Blackmore Sensors & Analytics, LLC

Aurora Operations, Inc.

Aurora Innovation, Inc.

Montana State University

Bridger Photonics, Inc.

Stephen C Crouch

Zeb William Barber

Emil Kadlec

Edward Joseph Angus

Michelle Milvich

Randy Ray Reibel

James Curry

Krishna Rupavatharam

Trenton Berg

Ryan Moore Galloway

Chunshu Li

Sean Spillane

Brant M Kaylor

Devlin Baker

Richard Funk

Kyle Oliver

Daniel Ferguson

Michael James Thorpe

Aaron Thomas Kreitinger

Brant Kaylor

Krishna Mohan Rupavatharam

Emil A Kadlec

Techniques for Doppler correction of chirped optical range detection include obtaining a first set of ranges based on corresponding frequency differences between a return optical signal and a first chirped transmitted optical signal with an up chirp that increases frequency with time. A second set of ranges is obtained based on corresponding frequency differences between a return optical signal and a second chirped transmitted optical signal with a down chirp. A matrix of values for a cost function is determined, one value for each pair of ranges that includes one in the first set and one in the second set. A matched pair of one range in the first set and a corresponding one range in the second set is determined based on the matrix. A Doppler effect on range is determined based on combining the matched pair of ranges. A device is operated based on the Doppler effect.

Method and system for doppler detection and doppler correction of optical chirped range detection

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system for a vehicle, includes a laser source configured to output a beam, a transmitter, a receiver, one or more optics and a processor. The transmitter is configured to transmit a transmit signal that is generated based on the beam. The receiver is configured to receive a return signal reflected by an object in response to the transmit signal. The one or more optics are configured to generate a first signal and a second signal based on the return signal, wherein the first signal and the second signal have different polarizations. The processor is configured to determine a type of the object by processing a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) value of the first signal and a SNR value of the second signal.

Systems and methods for autonomous vehicle control using depolarization ratio of return signal

A system and method for combining multiple functions of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes receiving a second optical beam generated by the laser source or a second laser source, wherein the second optical beam is associated with a second local oscillator (LO); splitting the second optical beam into a third split optical beam and a fourth split optical beam; transmitting, to the optical device, the third split optical beam and the fourth split optical beam; receiving, from the optical device, a third reflected beam that is associated with the third split optical beam and a fourth reflected beam that is associated with the fourth split optical beam; and pairing the third reflected beam with the second LO signal and the fourth reflected beam with the second LO signal.

Systems and methods for IQ detection

An autonomous vehicle control system may include one or more processors configured to receive an electrical signal generated based on a returned optical signal that is reflected from an object. The one or more processors may determine a Doppler frequency shift of the returned optical signal over a first duration of the electrical signal. The one or more processors may generate a corrected electrical signal based on the Doppler frequency shift. The one or more processors may determine a range to the object based on the corrected electrical signal over a second duration that is shorter than the first duration. The one or more processors may control at least one of a steering system or a braking system based on the range.

Method and system for enhanced velocity resolution and signal to noise ratio in optical phase-encoded range detection

Doppler correction of phase-encoded LIDAR includes a code indicating a sequence of phases for a phase-encoded signal, and determining a first Fourier transform of the signal. A laser optical signal is used as a reference and modulated based on the code to produce a transmitted phase-encoded optical signal. A returned optical signal is received in response. The returned optical signal is mixed with the reference. The mixed optical signals are detected to produce an electrical signal. A cross spectrum is determined between in-phase and quadrature components of the electrical signal. A Doppler shift is based on a peak in the cross spectrum. A device is operated based on the Doppler shift. Sometimes a second Fourier transform of the electrical signal and the Doppler frequency shift produce a corrected Fourier transform and then a cross correlation. A range is determined based on a peak in the cross correlation.

LIDAR system to adjust doppler effects

An autonomous vehicle includes a LIDAR system that includes a waveguide array, a collimator configured to receive a plurality of beams from the waveguide array and output a plurality of collimated beams, and a scanner configured to adjust a direction of the plurality of collimated beams. The vehicle also includes one or more processors configured to determine a range to an object based on a return signal received from reflection or scattering of the plurality of collimated beams by the object and to control operation of at least one of a steering system or the braking system based on the range.

