Patent Description:
LiDAR is a radar system using laser beams to detect characteristics of a target object, such as position and speed. A working principle of the LiDAR is that an emission assembly first emits outgoing lasers for detection of the target object, and a receiving assembly then receives echo lasers reflected from the target object, and processes the received echo lasers, to obtain relevant information of the target object, for example, parameters such as distance, azimuth, height, speed, attitude, and even shape.

Single-point or multi-point laser ranging requires a proper optical-mechanical scanning system to obtain laser point cloud data with high resolution from a large field of view. Currently, common LiDAR scanning solutions on the market include conventional mechanical scanning, Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) scanning, and the like. When used for a long time and in harsh conditions, the reliability of the above scanning methods will be reduced. <CIT> discloses a solid state electronic scanning LIDAR system that includes a scanning focal plane transmitting element and a scanning focal plane receiving element whose operations are synchronized so that the firing sequence of an emitter array in the transmitting element corresponds to a capturing sequence of a photosensor array in the receiving element. During operation, the emitter array can sequentially fire one or more light emitters into a scene and the reflected light can be received by a corresponding set of one or more photosensors through an aperture layer positioned in front of the photosensors.

In view of the foregoing shortcomings of the prior art, embodiments of the present invention mainly aim to provide LiDAR and an automated driving device, to improve reliability of a product.

A technical solution used in the embodiments of the present invention is as follows: LiDAR is provided, where the LiDAR includes an emission drive system, a laser transceiving system, and a control and signal processing system;.

Further embodiments can be found in the dependent claims.

Beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are as follows. In the embodiments of the present invention, the outgoing laser emitted by the emission assembly scans the detection region, and the corresponding detection units in the array detector are sequentially turned on to receive the echo laser, to complete scanning of the entire detection region by means of electronic scanning, which reduces or eliminates the use of a mechanical rotating component, thereby improving reliability of a LiDAR device and prolonging service life of the device.

One or more embodiments are described by using examples with reference to diagrams in drawings corresponding to the embodiments. These example descriptions do not constitute a limitation to the embodiments. Elements with the same reference signs in the drawings indicate similar elements. Unless otherwise stated, the diagrams in the drawings do not constitute a proportional limitation.

Reference signs in the specific embodiments are as follows:.

Embodiments of the technical solution of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings. The following embodiments are only used to describe the technical solutions of the present invention more clearly, hence are only used as examples, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that unless otherwise specified, the technical or scientific terms used in the present invention should have general meanings understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs.

In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that orientations or position relationships indicated by terms such as "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "above", "under", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", and "circumferential" are based on the orientations or position relationships shown in the drawings, are merely intended to describe the present invention and simplify the descriptions, but are not intended to indicate or imply that the indicated device or element shall have a specific orientation or be formed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation to the present invention.

In addition, the terms such as "first" and "second" are merely intended for a purpose of description, and shall not be understood as an indication or implication of relative importance or implicit indication of a quantity of indicated technical features. In the descriptions of the present invention, "a plurality of" and "several" means two or more (including two), unless otherwise specified.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, terms such as "mounting", "connected", "connection", and "fixing" shall be understood in a general sense. For example, these technical terms may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; or may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; or may be a direct connection, an indirect connection by using an intermediate medium, or an internal communication of two elements or an interaction of two elements. A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present invention according to a specific situation.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, that a first feature is "above" or "under" a second feature may be that the first feature and the second feature are in direct contact, or the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, that a first feature is "above", "over", and "on" a second feature may mean that the first feature is right above or diagonally above the second feature, or may merely indicate that a horizontal height of the first feature is greater than that of the second feature. That a first feature is "below", "under", and "beneath" a second feature may mean that the first feature is right below or diagonally below the second feature, or may merely indicate that a horizontal height of the first feature is less than that of the second feature.

As shown in <FIG>, an embodiment of the present invention provides a LiDAR <NUM>, including an emission drive system <NUM>, a laser transceiving system <NUM> and a control and signal processing system <NUM>. The laser transceiving system <NUM> includes an emission assembly <NUM> and a receiving assembly <NUM>. The emission assembly <NUM> is configured to emit an outgoing laser, so that the outgoing laser scans the detection region; and the receiving module <NUM> is configured to receive an echo laser. The emission drive system <NUM> is used to drive the emission assembly <NUM>. The control and signal processing system <NUM> is used to control the emission drive system <NUM> to drive the emission assembly <NUM>, and used to control the receiving assembly <NUM> to receive the echo laser. The echo laser is a reflection of the outgoing laser that is reflected by an object in the detection region.

