Patent application EP19180843A (EP), filed 2019-06-18
Publication number: EP3754376A1
Title: LIDAR IMAGING APPARATUS FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE
Abstract: [0001]    A lidar imaging apparatus (30) for a motor vehicle, comprising an emitting section (23) adapted to emit a pulsed light beam (3) and to change the direction of the light beam (3) in two dimensions perpendicular to the light beam (3), a receiving section (24) having a lens objective (11), a digital micromirror device (6) comprising a matrix of mirrors (7), a lidar detector (8) and a further photo detector (9), and an electronic processing unit (19), wherein each mirror (7) of the digital micromirror device (6) is controllable by said electronic processing unit (19) to change at least between a first position where light entering the lidar imaging apparatus (30) through said lens objective (11) is directed on said lidar detector (8), and a second position where light entering the lidar imaging apparatus (30) through said lens objective (11) is directed on said further photo detector (9), wherein said electronic processing unit (19) is adapted to determine the time-of-flight of a laser pulse from said emitting section (23) to said lidar detector (8), wherein the further photo detector (9) comprises a polarization camera (9) and said electronic processing unit (19) is further adapted to perform feature extraction algorithms in image processing using polarization properties of light gained by said polarization camera (9) .
IPC codes: G01S  17/    87            A I
G01S  17/    93            A I
G01S   7/   481            A I
Claims: number: 1
text: A lidar imaging apparatus (30) for a motor vehicle, comprising an emitting section (23) adapted to emit a pulsed light beam (3) and to change the direction of the light beam (3) in two dimensions perpendicular to the light beam (3), a receiving section (24) having a lens objective (11), a digital micromirror device (6) comprising a matrix of mirrors (7), a lidar detector (8) and a further photo detector (9), and an electronic processing unit (19), wherein each mirror (7) of the digital micromirror device (6) is controllable by said electronic processing unit (19) to change at least between a first position where light entering the lidar imaging apparatus (30) through said lens objective (11) is directed on said lidar detector (8), and a second position where light entering the lidar imaging apparatus (30) through said lens objective (11) is directed on said further photo detector (9), wherein said electronic processing unit (19) is adapted to determine the time-of-flight of a laser pulse from said emitting section (23) to said lidar detector (8), characterized in that the further photo detector (9) comprises a polarization camera (9) and said electronic processing unit (19) is further adapted to perform feature extraction algorithms in image processing using polarization properties of light gained by said polarization camera (9).
number: 2
text: The lidar imaging apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the polarization camera (9) comprises an optical unit (13) which comprises at least one polarizer that is adapted to polarized light, which is directed by said digital micromirror device (6) to said polarization camera (9).
number: 3
text: The lidar imaging apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said at least one polarizer is a linear and/or circular polarizer.
number: 4
text: The lidar imaging apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one beam splitter is provided, which is adapted to split the light directed from the digital micromirror device (6) to the polarization camera (9) into several light beams directed to the photo detector of the polarization camera (9) and each split-up light beam is sent through one of said polarizers.
number: 5
text: The lidar imaging apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that each of said split-up light beams is directed to a corresponding individual photo detector.
number: 6
text: The lidar imaging apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the properties to analyze comprise changes and/or differences in diattenuation and/or retardance and/or degree of linear polarization and/or degree of circular polarization and/or angle of polarization and/or plane of polarization.
number: 7
text: The lidar imaging apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electronic processing unit (19) is adapted to fuse image data provided by said lidar detector (8) and said polarization camera (9) into a fused image.
number: 8
text: The lidar imaging apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said polarization camera (9) comprises a photodiode or a photodiode array.
Office action: search_report, dated 2020-12-23
Rejection reasons: inventive_step_epc_56
Prior art cited: ref_id: EP3428677A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: EP3428677A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2012147187A1
ref_type: patent
severity: background
ref_id: US2012147187
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
ref_id: EP3428677
ref_type: patent
severity: obviousness
Final disposition: pending (2020-12-23)