US 11,940,324 B2
Systems and methods for efficient multi-return light detectors
Kiran Kumar Gunnam, Santa Clara, CA (US); Kanke Gao, Fremont, CA (US); Nitinkumar Sagarbhai Barot, San Jose, CA (US); Anand Gopalan, Foster City, CA (US); and David S. Hall, Oakland, CA (US)
Assigned to Velodyne Lidar USA, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by VELODYNE LIDAR USA, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 18, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/675,997.
Application 17/675,997 is a division of application No. 16/909,926, filed on Jun. 23, 2020, granted, now 11,255,728.
Application 16/909,926 is a continuation of application No. 15/835,374, filed on Dec. 7, 2017, granted, now 10,690,773, issued on Jun. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0003579 A1, Jan. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 17/00 (2020.01); G01J 3/00 (2006.01); G01J 3/28 (2006.01); G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 17/42 (2006.01); G01S 17/50 (2006.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01)
CPC G01J 3/2803 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4865 (2013.01); G01S 17/42 (2013.01); G01S 17/50 (2013.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G01J 2003/2863 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multiple-return light signal detection method for a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, the method comprising:
receiving a multi-return signal having a plurality of peaks in a time period;
filtering the multi-return signal based, at least in part, on a pulse shape of an emitted laser beam, to produce a filtered signal;
identifying a largest peak of the filtered signal in the time period;
eliminating the largest peak from the filtered signal;
and detecting a peak hidden in a blinding spot occurring temporally after the largest peak.