US 11,867,790 B2
Three dimensional LIDAR system with targeted field of view
David S. Hall, San Jose, CA (US); Mathew Noel Rekow, Alameda, CA (US); Stephen S. Nestinger, Fremont, CA (US); and Pieter J. Kerstens, Gilroy, CA (US)
Assigned to Velodyne Lidar USA, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by VELODYNE LIDAR USA, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 19, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/746,896.
Application 16/746,896 is a continuation of application No. 15/360,903, filed on Nov. 23, 2016, granted, now 10,539,661.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/260,205, filed on Nov. 25, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2020/0150242 A1, May 14, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 17/06 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/4815 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4813 (2013.01); G01S 7/4817 (2013.01); G01S 7/4865 (2013.01); G01S 17/06 (2013.01); G01S 17/10 (2013.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, comprising:
a rotating board arranged perpendicular to an axis of rotation;
a light emission and collection engine coupled to the rotating board to rotate about the axis of rotation, the light emission and collection engine including:
two or more electronics boards each mechanically coupled to the rotating board;
a plurality of light emitting elements mounted to a first of the two or more electronics boards and configured to rotate about the axis of rotation, each of the light emitting elements configured to emit a beam of illumination light from the LIDAR device, wherein at least one of the plurality of light emitting elements is configured to emit a beam of illumination light, from the LIDAR device into a three dimensional environment, that is parallel or nearly parallel with the axis of rotation, wherein each beam of illumination light emitted from the light emission and collection engine illuminates a respective portion of the three dimensional environment;
a plurality of light detecting elements mounted to a second of the two or more electronics boards and configured to rotate about the axis of rotation, wherein each of the plurality of light detecting elements is configured to detect a beam of return light reflected from a respective surface of the three dimensional environment and to generate a respective output signal indicative of the detected beam of return light; and
a computing system configured to determine, based on a particular one of the output signals, a distance from the LIDAR device to the surface of the three dimensional environment that reflected the return light corresponding to the particular output signal.