CN113589302A - Laser radar and window for laser radar - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a laser radar and a window for laser radar. The laser radar of the present invention includes: a main housing having a front space for housing the laser emitting module and the laser receiving module, and a rear space for configuring a circuit board; a rear housing mounted to the main housing in such a manner as to cover the rear space; and a front window mounted to the main casing so as to cover the front space, the front window having a curved shape protruding forward; the curved surface of the window for laser radar is partitioned into a transmitting mask through which laser light can transmit and a receiving mask through which laser light can transmit, the transmitting mask being located at the circumferential center. The laser radar of the invention has the advantages of integration, miniaturization, large visual field and the like of the laser radar.

Description

Laser radar and window for laser radar

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a laser radar, and more particularly to a laser radar mounted on a vehicle and a window for a laser radar.

Background

The laser radar is an apparatus for measuring parameters such as distance and speed of a target object by transmitting a laser to the surface of the object and measuring the arrival time of a reflected light beam, and is an optical instrument which is controlled by an optical device, a mechanical structure, electricity and software. With the development of technologies such as autonomous driving, there are more and more scenes in which a laser radar is integrated and mounted on a vehicle or the like for use.

For example, when a laser radar is mounted on a vehicle or the like, the laser radar is desired to satisfy requirements for integration, miniaturization, a large field of view, light weight, convenience and reliability in mounting, low cost, and the like.

The existing product mostly adopts a manufacturing mode of integral debugging and assembling, each submodule is mutually restricted, a certain submodule is difficult to be independently replaced, and the method is not suitable for large-batch generation and cost reduction.

In addition, it is also desirable that the laser radar has excellent sealing and heat dissipation characteristics.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been developed based on the above circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide an integrated lidar with a reasonable and compact layout. The second object is to provide a compact lidar with a large field of view.

In order to satisfy the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides the following technical means.

(1) A lidar, comprising:

a main housing having a front space for housing the laser emitting module and the laser receiving module, and a rear space for configuring a circuit board;

a rear housing mounted to the main housing in such a manner as to cover the rear space; and

a front window mounted to the main case in such a manner as to cover the front space,

the front window has a curved surface shape protruding forward, and the curved surface of the window for laser radar is partitioned into a transmitting mask that is located at the center in the circumferential direction and through which laser light can pass, and a receiving mask that is located around the transmitting mask and through which laser light can pass.

(2) The lidar according to the above (1),

the curved surface shape is a cylindrical curved surface formed by a part of a cylindrical side surface.

(3) The lidar according to the above (1) or (2),

the front window includes an outer frame and an inner frame surrounded by the outer frame,

the inner frame body is provided with a transmitting light cover which can be transmitted by laser, and a receiving light cover which can be transmitted by the laser is arranged between the inner frame body and the outer frame body.

(4) The lidar according to item (3) above, wherein,

the inner frame body is positioned in the center of the front window in the circumferential direction, and the transmitting photomask and the receiving photomask are seamless integral surface photomasks;

a laser emitting unit for emitting laser light, disposed in the front space of the main casing so as to face the emission cover;

a laser receiving unit that receives laser light is disposed in the front space of the main housing and around the laser emitting unit so as to face the receiving mask.

(5) The lidar according to any one of (1) to (4) above, characterized in that,

when the front window is attached to the main casing, the front window is inclined forward such that the upper edge is positioned forward of the lower edge when viewed from the side.

When the lidar described in (5) above is mounted, for example, horizontally mounted on a vehicle.

(6) The lidar according to any one of (1) to (4) above, characterized in that,

when viewed from the side in a state where the front window is attached to the main casing, the front window is inclined rearward such that the upper edge is rearward of the lower edge.

When the lidar described in (6) above is mounted, for example, horizontally mounted on a vehicle.

The laser radars according to the above (5) and (6) may be selected such that the front window is tilted forward or backward, and may be set at a high position or a low position or other suitable positions of an object such as a vehicle, taking into consideration a range to be scanned, a situation of the object to which the laser radars are to be attached, and the like.

(7) The lidar according to any one of (1) to (4) above, characterized in that,

in a state where the front window is mounted to the main casing, the front window is vertical with respect to a horizontal direction when viewed from a side.

When the laser radar of the above (7) is mounted, the laser radar may be mounted such that the front window is directed horizontally forward, or the front window is tilted forward (downward obliquely looking) or backward (upward obliquely looking) with respect to the horizontal direction.

(8) The lidar according to the above (3) or (4),

the outer frame and the inner frame of the front window are metal members.

The outer frame and the inner frame of the front window are provided with bevel openings.

(9) The lidar according to (1),

in a state where the front window is mounted to the main casing, a seal structure is provided between the front window and the main casing.

