RU2792951C2 - Lidar systems and methods with selective scanning - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: laser detection and ranging systems - lidars (LiDAR, Light Detection and Ranging).

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to methods and systems for selective scanning of objects in areas of interest in space. The method includes issuing a command by the controller to the light source to emit light for scanning in the first direction by the first optical element of the optical system, which rotates around the first axis perpendicular to the first direction, partially determining the field of view of the optical system, detection by at least one sensor connected with a controller, of a light signal reflected from surrounding objects in the field of view of the optical system, selecting by the controller an area of interest in the field of view based on at least partially reflected signal, and issuing by the controller a command to the second optical element to selectively rotate around a second axis parallel to the first axis, to change scanning frequency in the region of interest.

EFFECT: effective use of computing resources of the lidar system to create a better and more reliable resulting three-dimensional point map of the surrounding space and/or the current vehicle trajectory while improving the safety of the vehicle.

20 cl, 8 dwg

Description

Technical field

[01] The present technology relates to laser detection and ranging systems - lidars (LiDAR, Light Detection and Ranging) in general and, in particular, to methods and systems for selective scanning of objects in areas of interest in space.

State of the art

[02] In the known solutions proposed and implemented computer navigation systems that provide assistance in navigation and/or driving. Various systems of this kind are known, ranging from simple map-based location solutions using a computer system to assist the driver in navigating a route from origin to destination, to more complex solutions such as computerized and/or autonomous driving systems.

[03] Some of these systems are implemented in the well-known cruise control system. In this case, the computer system installed on the vehicle maintains the vehicle speed set by the user. Some cruise control systems implement an intelligent distance control system, allowing the user to set the distance to the vehicle in front (for example, select a value expressed in terms of the number of vehicles). The computer system then controls the speed of the vehicle, at least in part, depending on its approach to the vehicle ahead by a predetermined distance. Some of the cruise control systems are additionally equipped with collision avoidance systems that, when a vehicle (or other obstacle) is detected in front of a moving vehicle, will slow or stop it.

[04] Some of the most advanced systems allow the autonomous movement of the vehicle without the direct participation of the operator (ie driver) in control. Such autonomous vehicles contain systems capable of accelerating, decelerating, stopping, changing lanes, and self-parking the vehicle.

[05] One of the main technical problems encountered in the implementation of the above systems is the ability to detect objects around the vehicle. For example, these systems may need to be able to detect another vehicle ahead of the system-installed vehicle that could pose a risk to that vehicle and require the system to take proactive action, such as braking or otherwise changing speed, stopping, or changing lanes.

[06] In lidar-based systems (also referred to herein as lidar systems), objects around a vehicle can be detected by emitting light rays into the vehicle's surroundings and detecting reflected light rays. As a light source, lasers are often used, emitting light pulses in a narrow wavelength range. In this case, the position of the object and the distance to it can be determined by calculating the time of flight of the emitted and detected light rays. By calculating positions such as "data points", a multi-dimensional digital image (eg, a three-dimensional dot map) of the surrounding space can be generated. In addition, the calculation of the dynamic characteristics of data points with signs of the presence of objects in the surrounding space of the vehicle can be used to form the current trajectory of the vehicle at each moment in time.

[07] It should be understood that the resolution of scanning the surrounding space of the vehicle may be determined by the field of view of the lidar system, i.e. the ability of the lidar system to emit light into the surrounding space of the vehicle - both horizontally and vertically. In addition, in some implementations, the lidar system at a given fixed position can scan a given part of the field of view - the so-called region of interest. Accordingly, by generating data points at a predetermined frequency in each area of interest in the field of view, the lidar system is able to generate a three-dimensional dot map of the vehicle's surroundings and/or its current trajectory.

[08] In this case, the same scanning of all areas of interest in the field of view of the lidar system with the same frequency may not provide the formation of reliable digital representations of objects located in it. Therefore, the resulting 3D point map and/or the current vehicle trajectory generated from it may have limited accuracy, which may ultimately affect the safety of the vehicle.

[09] In some well-known technical solutions, certain approaches have been proposed to solve the above technical problem of improving the quality of the digital representation of objects generated by lidar-based systems.

[010] US Patent Application 2018284276 A1 "Dynamically Scanning a Field of Regard Using a Limited Number of Output Beams", Luminar Technologies Inc., published October 4, 2018) disclosed is a lidar system comprising a light source capable of emitting beams of light, including pulse trains, a scanner capable of scanning, using the pulse train, the horizontal and vertical field of view of the lidar system in accordance with a first scanning characteristic, a receiver capable of detecting light at least some of these pulses, scattered by one or more distant targets, to form an array of pixels based on the pulse train of that beam of light. This lidar system can further modify the first scan characteristic based on the result of processing the generated pixel array to create the second scan characteristic and to scan the field of view using the horizontal and vertical pulse train in accordance with the second scan characteristic.

[011] US Patent Application 2020025881 A1 "Lidar Detection Systems and Methods that Use Multi-Plane Mirrors", Innovusion Ireland Ltd., published January 23, 2020, discloses a laser detection system and distance measurement (lidar system) for a vehicle, comprising a housing configured to be mounted on the windshield of a vehicle and containing a transceiver module capable of transmitting and receiving light energy, a polygonal structure that determines the side angle of the lidar system field of view, and a movable mirror, the location of which ensures the redirection of light energy between the transceiver module and the polygonal structure, while the movable mirror is able to control the angle of light output redirected by the polygonal structure, and the output angle corresponds to a certain angle in the vertical field of view of the lidar system.

[012] Patent Application CN109471126A "A Kind of Vibration for Linear Array Laser Radar Turns to Combine Circumferential Scanning Device" published March 15, 2019) disclosed circular scanning device containing a laser emitter and receiver, biaxial mechanical galvanometers, control circuits for biaxial galvanometers, mirrors rotating by 45°, control circuits for mirrors rotating by 45°, serial control circuit, range signal processing circuit, angle-range data acquisition module , communication interface circuit. The invention proposes a type of oscillation for a lidar with a linear antenna array with a 360° rotation of parts of a promising design. This invention implements local 2D scanning with biaxial galvanometers and 360° circular scanning with a linear array laser rangefinder by re-rotating reflective mirrors 45° in combination with angle feedback data from synchronous biaxial galvanometers and tilting mirrors rotated by 45°. 45° to acquire 360° 360° circular scanning lidar point cloud data and eliminate the limitations of the circular field of view when scanning with a single biaxial vibrating mirror.

Disclosure of invention

[013] Thus, there is a need for systems and methods to eliminate, reduce or overcome the limitations of known technical solutions.

[014] The developers of the present technology have found that the quality and reliability of the resulting 3D point map and/or the current vehicle trajectory can be improved if the lidar system regions of interest are scanned at different frequencies, for example, depending on the types of objects located in them. For example, some objects that are not in themselves associated with an increased risk of a traffic accident, such as buildings, trees, street lights, etc., can be scanned at a constant frequency, determined based on a given level of accuracy of the digital representation of such objects. In some embodiments of the invention, it may be of interest to scan more detailed or more frequent scans of static objects, such as traffic lights, instead. In this case, these objects can be included in the study areas, scanned at a higher frequency.

[015] In another example, objects that may be associated with an increased risk of a traffic accident for the vehicle and / or for other road users (pedestrians, animals, other vehicles, pedestrian crossings, road signs, parked cars, etc.) can be scanned at higher rates to generate more data points for them, allowing the lidar to generate more accurate digital representations at any given time.

[016] This approach contributes to more effective prevention of vehicle-related accidents, as well as more efficient use of the computing resources of the lidar system.

[017] Accordingly, in order to implement such an approach to scanning the surrounding space of a vehicle, an optical system has been developed in which the horizontal and vertical elements of the field of view are determined by the first optical element and the second optical element, respectively. In particular, such an optical system comprises a light source capable of emitting light. In addition, using the first optical element rotating at a constant speed around the first axis of rotation, the optical system provides scanning of the emitted light beam over a given region of interest in a horizontal plane with a given scanning frequency, and using a second optical element rotating around a third axis of rotation perpendicular to the first axis of rotation, the optical system modulates the angle of incidence of the emitted light beam on the first optical element along the first axis of rotation, scanning it over a given area of interest in the vertical plane.

[018] In addition, the second optical element can rotate about the second axis of rotation parallel to the first axis of rotation, which allows you to change the scanning frequency of the emitted light beam of the region of interest. This additionally allows to selectively change the scanning frequency of a given area of interest depending on the objects detected in it, using only the second optical element and without changing the constant rotation speed of the first optical element. In particular, if an object in the region of interest is identified as representing a more serious security risk, the second optical element begins to rotate around the third axis of rotation, increasing the frequency of scanning the region of interest. On the other hand, if the object is identified as not presenting a serious safety hazard, the second optical element either stops rotating around the third axis of rotation, or (if it did not rotate at the time the object was identified) remains at rest, reducing or at least not changing the scan rate. this area of interest.

