US 12,442,903 B2
Method for analyzing backscatter histogram data in an optical pulse runtime method and device for data processing
Ralf Beuschel, Friedrichshafen (DE); and Falko Diebel, Hamburg (DE)
Assigned to Microvision, Inc., Redmond, WA (US)
Appl. No. 17/797,085
Filed by Microvision, Inc., Redmond, WA (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 1, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/052285
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 2, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/160454, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 19, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 102020201637.2 (DE), filed on Feb. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0048750 A1, Feb. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 7/487 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/4866 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4873 (2013.01); G01S 7/4802 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
emitting, by a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, a light pulse;
activating, by the LIDAR device, a plurality of groups of light-detecting receiving elements, wherein each group in the plurality of groups are activated at different time intervals;
creating, by a processor in the LIDAR device, a time-correlated histogram from signals produced by the light-detecting receiving elements at the different time intervals to produce a received backscatter histogram data;
calculating, by the processor, a similarity measure between the received backscatter histogram data and a reference backscatter signal, wherein the reference backscatter signal represents diffuse backscatter and is predetermined independently from the signals produced by the light-detecting receiving elements at the different time intervals; and
responsive to calculating the similarity measure, determining a backscatter signal indicating a strength of current diffuse backscatter at different ranges.