(10) A window for a laser radar, characterized by having a curved surface shape protruding forward, the curved surface shape being a cylindrical curved surface constituted by a part of a cylindrical side surface; the curved surface of the window for laser radar is partitioned into a transmitting mask through which laser light can transmit at the circumferential center and a receiving mask through which laser light can transmit around the transmitting mask.

(11) The window for laser radar according to the above (10), wherein,

the window for laser radar includes an outer frame and an inner frame surrounded by the outer frame,

the transmitting light cover is installed on the inner frame body, and the receiving light cover is installed between the inner frame body and the outer frame body.

(12) The window for laser radar according to the above (11), wherein,

the outer frame and the inner frame of the front window are rigid members.

(13) The window for lidar according to any one of the above (10) to (12),

the transmitting mask and the receiving mask are both seamless, integral face masks.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, integration, miniaturization, and a large field of view of the laser radar can be realized. The laser radar can be scanned and detected in a large range, and the excellent sealing property and heat dissipation property of the laser radar can be realized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a lidar of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a lidar of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a main casing of the lidar of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a main casing of the lidar of the present invention.

Fig. 5A is a schematic perspective view of the rear housing of the laser radar of the present invention.

Fig. 5B is a schematic perspective view of the rear case of the laser radar of the present invention after mounting a circuit board and other components.

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a front window of the laser radar of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic rear view and a schematic cross-sectional view of a front window of the laser radar of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a laser emitting assembly of the lidar of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a first receiving assembly of the lidar of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a second receiving assembly of the lidar of the present invention.

1-a main housing; 2-a rear housing; 3-a front window; 4-upper shell surface; 5-lower shell surface;

a 6L, 6R-side shell face; 7-upper surface of rear shell; 8-rear housing rear surface;

9L, 9R-rear housing side surface; 20-a laser emitting assembly; 30-a laser receiving assembly; 60-sealing ring;

30A-a first receiving component; 30B-a second receiving component;

11A-a mounting face of the first receiving component; 11B-a mounting face of the second receiving component;

12A-mounting screws of the first receiving assembly; 12B-mounting screws of the second receiving assembly;

13-an emission assembly mounting face; 14-front window mounting screws; 15-main housing mounting holes;

17, 27-heat sink fins; 18-rear housing mounting screws; 19-a step groove; 21-a shield; 22-a circuit board;

23-connector hold down; 24-a connector fitting; 25-external connection terminals; 26-a positioning section;

28-screw holes; 31-mounting holes; 32-mounting grooves; 33-receiving a mask; 34-an emission mask;

35-an outer frame body; 36-an inner frame; 37a,37b,37c,37 d-bevel;

41a,41b,41c,41d,41e,41f,41g,41 h-transmitting module; 42-a main emitting-side bracket;

43-an emission shield; 44-MEMS mirror; 45-a reflective mirror; 46-a transmitting beam expander;

47-a wedge-shaped mounting surface; 48-mounting a boss; 49-horizontal mounting surface; 51-mounting holes; 52-a mounting flange;

53-thermally conductive layer; 54A, 54B-filters; 55A, 55B-diaphragm; 56A, 56B-receiving side brackets;

57A, 57B-lens group; 58A,58B-APD modules; 59A, 59B-thermally conductive sheet; 61-mounting holes;

71-a laser; 72-a beam adjustment module; 73-a diaphragm; 74-a transmission module holder; 75-heat dissipation bosses;

100-laser radar.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a lidar of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a lidar of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a main housing of the lidar of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a main housing of the lidar of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the rear housing of the lidar of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a front window of the lidar of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a schematic rear view and a schematic cross-sectional view of a front window of the lidar of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a laser emitting assembly of the lidar of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a laser emitting assembly of the lidar of the present invention; fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a first receiving assembly of the lidar of the present invention.

In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the upper side when viewed facing fig. 2 is defined as "upper side", the lower side as "lower side", the left side as "front", and the right side as "rear"; with respect to the direction perpendicular to the paper of fig. 2, the outer side is defined as "left side", and the inner side is defined as "right side"; the internal space surrounded by the housings and the front window of the laser radar assembled as shown in fig. 2 is defined as an "internal space", and the space around the housings and the front window is referred to as an "external environment". It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the specific structures, dimensions and proportions shown in the drawings and described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims, which shall be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The laser radar is a radar system that detects a characteristic amount such as a position and a velocity of a target by emitting a laser beam. In terms of working principle, a detection signal (laser beam) is transmitted to a target, and then a received signal (target echo) reflected from the target is compared with the transmitted signal, and after appropriate processing, relevant information of the target, such as parameters of target distance, direction, height, speed, attitude, even shape, and the like, can be obtained. Radars operating in the infrared and visible bands and using laser as the operating beam are known as lidar.

