Vehicle with multiple light detection and ranging devices (LIDARS)

US10976437B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Waymo LLC · US

Inventors

• Gaetan Pennecot · San Francisco, US
• Zachary Morriss · San Francisco, US
• Samuel William Lenius · Sunnyvale, US
• Dorel Ionut Iordache · Mountain View, US
• Daniel Gruver · San Francisco, US
• Pierre-Yves Droz · Los Altos, US
• Luke Wachter · Mountain View, US
• Drew Ulrich · San Francisco, US
• William McCann · San Francisco, US
• Rahim Pardhan · San Francisco, US
• Bernard Fidric · Cupertino, US
• Anthony Levandowski · San Francisco, US
• Peter Avram · Ann Arbor, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 26, 2017
• Grant date: Apr 13, 2021
• Expiry date: Nov 19, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/86
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A vehicle is provided that includes one or more wheels positioned at a bottom side of the vehicle. The vehicle also includes a first light detection and ranging device (LIDAR) positioned at a top side of the vehicle opposite to the bottom side. The first LIDAR is configured to scan an environment around the vehicle based on rotation of the first LIDAR about an axis. The first LIDAR has a first resolution. The vehicle also includes a second LIDAR configured to scan a field-of-view of the environment that extends away from the vehicle along a viewing direction of the second LIDAR. The second LIDAR has a second resolution. The vehicle also includes a controller configured to operate the vehicle based on the scans of the environment by the first LIDAR and the second LIDAR.