[019] In particular, in accordance with the first broad aspect of the present technology, an optical system is implemented. The optical system comprises a light source, a scanning element capable of directing light from the light source outward from the optical system, a receiving element capable of receiving light reflected from surrounding objects into the optical system, and containing at least one sensor, and a controller connected to at least at least one sensor, with a scanning element and with a receiving element. The scanning element contains the first optical element capable of rotating around the first axis and thereby partially determining the field of view of the optical system, and the second optical element connected to the controller, to the light source and to the first optical element. In this case, the second optical element is able to receive light from the first optical element and selectively rotate around the second axis parallel to the first axis, and the controller is able to control the movement of the second optical element depending on the information received from at least one sensor.

[020] In some embodiments of the optical system, the second optical element is capable of rotating about a third axis perpendicular to the second axis.

[021] In some embodiments of the optical system, the second optical element is capable of simultaneously rotating about a second axis and about a third axis.

[022] In some embodiments of the optical system, the second optical element is a mirror.

[023] In some embodiments of the optical system, the second optical element is a Risley prism.

[024] In some embodiments of the optical system, the first optical element is capable of rotating about the first axis at a constant speed.

[025] In some embodiments of the optical system, the first optical element is a prism.

[026] In some embodiments of the optical system, the prism comprises a plurality of facets and a rotating core extended along a first axis, and each of the plurality of faces is a reflective surface located around the rotating core.

[027] In some embodiments of the optical system, each of the plurality of faces is located at a respective predetermined angle to the first axis.

[028] In some embodiments of the optical system, each of the plurality of faces is parallel to the first axis.

[029] In some embodiments of the optical system, the controller is configured to control the movement of the second optical element based on information received from at least one sensor to change the scanning rate of at least one of a plurality of predefined regions of interest in the field of view of the optical system.

[030] In some embodiments of the optical system, the controller is further capable of controlling the movement of the second optical element using at least one galvanometer connected to it.

[031] In some embodiments of the optical system, the light source, the second optical element, and the first optical element are arranged in series along the optical axis.

[032] In accordance with the second broad aspect of the present technology, an optical system control method performed by an optical system controller is implemented. The method includes issuing by the controller a command to the light source to emit light for scanning in the first direction by the first optical element of the optical system rotating around the first axis perpendicular to the first direction, partially determining the field of view of the optical system, detection by at least one sensor connected to the controller, of a light signal reflected from surrounding objects in the field of view of the optical system, selecting by the controller the region of interest in the field of view, depending on at least partially reflected signal, and issuing by the controller a command to the second optical element to selectively rotate around a second axis parallel to the first axis, with a change in frequency scanning in the area of interest.

[033] In some embodiments of the method, such a change includes increasing the scanning rate of the area of interest when the controller detects at least one first class object in the area of interest based on the reflected signal.

[034] In some embodiments of the method, such a change includes reducing the scan rate of the region of interest when the controller detects at least one second class object in the region of interest based on the reflected signal without detecting a first class object.

[035] In some embodiments of the method, the first class object is a dynamic object and the second class object is a static object.

[036] In some embodiments of the method, it further includes determining by the controller an area of interest based on a predetermined rule for selecting an area of interest for scanning.

[037] In some embodiments of the method, it further includes issuing by the controller a command to the second optical element to rotate about a third axis perpendicular to the second axis.

[038] In some embodiments of the method, it further includes issuing by the controller a command to the second optical element to simultaneously rotate about the second axis and about the third axis.

[039] In the context of this description, the term "light source" in a broad sense refers to any device capable of emitting, in particular, transmitting a signal in the form of a beam, including, for example, a light source with one or more wavelengths in the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. In one embodiment of the invention, the light source may be a laser source. Thus, the light source may comprise a laser, such as a solid state laser, a laser diode, a high power laser, or an alternative light source, such as a light emitting diode light source. Some (non-limiting) examples of a laser source include a Fabry-Perot laser diode, a quantum well laser, a Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) laser, a Distributed FeedBack (DFB) laser, a fiber laser or vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The laser source can emit light beams in various formats, such as light pulses, continuous oscillations, quasi-continuous oscillations, etc. In some non-limiting examples, the laser source may comprise a laser diode capable of emitting light at a wavelength in the range of approximately 650-1150 nm. Alternatively, the light source may comprise a laser diode capable of emitting light in the wavelength range of about 800-1000 nm, about 850-950 nm, about 1300-1600 nm, or any other suitable range. Unless otherwise indicated, the term "approximately" in relation to a numerical value is defined as a deviation not exceeding 10% from the specified value.

[040] In the context of this description, the term "output beam" can also refer to an emitted beam, for example, a beam of light generated by a radiation source and directed towards a region of interest. The output beam can be characterized by one or more parameters, such as radiation duration, beam angular divergence, wavelength, instantaneous power, photon density at different distances from the light source, average power, beam power density, beam width, radiation pulse repetition rate, sequence of emitted pulses, duty cycle, wavelength, phase, etc. The output beam may be unpolarized or randomly polarized, may have no defined or permanent polarization (eg, the polarization may change over time), or may have a defined polarization (eg, linear polarization, elliptical polarization, or circular polarization).

[041] In the context of this description, the term "input beam" means radiation or light entering the system, usually after reflection from one or more objects in the region of interest. The input beam may also be referred to as a radiation beam or a light beam. The term "reflected" means at least part of the output beam incident on one or more objects in the region of interest, reflected from one or more objects. The input beam may be characterized by one or more parameters such as time of flight (i.e., time from emission to detection), instantaneous power (i.e., power signature), mean return pulse power, photon or signal distribution over the return pulse period, and etc. Depending on the particular use, some of the radiation or light in the input beam may come from sources other than the reflected output beam. For example, at least some portion of the input beam may represent luminous noise from ambient space (including scattered sunlight) or from other light sources external to the system.

[042] In the context of this description, the term "vehicle environment" refers to the area or volume around a given vehicle, including the portion of its current environment available for scanning using one or more sensors installed on that vehicle, for example, for creating a three-dimensional map of such surrounding space or to detect objects in it.

[043] In the context of this description, the term "region of interest" can broadly include a portion of the observed surrounding space of the lidar system in which one or more objects can be detected. It should be noted that the area of interest of the lidar system can be affected by various conditions, such as the orientation of the lidar system (e.g., the direction of the optical axis of the lidar system), the position of the lidar system in the surrounding space (e.g., distance above the ground, and also the terrain). and obstacles in the immediate vicinity of the system), operating parameters of the lidar system (e.g., radiation power, computational settings, target operating angles), etc. The region of interest of the lidar system can be defined, for example, by a flat or solid angle. As an example, the area of interest can also be defined by a range (eg, up to a range of 200 m).

[044] In the context of this description, the term "server" means a computer program executed by appropriate hardware and capable of receiving requests (for example, from electronic devices) via a network and fulfill these requests or initiate their execution. Such hardware may be implemented as a single computer or a single computer system, which is not essential to the present technology. In this context, the expression "server" does not mean that every task (e.g. received command or request) or some particular task is received, executed or started by the same server (i.e. the same software and/or hardware ). This expression means that any number of software or hardware can receive, send, execute or start the execution of any task or request or the results of any tasks or requests. All of these software and hardware may be a single server or multiple servers, both of which are meant by the expression "at least one server".

[045] In the context of this description, the term "electronic device" means any computer equipment capable of executing software suitable for the task. In the context of this description, the term "electronic device" implies that such a device can function as a server for other electronic devices, however, this is not necessary for the present technology. Thus, some (non-limiting) examples of electronic devices include autonomous driving unit, personal computers (desktops, laptops, netbooks, etc.), smartphones and tablets, and network equipment such as routers, switches and gateways. It should be understood that in this context, the fact that equipment functions as an electronic device does not mean that it cannot function as a server for other electronic devices.

[046] In the context of this description, the expression "information" includes information of any kind or type that can be stored in a database. Thus, information includes visual works (for example, maps), audiovisual works (for example, images, films, sound recordings, presentations, etc.), data (for example, location data, weather data, traffic data, numerical data, etc.), text (such as but not limited to opinions, comments, questions, messages, etc.), documents, spreadsheets, etc.

[047] In the context of this description, the term "database" means any structured set of data, regardless of its specific structure, database management software, or computer hardware for storing this data, using it, or otherwise providing its use. The database may reside on the same hardware as the process for storing or using the information stored in the database, or the database may reside on separate hardware such as a specialized server or multiple servers.

[048] In the context of this description, the numerals "first", "second", "third", etc. are used only to indicate the difference between the nouns they refer to, but not to describe any specific relationship between these nouns. As encountered herein in another context, reference to a "first" element and a "second" element does not preclude that the two elements may in fact be the same element.

[049] Each embodiment of the present technology relates to at least one of the above goals and/or aspects, but not necessarily all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology, associated with an attempt to achieve the above goal, may not meet this goal and/or may meet other goals not explicitly mentioned here.