The basic functions of lidar are mainly: the function of transmitting a working beam, the function of receiving the identification of a target reflected beam, and the function of processing an identification signal and outputting a distance and an angle. The product can be divided into a transmitting module, a receiving module, an electric and information processing module and a mechanical execution module according to the functions of all parts of the product.

In order to compress the structural space as much as possible under the same transmitting and receiving conditions, so that the overall volume is reduced, the structural form, the manufacturing mode, the inspection mode and the assembly mode among the modules need to be planned in the initial design stage to meet the overall design requirement.

This scheme aims at making each installation submodule piece between independent each other, and each submodule piece directly can produce as an independent sub-product promptly, and every submodule piece all can independently be changed, is fit for mass production, effectively reduces the cost.

Meanwhile, each module reasonably utilizes the cross space, the space volume utilization rate is improved, and the volume is effectively reduced. Specifically, the emitted light is converged, reflected by an MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) reflector and expanded by a beam expander to reach the whole emission field of view, so that the main shape of the optical path system can be a dumbbell shape with two large ends and a small middle part. The inventor of the invention fills the small middle part of the receiving module through reasonable design, thereby achieving the purpose of reasonably utilizing space. And a window for laser radar for protecting a laser receiving module and a laser transmitting module in the laser radar without affecting laser transmission and reception and without causing crosstalk between lasers, which is suitable for such a compact structure, is particularly designed.

Next, the structure of the laser radar will be explained.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the overall structure of the lidar of the present invention generally includes: front window assembly, main casing 1,laser receiving assembly 20,laser emitting assembly 30,rear casing 2.

The housing structure oflaser radar 100 mainly includes: a main housing 1 having a front space for housing thelaser transmitter assembly 30 and thelaser receiver assembly 20, and a rear space for configuring a circuit board; arear case 2 attached to the main case 1 so as to cover the rear space; and afront window 3 having a curved shape protruding forward and attached to the main casing 1 so as to cover the front space.

The inner space formed by splicing the main housing body and the rear housing body is used for accommodating various components of thelaser radar 100, such as thelaser receiving component 20, thelaser emitting component 30, various circuit boards, and the wire harness, which are used for realizing the function of the laser radar. One of the features of the present invention is that the junction of the main housing and the rear housing lies in a plane. The configuration of the main case and the rear case will be described in detail below around this feature.

For example, the main casing includes anupper casing surface 4 and alower casing surface 5 which are parallel to each other, and two side casing surfaces 6L and 6R which connect theupper casing surface 4 and thelower casing surface 5 to each other so as to be shifted in the front-rear direction, and the length of the connecting edge between eachside casing surface 6L and 6R and thelower casing surface 5 is longer than the length of the connecting edge between eachside casing surface 6L and 6R and theupper casing surface 4. The rear housing has a generally triangular (or "wedge") shape when viewed from the side. Those skilled in the art will recognize that theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 are not necessarily parallel to each other, and may have any shape as long as a housing space can be formed inside. However, the above-described structure in which theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 are parallel to each other is preferable in terms of ease of manufacture, ease of assembly, and ease of attachment to an object to be mounted such as a vehicle.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 of the main case 1 are arranged in parallel and each substantially integrally formed of an arc plate portion and a rectangular plate portion.

The front edges of theupper shell surface 4 and thelower shell surface 5 are circular arc-shaped, preferably both front edges have the same radius of curvature, more preferably both front edges have the same circular arc shape. The front edge of thelower case surface 5 is disposed rearward of the upper case surface (i.e., the front edge of the upper case surface protrudes forward beyond the front edge of the lower case surface), so that an arc surface (curved surface) sandwiched between the front edge of theupper case surface 4 and the front edge of thelower case surface 5 is inclined downward, that is, the arc surface (curved surface) is inclined such that the upper end edge is forward and the lower end edge is rearward when viewed from the side. A curved front window is installed to match the circular arc surface (curved surface).

When such a laser radar is mounted on a predetermined portion of an automobile, for example, the laser radar may be mounted such that theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 are parallel to a horizontal plane, and a front window of the mounted laser radar covering an arc surface sandwiched between both front edges may be obliquely viewed in plan at a predetermined angle. In addition, the front edge of the upper case surface and the front edge of the lower case surface may be designed in the opposite manner to the above, that is, the front edge of the upper case surface is located rearward of the front edge of the lower case surface. Thus, the front window mounted thereon is tilted upward at a predetermined angle. Of course, the lidar may be mounted at a certain elevation angle with respect to the horizontal plane, and may be adjusted as appropriate as long as the desired field of view and observation range are ensured. The laser radar whose front window is tilted forward or backward may be selected as appropriate in consideration of a range to be scanned, a case of an object to be mounted with the laser radar, and the like, and may be selected to be installed at a high position or a low position of the object to be mounted such as a vehicle, or other appropriate positions.

