Lidar system with a polygon mirror and a noise-reducing feature

{
  "publication_number": "US10578720B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Lidar system with a polygon mirror and a noise-reducing feature",
  "abstract": "A lidar system includes a light source configured to produce a beam of light, a scanner configured to scan a field of regard of the lidar system, and a receiver configured to detect light from the beam of light scattered by a remote target. The scanner includes a polygon mirror having a block with a first wall, a second wall, and several reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block, the polygon mirror configured to rotate about a scan-mirror rotation axis to scan the beam of light across the field of regard. The scanner further includes a bracket adjacent to the polygon mirror, where at least one of the polygon mirror or the bracket includes a noise-reducing feature configured to reduce acoustic noise produced when pressure waves generated by the polygon mirror during rotation are incident on one or more components of the scanner.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A lidar system comprising: a light source configured to produce a beam of light; a scanner configured to scan a field of regard of the lidar system, the scanner including: a polygon mirror having a block with a first wall, a second wall, and a plurality of reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block, the polygon mirror configured to rotate about a polygon-mirror rotation axis to scan the beam of light across the field of regard, and a bracket adjacent to the polygon mirror, wherein the bracket includes: a cavity that partially encloses the polygon mirror between a first edge of the cavity and a second edge of the cavity, wherein the plurality of reflective surfaces move away from the first edge and toward the second edge when the polygon mirror rotates about the polygon-mirror rotation axis; and a noise-reducing feature configured to reduce acoustic noise produced when pressure waves generated by the polygon mirror during rotation are incident on one or more components of the scanner, wherein the noise-reducing feature is disposed at the second edge of the cavity so as to spread out the pressure waves in time; and a receiver configured to detect light from the beam of light scattered by a remote target.",
    "2. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein the polygon mirror further includes a plurality of chamfered or rounded corners in the block of the polygon mirror, each of the chamfered or rounded corners being bounded by a pair of adjacent reflective surfaces.",
    "3. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein the noise-reducing feature includes a tapered feature oriented toward the pressure waves.",
    "4. The lidar system of claim 3, wherein the noise-reducing feature includes a plurality of tapered features oriented toward the pressure waves.",
    "5. The lidar system of claim 3, wherein the tapered feature is shaped as a triangle with substantially straight edges.",
    "6. The lidar system of claim 3, wherein the tapered feature is shaped as a pseudo-triangle with convex or concave edges.",
    "7. The lidar system of claim 3, wherein the noise-reducing feature includes another tapered feature disposed on the first edge and oriented in an opposite direction relative to the tapered feature disposed on the second edge.",
    "8. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein a first line from the first edge to the polygon-mirror rotation axis and a second line from the second edge to the polygon-mirror rotation axis form an angle selected so that the pressure waves produced by the polygon mirror during rotation do not add together in phase.",
    "9. The lidar system of claim 8, wherein the angle is selected according to a formula Ω=(360/N)*(m+⅓), wherein Ω is the angle, N is a number of the plurality of reflective surfaces of the polygon mirror, and m is an integer.",
    "10. The lidar system of claim 8, wherein the polygon mirror is a hexagonal mirror, and wherein the angle formed by the first line and the second line is approximately 200 degrees.",
    "11. The lidar system of claim 1, wherein the bracket partially surrounds the polygon mirror.",
    "12. A method for manufacturing a scanner for use in a lidar system, the method comprising: forming a polygon mirror having a block with a first wall, a second wall, and a plurality of reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block; forming a bracket including a cavity to partially enclose the polygon mirror, the cavity including a first edge and a second edge; mounting the polygon mirror on a polygon mirror axle, so that the bracket is adjacent to the polygon mirror, to configure the polygon mirror to rotate about the polygon mirror axle and scan a beam of light from a light source across a field of regard of the scanner; configuring the plurality of reflective surfaces to move away from the first edge and toward the second edge when the polygon mirror rotates about the polygon mirror axle; forming a noise-reducing feature on the bracket to reduce acoustic noise produced when pressure waves generated by the polygon mirror during rotation are incident on one or more components of the scanner, wherein forming the noise-reducing feature includes placing the noise-reducing feature at the second edge of the cavity so as to spread out the pressure waves in time; and coupling a receiver to the scanner to detect light from the beam of light scattered by a remote target.",
    "13. The method of claim 12, further comprising forming a plurality of chamfered or rounded corners in the block of the polygon mirror, each of the chamfers being bounded by a pair of adjacent reflective surfaces.",
    "14. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the noise-reducing feature further includes forming, at the second edge of the cavity, a tapered feature oriented toward the pressure waves.",
    "15. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming a plurality of tapered features oriented toward the pressure waves.",
    "16. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the noise-reducing feature further includes shaping the tapered feature as a triangle with substantially straight edges.",
    "17. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the noise-reducing feature further includes shaping the tapered feature as a pseudo-triangle with convex or concave edges.",
    "18. The method of claim 14, further comprising: forming another tapered feature on the first edge, and orienting the tapered feature on the first edge in an opposite direction relative to the tapered feature on the second edge.",
    "19. The method of claim 12, wherein a first line from the first edge to the polygon-mirror axle and a second line from the second edge to the polygon-mirror axle form an angle; the method further comprising: selecting the angle so that the pressure waves produced by the polygon mirror during rotation do not add together in phase.",
    "20. The method of claim 19, further comprising selecting the angle according to a formula Ω=(360/N)*(m+⅓), wherein Ω is the angle, N is a number of the plurality of reflective surfaces of the polygon mirror, and m is an integer.",
    "21. The method of claim 19, wherein the polygon mirror is a hexagonal mirror, and wherein the method includes selecting the angle formed by the first line and the second line to be approximately 200 degrees."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "This disclosure relates generally to lidar systems and, more specifically, to a lidar system that uses multiple beams concurrently to scan a field of regard.\n\nThe background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.\n\nLight detection and ranging (lidar) is a technology that can be used to measure distances to remote targets. Typically, a lidar system includes a light source and an optical receiver. The light source can be, for example, a laser which emits light having a particular operating wavelength. The operating wavelength of a lidar system may lie, for example, in the infrared, visible, or ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The light source emits light toward a target which then scatters the light. Some of the scattered light is received back at the receiver. The system determines the distance to the target based on one or more characteristics associated with the returned light. For example, the system may determine the distance to the target based on the time of flight of a returned light pulse.\n\nWhile the precision and efficacy of lidar scanners have continually improved, the power requirements, heat dissipation, and physical dimensions of existing lidar scanners have posed obstacles to designers of lidar systems.",
  "cpc": [
    "G01S 7/4817",
    "G01S 13/931",
    "G01S 17/89",
    "G01S 17/931",
    "G01S 7/4818",
    "G01S 7/484",
    "G01S 7/4863",
    "G02B 26/0816",
    "G02B 26/101",
    "G02B 26/105",
    "G02B 26/12",
    "G02B 5/09"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01S 17/89",
    "G01S 17/931",
    "G01S 7/481",
    "G01S 7/4863",
    "G02B 26/08",
    "G02B 26/10",
    "G02B 5/09",
    "G01S 7/48",
    "G01S 7/484",
    "G02B 26/12"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Luminar Technologies Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "John G. Hughes",
    "Sean P. Hughes"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2018-05-08",
  "publication_date": "2020-03-03",
  "grant_date": "2020-03-03",
  "priority_date": "2018-04-05",
  "application_number": "US-201815974319-A",
  "family_id": "66826130",
  "cited_by_count": 94,
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