[050] Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the present technology are contained in the following description, in the accompanying drawings, and in the claims.

Brief description of the drawings

[051] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present technology are contained in the following description, in the appended claims, and in the following drawings.

[052] In FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an example computer system capable of implementing certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[053] In FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a networked computing environment suitable for use with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[054] In FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of an example of a lidar system implemented in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[055] In FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of the field of view of the lidar system shown in FIG. 3 determined based on a given scan characteristic in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[056] In FIG. 5 shows the individual elements of the lidar system shown in FIG. 3 used in some of its implementations, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[057] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of an example configuration of one of the elements of the lidar system shown in FIG. 5 in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[058] In FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the operation of the lidar system shown in FIG. 3 and containing the elements shown in FIG. 5 when scanning one or more regions of interest in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[059] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the control method for the lidar system shown in FIG. 3 and containing the elements shown in FIG. 5 when scanning one or more regions of interest in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

Implementation of the invention

[060] The examples and conventions provided herein are intended to provide a better understanding of the principles of the present technology, and not to limit its scope to such specifically given examples and terms. It should be understood that those skilled in the art are capable of developing various methods and devices that are not explicitly described or shown, but that implement the principles of the present technology within its spirit and scope.

[061] In addition, to facilitate a better understanding, the following description may contain simplified implementations of the present technology. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other embodiments of the present technology may be significantly more complex.

[062] In some cases, useful examples of modifications to the present technology are provided. They contribute to understanding, but also do not define the scope or boundaries of the present technology. The presented list of modifications is not exhaustive and the person skilled in the art can develop other modifications within the scope of this technology. In addition, if modifications are not described in some cases, this does not mean that they are impossible and / or that the description contains the only possible implementation of one or another element of the present technology.

[063] The description of principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to cover their structural and functional equivalents, whether they are currently known or will be developed in the future. For example, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any block diagrams described herein correspond to conceptual representations of illustrative circuit diagrams embodying the principles of the present technology. It should also be understood that any flowcharts, process diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocodes, and the like. correspond to various processes that may be represented on a computer-readable physical storage medium and may be performed by a computer or processor, whether such computer or processor is explicitly shown or not.

[064] The functions of the various elements shown in the drawings, including any functional block designated as "processor", can be implemented using dedicated hardware, as well as hardware capable of executing the corresponding software. If a processor is used, these functions may be performed by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or multiple individual processors, some of which may be shared. In addition, explicit use of the term "processor" or "controller" should not be construed as referring solely to the hardware capable of executing the software and may refer to, but is not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, ASIC (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Software ROM, RAM and NVRAM. Other general purpose and/or custom hardware may also be contemplated.

[065] Software modules, or simply modules that are intended to be implemented in software, may be represented here as any combination of flowchart elements or other elements that indicate the steps of a process and/or contain a textual description. Such modules may be implemented in hardware, as shown or implied.

[066] In the following, in light of the foregoing principles, some non-limiting examples are provided to illustrate various embodiments of aspects of the present technology.

computer system

[067] In FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a computer system 100 suitable for use with some embodiments of the present technology and comprising various hardware elements including one or more single or multi-core processors collectively represented by processor 110, a solid state drive 120, memory 130, which may be RAM or memory of any other kind.

[068] Communication between elements of computer system 100 may be via one or more internal and/or external buses (not shown), such as PCI bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE 1394 FireWire bus, SCSI bus, Serial- ATA, etc., to which various hardware elements are connected electronically. In accordance with embodiments of the present technology, the solid state drive 120 stores program instructions suitable for loading into memory 130 and execution by processor 110 to determine the presence of an object. For example, software instructions may be part of a vehicle control application executed by processor 110. It should be noted that computer system 100 may include additional and/or optional elements (not shown), such as network communication modules, location modules, and etc.

networked computing environment

[069] FIG. 2 depicts a networked computing environment 200 suitable for use with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. Networked computing environment 200 includes an electronic device 210 associated with vehicle 220 and/or a user (not shown) that is associated with vehicle 220 (eg, an operator of vehicle 220). The networked computing environment 200 also includes a server 235 connected to the electronic device 210 via a communication network 240 (eg, via the Internet, etc., as described in more detail below).

[070] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the networked computing environment 200 may include a GPS satellite (not shown) transmitting a GPS signal to and/or receiving a GPS signal from the electronic device 210. It should be understood that the present technology is not limited to the GPS system and may use a location technology other than the GPS system. It should be noted that the GPS satellite may not be available at all.

[071] The vehicle 220 with which the electronic device 210 is associated can be any vehicle for recreation or other purposes, such as a car for personal or commercial use, a truck, a motorcycle, and so on. While vehicle 220 is depicted as a ground vehicle, this is not necessarily the case in every non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, vehicle 220 may be a waterborne vehicle, such as a boat, or an aircraft, such as a flying drone.

[072] Vehicle 220 may be driven by a user or be a self-driving vehicle. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, it is contemplated that vehicle 220 may be implemented as a Self-Driving Car (SDC). It should be noted that this does not impose any restrictions on the specific parameters of the vehicle 200, such as vehicle manufacturer, vehicle model, vehicle year, vehicle weight, vehicle dimensions, vehicle weight distribution, area vehicle surface, vehicle height, transmission type (for example, two or four wheel drive), tire type, brake system, fuel system, mileage, vehicle identification number and engine displacement.

[073] According to the present technology, the implementation of the electronic device 210 is also not subject to any particular restrictions. For example, the electronic device 210 may be implemented as a vehicle engine control unit, a vehicle central processing unit, a vehicle navigation device (eg, TomTom™, Garmin™), a tablet, a personal computer built into the vehicle 220, etc. . It should be noted that the electronic device 210 may or may not be associated with the vehicle 220 in a permanent manner. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device 210 may be implemented in a wireless communication device such as a mobile phone (eg, smartphone or radiotelephone). In some embodiments, the electronic device 210 includes a display 270.

[074] Electronic device 210 may include some or all of the elements of computer system 100 shown in FIG. 1, depending on the specific embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, the electronic device 210 is an on-board computing device and includes a processor 110, a solid state drive 120, and a memory 130. In other words, the electronic device 210 includes hardware and/or software and/or firmware, or a combination thereof, for processing data. , as described in more detail below.

[075] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, communication network 240 is the Internet. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, communications network 240 may be implemented as any suitable local area network (LAN, Local Area Network), wide area network (WAN, Wide Area Network), private communications network, and the like. It should be understood that the embodiments of the communications network 240 are for illustrative purposes only. Between the electronic device 210 and the communication network 240, a communication link (not specifically indicated) is provided, the implementation of which depends, among other things, on the implementation of the electronic device 210. By way of example only, and not limitation, in those non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, where the electronic device 210 is implemented as a wireless communication device such as a smartphone or navigation device, the communication link may be implemented as a wireless communication link. Examples of wireless links may include a 3G network link, a 4G network link, and the like. Communication network 240 may also use a wireless connection to server 235.

[076] In some embodiments of the present technology, the server 235 is implemented as a computer server and may contain some or all of the elements of the computer system 100 shown in FIG. 1. In one non-limiting example, server 215 is implemented as a Dell™ PowerEdge™ server running the Microsoft™ Windows Server™ operating system, but it may also be implemented using any other suitable hardware, application software, and/ or firmware, or a combination thereof. In the present non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the server 235 is a single server. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the functions of the server 235 may be distributed among multiple servers (not shown).

[077] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the processor 110 of the electronic device 210 may be associated with the server 235 to receive one or more updates. Such updates may include, but are not limited to, software updates, map updates, route updates, weather data updates, and the like. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, processor 110 may also send some operational data, such as routes travelled, traffic data, performance data, and the like, to server 235. Some or all of the data transmitted between vehicle 220 and server 235 may be encrypted and/or anonymized.

[078] It should be noted that the electronic device 210 may use a variety of sensors and systems to collect information about the environment 250 of the vehicle 220. As shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 220 may be equipped with a plurality of sensor systems 280. It should be noted that various sensor systems from the plurality of sensor systems 280 may be used to collect various types of data about the environment 250 of the vehicle 220.

[079] In one example, the plurality of sensor systems 280 may comprise various optical systems, including but not limited to one or more camera-type sensor systems mounted on vehicle 220 and coupled to processor 110 of electronic device 210. Broadly, , one or more camera sensor systems may collect image data about various parts of the environment 250 of vehicle 220. In some cases, image data provided by one or more camera sensor systems may be used by electronic device 210 to perform detection procedures. object. For example, the electronic device 210 may transmit image data provided by one or more camera sensor systems to an Object Detection Neural Network (ODNN) trained to detect and classify potential objects in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220.