As shown in <FIG>, the emission assembly <NUM> includes a laser emission module <NUM> and an emission optical module <NUM>. The laser emission module <NUM> is configured to emit the outgoing laser, and the emission optical module <NUM> is configured to collimate the outgoing laser and direct the collimated outgoing laser to the detection region. The laser emission module <NUM> includes a plurality of laser emission units, and the laser emission module <NUM> is configured to sequentially turn on the laser emission units to emit the outgoing laser, so that the outgoing laser scans detection regions. The emission optical module <NUM> may be an optical fiber and spherical lens group, a separate spherical lens group, or a cylindrical lens group, and the like.

The receiving assembly <NUM> includes an array detector <NUM>. The array detector <NUM> includes a plurality of detection units, and each detection unit has a photosensitive region with an area less than that of the detection unit. The array detector <NUM> may be a receiving device in the form of an array, such as an Avalanche Photo Diode (APD) array, a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) array, a Multi-Pixel Photon Counter (MPPC) array, or a photomultiplier tube (PMT) array, a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) array, a pin array (PIN array), Charge-coupled Device (CCD), Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS), or the like. Specifically, the array detector <NUM> includes m*n detection units that can be separately controlled to be turned on or off, where m and n are integers greater than <NUM>. The array detector <NUM> is configured to turn on the detection units synchronously and sequentially to receive the echo laser. For example, the array detector turns on a selected detection unit, to detect a detection region scanned by an outgoing laser emitted by the laser emission unit. The selected detection unit corresponds to a laser emission unit that emits the outgoing laser. In addition, the receiving assembly <NUM> also includes a receiving optical module <NUM>. The receiving optical module <NUM> can be a spherical lens, a spherical lens group, a cylindrical lens group, or the like. The receiving optical module <NUM> is configured to focus the echo laser and direct the focused echo laser to the array detector <NUM>.

The plurality of laser emission units in the laser emission module <NUM> and the plurality of detection units in the array detector <NUM> are in a one-to-one correspondence. For example, a laser emission unit at a position (<NUM>,<NUM>) corresponds to a detection unit at a position (<NUM>,<NUM>) for detection of a region R<NUM>; a laser emission unit at a position (<NUM>,<NUM>) corresponds to a detection unit at a position (<NUM>,<NUM>) for detection of a region R<NUM>, and so on. The corresponding laser emission unit and detection unit are controlled to be turned on and off simultaneously. When the laser emission unit at the position (<NUM>,<NUM>) is turned on, the detection unit at the position (<NUM>,<NUM>) is turned on synchronously, to detect the region R<NUM>; when the laser emission unit at the position (<NUM>,<NUM>) is turned on, the detection unit at the position (<NUM>,<NUM>) is turned on synchronously to detect the region R<NUM>, and so on until the last emission unit is turned on and the last detection unit is turned on synchronously, to detect the last region. Schematic description of the manner of synchronously and sequentially turning on the detection units is provided above, but should not be construed as limitation on the present invention. The laser emission unit at the last position can also be turned on first, and the corresponding detection unit is turned on synchronously. The detection regions are scanned in a reverse sequence of the foregoing sequence of (<NUM>, <NUM>), (<NUM>,<NUM>). The laser emission units can be turned on in any sequence. After the laser emission unit and the corresponding detection unit complete one scan of the corresponding detection region, the laser emission unit and the detection unit are turned off synchronously.

The control and signal processing system <NUM> may be a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The FPGA is connected to the emission drive system <NUM>, to control emission of the outgoing laser. The FPGA is also connected to a clock pin, a data pin, and a control pin of the receiving assembly <NUM> separately, to control receiving of the echo laser.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the outgoing laser emitted by the emission assembly scans the detection region, and the corresponding detection units in the array detector <NUM> are sequentially turned on to receive the echo laser, to complete scanning of the entire detection region by means of electronic scanning, which reduces or eliminates the use of a mechanical rotating component, thereby improving reliability of a product and prolonging service life of the product.