As a means for attaching the laser radar to a predetermined portion, for example, a screw attachment method can be adopted. As shown in fig. 4, a plurality of mainhousing mounting holes 15 are provided in thelower housing surface 5 of the main housing, and the main housing 1 can be mounted and fixed by screwing the main housing mounting holes 15.

The same side edges of the rectangular plate portions in theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 are connected by the side case surfaces 6L, 6R. That is, the left edge of the rectangular plate portion of theupper case surface 4 becomes the upper edge of the leftside case surface 6L; the left edge of the rectangular plate portion of thelower case surface 5 becomes the lower edge of the leftside case surface 6L; the right side edge of the rectangular plate portion of theupper case surface 4 becomes the upper edge of the rightside case surface 6R; the right side edge of the rectangular plate portion of thelower case surface 5 serves as the lower edge of the rightside case surface 6R.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the leftside case surface 6L is substantially a rectangular plate shape having a short upper edge and a long lower edge. The rightside case surface 6R has the same shape symmetrically to the leftside case surface 6L. Rear end edges of theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 and rear end edges of the left and right side case surfaces 6L and 6R define, for example, a rectangular opening portion in a plane. Therear case 2 described later is attached to the peripheral edge of the opening so as to cover the opening, and therefore the opening is also referred to as a "rear case attachment opening".

The rear housing attachment opening and a main housing attachment opening described later correspond to a notch formed at an edge on a cut surface of both housings cut by obliquely cutting the housing with a plane extending in the left-right direction. The two cut housings correspond to a main housing and a rear housing.

As shown in fig. 1, 2 and 4, in the front space of the main casing 1, thelaser transmitter assembly 20 is disposed at the center of the front space, e.g., at the center lower portion, and thelaser receiver assembly 30 is disposed at the periphery, e.g., at the upper portion and both sides, of thelaser transmitter assembly 20 in the front space.

As shown in fig. 4, a plurality of protrusions for mounting and fixing the laser transmitter and receiver are integrally provided from the inner surface inside the main housing 1, and the laser transmitter and receiver are respectively mounted to the protrusions by, for example, mounting screws (e.g., 2) and depending wedge structures. Specifically, thelaser emitting assembly 20 is located at the central lower part of the front space, and the upper part of thelaser emitting assembly 20 is mounted on the emittingassembly mounting surface 13 through a mounting screw; afirst receiving assembly 30A in thelaser receiving assemblies 30 is mounted on a mountingsurface 11A of the first receiving assembly through a mountingscrew 12A of the first receiving assembly; thesecond receiving unit 30B of thelaser receiving units 30 is mounted to the mountingsurface 11B of the second receiving unit by the mountingscrew 12B of the second receiving unit. In addition, thesecond receiving block 30B is installed lower than thefirst receiving block 30A as viewed in the up-down direction; the second receivingmember 30B is installed between the adjacentfirst receiving members 30A as viewed in the left-right direction. In the present embodiment, 3first receiving units 30A and 2second receiving units 30B are provided.

As shown in fig. 4, the plurality of protrusions include vertical mounting surfaces and horizontal mounting surfaces, and a mounting reference is formed by the vertical mounting surfaces and the horizontal mounting surfaces, so that a mounting angle and positioning of each component are secured, and each component can be easily and accurately mounted. Moreover, the wedge-shaped mounting surface ensures that the pressing force during the movement is formed.

In addition, when the laser emitting assembly and the laser receiving assembly are installed on each installation surface, heat-conducting silicone grease is coated on the installation position and/or the installation surface, and each laser assembly in the shell is guaranteed to have good heat dissipation performance. The wedge-shaped structure increases the surface compression force during connection, so that the good heat conduction of the heat-conducting silicone grease is enhanced.

Further, the above-described mounting screw holes may be subjected to a treatment of removing an oxide layer to make the contact portions conductive, thereby making it possible to use the mounting screw holes as grounding points necessary for electromagnetic compatibility.

The receiving module and the main shell are fixedly installed through screws (for example, 2). The installation contact surface is coated with heat-conducting silicone grease to ensure good heat conduction.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, heat dissipation fins are provided on the outer surface of the main casing. Through the design of the radiating fins of the main shell, the radiating area of the outer surface of the equipment is increased, and therefore the heat balance temperature of the whole machine is effectively reduced.

In addition, as shown in fig. 3, a recess (e.g., a square recess Q in fig. 3) may be provided at the top of the main housing 1 in order to accommodate components protruding from the circuit board at a corresponding position, thereby compressing the space. The circuit board is tightly attached to the main shell, and heat on the circuit board is conveniently conducted out.