[080] In another example, the plurality of sensor systems 280 may include one or more radar sensor systems mounted on vehicle 220 and coupled to processor 110. In general, one or more radar sensor systems may use radio waves to collect data about various parts of the environment 250 of the vehicle 220. For example, one or more radar sensor systems may collect radar data about potential objects in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220 and such data may indicate the distance from the radar sensor system. to objects, the orientation of these objects, the relative and/or absolute speed of these objects, etc.

[081] It should be noted that the plurality of sensor systems 280 may include other types of sensor systems in addition to the non-exhaustive manner described above and without departing from the scope of the present technology.

Lidar system

[082] In accordance with the present technology, as shown in FIG. 2, vehicle 220 is equipped with at least one laser sensing and ranging system (lidar), such as lidar system 300, to collect information about the environment 250 of vehicle 220. Although lidar system 300 is described here only as installed on vehicle 220, it is also contemplated that it may operate autonomously or connected to another system.

[083] Depending on the embodiment of the invention, the vehicle 220 may contain more or less lidar systems 300 than shown in the drawings. Depending on the particular embodiment of the invention, the decision to include specific sensor systems 280 from a variety of such systems may depend on the specific implementation of the lidar system 300. The lidar system 300 may be factory-mounted or retrofitted to the vehicle 220 at various locations and /or in various versions.

[084] For example, depending on the implementation of the vehicle 220 and the lidar system 300, the lidar system 300 may be mounted on the inner top of the windshield of the vehicle 220. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, installation of the lidar system 300 in other locations, including the rear window, side windows, front hood, roof, front grille, front bumper, or side of the vehicle 220, does not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In some cases, the lidar system 300 may be mounted in a special case mounted on top of the vehicle 220.

[085] In some non-limiting embodiments of the invention, such as shown in FIG. 2, one lidar system 300 of a plurality of such systems is mounted on the roof of vehicle 220 and is rotatable. For example, a rotating lidar system 300 mounted on a vehicle 220 may include at least some elements capable of rotating 360 degrees about the axis of rotation of that lidar system 300. 250 vehicle 220.

[086] In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, the lidar system 300 (single or one of several lidar systems) can be mounted on the side or on the front array and is, for example, non-rotatable. In particular, the lidar system 300, mounted on the vehicle 220 and made without the possibility of rotation, may contain at least some elements that are not capable of rotating through 360 degrees, but capable of collecting data on specified parts of the environment 250 of the vehicle 220.

[087] Regardless of the particular location and/or particular implementation, the lidar system 300 is capable of collecting data about the environment 250 of the vehicle 220, for example, to build a multidimensional map of objects in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220. The following describes how the lidar system 300 collects data about the environment 250 of the vehicle 220.

[088] It should be noted that while the description herein lidar system 300 is implemented as a Time of Flight lidar system and as such contains the appropriate elements inherent in such an implementation, other implementations are also possible. lidar system 300 without deviating from the essence and scope of the present technology. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, lidar system 300 may also be implemented as a Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) lidar system according to one or more embodiments and based on their respective elements, as set out in the patent application "LiDAR detection methods and systems" ("Lidar systems and detection methods") of the same applicant with the case number of patent attorney 102691-023 (this application for US patent has not yet been published), the contents of which are fully incorporated herein document through a link.

[089] FIG. 3 is a diagram of one particular embodiment of lidar system 300 implemented in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[090] In general, the lidar system 300 comprises a plurality of internal elements, including but not limited to (a) a light source 302 (also referred to as a "radiating element"), (b) a light splitting element 304, (c) a scanning element 308 (also referred to as " scanning node"), (d) receiving element 306 (also referred to as "detection system", "receiving node", or "detector"), and (e) controller 310. In addition to the internal elements non-exhaustively listed above, the lidar system 300 may include a plurality of sensors (such as, for example, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, etc.) that are not shown in FIG. 3.

[091] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, one or more internal elements of the lidar system 300 may be housed in a common housing 330 as shown in FIG. 3. In some embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may be located outside the common housing 330 and associated with the elements located in this housing.

[092] In general, the lidar system 300 operates as follows: the light source 302 of the lidar system 300 emits pulses of light to form an output beam 314, the scanning element 308 scans the surrounding space 250 of the vehicle 220 with the output beam 314 to detect/capture data about those in it. previously unknown objects (such as object 320), for example, to create a multidimensional map of the surrounding space 250, where objects (including object 320) are represented as one or more data points. Light source 302 and scanning element 308 are described in more detail below.

[093] In some non-limiting examples, object 320 may include, in whole or in part, a person, vehicle, motorcycle, truck, train, bicycle, wheelchair, stroller, pedestrian, animal, road sign, traffic light, marking lanes, pavement markings, parking space, pylon, guardrail, road barrier, pothole, railroad crossing, obstacle on or near road, curb, stopped vehicle on or near road, pole, house, building, trash can , mailbox, tree, any other suitable object, or any suitable combination of two or more objects, in whole or in part.

[094] Further, it can be assumed that the object 320 is located at some distance 318 from the lidar system 300. When the output beam 314 reaches the object 320, then in the general case, the light of the output beam 314 can be reflected, at least partially, from the object 320, while some of the reflected light beams may return to lidar system 300 as input beam 316. The term "reflected" means that at least a portion of the light from output beam 314 is reflected from object 320. Some of the light from output beam 314 may be absorbed or scattered by object 320.

[095] The input beam 316 is captured and detected by the lidar system 300 using the receiver element 306. In response, the receiver element 306 generates one or more representative data signals. For example, receiver element 306 may generate an output electrical signal (not shown) that represents input beam 316. The receiver element 306 may then transmit the electrical signal thus generated to controller 310 for further processing. Finally, by measuring the time between the moment the output beam 314 is emitted and the moment the input beam 316 is received, the controller 310 calculates the distance 318 to the object 320.

[096] As described in more detail below, the light splitting element 304 directs the output beam 314 from the light source 302 to the scanning element 308 and the input beam 316 from the scanning element to the receiving element 306.

[097] The use and implementation of these elements of the lidar system 300 in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology are described below.

Light source

[098] The light source 302 is connected to the controller 310 and is capable of emitting light with a given operating wavelength. To this end, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, light source 302 may comprise at least one laser pre-configured to operate at a given operating wavelength. The operating wavelength of the light source 302 may be in the infrared, visible, and/or ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, the light source 302 may include at least one laser with an operating wavelength in the range of approximately 650-1150 nm. Alternatively, the light source 302 may comprise a laser diode capable of emitting light in the wavelength range of about 800-1000 nm, about 850-950 nm, or about 1300-1600 nm. In some other embodiments of the invention, the light source 302 may include a light emitting diode.

[099] The light source 302 of the lidar system 300 is generally an eye-safe laser, in other words, the lidar system 300 can be classified as an eye-safe laser system or laser product. Broadly speaking, an eye-safe laser, laser system or laser product can be a system with all or some of the following characteristics: emission wavelength, average power, peak power, peak intensity, pulse energy, beam size, beam divergence, exposure time and an output beam scanning characteristic, in which there is little or no risk of human visual impairment when exposed to the light emitted by the system.

[0100] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the operating wavelength of the light source 302 may be in those parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that correspond to the light emitted by the Sun. Therefore, in some cases, sunlight may act as background noise that may mask the light signal detected by the lidar system 300. This solar background noise may lead to false positive detections and/or otherwise distort the measurements of the lidar system 300. Although, in In some cases, it may be desirable to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR, Signal-to-Noise Ratio) of the lidar system 300 by increasing the power level of the output beam 314, in at least some situations this may not be desirable. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, it may be undesirable to increase the power level of the output beam 314 to a value exceeding the eye-safe threshold.

[0101] The light source 302 may include a pulsed laser capable of creating or emitting light pulses of a certain duration. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, light source 302 may emit pulses with a duration (ie, pulse width) in the range of 10 ps to 100 ns. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light source 302 may emit pulses with a repetition rate in the range of approximately 100 kHz to 5 MHz, or with a pulse period (i.e., with a time interval between adjacent pulses) in the range of approximately 200 ns to 10 µs. In general, light source 302 may generate output beam 314 with any suitable average optical power, and output beam 314 may comprise optical pulses with any suitable pulse energy or peak optical power for a given application.

[0102] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light source 302 may comprise one or more laser diodes, including, but not limited to, a Fabry-Perot laser diode, a quantum well laser, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser, a laser distributed feedback (DFB) or vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). By way of example only, the laser diode in light source 302 may be an aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) laser diode, an indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) laser diode, an indium gallium arsenide phosphide (InGaAsP) laser diode, or any other suitable laser diode. It is also contemplated that the light source 302 may include one or more laser diodes modulated by current to generate optical pulses.

[0103] In some non-limiting embodiments of the invention, the light source 302 is typically capable of emitting an output beam 314 that is a collimated optical beam, but it is contemplated that the resulting beam may have any divergence suitable for a given application. In general, the divergence of output beam 314 is an angular measure of the increase in beam size (eg, beam radius or diameter) as output beam 314 moves away from light source 302 or lidar system 300. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, output beam 314 may have an almost circular cross section.