Embodiments using different laser emission modules <NUM> are described in detail below.

The laser emission module <NUM> includes a plurality of laser emission units, and the laser emission module <NUM> is configured to sequentially turn on the laser emission units to emit the outgoing laser, so that the outgoing laser scans all detection regions of the array detector <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, in an embodiment, the laser emission module <NUM> is an array emitter <NUM>, and the laser emission units are m*n light emission units 2111a of the array emitter <NUM> that can be separately controlled to be turned on or off. The array emitter <NUM> is configured to sequentially turn on the light emission units 2111a to emit the outgoing laser, so that the outgoing laser scans all the detection regions of the array detector <NUM>. For example, the array emitter <NUM> is configured to sequentially turn on a first light emission unit to emit the outgoing laser. The first light emission unit includes one or more of the light emission units 2111a. The array detector <NUM> is configured to turn on a first detection unit synchronously and sequentially to receive the echo laser. The first detection unit includes one or more of the detection units 221a. The position of the first detection unit corresponds to the position of the first light emission unit. The echo laser received by the first detection unit is a reflection of the outgoing laser emitted by the first light emission unit and reflected by the object in the detection region. The emission optical module <NUM> is implemented as a first lens 212a. When the first light emission unit includes a plurality of light emission units 2111a, a scanning method is a method of regional emission and regional receiving, which can reduce a scanning period for a single frame and improve detection efficiency compared with a method of point-to-point emission and receiving.

The array emitter <NUM> can be selected from a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) array, an Edge Emitting Laser (EEL) array, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) array, a Micro Light Emitting Diode (Micro LED) array, a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) array, a Laser Diode (LD) array, or the like.

For example, during operation, the light emission unit 2111a at the position (<NUM>,<NUM>) is turned on and the detection unit 221a of the array detector <NUM> at the corresponding position (<NUM>,<NUM>) is synchronously turned on for receiving. After detection at this position is completed, light emission units 2111a and corresponding detection units 221a of the array detector <NUM> at positions (<NUM>,<NUM>) to (m,n) are sequentially turned on, thereby completing ranging of the entire detection region.

When the first light emission unit includes one light emission unit 2111a and the first detection unit includes one detection unit 221a, in this case, a method of point-to-point emission and receiving is used. In addition, when the first light emission unit includes one light emission unit 2111a, that is, single-point emission is performed, the array detector <NUM> may also be configured to turn on a second detection unit synchronously and sequentially to receive the echo laser, and the second detection unit includes one or more of the detection units around the first detection unit 221a. As shown in <FIG>, a circle of detection units 221a (region B) around a region A of the first detection unit may be turned on for receiving. A neighboring region of the corresponding detection pixel of the array detector <NUM> is enabled for simultaneous receiving, which can improve detection accuracy and compensate for processing and installation errors.

When the first light emission unit includes a plurality of light emission units 2111a and the first detection unit includes a plurality of detection units 221a, in this case, a method of block-to-block emission and receiving is used. "Block" herein includes a linear light spot and a block light spot. In this case, the first light emission unit includes p*q light emission units, and the first detection unit includes p*q detection units, where p and q are integers greater than or equal to <NUM>, and <NUM><p<m or <NUM><q<n. When either of p and q is <NUM>, light spots of the outgoing laser and the echo laser are linear light spots, or in other cases, the light spots are block light spots. When p is less than m and q is less than n, the laser emission module is configured to turn on the laser emission units along a first direction and then an opposite direction of the first direction back and forth, or turn on the laser emission units row by row or column by column along the first direction constantly, where the first direction may be a horizontal direction or a vertical direction. When p is equal to m and q is less than n, the laser emission module is configured to turn on the laser emission units in the vertical direction. Because the number of units in the first light emission unit in the horizontal direction is equal to the number of the detection units 221a of the array detector <NUM> in the horizontal direction, the detection region only needs to be scanned once in the vertical direction. When p is less than m and q is equal to n, the laser emission module is configured to turn on the laser emission units in the horizontal direction. Because the number of units in the first light emission unit in the vertical direction is equal to the number of the detection units 221a of the array detector <NUM> in the vertical direction, the detection region only needs to be scanned once in the horizontal direction.