Autonomous vehicle LIDAR system using a waveguide array

A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar sensor encodes or decodes radar signals generated by multiple MIMO transmitters using a mixture of sub-set digital codes that discriminate between different sub-sets of MIMO transmitters and Doppler-division codes that discriminate between different MIMO transmitters within each of the sub-sets.

Mixed multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system for a vehicle, includes a laser source configured to generate light signals, a transceiver, and a fiber array coupled to the transceiver and including a plurality of output channels. The transceiver is configured to receive one or more light signals from the laser source through a first group of output channels of the fiber array, receive one or more local oscillator (LO) signals through a second group of output channels of the fiber array, transmit the one or more light signals into an environment of the vehicle, receive a first returned light reflected from one or more objects in the environment, and output the first returned light and a first LO signal of the one or more LO signals.

LIDAR transmit/receive system

A vehicle radar sensor utilizes Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar signals that incorporate non-uniform FMCW chirps having chirp profiles that differ from one another to sense one or more parameters of one or more objects in a field of view of the radar sensor. The chirp profiles may differ from one another in various manners, e.g., based on starting frequency, repetition interval, duration and/or slope, and among other advantages, may be used to enhance sensing of various parameters such as range, Doppler/velocity and/or angle.

Vehicle radar sensor utilizing non-uniform frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) chirps

Time-division quadrature sampling may be used in a pulse-modulated continuous wave (PMCW) radar receiver circuit, e.g., as may be employed in various types of radar sensors used in automotive and other applications, to enable a quadrature sampling circuit to sequence between digitally sampling different complex components of a received radar signal at different times.

Phase-modulated continuous wave radar receiver with time division quadrature sampling

An apparatus include a motor, a first scanner, and a second scanner. The first scanner is coupled to the motor, and the motor is configured to rotate the first scanner at a first angular velocity about a rotation axis to deflect a first beam incident in a third plane on the first scanner into a first plane different from the third plane. The second scanner is coupled to the motor, and the motor is configured to rotate the second scanner at a second angular velocity different from the first angular velocity about the rotation axis to deflect a second beam incident in the third plane on the second scanner into a second plane different from the third plane.

Method and system for optimizing scanning of coherent LIDAR

Techniques for controlling an autonomous vehicle with a processor that controls operation, includes operating a Doppler LIDAR system to collect point cloud data that indicates for each point at least four dimensions including an inclination angle, an azimuthal angle, a range, and relative speed between the point and the LIDAR system. A value of a property of an object in the point cloud is determined based on only three or fewer of the at least four dimensions. In some of embodiments, determining the value of the property of the object includes isolating multiple points in the point cloud data which have high value Doppler components. A moving object within the plurality of points is determined based on a cluster by azimuth and Doppler component values.

Lidar system for autonomous vehicle

A method for classifying an object in a point cloud includes computing first and second classification statistics for one or more points in the point cloud. Closest matches are determined between the first and second classification statistics and a respective one of a set of first and second classification statistics corresponding to a set of N classes of a respective first and second classifier, to estimate the object is in a respective first and second class. If the first class does not correspond to the second class, a closest fit is performed between the point cloud and model point clouds for only the first and second classes of a third classifier. The object is assigned to the first or second class, based on the closest fit within near real time of receiving the 3D point cloud. A device is operated based on the assigned object class.

Method and system for classification of an object in a point cloud data set

A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar system synthesizes a virtual antenna array where at least a subset of the transmit antennas and receive antennas forming the virtual antenna array are disposed in different local oscillator domains. In some instances, doing so enables radar sensors to be constructed using multiple Antenna On Package (AOP) devices that lack support for cascading or that otherwise would have limited angular resolution on their own to adequately discriminate between various objects in the environment of an autonomous or other vehicle to be used collectively by a vehicle control system in connection with the autonomous control of a vehicle.

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McFarland, WI, United States of America

Stephen C Crouch