[0104] It is also contemplated that the output beam 314 emitted by the light source 302 may be unpolarized or randomly polarized, may not have a specific or constant polarization (eg, the polarization may change over time), or may have a specific polarization (eg, the output beam 314 may be linear, elliptical or circularly polarized).

[0105] In at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, output beam 314 and input beam 316 may be substantially coaxial. In other words, output beam 314 and input beam 316 may at least partially overlap or have a common propagation axis, with input beam 316 and output beam 314 following substantially the same optical path (albeit in opposite directions). In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, output beam 314 and input beam 316 may not be coaxial or, in other words, may not overlap or share a common propagation axis within lidar system 300 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology.

[0106] It should be noted that in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light source 302 can rotate, for example, 360 degrees or less about a rotation axis (not shown) of the lidar system 300 when the lidar system 300 implemented with the possibility of rotation. However, in other embodiments of the invention, the light source 302 may be stationary, even when the lidar system 300 is implemented in a rotatable manner, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology.

light splitting element

[0107] As shown in FIG. 3, a light splitter element 304 is further provided located in the housing 330. For example, as mentioned earlier, the light splitter element 304 is capable of directing an output beam 314 from the light source 302 to the scanning element 308. The light splitter element 304 is also configured to direct the input beam 316 reflected from object 320 to the receiving element 306 for further processing by the controller 310.

[0108] However, in accordance with other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitting element 304 can split the output beam 314 into at least two components of lower intensity, including a scanning beam (not shown separately) to scan the surrounding space 250 lidar system 300 and a reference beam (not shown separately), which is then directed to the receiving element 306.

[0109] In other words, it can be said that in these embodiments, the light splitting element 304 is able to share the intensity (optical power) of the output beam 314 between the scanning beam and the reference beam. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitter element 304 may divide the intensity of the output beam 314 equally between the scanning beam and the reference beam. However, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitter element 304 may divide the intensity of the output beam 314 between the scanning beam and the reference beam at any given split ratio. For example, the light splitter 304 may use up to 80% of the intensity of the output beam 314 to form the scanning beam, and the remainder up to 20% of the intensity of the output beam 314 to form the reference beam. However, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the light splitting element 304 may change the division factor to form the scanning beam (eg, from 1% to 95% of the intensity of the output beam 314).

[0110] In addition, it should be noted that some (for example, up to 10%) of the intensity of the output beam 314 may be absorbed by the material of the light splitting element 304, depending on its specific design.

[0111] Depending on the implementation of the lidar system 300, the light splitting element 304 can be provided in various forms, including, but not limited to, a glass prism light splitting element, a semi-silvered mirror light splitting element, a dichroic mirror prism based light splitting element, a fiber optical light splitting element; and the like.

[0112] Thus, in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, an open list of adjustable parameters associated with the light splitting element 304, depending on its specific application, may include, for example, an operating wavelength range that can vary from a finite number of wavelengths to an extended light spectrum (eg, 1200 to 1600 nm), input angle of incidence, polarization or no polarization, and the like.

[0113] In a specific non-limiting example, the light splitter element 304 may be implemented as a fiber optic light splitter element manufactured by OZ Optics Ltd., 219 Westbrook Rd Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1L0 Canada (Canada). It should be understood that the light splitting element 304 may be implemented as any other suitable equipment.

Internal beam paths

[0114] As shown schematically in FIG. 3, lidar system 300 has a plurality of internal beam paths 312 that carry output beam 314 (produced by light source 302) and input beam 316 (received from ambient space 250). In particular, the light propagates along the internal beam paths 312 as follows: light from the light source 302 passes through the light splitting element 304 to the scanning element 308, and the scanning element 308 in turn directs the output beam 314 outward into the surrounding space 250.

[0115] Similarly, input beam 316 follows a plurality of internal beam paths 312 to receiver element 306. In particular, input beam 316 is directed by scanning element 308 in lidar system 300 through light splitter element 304 to receiver element 306. In some embodiments, in a lidar system 300, beam paths may be provided that direct input beam 316 directly from ambient space 250 to receiver element 306 (without passing input beam 316 through scanning element 308).

[0116] It should be noted that in various non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the plurality of internal beam paths 312 may comprise various optical elements. For example, lidar system 300 may include one or more optical elements capable of normalizing, shaping, filtering, modifying, redirecting output beam 314 and/or input beam 316. For example, lidar system 300 may include one or more of lenses, mirrors, filters (eg, bandpass or interference filters), fiber optic lines, circulators, light splitters, polarizers, polarizing light splitters, wave plates (eg, half-wave or quarter-wave plates), diffractive elements, MEMS, collimating elements, or holographic elements.

[0117] It is contemplated that in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, this and some other internal beam paths of the plurality of internal beam paths 312 may share at least some common optical elements, but this is not mandatory for all embodiments of the present technology.

Scanning element

[0118] In general, scanning element 308 directs output beam 314 into ambient space 250 in one or more directions. The scanning element 308 is coupled to the controller 310. Thus, the controller 310 is able to control the scanning element 308 to direct the output beam 314 in the desired direction from the source and/or in accordance with a given scanning characteristic. In general, in the context of this description, a "scan characteristic" may be the pattern or path along which the scanning element 308 directs the output beam 314 during operation.

[0119] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, controller 310 may instruct scanning element 308 to scan output beam 314 in multiple horizontal and/or vertical angular ranges. The angular range over which scanning element 308 directs output beam 314 is referred to herein as the field of view. It is contemplated that the particular device, orientation, and/or angular ranges may depend on the particular implementation of the lidar system 300. The field of view typically includes a plurality of regions of interest, defined as portions of the field of view, which may contain, for example, objects of interest. In some embodiments, the scanning element 308 may further scan a selected region of interest 325. The region of interest 325 of the lidar system 300 may be an area, volume, region, angular range, and/or portion(s) of the surrounding space 250 in which the lidar system 300 may scan. and/or capable of collecting data.

[0120] It should be noted that the location of the object 320 in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220 may overlap with the region of interest, be covered by the region of interest, or encompass at least partially the region of interest 325 of the lidar system 300.

[0121] It should be noted that in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the scanning element 308 can scan the output beam 314 horizontally and/or vertically and, accordingly, the region of interest 325 of the lidar system 300 can be oriented in a horizontal direction and in the vertical direction. For example, the region of interest 325 may be defined by an angular sector of 45° in the horizontal direction and 45° in the vertical direction. In some embodiments, different scan axes may have different orientations.

[0122] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, scanning element 308 may include a plurality of optical elements and/or mechanical elements for performing scanning with output beam 314. For example, scanning element 308 may include one or more mirrors, prisms, lenses, microelectromechanical elements, piezoelectric elements, optical fibers, splitters, diffractive elements, collimating elements, and the like. It should be noted that the scanning element 308 may also include one or more additional actuators (not shown separately) that drive at least some other optical elements, for example, for their rotation, tilt, rotation or angular movement around one or more axes. .

[0123] Embodiments of the scanning element 308 in accordance with the present technology, as well as its elemental composition and functionality, are described below with reference to FIG. 5-7.

[0124] Thus, the lidar system 300 may use a predetermined scan characteristic to generate a point cloud substantially covering the region of interest 325 of the lidar system 300. As described in more detail below, this point cloud of the lidar system 300 may be used to render a multidimensional map of objects in the surroundings. space 250 of the vehicle 220.

[0125] From the description below, it should be clear that in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, a given scan characteristic of an area of interest 325 may be associated with a corresponding scan rate.

receiving element

[0126] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the receiving element 306 is associated with the controller 310 and can be implemented in a variety of ways. In accordance with the present technology, the receiving element 306 includes a photodetector, but may include (among other things) a photodetector, an optical receiver, an optical sensor, a detector, an optical detector, optical fibers, and the like. As noted above, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, receiver element 306 may receive or detect at least a portion of input beam 316 and generate an electrical signal corresponding to input beam 316. For example, if input beam 316 includes an optical pulse, receiving element 306 may generate an electrical current or voltage pulse corresponding to an optical pulse detected by receiving element 306.

[0127] It is contemplated that in various non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the receiving element 306 may be implemented using one or more Avalanche PhotoDiodes (APDs), one or more Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs). ), one or more PN photodiodes (for example, a photodiode structure formed by a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor), one or more PIN photodiodes (for example, a photodiode structure formed by an undoped region of an intrinsic semiconductor located between the regions p -type and n-type), etc.

[0128] In some non-limiting embodiments of the invention, the receiver element 306 may also include circuitry elements that perform signal amplification, sampling, filtering, waveform conversion, analog-to-digital conversion, time-to-digital conversion, pulse detection, threshold detection, rising edge detection, falling edge detection, etc. For example, receiver element 306 may include electronics capable of converting a received photocurrent (eg, the current produced by an APD diode when receiving an optical signal) into a voltage signal. Receiver element 306 may also include additional circuitry for generating an analog or digital output signal corresponding to one or more characteristics (eg, leading edge, trailing edge, amplitude, duration, etc.) of the received optical pulse.