In the embodiments, the outgoing laser is emitted by setting the laser emission units that can be turned on sequentially, and the corresponding detection units 221a in the array detector <NUM> are sequentially turned on to receive the echo laser, to complete scanning of the entire detection region, and emission and receiving is implemented by means of electronic scanning without needing a mechanical rotating component, thereby improving reliability of a product and prolonging service life of the product.

The embodiments in which no rotating component is used are described above. In some embodiments, the entire detection region can also be scanned through electronic scanning in combination with rotating component scanning, for example, a strip-shaped (linear) emission array in combination with a one-dimensional scanning structure. As shown in <FIG>, in another embodiment, the laser emission module <NUM> includes an array emitter <NUM>, the laser emission units are m*<NUM> light emission units 2111a of the array emitter <NUM> on-off of which can be separately controlled. The array emitter <NUM> is configured to sequentially turn on the light emission units 2111a to emit outgoing laser, so that the outgoing laser scans in the first direction (direction X). The LiDAR <NUM> further includes a deflection mechanism <NUM>, configured to receive the outgoing laser and reflect the outgoing laser toward the detection region of the array detector <NUM>, so that the outgoing laser scans in a second direction (direction Y). The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to complete scanning of the entire detection region. The deflection mechanism <NUM> may be selected as a device that can implement optical scanning, such as a MEMS micromirror, a reflector, or a transmission prism. In this embodiment, the deflection mechanism <NUM> is a one-dimensional MEMS micromirror.

Compared with LiDAR using a two-dimensional MEMS micromirror or another two-dimensional rotating component, only a one-dimensional MEMS micromirror is used to scan in one direction, and scanning in another direction is completed through electronic scanning, thereby improving reliability of the product.

As shown in <FIG>, in another embodiment, the laser emission module <NUM> includes an array emitter <NUM>, the laser emission units are <NUM>*n light emission units 2111a of the array emitter <NUM> on-off of which can be separately controlled, and the array emitter <NUM> is configured to emit an outgoing laser for scanning in the first direction (direction Y). The emission assembly <NUM> further includes a one-dimensional MEMS micromirror <NUM>, configured to receive the outgoing laser and reflect the outgoing laser toward the detection region of the array detector <NUM>, so that the outgoing laser scans in the second direction (direction X). The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to complete scanning of the entire detection region.

As shown in <FIG>, according to the invention, the emission assembly <NUM> includes a plurality of first emission assemblies <NUM> arranged in a horizontal direction. Each first emission assembly <NUM> includes a laser emission module <NUM> and an optical deflection module <NUM>. Each optical deflection module <NUM> includes a plurality of deflection units 214a arranged in the first direction (direction Y). The laser emission module <NUM> is implemented as a laser device <NUM>. The laser emission module <NUM> is configured to emit an outgoing laser to the optical deflection module <NUM> in the first direction (direction Y), and the optical deflection module <NUM> is configured to sequentially turn on the deflection units 214a, so that the outgoing laser is emitted in the second direction (direction X) and scans in the first direction (direction Y) or a opposite direction (direction -Y) of the first direction. Arrangement of the deflection units 214a is consistent with arrangement of the detection units 221a in the array detector <NUM>; and the first direction (direction Y) and the second direction (direction X) are perpendicular. The number of the first emission assemblies <NUM> is the same as the number of the detection units 221a in the array detector <NUM> in the horizontal direction. The array detector <NUM> includes m*n detection units 221a on-off of which can be separately controlled, where m and n are both integers greater than <NUM>. The emission assembly <NUM> includes m first emission assemblies <NUM>, and the optical deflection module <NUM> in each first emission assembly <NUM> includes n deflection units 214a arranged in the vertical direction (direction Y).

It can be understood that, in another embodiment, the first direction may also be the direction X, and the second direction may be the direction Y. In this case, the plurality of first emission assemblies <NUM> are arranged in the vertical direction, and the number of the first emission assemblies <NUM> is the same as the number of the detection units 221a in the array detector <NUM> in the vertical direction. The array detector <NUM> includes m*n detection units 221a on-off of which can be separately controlled, where m and n are both integers greater than <NUM>. The emission assembly <NUM> includes n first emission assemblies <NUM>, and the optical deflection module <NUM> in each first emission assembly <NUM> includes m deflection units 214a arranged in the horizontal direction (direction X).

