AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL FOR LIDAR FOR AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

• Main Authors: FINKELSTEIN, Hod, FISHER, Brent, KANJORSKI, Russell, BURROUGHS, Scott
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 30.12.2020
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; CONTROLLING; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; REGULATING; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TESTING

A LIDAR system includes an emitter array configured to illuminate a field of view, a detector array configured to image the field of view, and a control circuit. The emitter array includes one or more emitter elements that are configured to emit respective optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals. The detector array includes one or more detector elements configured to output respective detection signals responsive to light incident thereon. The control circuit is configured to generate the respective emitter control signals based on the respective detection signals and respective spatial correlations of the one or more emitter elements and the one or more detector elements with respect to the field of view. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.