric system toward the top end, i.e., the end of the small aperture close to the lens <NUM>. On the other hand, the light receiving system <NUM> is an equivalent of an afocal system toward the bottom end, i.e., the end of the large aperture close the lens <NUM>. As further shown in <FIG>, the reflected light signal received by the light receiving system <NUM> is transmitted to the light receiving plate <NUM> through the lenses <NUM>-<NUM>. The lenses <NUM>-<NUM> of the receiving system <NUM> may be spherical lenses.

In some embodiments, the lenses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may each have a positive diopter, while the lens <NUM> has a negative diopter. In addition, the lens <NUM> and the lens <NUM> are high-refractive-index lenses. For example, the refractive indices of the lens <NUM> and the lens <NUM> may be between <NUM> and <NUM> in order to maximize the irradiation area of the light receiving plate <NUM>, on which the reflected light signal may be directed, so as to achieve a better reception.

In order to further reduce the size of each lens in the receiving system <NUM>, the thickness and curvature of each lens can be adjusted. The refractive indices of the lens <NUM> and the lens <NUM> may be set between <NUM> and <NUM> by adjusting the materials of the lenses. For example, the total length (i.e., the distance between the top end and the bottom end) of the receiving lens module of the receiving system <NUM> may be greatly reduced. For example, the length of the receiving lens module of the receiving system may be reduced by about <NUM> compared with the previous example.

Alternatively, in order to achieve the desired receiving effect of the above-mentioned light receiving system <NUM>, the receiving lens group may also utilize other configurations. For example, one of the following lens configurations may be used for the receiving system <NUM>:.

Claim 1:
A sensor (<NUM>, <NUM>), comprising:
a rotating component (<NUM>) rotatably mounted to a base (<NUM>) and configured to rotate about a central shaft (<NUM>); and
an optical component mounted on the rotating component (<NUM>), the optical component having an optical axis that is oblique with respect to the central shaft (<NUM>),
characterized in that,
the optical component includes: a transmitting system (<NUM>, <NUM>) and a receiving system (<NUM>, <NUM>),
wherein the transmitting system (<NUM>, <NUM>) is configured to generate and transmit an outgoing light signal to a detection region, and includes:
a transmitting lens barrel (<NUM>), the transmitting lens barrel (<NUM>) having a first aperture at a first end and a second aperture at a second end, the first aperture being smaller than the second aperture;
a transmitting lens group (<NUM>) disposed in the transmitting lens barrel (<NUM>), the transmitting lens group (<NUM>) having a first transmitting lens having a first diameter and disposed at the first end of the transmitting lens barrel (<NUM>) and a second transmitting lens having a second diameter and disposed at the second end of the transmitting lens barrel (<NUM>), the first diameter being smaller than the second diameter; and
the receiving system (<NUM>, <NUM>) includes:
a receiving lens barrel (<NUM>), the receiving lens barrel (<NUM>) having a first aperture at a first end and a second aperture at a second end, the first aperture being smaller than the second aperture;
a receiving lens group disposed in the receiving lens barrel (<NUM>), the receiving lens group having a first receiving lens having a first diameter and disposed at the first end of the receiving lens barrel (<NUM>) and a second receiving lens having a second diameter and disposed at the second end of the receiving lens barrel (<NUM>), the first diameter being smaller than the second diameter; and
a light receiver array configured to receive a reflected light signal from the receiving lens group,
wherein the receiving lens group is configured to receive the reflected light signal through the first receiving lens from the detection region and to transmit the reflected light signal through the second receiving lens to the light receiver array.