The scanning method according to the invention shown in <FIG> is described below.

Point scanning: A laser emission module <NUM> in each first emission assembly <NUM> emits an outgoing laser. First, deflection units 214a in a first emission assembly <NUM> in a first column are sequentially turned on, so that the outgoing laser emitted by the first emission assembly <NUM> scans in the first direction (direction Y) or the opposite direction (direction -Y) of the first direction; after the last deflection unit 214a in the first emission assembly <NUM> is turned on, then deflection units 214a in the first emission assembly <NUM> in a second column are sequentially turned on, so that the outgoing laser emitted by the first emission assembly <NUM> scans in the first direction (direction Y) or the opposite direction (direction -Y) of the first direction; and so on. until the deflection units 214a in the first emission assembly <NUM> in the last column are sequentially turned on and the column completes scanning through the outgoing laser, thereby completing scanning of the entire detection region. It should be understood that the first deflection unit 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> can also be turned on in sequence, then the second deflection unit 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> be turned on in sequence,. , and finally, the last deflection unit 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> are turned on in sequence, thereby completing the scanning of the entire detection region.

Row scanning: A laser emission module <NUM> in each first emission assembly <NUM> emits an outgoing laser. Deflection units 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> are sequentially turned on. For example, the first deflection unit 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> is turned on simultaneously, then the second deflection unit 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> is turned on simultaneously,. , and finally, the last deflection unit 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> is turned on simultaneously, so that outgoing lasers emitted by all the first emission assemblies <NUM> scan synchronously in the first direction (direction Y) or the opposite direction (direction -Y) of the first direction, thereby completing scanning of the entire detection region. That is, the outgoing lasers of each first emission assembly <NUM> complete scanning in the first direction (direction Y) or the opposite direction (direction -Y) of the first direction synchronously. The first deflection unit 214a may be the first one of the deflection units counted from the top to the bottom, or the first one of the deflection units counted from the bottom to the top.

Column scanning: If a plurality of first emission assemblies <NUM> are arranged in the vertical direction, and the deflection units 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> are arranged in the horizontal direction, the foregoing row scanning is switched to column scanning. The scanning process is similar to that of the row scanning. The first deflection unit 214a may be the first one of the deflection units counted from left to right, or the first one of the deflection units counted from right to left.

As shown in <FIG>, the deflection unit 214a is a controllable polarizer. The controllable polarizer is configured to reflect the outgoing laser when in an on state, and has reflectivity close to <NUM>%, which can reflect almost all the incident outgoing lasers. The controllable polarizer is configured to transmit the outgoing laser when in an off state, and has transmittance close to <NUM>%, which can transmit almost all the incident outgoing lasers to the next polarizer. States of different controllable polarizers are controlled, so that the outgoing laser can be controlled to be emitted at different positions of the controllable polarizers. For example, the first controllable polarizer is turned on and other controllable polarizers are turned off, so that almost all the outgoing lasers are emitted at a position of the first controllable polarizer, instead of being incident to the other controllable polarizers (energy of the outgoing laser incident to the other controllable polarizers is very small and can be ignored); and the second controllable polarizer is turned on and the other controllable polarizers are turned off, so that <NUM>% of the outgoing lasers passing through the first controllable polarizer are transmitted, and are incident to the second controllable polarizer and emitted at the position of the second controllable polarizer,. , and so on until the last controllable polarizer is turned on, so that all the outgoing lasers are emitted at the position of the last controllable polarizer.

In this embodiment, a plurality of first emission assemblies <NUM> are provided, and on-off of the deflection units 214a in each first emission assembly <NUM> are controlled, to complete scanning of the entire detection region, and emission and receiving is implemented by means of electronic scanning without needing a mechanical rotating component, thereby improving reliability of a product and prolonging service life of the product.