In addition, a shield case S for a main casing circuit board is provided in the rear space of the main casing 1, and signals inside the shield case do not interfere with signals outside. Electromagnetic shielding shields both electricity and magnetism. As can be seen from fig. 3, the shield case S for the main housing circuit board has a structure surrounded on the periphery. Most components on the circuit board require shielding and only a small portion does not. A small rear shield SR is also provided on the circuit board at the rear of the main housing circuit board shield S.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, thefront window 3 is attached to the front edge of theupper case surface 4 and the front edge of thelower case surface 5, and thefront window 3 is fitted to an arc surface (curved surface) sandwiched between the front edges, and closes the inner space between theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 from the front.

Thefront window 3 is attached to the main casing 1 by, for example, fitting screws (e.g., 4) to the attachment holes 31. Mountingholes 31 at the 4 corners of thefront window 3 are shown in fig. 6, but the positions and the number of the mounting holes are not limited thereto. Thefront window 3 is provided with mountinggrooves 32 on its peripheral edge, and thefront window 3 is mounted on the front edge of theupper casing 4, the front edge of thelower casing 5, and the front edges of the two longitudinally extendingcasing surfaces 6L and 6R via the mountinggrooves 32.

Mounting flanges that engage with the mountinggrooves 32 of thefront window 3 are provided on the front edge of theupper casing surface 4, the front edge of thelower casing surface 5, and the front edges of the longitudinally extending side casing surfaces 6L and 6R, respectively, and the mounting flanges are aligned with the mountinggrooves 32 with the seal rings interposed therebetween and fastened by the front window mounting screws 14. The seal ring is made of rubber such as silicone rubber, for example. Since the seal ring is installed, sealing between thefront window 3 and the main casing 1 is ensured, and infiltration of dust, water droplets, and the like into the main casing 1 is prevented. Through the mode that adopts the screw installation, dismouting when convenient follow-up maintenance. If thefront window 3 is attached by gluing, it is difficult to attach and detach thefront window 3 during maintenance, and thefront window 3 is easily damaged.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, thefront window 3 has a curved surface shape that protrudes to one side (the front in the mounted state), and the curved surface is divided into two parts by a rigid frame (e.g., a metal frame), that is: a central transmitting mask and a receiving mask positioned around the transmitting mask. The "center" herein means a circumferential center of a curved surface of a portion through which laser light can pass, and includes a central upper portion, a central lower portion, a midpoint, and the like.

Thefront window 3 includes anouter frame 35 and aninner frame 36 surrounded by theouter frame 35. A transmission mask through which laser light can transmit is attached to theinner frame 36, and a reception mask through which laser light can transmit is attached between theinner frame 36 and theouter frame 35. In a state where thefront window 3 is mounted to the main casing 1, the emitting light cover faces the laser emitting module and the receiving light cover faces the laser receiving module. Thefront window 3 is integrally detachably attached to the front portion of the main casing 1.

Theouter frame 35 and theinner frame 36 are made of a rigid member such as metal or resin, and may be formed by integrally processing (e.g., casting or cutting) a curved metal member.

The receiving mask and the transmitting mask are bonded to the inner frame and the outer frame, respectively, by an adhesive (e.g., epoxy glue) to ensure sufficient structural strength and sealability of each mask. The intermediate annular metal layer constituting theinner frame 36 ensures optical isolation between the emitted light and the received light, and prevents crosstalk inside the window (crosstalk between the received-light transmitting region and the emitted-light transmitting region). As shown in fig. 7 (b), thebezel 37a between the receivingmask 33 and theouter frame 35, thebezel 37b between the receivingmask 33 and theinner frame 36, thebezel 37c between theinner frame 36 and the emittingmask 34, and thebezel 37d between the emittingmask 34 and theouter frame 35 are attachment surfaces of the masks. The bevel connection structure can guarantee the installation compression strength and is suitable for batch production during adhesive bonding.

Thefront window 3 is designed to be an arc surface (curved surface) as a whole. The curved surface shape of thefront window 3 is a curved surface shape that enables uniform emission or incidence of laser light, and is, for example, a spherical crown shape or a cylindrical curved surface constituted by a part of a cylindrical side surface. The "cylindrical curved surface formed by a part of the cylindrical side surface" may be regarded as a part of the cylindrical side surface formed by cutting a cylindrical body with a plane parallel to the cylindrical axis, for example. When the sealing ring is mounted, the upper end edge and the lower end edge of the cylindrical curved surface are respectively matched with the front edge of the upper shell surface and the front edge of the lower shell surface of the main shell, the left end edge and the right end edge of the cylindrical curved surface are respectively matched with the side front edges of the side shell surfaces 6L and 6R, and the sealing ring is tightly mounted in a state of clamping the sealing ring.