Controller

[0129] Depending on the implementation, the controller 310 may include one or more processors, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and/or other suitable circuitry elements. . The controller 310 may also include non-volatile computer-readable memory for storing instructions executed by the controller 310 as well as data that the controller 310 may generate from signals received from other internal elements of the lidar system 300 and/or for signals issued to other internal elements of the lidar system 300. The memory may contain volatile elements (eg, RAM) and/or non-volatile elements (eg, flash memory, hard drive). The controller 310 may generate data during operation and store it in memory. For example, the data generated by the controller 310 may be associated with data points in the point cloud of the lidar system 300.

[0130] It is contemplated that in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, controller 310 may be implemented similarly to electronic device 210 and/or computer system 100 without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology. In addition to collecting data from the receiving element 306, the controller 310 can also provide control signals to the light source 302 and the scanning element 308 and receive diagnostic data from them.

[0131] As previously noted, controller 310 is associated with light source 302, with scanning element 308, and with receiving element 306. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, controller 310 may receive electrical trigger pulses from light source 302, where each electrical the trigger pulse corresponds to the emission of an optical pulse by the light source 302. The controller 310 may additionally provide the light source 302 with commands, a control signal and/or a trigger signal indicating when the light source 302 should generate optical pulses, for example, the output beam 314.

[0132] By way of example only, the controller 310 may output an electrical trigger signal including electrical pulses, with the light source 302 emitting an optical pulse represented by optical beam 314 in response to each electrical pulse of the electrical trigger signal. It is also contemplated that the controller 310 may influence the light source 302 to adjust one or more characteristics of the output beam 314 produced by the light source 302, such as frequency, period, duration, pulse energy, peak power, average power, and optical pulse wavelength, not limited to them.

[0133] According to the present technology, the controller 310 is able to determine the "time of flight" value of the optical pulse to determine the distance between the lidar system 300 and one or more objects in the field of view, as described below. The time of flight is based on time information associated with (a) a first time when an optical pulse (e.g., output beam 314) was emitted by light source 302, and (b) a second time when a portion of that optical pulse (e.g., input beam 316) has been detected or received by receiver 306. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the first time may correspond to the time controller 310 generates an electrical pulse associated with the optical pulse, and the second time may correspond to the time controller 310 receives from receiving element 306 of an electrical signal generated in response to receiving a portion of this optical pulse from input beam 316.

[0134] In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, where the light splitter element 304 is capable of splitting the output beam 314 into a scanning beam (not shown) and a reference beam (not shown), the first time point may be the moment of reception from the receiving element 306 of the first an electrical signal generated in response to the reception of the reference beam. Accordingly, in these embodiments of the invention, the second time point can be defined as the moment when the controller 310 receives from the receiving element 306 a second electrical signal generated in response to receiving another part of this optical pulse from the input beam 316.

[0135] In accordance with the present technology, the controller 310 may determine, based on the first and second points in time, a time-of-flight value and/or a phase shift value for the radiated pulse of the output beam 314. The time-of-flight value T is, in a certain sense, the time of travel "there and back" of the radiated pulse from lidar system 300 to object 320 and back to lidar system 300. Thus, approximately controller 310 is able to determine distance 318 by the following formula:

, (1)

, (1)

where D is the distance 318, T is the time of flight, c is the speed of light (approximately 3.0×10 ⁸ m/s).

[0136] As previously stated, the lidar system 300 may be used to determine the distance 318 to one or more other potential objects located in the surrounding space 250. By scanning the output beam 314 of the area of interest 325 of the lidar system 300 in accordance with a given scan characteristic, the controller 310 is able to display the distance (similar to distance 318) to the respective data points in the area of interest 325 of the lidar system 300. Based on this, the controller 310 is generally able to visualize these sequentially received data points (eg, a point cloud) in the form of a multidimensional map. In some implementations, data associated with a particular time-of-flight and/or distance to an object may be displayed in a different information format.

[0137] For example, this multi-dimensional map may be used by the electronic device 210 to detect or otherwise identify objects, or to determine the shape or distance of potential objects in the region of interest 325 of the lidar system 300. It is contemplated that the lidar system 300 can repeatedly/iteratively acquire and/or generate point clouds at any rate suitable for the application.

[0138] Scanning element 308 for various embodiments of lidar system 300 is described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4–7.

Field of view definition

[0139] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a scanning element 308 that scans the output beam 314 of the surrounding space 250 of the vehicle 220 in the field of view 402 associated with the scanning element 308, in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0140] In accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, field of view 402 is determined by controller 310 instructing scanning element 308 to scan output beam 314 in accordance with a predetermined characteristic 404 in coordinate system 400 associated with lidar system 300. Thus in a manner as shown in FIG. 4, first, the controller 310 is configured to command the scanning element 308 to scan the output beam 314 with a predetermined maximum X coordinate value (not shown) along the X axis of the coordinate system 400, thereby determining the horizontal component 406 (FOV _H ) of the field of view. 402. Second, by gradually lowering the output beam 314 along the Y axis of the coordinate system 400 after each scan iteration along the horizontal component 406 to a predetermined maximum value of the Y coordinate (not shown), the controller 310 is able to determine the vertical component 408 (FOV _V ) of the field of view 402 .

[0141] It should be noted that although in the embodiments of the invention shown in FIG. 4, setpoint 404 defines a horizontal zigzag path for output beam 314 in field of view 402, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, setpoint 404 may define a different path for output beam 314. For example, controller 310 may determine setpoint 404 and issue commands scanning element 308 first to scan the output beam 314 along the Y axis, gradually shifting it along the X axis of the coordinate system 400. In another example, the controller 310 may determine the desired characteristic 404 by changing the scanning direction of the output beam 314 along the X axis after each lowering of the output beam 314 along Y axis.

[0142] In addition, as noted above, in accordance with the present technology, the field of view 402 of the scanning element 308 may contain a plurality of regions of interest 410. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, each of the multiple regions of interest 410 may correspond to a fixed the spatial position of the scanning element 308 relative to the lidar system 300.

[0143] Thus, in accordance with the present technology, the controller 310 is able to further examine one of the many regions of interest 410 defined in the field of view 402, for example, region of interest 325. To this end, the controller 310 may scan the output beam 314 of the region of interest 325 for generating data points corresponding to the object 320 located therein (not shown in FIG. 4). From the description below, it should be understood that in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the horizontal and vertical scanning directions of the region of interest 325 may also be determined by the coordinate system 400, i. the X and Y axes, respectively.

Special elements of the system

[0144] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a scanning element 308 implemented in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0145] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the scanning element 308 includes additional elements for scanning the output beam 314 of the area of interest 325. In particular, the scanning element 308 includes a first optical element 502 and a second optical element 504. In some not having restrictive embodiments of the present technology, the light splitting element 304 (and hence the light source 302, not shown in FIG. 5), the second optical element 504, and the first optical element 502 may be placed in series on a common optical axis (not separately indicated) as shown in fig. 5.

[0146] In accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the first optical element 502 may be a prism, an example of which is shown schematically in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the first optical element 502 includes a rotating core 602 rotatable about a first axis of rotation 508 and a plurality of reflective facets 612 arranged around the rotating core 602.

[0147] In accordance with the present technology, the first optical element 502 is associated with the controller 310 to control its rotation about the first axis 508 of rotation. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the first rotation axis 508 is defined as one of the axes of symmetry of the first optical element 502. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may control the rotation of the first optical element 502 about the first rotation axis 508 with a constant rotation speed (for example, 400 rpm) for a predetermined time interval of operation of the lidar system 300.

[0148] Thus, by controlling the rotation of the first optical element 502 about the first rotation axis 508, the controller 310 is able to scan the output beam 314 of a given region of interest (e.g., region of interest 325) horizontally in a direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis 508 at a scanning rate corresponding to the rotation speed of the first optical element 502, as described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0149] As shown in FIG. 6, the plurality of reflective faces 612 includes 6 (six) reflective surfaces disposed around the rotating core 602. However, the plurality of reflective faces 612 may include other numbers of reflective faces, such as 4, 8, 10, or more, without departing from the spirit. and scope of the present technology. Moreover, although in FIG. 6, each reflective surface of the plurality of reflective facets 612 has a rectangular shape, and other shapes such as triangular, polygonal, and even circular are also possible.

[0150] In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, each of the plurality of reflective facets 612 is located around the rotating core 602 parallel to the first axis 508 of rotation. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, each of the plurality of reflective faces on one of its vertical edges may be inclined at a predetermined angle, such as 5, 10, or 20 degrees, to the first axis 508 of rotation.