If only one first emission assembly <NUM> is used to scan in the first direction, a deflection mechanism <NUM> further needs to be added to scan in the second direction, to scan the entire detection region. As shown in <FIG>, in another embodiment, the emission assembly <NUM> includes a laser emission module <NUM> and an optical deflection module <NUM>. The optical deflection module <NUM> includes a plurality of deflection units 214a arranged in the first direction. The laser emission module <NUM> is configured to emit an outgoing laser to the optical deflection module <NUM> in the first direction (direction X). The deflection units 214a in the optical deflection module <NUM> are configured to deflect and then emit the outgoing laser; and each deflection unit 214a is configured to individually control transmittance and reflectivity of an outgoing laser passing the deflection unit. The foregoing controllable polarizer may also be used as a deflection unit 214a. The LiDAR <NUM> further includes a deflection mechanism <NUM>. The deflection mechanism <NUM> is configured to receive the outgoing laser and reflect the outgoing laser toward the detection region of the array detector <NUM>, so that the outgoing laser scans the entire detection region. The deflection mechanism <NUM> may be selected as a device that can implement optical scanning, such as a MEMS micromirror, a reflector, or a transmission prism. In this embodiment, the deflection mechanism <NUM> is a one-dimensional MEMS micromirror. The one-dimensional MEMS micromirror is configured to complete scanning in a direction. In this embodiment, compared with LiDAR using a two-dimensional MEMS micromirror or another two-dimensional rotating component, only a one-dimensional MEMS micromirror is used to scan in one direction, and scanning in another direction is completed through electronic scanning, thereby improving reliability of the product.

Referring to <FIG>, in some embodiments, a difference from the embodiment shown in <FIG> is that, the deflection units 214a are implemented as plane mirrors (referring to <FIG>), and each plane mirror is configured to deflect a preset proportion of the outgoing laser for emission. Preset proportions of the outgoing laser reflected by plane mirrors may be the same or different.

Each plane mirror has a same or different transmittance or reflectivity, so that the outgoing laser is reflected from each plane mirror in a preset fixed proportion. A prepared plane mirror has a fixed transmittance or reflectivity. In some embodiments, the transmittance or reflectivity of each plane mirror is calculated in advance according to an actual application need, and the corresponding plane mirror is selected or prepared according to the determined transmittance or reflectivity, so that energy of the outgoing lasers reflected by each plane mirror is the same or approximately same. For example, there are <NUM> plane mirrors in total. The first plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the first plane mirror is <NUM>% of the total energy of the outgoing laser. The second plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the second plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%. The third plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the third plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%, which is approximately <NUM>%. The fourth plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the fourth plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%, which is approximately <NUM>%. The fifth plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% approximately and reflectivity of <NUM>% approximately, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the fifth plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%, which is approximately <NUM>%. If the foregoing plane mirrors are selected, the energy of the outgoing laser reflected by each plane mirror is about <NUM>% of the total energy of the outgoing laser.

In another embodiment, to satisfy a detection requirement for high resolution of interest, energy of an outgoing laser reflected by a plane mirror which is configured to deflect the outgoing laser to a region of interest in the detection region may be greater than energy of an outgoing laser reflected by other plane mirrors. For example, there are <NUM> plane mirrors in total, a central region is a region of interest, energy of an outgoing laser reflected by <NUM> plane mirrors which are configured to deflect the outgoing laser to the central region needs to be greater than energy of an outgoing laser reflected by the other two plane mirrors. The first plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the first plane mirror is <NUM>% of the total energy of the outgoing laser. The second plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the second plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%. The third plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the third plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%. The fourth plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>%, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the fourth plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%. The fifth plane mirror has transmittance of <NUM>% and reflectivity of <NUM>% approximately, and therefore, a ratio of energy of the outgoing laser reflected by the fifth plane mirror to the total energy of the outgoing laser is <NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%*<NUM>%=<NUM>%. The foregoing plane mirrors are selected so that the energy of outgoing laser reflected by the three plane mirrors which are configured to deflect the outgoing laser to the central region needs to be greater than energy of outgoing laser reflected by the other two plane mirrors. The transmittance or reflectivity of a plane mirror can be determined based on an actual situation. After the transmittance or reflectivity of each plane mirror is determined, a corresponding plane mirror(s) is/are selected or prepared to meet the actual detection need.

