Addressing multiple time around (MTA) ambiguities, particularly for lidar systems, and particularly for autonomous aircraft
US10131446B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 15, 2016 |
| Grant date | Nov 20, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 9, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/933
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus comprises a time-of-flight ranging sensor that scans in two or more directions relative to the apparatus over a series of scanning cycles. A processor computes, and to communicates to the time-of-flight ranging sensor, a pulse repetition rate (PRR) for the time-of-flight ranging sensor for each of the two or more directions based on information about surrounding terrain of the apparatus and a sensor pointing schedule for the time-of-flight ranging sensor that indicates directions that the time-of-flight ranging sensor is scheduled to point at time during the scanning cycles. In addition or lieu of computing the PRR, the processor(s) matches returns from pulses of the time-of-flight ranging sensor to the pulses probabilistically based on a current map of the vehicle's surroundings and scan coherence analysis for shapes in the returns. The current map can then be updated based on the matched returns for the next iteration.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.