In the present embodiment, thefront window 3 is a cylindrical curved surface formed by a part of a cylindrical side surface. As shown in fig. 7 (a), when thefront window 3 is viewed from the front or rear, thefront window 3 has a rectangular shape (i.e., a shape projected in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction has a rectangular shape). As shown in fig. 7 (b), when thefront window 3 is cut in the longitudinal direction by a plane along the radial direction of the arc surface of thefront window 3, the cross section is linear. Such an arc-shaped design of thefront window 3 mainly meets the optical equidistant requirements and is compatible with the characteristic of easy manufacture.

The optical design requires equal optical path distance from the optical center to the window (mask), i.e. uniform thickness and equal distance to the optical origin. Therefore, thefront window 3 may be spherical crown shaped from the viewpoint of optical design, but reduction of production cost is not facilitated due to the spherical crown shape. On the other hand, although it is designed as a flat plate which is easy to manufacture, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of space utilization and optical requirements. The cylindrical structure adopted by the invention effectively meets the dual requirements of optics and cost.

As the material of the receiving mask and the emission mask, for example, a PC material, a plating hardening film, a permeation enhancing film, a water repellent film, or the like can be used. The material of the photomask is not particularly limited, and may be arbitrarily selected in consideration of optical transmittance, scratch prevention, surface contamination in rainy and snowy weather, and the like.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, rear housing attachment openings, which are, for example, rectangular openings, are defined by rear end edges of theupper housing surface 4 and thelower housing surface 5 and rear end edges of the left and rightside housing surfaces 6L and 6R. Therear case 2 is attached to the periphery of the opening so as to cover the opening.

As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, in the present embodiment, therear case 2 has a substantially hollow triangular prism shape. The rear housingupper surface 7 is rectangular when viewed from above in a plan view in a state where therear housing 2 is mounted to the main housing 1; the rear housingrear surface 8 is rectangular when viewed from the rear; the rear case side surfaces 9L, 9R are triangular (also referred to as wedge-shaped), preferably right-angled triangular when viewed from the side, i.e., the rear caseupper surface 7 and the rear caserear surface 8 are perpendicular to each other and intersect one of the rear case side surfaces at a corner.

Therear case 2 has a rear case opening (also referred to as a "main case mounting opening") defined by one edge of each of the rear case upper surface 1, the rear caserear surface 8, and the rear case side surfaces 9L, 9R. Therear case 2 is attached to the main case 1 by fitting the rear case opening to the rear case attachment opening of the main case. A stepped main housing side engaging portion is provided along the entire opening edge of the rear housing attachment opening of the main housing, a stepped rear housing side engaging portion is provided along the entire opening edge of the main housing attachment opening of the rear housing, and the main housing side engaging portion is engaged with the rear housing side engaging portion in a state where therear housing 2 is attached to the main housing 1.

The rear case is fixed to the main case by screws (e.g., 4 pieces), and the main case mounting opening of the rear case and the rear case mounting opening of the main case are aligned so as to sandwich a seal ring (e.g., a rubber seal ring), whereby dust, moisture, and the like can be prevented from entering the case through a joint therebetween, and the sealing of the entire structure can be ensured.

In a state where therear case 2 is mounted to the main case 1, the joint between the two cases (i.e., the joint between the two case faces and the rear case) is inclined with respect to theupper case face 4 and thelower case face 5 when viewed from the side. The rear housingupper surface 7 is coplanar with theupper housing face 4 of the main housing 1 and parallel to thelower housing face 5 of the main housing 1. Of course, the rear housingupper surface 7 and theupper housing surface 4 of the main housing 1 may not be in the same plane, and may be in the same curved surface, bent surface, or the like, for example, and are not particularly limited as long as a closed space can be formed therein.

Since the opening between the two housings is formed as an inclined plane of one surface, the sealing assembly is facilitated, and the two housings do not interfere with each other when being lifted. Moreover, after the rear shell is removed, a large operation space can be exposed, and assembly is facilitated.

As shown in fig. 5B, thecircuit board 22, theshield cover 21, and the connector hold down 23 are housed inside the rear case. The rear case 2 (e.g., a rearcase side surface 9L of the rear case 2) is provided with external connection terminals for connection with an external power supply cable, a signal cable, or the like to ensure transmission of power and an electrical signal. Wherein, the connecting cable uses theconnector pressure plate 23 and the corresponding buckle to ensure the installation reliability; the installation seam allowance ensures accurate positioning during installation and good sealing.

As shown in fig. 5B, thecircuit board 22 and theshield case 21 are disposed in the vicinity of the rear caseupper surface 7 and the rear caserear surface 8 so as to be substantially parallel to the rear caseupper surface 7 and the rear caserear surface 8 of therear case 2. The connector hold down 23 is disposed near thecircuit board 22.

Since there is a connection relationship between thecircuit board 22 housed in therear case 2 and the circuit board housed in the main case, in order to reliably separate into independent modules, the design becomes a diagonally mounted form, such a split-bin mode facilitates efficient use of the entire size, while providing the sealing surface as a single plane, so that the sealing design reliability is improved.