[0151] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the surface of one of the plurality of reflective facets 612 provides a specular reflection of the light incident on it (for example, the output beam 314 emitted by the light source 302) and, thus, may contain a plane mirror. However, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the surface of the reflecting edge of the first optical element 502 may be a mirror with a given surface curvature, such as a concave mirror, a convex mirror, or a mirror with variable curvature, providing a diffuse reflection of the output beam incident on it. 314, but not limited to.

[0152] Finally, it should be noted that in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, one of the plurality of reflective faces 612 provides a specular reflection of the output beam 314 in a given wavelength range, for example, in the range of approximately 400-700 nm (the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum), approximately 10-400 nm (near ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum), approximately 700-1050 nm (near infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum), etc., but not limited to this. In addition, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the wavelength (or wavelength range) at which one of the plurality of reflective surfaces is capable of operating can be related to the operating wavelength of the light source 302.

[0153] In addition, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that FIG. 6 shows a rotating core 602 having a substantially cylindrical shape only to illustrate the principle of operation of the first optical element 502 and that in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the rotating core 602 may have a different shape and/or contain additional elements for its fastening/mounting. in the first optical element 502.

[0154] In a specific non-limiting example, the first optical element 502 may be a multi-angle laser multi-line scanner manufactured by Mirada Technologies Inc., 1485 Bayshore Blvd., San Francisco, California, 94124, USA. It should be understood that the first optical element 502 may be implemented in any other suitable equipment.

[0155] As shown in FIG. 5, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 is a mirror. Like the plurality of reflective facets 612 described above, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 may be a flat mirror, a concave mirror, a convex mirror, or a variable curvature mirror, among other things. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 may be a Risley prism.

[0156] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 is rotatable. To do this, the second optical element 504 is connected to a galvanometer 506, further associated with the controller 310. Thus, the controller 310 can control the rotation of the second optical element 504 to direct the output beam 314 incident on it from the light splitting element 304 to the first optical element 502.

[0157] In a specific, non-limiting example, the galvanometer 506 may be an instrument manufactured by Sino-Galvo (Jiangsu) Technology Co., Ltd: 33, Area D, No. 99 Jing 15th Road, New District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province, China. It should be understood that the galvanometer 506 may be implemented as any other suitable equipment.

[0158] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 is rotatable about a second rotation axis 510 passing through it. For example, but not limited to, the second axis of rotation 510 may be defined as one of the axes of symmetry of the second optical element 504, which may be parallel to the first axis of rotation 508 associated with the first optical element 502.

[0159] Thus, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, by controlling the rotation of the second optical element 504 about the second axis of rotation 510, the controller 310 can control the second optical element 504 and direct the output beam 314 to the first optical element 502 at several angles. incidence in one scan cycle of the first optical element 502, thereby increasing the scanning frequency of the output beam 314 in the horizontal direction of the region of interest 325. the first optical element 502 around the first axis 508 of rotation. Accordingly, by varying the rotational speed of the second optical element 504 about the second rotational axis 510, the controller 310 can adjust the scan rate of the output beam 314 of the region of interest 325 to a predetermined value, as described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0160] In addition, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 is rotatable about a third rotation axis 512 perpendicular to the second rotation axis 510. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the third axis of rotation 512 may be a different axis of symmetry of the second optical element 504.

[0161] Thus, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, by controlling the rotation of the second optical element 504 about the third rotation axis 512, the controller 310 controls the scanning of the output beam 314 in a direction parallel to the direction of the first rotation axis 508, i. in the vertical direction of the region of interest 325. In other words, while rotating about the third axis of rotation 512 of rotation, the second optical element 504 is able to continuously change the angle of incidence of the output beam 314 on it, directing it to the first optical element 502 along the first axis of rotation 508 and scanning the region of interest 325 in the vertical direction, as described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0162] In accordance with the present technology, at the right time, the controller 310 through the galvanometer 506 can cause the rotation of the second optical element 504 in various modes. For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 can be caused to rotate only about the second axis 510 of rotation at this point in time. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the second optical element 504 can be caused to rotate only around the third axis 512 of rotation at this point in time. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, at this point in time, the controller 310 is able to cause the second optical element 504 to simultaneously rotate about the second rotation axis 510 and the third rotation axis 512.

[0163] In a specific non-limiting example, the second optical element 504 can be implemented as a biaxial resonant mirror manufactured by Optotune Switzerland AG, Bernstrasse, 388, CH-8953, Dietikon, Switzerland (Switzerland). It should be understood that the second optical element 504 may be implemented in any other suitable equipment.

[0164] FIG. 7 is a diagram of scanning a region of interest 325 using a scanning element 308 comprising a first optical element 502 and a second optical element 504 (shown in FIG. 5), in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology.

[0165] As previously stated, in order to generate a plurality of data points corresponding to objects located in the environment 250 of the vehicle 220, the controller 310 is able to (1) generate, with the light source 302 (shown in FIG. 3), an output beam 314, ( 2) scan using scanning element 308 output beam 314 field of view 402 and (3) receive using receiver element 306 input beam 316 (both shown in Fig. 3), reflected from objects located in the surrounding space 250. It should be clear, that the density of data points in a plurality of data points depends on the frequency of scanning by the output beam 314 of the field of view 402 of the lidar system 300.

[0166] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 can control the scanning element 308 to change the scanning rate when scanning different areas of interest depending on certain conditions.

[0167] Assume that a predetermined characteristic 404 determines the path of the output beam 314 in the field of view 402 in the direction of the x-axis of the coordinate system 400. The controller 310 may then alternately scan the previous region of interest 725 and the current region of interest 325.

[0168] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may (1) cause the first optical element 502 to rotate about the first rotation axis 508 at a constant rotation rate, scanning the previous region of interest 725 horizontally along the x-axis of the coordinate system 400 at a predetermined frequency. scan, (2) cause rotation of the second optical element 504 about the third axis of rotation 512, scanning the previous area of interest 725 vertically along the Y axis of the coordinate system 400. In addition, due to the processing of the input beam 316 (not shown in Fig. 7), resulting in response to each occurrence of scanning by the output beam 314, the controller 310 is able to generate a first set of data points 702. Further, by analyzing the first set of data points 702, the controller 310 is able to detect at least a portion of an object 320 located in a portion of the surrounding space 250 associated with the previous region of interest 725.

[0169] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 is able to identify the view of the object 320. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the view of the object 320 may be a first view or a second view. In general, there is no restriction on the definition of the first and second views, however, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the first view and the second view of the object 320 may be determined based on some inherent characteristics of the object. In particular, objects of the first kind in these embodiments of the invention may be dynamic objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and animals, and objects of the second kind may be static objects, such as street lights, guardrails, trees, and the like. .

[0170] However, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the first and second types of object 320 may be determined, for example, based on a given safety class or, in other words, the current risk of an associated traffic accident. Thus, in these embodiments of the invention, objects of the first kind may be objects of high interest, which may be associated, for example, with an increased risk of a traffic accident, in particular, pedestrian crossings, road signs, construction sites, parked cars, etc. .p., but not limited to. In this regard, it can be said that objects of the first kind are associated with the unexpected appearance of people and/or with certain traffic rules that create an increased risk of a traffic accident, at least for the vehicle 220. In contrast, objects of the second kind in these embodiments inventions may be objects of ordinary interest, ie, for example, not associated with an increased risk of a traffic accident, in particular, buildings, plants, sky, etc., but not limited to them.

[0171] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 is able, based on the appearance of the object 320, to change the scan rate of the output beam of the next region of interest, i. region of interest 325 as shown in FIG. 7, after area of interest 725. Thus, controller 310 may preselect an area of interest for further inspection in field of view 402 of scanning element 308.

[0172] Therefore, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, in response to identifying an object 320 as a first view object based on the first set of data points 702, the controller 310 may cause the second optical element 504 to further rotate about the second rotation axis 510, thereby increasing the predetermined scan rate of the area of interest 325. Here, the controller 310 may generate a second data point set 704 with a higher data point density than the first data point set 702.

[0173] It should be noted that increasing the scan rate by rotating the second optical element 504 around the second rotation axis 510, rather than by increasing the speed of rotation of the first optical element 502 around the first rotation axis 508, may be associated with increased response speed of the scanning element 308 Since the first optical element 502 with a relatively large mass has a certain inertia and cannot immediately change its rotational speed, the scanning element 308 can pass the area of interest 325 without having time to adjust the scanning frequency. In contrast, changing the set scan rate using the second optical element 504 does not require changing the rotation speed of the first optical element 502, providing a faster response speed of the scanning element 308.

[0174] It should be understood that with a higher density of data points in the second set of data points 704, the controller 310 is able to generate a more accurate digital representation of the object 320, which further improves traffic safety when generating a three-dimensional point map of the surroundings based on the digital representation of the object 320 space 250 or the current trajectory of the vehicle 220 on it.

