LIDAR DEVICE INCLUDING A CURVED LENS ARRAY FOR EMITTING SUBBEAMS

Abstract

A LIDAR device for sampling a sampling range. The LIDAR device includes an emitting unit including at least one beam source for generating electromagnetic beams, and includes a receiving unit including at least one detector for receiving beams backscattered and/or reflected from the sampling range, the emitting unit and/or the receiving unit being immovable, rotatable or pivotable. The emitting unit includes a curved lens array for splitting the beams generated by the beam source into subbeams and for emitting the subbeams into the sampling range. A method for operating a LIDAR device including at least one curved lens array is also described.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A LIDAR device for sampling a sampling range, comprising: an emitting unit including at least one beam source configured to generate electromagnetic beams; and a receiving unit including at least one detector configured to receive beams backscattered and/or reflected from the sampling range, wherein the emitting unit and/or the receiving unit is immovable, rotatable or pivotable; wherein the emitting unit includes a curved lens array configured to split the beams generated by the beam source into subbeams and to emit the subbeams into the sampling range.

12. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 11, wherein the curved lens array includes at least two lenses, which are configured as microlenses or macrolenses.

13. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 12, wherein the lenses of the curved lens array are integrated into a spherical carrier structure or situated at the spherical carrier structure.

14. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 13, wherein the lenses of the curved lens array have a focal length which corresponds to a radius of the spherical carrier structure.

15. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 12, wherein the lenses of the curved lens array have a diameter of 100 μm to 10 cm.

16. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 11, wherein the receiving unit includes a curved lens array configured to receive beams backscattered and/or reflected from the sampling range.

17. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 11, wherein the emitting unit includes at least two beam sources, which are configured to project generated beams in parallel to one another or via beam splitters onto the curved lens array.

18. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 11, wherein the beams generated by the beam source are emitted onto the curved lens array by at least one optical element.

19. The LIDAR device as recited in claim 11, wherein the receiving unit includes at least two detectors which are situated in parallel to one another or at an angle with respect to one another.

20. A method for operating a LIDAR device including an emitting unit, a receiving unit, and the emitting unit including at least one curved lens array which includes at least two lenses spaced apart from one another, the method comprising: pivoting the emitting unit and/or the receiving unit in at least one spatial direction to for compensating for a radiation angle of the at least two lenses or for sampling a larger sampling range compared to an aperture angle of the curved lens array.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a LIDAR device according to one specific embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view onto emitted subbeams of a curved lens array, according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of an emitting unit of a LIDAR device according to another specific embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a LIDAR device 1 according to one specific embodiment of the present invention. LIDAR device 1 includes an emitting unit 2 and a receiving unit 4.

[0040] According to the illustrated exemplary embodiment, emitting unit 2 includes a beam source 6, which is configured as an infrared laser. Beam source 6 is used for generating electromagnetic beams 7. Emitting unit 2 furthermore includes an optical element 8 and a curved lens array 10.

[0041] Optical element 8 is configured as a convex lens and is situated between beam source 6 and curved lens array 10 in the beam path of the generated beams 7.

[0042] Curved lens array 10 is used to divide the generated beams 7 into multiple subbeams 11, which are emitted into a sampling range A.

[0043] Optical element 8 may diverge or focus the generated beams 7 in such a way that subbeams 11 emitted by curved lens array 10 are beamed into sampling range A in collimated form. In the process, subbeams 11 are emitted in different emission direction.

[0044] Receiving unit 4 also includes a curved lens array 12, which is configured to receive beams 13 reflected and/or backscattered from sampling range A.

[0045] The received beams 15 are subsequently focused by an optional reception optics 14 onto a detector 16. According to the exemplary embodiment, detector 16 is configured as a detector array.

[0046] Depending on the design of LIDAR device 1, emitting unit 2 and receiving unit 4 may each include a curved lens array 10, 12 or share or jointly use a single curved lens array.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view onto emitted subbeams 11 of curved lens array 10 of emitting unit 2. Curved lens array 10 includes a plurality of lenses 18, which are situated on a spherical carrier structure 20 or integrated into spherical carrier structure 20.

[0048] Lenses 18 may be configured as macrolenses or as microlenses. Lenses 18 are preferably adapted to spherical carrier structure 20 and to optical element 8 in such a way that subbeams 11 are emitted in collimated form into sampling range A. As a result, all sub-beams 11 of a lens 18 extend at an almost identical angle with respect to one another. Subbeams 11 of different lenses 18 may have different radiation angles b1 through b3.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of an emitting unit 2 of a LIDAR device 1 according to one further specific embodiment. In contrast to LIDAR device 1 shown in FIG. 1, emitting unit 2 includes a curved lens array 10 including larger configured macrolenses 18.

[0050] Lenses 18 preferably have an identical focal length, which corresponds to a radius R of spherical carrier structure 20.

[0051] Spherical carrier structure 20 is designed as a hemisphere and forms an emission window of emitting unit 2.

[0052] As a result of a lower number of lenses 18 compared to emitting unit 2 shown in FIG. 1, the number of subbeams 11 is also lower. To compensate for the lower number of subbeams 11, emitting unit 2 or the entire LIDAR device 1 may be situated on a pivoting mechanism 22, which may pivot emitting unit 2 in at least one spatial direction.

[0053] According to the exemplary embodiment, emitting unit 2 is pivotable about two axes. Arrows 24 illustrate the possible pivoting directions of emitting unit 2 by pivoting mechanism 22.

[0054] Curved lens array 10 has an aperture angle O, which is set by an arrangement of lenses 18. Aperture angle O is spanned by the emitted subbeams 11 and may be designed to be one-dimensional or two-dimensional.

[0055] Aperture angle O thus represents a maximum sampling angle of an immovable curved lens array 10. Through the use of pivoting mechanism 22, a maximum possible sampling angle of LIDAR device 1 may be increased.