In this embodiment, different from the foregoing controllable polarizers, the plane mirrors cannot be controlled to be turned on and off. Plane mirrors in the first emission assembly <NUM> reflect the outgoing laser almost simultaneously (transmission time of light in each plane mirror is negligible). The outgoing laser of the first emission assembly <NUM> in the first direction can cover the detection region in this direction, and therefore, the first emission assembly <NUM> does not scan the detection region in the first direction (direction Y), and the deflection mechanism <NUM> scans in the second direction (direction X) to scan the entire detection region.

Regarding angles of the plane mirrors, all the plane mirrors can be at <NUM> degrees, so that the outgoing lasers are evenly distributed in stripes. However, in this case, a deflection mechanism <NUM> with a larger area needs to be provided to receive the outgoing lasers reflected by all the plane mirrors. Therefore, the angles of the plane mirrors can be adapted to change the deflection direction, so that the outgoing laser passing through the plane mirrors can arrive and be focused, thereby reducing the size of the deflection mechanism <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, included angles between a plurality of plane mirrors and outgoing lasers emitted by the laser emission module <NUM> are successively decreased in the first direction, so that an outgoing laser passing through each plane mirror is focused toward the center.

As shown in <FIG>, the deflection mechanism <NUM> is exactly located at a focal position at which the outgoing laser is focused. When the deflection mechanism <NUM> is at this position, the size of the deflection mechanism <NUM> can be minimized. Certainly, the deflection mechanism <NUM> may also be located at a non-focus position, for example, a position shown in <FIG>. In this case, the deflection mechanism <NUM> has a larger size than that in <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, in another embodiment, in addition to the first lens 212a used by the emission optical module <NUM> to collimate the outgoing laser emitted by the laser <NUM>, the emission optical module <NUM> of the LiDAR <NUM> further includes a second lens 212b, and the second lens 212b is configured to focus the outgoing laser deflected by each plane mirror and direct the outgoing laser to the deflection mechanism <NUM>. There is an optical path gap between outgoing laser beams collimated by the first lens 212a, and therefore, a light spot reflected by the deflection mechanism <NUM> is a non-continuous linear light spot, and there is a blind spot during detection. A second lens 212b is provided along an optical path for the outgoing laser beams reflected by the plane mirrors to focus the beams, so that the light spot incident on the deflection mechanism <NUM> is a continuous gapless linear light spot, and therefore, the light spot reflected by the deflection mechanism <NUM> is also a continuous gapless linear light spot to avoid a blind spot during detection.

As shown in <FIG>, in an example, the emission assembly <NUM> includes a laser emission module <NUM> and an optical shaping module <NUM>, and LiDAR <NUM> further includes a deflection mechanism <NUM>. The laser emission module <NUM> is implemented as a laser <NUM>. The laser emission module <NUM> is configured to emit an outgoing laser to the optical shaping module <NUM>, and the optical shaping module <NUM> is configured to focus the outgoing laser and direct the outgoing laser to the deflection mechanism <NUM>. The deflection mechanism <NUM> is configured to receive the outgoing laser and reflect the outgoing laser to the detection region of the array detector <NUM>. The outgoing laser incident to the detection region is a linear light spot, and the deflection mechanism <NUM> is also configured to scan the linear light spot across the entire detection region. The optical shaping module <NUM> may be selected from a cylindrical lens or a micro-cylindrical-lens array. The deflection mechanism <NUM> may be selected as a device that can implement optical scanning, such as a MEMS micromirror, a reflector, or a transmission prism. In this embodiment, the deflection mechanism <NUM> is a one-dimensional MEMS micromirror. The one-dimensional MEMS micromirror is configured to complete scanning in a direction.

To reduce the size of the product, a reflection module may also be provided in the optical path. For example, in this embodiment, a reflector <NUM> is provided between the first lens 212a and the optical shaping module <NUM>.

In this example, the optical shaping module <NUM> is provided between the laser emission module <NUM> and the deflection mechanism <NUM>. Therefore, the optical shaping module <NUM> focuses the outgoing laser and then directs the outgoing laser to the deflection mechanism <NUM>, so that an outgoing laser spot reflected by the deflection mechanism <NUM> is a linear light spot, to avoid a blind spot during detection. Compared with LiDAR using a two-dimensional MEMS micromirror or another two-dimensional rotating component, in this embodiment, the optical shaping module <NUM> shapes the outgoing laser into a linear light spot in the first direction, and scans in the second direction by using only the one-dimensional MEMS micromirror, thereby improving reliability of the product.