When thecircuit board 22 is mounted on therear housing 2, a heat conductive layer (e.g., heat conductive silicone grease) is applied to the corresponding heat dissipation portion to ensure good heat dissipation. Theshield case 21 is used for main components such as circuit boards, thereby satisfying the electromagnetic compatibility requirement. Due to the adoption of theconnector pressing plate 23, the bin dividing connectors are reliably connected, and the bin dividing connector can be stably and reliably used in a high-vibration environment.

As shown in fig. 1, 2, 5A, and 5B, heat dissipation fins are provided on the outer surface of the rear case. The design of the radiating fins of the rear shell increases the radiating area of the outer surface of the equipment, thereby effectively reducing the heat balance temperature of the whole machine.

As shown in fig. 5A, a heat dissipation patch for dissipating heat and a plurality of heat dissipation bosses 75 (4 are shown in the drawing) are provided on the inner surface of the rear case. The heat dissipation patch is used for conducting heat to the large chip. Theheat dissipating bosses 75 mainly serve to stably support the circuit board and dissipate heat of the device, are spaced at intervals so as to minimize the heat energy flux density of heat dissipation, and are designed to have a height such that a gap is reserved after the circuit board is mounted, and the circuit board cannot be deformed by applying heat-conducting silicone. If only a single heat dissipating boss is designed, the energy flow density of the heat dissipating boss is too high (hot spots are too hot). And a plurality of separateheat dissipating bosses 75 are provided, with air between each heat dissipating boss, with little mutual thermal influence and little mutual temperature influence. The heat dissipation of the circuit board is directly conducted to the heat dissipation boss through metal, and heat dissipation is achieved in a conduction mode, so that the heat transfer power from inside to outside is increased, or the thermal resistance is reduced.

Next, the mounting characteristics of the laser radar will be explained.

When designing laser radar system structure, consider that whole structure can be when the installation and can insert into according to the order from back to front. A first receivingmember 30A and asecond receiving member 30B are located at the foremost end of the main housing member. Wherein, 3first receiving assemblies 30A are respectively disposed above, below left and below right of the transmitting module for receiving the laser reflected by the target object at a long distance. The 2second receiving modules 30B are respectively disposed at the upper left and upper right of the receiving module to receive the laser light reflected from the target object at a short distance. The transmission module is a whole, and after the whole installation and debugging of the transmission module are finished, the transmission module can be directly inserted into the main shell assembly. The transmitting module and the receiving module are integrally designed in a surrounding mode of internal transmitting and external receiving.

When the front part of the main shell is installed in the shell, the transmitting module is firstly inserted, and then the 5 receiving modules are respectively inserted and installed.

In order to fix the receiving module more stably, the receiving module is fixed through the screws, so that a certain gap exists between the receiving module and the cavity for accommodating the receiving module, and the screws can be conveniently installed. All screw holes are installed on one side, namely, the screw holes can be installed from one direction, the mounting process is simplest, the direction does not need to be changed, for example, the main shell is placed behind the mounting platform, the mounting only needs to be positioned once, and the components inside the main shell can be inserted into the mounting platform in sequence from one direction. In addition, when the electric screwdriver is installed in batches, the electric screwdriver can be used, only one working position is needed, and the installation process is reduced.

The upper portion of main casing inside has set up 3 holes, makes things convenient for the floppy disk line to pass through, and the communication of receiving circuit board to the main control circuit board among the receiving module is responsible for to the floppy disk line. The reason for using the flexible disk line is that the signal from the receiving module to the circuit board cannot be disturbed much, and the flexible disk line contains several tens of communication channels (lines), and if a cable connection is used, the connection is complicated and the occupied volume is too large. The installation requirement can be met only by using the flexible disk line, and the installation requirement is not met by using the hard board line.

In addition, due to the design of the front-to-back mounting structure, the rear half part of the main shell is also mounted in the same front-to-back manner, and all the screw holes face to one direction. All the screw holes of the whole main housing structure are divided into three directions: the rear shell is provided with screw holes from the front, the rear and the oblique installation, so that the clamping time is reduced to the maximum extent, and the types of installation tools are reduced. The front half part and the rear half part in the main shell component are arranged layer by layer, thereby saving space to the maximum extent,

the circuit boards on the upper surface and the rear surface of the rear shell are respectively provided with a circuit board, the circuit board on the upper surface occupies the upper space (the space on the tops of the transmitting assembly and the circuit boards) of the main shell assembly after installation, and the circuit board on the rear surface occupies the residual space on the rear part of the main shell assembly, so that the space utilization rate is improved.

