US 11,698,641 B2
Dynamic lidar alignment
Brian J. Hufnagel, Brighton, MI (US); Robert D. Sims, III, Milford, MI (US); and Nathaniel W. Hart, Beverly Hills, MI (US)
Assigned to GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed by GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, Detroit, MI (US)
Filed on Apr. 26, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/395,313.
Prior Publication US 2020/0341482 A1, Oct. 29, 2020
Int. Cl. G05D 1/02 (2020.01); G01S 7/484 (2006.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 17/08 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0231 (2013.01) [G01S 7/484 (2013.01); G01S 7/4815 (2013.01); G01S 17/08 (2013.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G05D 1/0276 (2013.01); G05D 2201/0213 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controlling a vehicle, the method comprising:
determining, by a controller onboard the vehicle, a first phase shift angle based on a desired power of lidar data and determining a second phase shift angle based on a desired resolution of lidar data, wherein the desired power and the desired resolution are associated with a desired range from a first laser device;
initiating, by the controller onboard the vehicle, a first set of laser pulses from the first laser device based the first phase shift angle;
initiating, by a controller onboard the vehicle, a second set of laser pulses from a second laser device based on the second phase shift angle;
receiving, by the controller onboard the vehicle, first return data and second return data as a result of the first laser pulse and the second laser pulse;
when the phase shift angle is determined based on the desired resolution, interleaving, by the controller onboard the vehicle, the second return data to form a point cloud with the desired resolution of the lidar data;
when the phase shift angle is determined based on the desired power, overlapping, by the controller onboard the vehicle, the first return data to form the point cloud with the desired power of the lidar data; and
controlling, by the controller onboard the vehicle, the vehicle based on the point cloud.