The position of the optical shaping module <NUM> can also be adjusted. As shown in <FIG>, in another example, a laser emission module <NUM> is configured to emit an outgoing laser to a deflection mechanism <NUM>; the deflection mechanism <NUM> is configured to receive the outgoing laser and reflect the outgoing laser to the optical shaping module <NUM>; the optical shaping module <NUM> is configured to shape the outgoing laser into a linear light spot and then direct the linear light spot to the detection region of the array detector <NUM>; and the deflection mechanism <NUM> is further configured to scan the linear light spot across the entire detection region. The optical shaping module <NUM> is a cylindrical lens or a micro-cylindrical-lens array. For example, a cross-section of the optical shaping module <NUM> in a rotation plane of the deflection mechanism <NUM> is arc-shaped and is symmetrical around the deflection mechanism <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. The deflection mechanism <NUM> may be implemented as a device that can implement optical scanning, such as a MEMS micromirror, a reflector, or a transmission prism. In this embodiment, the deflection mechanism <NUM> is a one-dimensional MEMS micromirror. The one-dimensional MEMS micromirror is configured to complete scanning in a direction.

In this example, the optical shaping module <NUM> is provided on the optical path of the outgoing laser reflected by the deflection mechanism <NUM>. The optical shaping module <NUM> shapes the outgoing laser reflected by the deflection mechanism <NUM> into the linear light spot and then emits the linear light spot to the detection region of the array detector <NUM>, and a finally emitted outgoing laser spot is the linear light spot, thereby avoiding the blind spot during detection. Compared with LiDAR using a two-dimensional MEMS micromirror or another two-dimensional rotating component, in this embodiment, the optical shaping module <NUM> shapes the outgoing laser into a linear light spot in the first direction, and scans in the second direction by using only the one-dimensional MEMS micromirror, thereby improving reliability of the product.

Based on the forgoing LiDAR <NUM>, an embodiment of the present invention proposes an automated driving device <NUM>, including a LiDAR <NUM> in one of the forgoing embodiments. The automated driving device <NUM> may be a car, an airplane, a boat, or other related apparatuses where the LiDAR is used for intelligent sensing and detection. The automated driving device <NUM> includes a driving device body <NUM> and the LiDAR <NUM> in one of the forgoing embodiments. The LiDAR <NUM> is mounted on the driving device body <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A LiDAR device (<NUM>), comprising an emission drive system (<NUM>), a laser transceiving system (<NUM>), and a control and signal processing system (<NUM>), wherein:
the laser transceiving system (<NUM>) comprises an emission assembly (<NUM>) and a receiving assembly (<NUM>), wherein:
the emission assembly (<NUM>) is configured to emit an outgoing laser, so that the outgoing laser scans a detection region,
the receiving assembly (<NUM>) comprises an array detector (<NUM>), wherein the array detector (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of detection units (221a) and the array detector (<NUM>) is configured to turn on the detection units (221a) synchronously with the emission of the emission assembly to receive an echo laser, the echo laser being a reflection of the outgoing laser that is reflected by an object in the detection region;
the emission drive system (<NUM>) is configured to drive the emission assembly (<NUM>); and
the control and signal processing system (<NUM>) is configured to control the emission drive system (<NUM>) to drive the emission assembly (<NUM>), and configured to control the receiving assembly (<NUM>) to receive the echo laser,
characterized in that,
the emission assembly (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of first emission assemblies (<NUM>), each first emission assembly (<NUM>) comprising a laser emission module (<NUM>) and an optical deflection module (<NUM>), wherein
each optical deflection module (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of deflection units (214a) arranged in a first direction, and the laser emission module (<NUM>) is configured to emit the outgoing laser to the optical deflection module (<NUM>) in the first direction, and the optical deflection module (<NUM>) is configured to sequentially turn on the deflection units (214a) so that the outgoing laser is emitted in a second direction and scans in the first direction or in an opposite direction of the first direction; and
arrangement of the deflection units (214a) is consistent with arrangement of the detection units (221a) in the array detector (<NUM>); and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.