If rectangular division is adopted between the main shell and the rear shell, the main shell and the rear shell need to be pulled out when being disassembled. The inclined sub-bin is designed, and when the rear shell is disassembled, the rear shell is only required to be lifted. Because the circuit board in the main shell assembly and the circuit board in the vertical direction in the rear shell are connected by the flexible disk line, the flexible disk connecting line can be designed to be shortest after being lifted by adopting an oblique dividing mode. Firstly, the shorter the floppy disk line is, the shorter the transmission distance of the signal is, and the signal is stable; secondly, the flexible disk line does not need to be folded after installation because the structure separation needs to reserve the surplus of a certain length when the flexible disk line is disassembled and assembled, so that the space can be saved.

Second embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained. The same portions and structures as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Here, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described.

In the present embodiment, the front edges of theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 are formed in a circular arc shape (for example, a semicircular arc shape), and the front edge of theupper case surface 4 and the front edge of thelower case surface 5 are formed at the same position in the front-rear direction and have the same circular arc shape, so that the circular arc surface sandwiched between the front edge of theupper case surface 4 and the front edge of thelower case surface 5 is perpendicular to theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5. When the lidar is mounted horizontally, it may also be referred to as perpendicular to the horizontal direction. An arc-shaped front window is installed in a manner of being matched with the arc surface.

In the laser radar having such a configuration, theupper case surface 4 and thelower case surface 5 can be mounted on a predetermined portion of the vehicle, for example, so as to be parallel to the horizontal plane, and in such a mounted state, the front window faces horizontally forward. The upper andlower housing surfaces 4, 5 may be mounted so as to be inclined at an angle to the horizontal plane, so that the front window is inclined downward at an angle. Whether the laser radar is mounted horizontally or in a plan view can be set according to the mounting position (e.g., the height from the ground), the field of view, the main observation field of view, and the like of the laser radar. It may also be arranged to be adjustable in pitch angle by mechanical means.

Furthermore, the features and benefits of the present invention are described with reference to exemplary embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is expressly not limited to these exemplary embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features which may be present alone or in other combinations of features.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

Claims (11)

1. A lidar, comprising:

a main housing having a front space for housing the laser emitting module and the laser receiving module, and a rear space for configuring a circuit board;

a rear housing mounted to the main housing in such a manner as to cover the rear space; and

a front window mounted to the main case in such a manner as to cover the front space,

the front window has a curved surface shape protruding forward, and the curved surface of the window for laser radar is partitioned into a transmitting mask that is located at the center in the circumferential direction and through which laser light can pass, and a receiving mask that is located around the transmitting mask and through which laser light can pass.

2. Lidar according to claim 1,

the curved surface shape is a cylindrical curved surface formed by a part of a cylindrical side surface.

3. Lidar according to claim 1,

the front window includes an outer frame and an inner frame surrounded by the outer frame,

a transmitting light cover which can be transmitted by laser is arranged on the inner frame body, and a receiving light cover which can be transmitted by laser is arranged between the inner frame body and the outer frame body.

4. Lidar according to claim 3,

the inner frame body is positioned in the center of the front window in the circumferential direction, and the transmitting photomask and the receiving photomask are seamless integral surface photomasks;

a laser emitting element for emitting laser light is disposed in the front space of the main housing so as to face the emission cover;

the laser receiving component for receiving laser is arranged in the front space of the main shell in a manner of facing the receiving light cover and is arranged around the laser emitting component.

5. Lidar according to any of claims 1 to 4,

in a state where the front window is attached to the main casing, the front window is inclined forward such that an upper edge thereof is positioned forward of a lower edge thereof when viewed from a side.

6. Lidar according to any of claims 1 to 4,

when viewed from the side in a state where the front window is attached to the main casing, the front window is inclined rearward such that the upper edge is rearward of the lower edge.

7. Lidar according to any of claims 1 to 4,

the front window is perpendicular to a horizontal direction when viewed from a side in a state where the front window is attached to the main casing.

8. A window for a laser radar, characterized in that,

a curved surface shape protruding forward, the curved surface shape being a cylindrical curved surface constituted by a part of a cylindrical side surface;

the curved surface of the window for laser radar is partitioned into a transmitting mask through which laser light can transmit and a receiving mask through which laser light can transmit, the transmitting mask being located at the circumferential center.

9. The window for lidar according to claim 8,

the transmitting mask and the receiving mask are both seamless, integral face masks.

10. The window for lidar according to claim 8 or 9, wherein,

the window for laser radar includes an outer frame and an inner frame surrounded by the outer frame,

the transmitting light cover is installed on the inner frame body, and the receiving light cover is installed between the inner frame body and the outer frame body.

11. The window for lidar according to claim 10,

the outer frame and the inner frame are rigid members;

the launch mask is liquid-tightly mounted to the inner frame, and the receive mask is liquid-tightly mounted to the inner frame and the outer frame.

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