[0175] In addition, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology (not shown), in response to identifying the object 320 based on the first set of data points 702 as a second kind object, the controller 310 may continue scanning the output beam 314 of the area of interest 325 at the same scan rate as the previous region of interest 725.

[0176] Finally, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology (not shown), in the case where the controller 310 has scanned the previous area of interest 725 with the output beam 314 at an increased scan rate, in response to identifying the object 320 based on the first set of points data 702 as an object of the second kind, the controller 310 can stop the rotation of the second optical element 504 about the second axis of rotation 510, reducing the frequency of scanning the output beam 314 of the area of interest 325.

Way

[0177] In view of the architecture described above and the examples given, it is possible to implement the method of operation of the optical system (for example, the scanning element 308). In FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a method 800 in accordance with non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. Method 800 may be performed by controller 310.

Step 802: The controller instructs the light source to emit light to scan in a first direction by the first optical element of the optical system rotating about the first axis perpendicular to the first direction partially defining the field of view of the optical system.

[0178] Method 800 begins at step 802, where controller 310 instructs light source 302 to emit output beam 314. In addition to that described above with reference to FIG. 3, the output beam 314 is directed to the light splitting element 304, which further directs it to the scanning element 308. Thus, the scanning element 308 can scan the output beam 314 within the field of view 402 of the surrounding space 250 of the vehicle 220.

[0179] Specifically, as described above with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, the scanning element 308 includes a first optical element 502 which, at the command of the controller 310, rotates about the first rotation axis 508 and scans the field of view 402 with the output beam 314 in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the first rotation axis 508 along the X-axis of the coordinate system 400. Accordingly, the speed rotation of the first optical element 502 around the first axis 508 of rotation determines the scanning frequency of the output beam 314 of the field of view 402.

[0180] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the scanning element 308 may further comprise a second optical element 504 rotatable about a third rotation axis 512, which may be perpendicular to the first rotation axis 508. In this regard, the scanning element 308 may scan the field of view 402 in a vertical direction, perpendicular to the horizontal direction, along the Y-axis of the coordinate system 400.

[0181] The method then continues to step 804.

Step 804: At least one sensor associated with the controller detects a light signal reflected from surrounding objects in the field of view of the optical system.

[0182] At step 804, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, an output beam 314 reflected from one of the objects in the environment 250 (e.g., an object 320) may form an input beam 316. The input beam 316 is then received by a receiving element 306, which may further generate an appropriate electrical signal for transmission to the controller 310. Accordingly, the controller 310 can generate a plurality of data points corresponding to the object 320 based on the received electrical signal.

[0183] For example, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may generate the first set of data points 702 based on the input beam 316 obtained from the previous region of interest 725 of the field of view 402.

[0184] The method then continues to step 806.

Step 806: Controller selection of a field of view area of interest based on at least a partially reflected signal.

[0185] In step 806, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may determine the next area in the field of view 402 for further examination.

[0186] For example, controller 310 may select an area of interest 325 after a previous area of interest 725 based on a given characteristic 404 of output beam 314 in field of view 402. In particular, controller 310 may select area of interest 325 depending on the path of output beam 314 determined by a given characteristic 404 as described above with reference to FIG. 4.

[0187] In another example, described above with reference to FIG. 7, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may select an area of interest 325 based on a first set of data points 702 generated as a result of output beam 314 scanning the previous area of interest 725. In particular, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 is able to determine the type of object 320 based on the first set of data points 702 and, depending on the type of object 320, select an area of interest 325 for in-depth inspection.

[0188] As previously stated, the object 320 may be of the first or second kind. According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, objects of the first kind may be dynamic objects and objects of the second kind may be static objects. In other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, objects of the first kind may be objects of high interest, and objects of the second kind may be objects of general interest, as described above with reference to FIG. 7.

[0189] The method then continues to step 808.

Step 808: Commanding the controller to selectively rotate the second optical element about a second axis parallel to the first axis to change the scan rate in the region of interest.

[0190] In step 808, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 is able, depending on the type of object 320 determined based on the first set of data points 702, to change the set scanning frequency of the output beam 314 of the region of interest 325. According to some In non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller 310 may change the set scan rate of the output beam 314, causing the second optical element 504 to additionally rotate about a second rotation axis 510, which may be parallel to the first rotation axis 508.

[0191] Therefore, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, in response to the identification based on the first set of data points 702 of the object 320 as a first kind object, the controller 310 is able to initiate an additional rotation of the second optical element 504 around the second axis 510 of rotation, increasing the given region of interest scan rate 325. Here, the controller 310 may generate a second data point set 704 with a higher data point density than the first data point set 702, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0192] In addition, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology (not shown in FIG. 7), in response to identifying an object 320 based on the first set of data points 702 as a second kind object, the controller 310 is able to continue scanning with the output beam 314 region of interest 325 at the same scan rate as the previous region of interest 725.

[0193] Finally, in other non-limiting embodiments of the present technology (not shown in FIG. 7), if the controller 310 scanned the previous area of interest 725 with the output beam 314 at an increased scan rate, then in response to identifying the object 320 based on the first set of data points 702 as an object of the second kind, the controller 310 can stop the rotation of the second optical element 504 about the second axis of rotation 510, reducing the frequency of scanning the output beam 314 of the region of interest 325.

[0194] Thus, some embodiments of the method 800 allow selective scanning of regions of interest, generating data points of different densities depending on the type of objects located in them. In particular, these embodiments of method 800 are directed to generating a denser set of data points within an area of interest, including objects of high interest such as pedestrian crossings, road signs, parked cars, and the like. In doing so, the method 800 is directed to the creation by the lidar system 300 of a three-dimensional point map of the surrounding space 250 with a more efficient use of the computing resources of the lidar system 300, while at the same time allowing to increase the safety of the vehicle 220.

[0195] This completes the method 800.

[0196] For a person skilled in the art, possible changes and improvements to the above-described embodiments of the present technology may be obvious. The foregoing description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of protection of this technology is determined solely by the scope of the appended claims.

[0197] While embodiments of the invention have been described above with specific steps performed in a specific order, it should be understood that these steps can be combined, subdivided, or reordered without departing from the spirit and scope of the present technology. Accordingly, the order of execution and grouping of these steps is not a limitation of the present technology.

Claims (29)

1. A laser detection and ranging system, comprising: - Light source; - a scanning element configured to direct light from the light source outward from the optical system; - a receiving element configured to receive light reflected from surrounding objects into the optical system and containing at least one sensor; And - a controller connected to at least one sensor, a scanning element and a receiving element, wherein the scanning element contains the first optical element, made with the possibility of rotation around the first axis, thereby partially defining the field of view of the optical system, and the second optical element connected to the controller, to the light source and to the first optical element, and made with the possibility of receiving light from the first optical element and selective rotation around a second axis parallel to the first axis, and the controller is able to control the movement of the second optical element depending on information received from at least one sensor. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second optical element is further rotatable about a third axis perpendicular to the second axis. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second optical element is rotatable about the second axis and about the third axis simultaneously. 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the second optical element is a mirror. 5. The system of claim 2, wherein the second optical element is a Risley prism. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first optical element is rotatable about the first axis at a constant speed. 7. The system of claim 6 wherein the first optical element is a prism. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the prism comprises a plurality of facets and a rotating core disposed along the first axis, and each of the plurality of facets is a reflective surface disposed around the rotating core. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of faces is located at a respective predetermined angle to the first axis. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein each face of the plurality of faces is parallel to the first axis. 11. The system according to claim 1, in which the controller is configured to control the movement of the second optical element depending on information received from at least one sensor, to change the scanning frequency of at least one of a plurality of predetermined regions of interest in the field of view of the optical systems. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to control the movement of the second optical element with at least one galvanometer connected thereto. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the light source, the second optical element, and the first optical element are arranged in series along the optical axis. 14. A method for controlling a laser detection and ranging system, performed by an optical system controller and including: - issuance by the controller of the command to the light source to emit light to scan in the first direction by the first optical element of the optical system, rotating around the first axis perpendicular to the first direction, partially defining the field of view of the optical system; - detection by at least one sensor connected to the controller of a light signal reflected from surrounding objects in the field of view of the optical system; - selection by the controller of the region of interest of the field of view based on at least partially reflected signal; And - issuance by the controller of a command to the second optical element for selective rotation around the second axis, parallel to the first axis, with a change in the scanning frequency in the region of interest. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the change includes increasing the scanning rate of the area of interest when the controller detects at least one first class object in the area of interest based on the reflected signal. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the change includes decreasing the scan rate of the region of interest when the controller detects at least one second class object in the region of interest based on the reflected signal without detecting a first class object. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first class object is a dynamic object and the second class object is a static object. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the controller is further capable of determining an area of interest based on a predetermined rule for selecting an area of interest for scanning. 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising instructing the controller to rotate the second optical element about a third axis perpendicular to the second axis. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising commanding the controller to the second optical element to simultaneously rotate about the second axis and about the third axis.

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