A system and method for providing information for autonomous vehicle navigation are disclosed. The system comprises at least one laser scanner configured to perform one or more range and intensity scans of an area around the autonomous vehicle, and a geo-location unit comprising one or more global positioning system sensors and inertial navigation system sensors. The system also includes at least one processor in operative communication with the laser scanner and the geo-location unit. The processor is configured to execute one or more program modules comprising a ground plane-based processing module configured to receive range scan data transformed into world coordinates, and output ground plane-based classification data; a range-based processing module configured to receive data from a single range scan, and output range-based classification data; an intensity-based processing module configured to receive intensity scan data, and output intensity-based classification data; and a classification fusion module configured to receive the classification data from each of the processing modules, and output range bin classification data.

System and method for navigating an autonomous vehicle using laser detection and ranging

A method and system provide road and obstacle detection in navigating an autonomous vehicle. The method comprises scanning a distance ahead of the autonomous vehicle to obtain a current range scan, and obtaining navigation data, including dynamics, position, and orientation measurements of the autonomous vehicle. The current range scan is transformed to world coordinates with respect to a reference location based on the navigation data, and the transformed current range scan is input into a distance-based accumulator. The transformed current range scan is added to a variable size buffer when the autonomous vehicle is deemed to be non-stationary. A ground plane is estimated from the transformed current range scan and prior range scans stored in the variable size buffer. The estimated ground plane is represented as a constrained quadratic surface, which is classified into one or more of a traversable area, a non-traversable area, or an obstacle area for navigation of the autonomous vehicle.

Laser ranging process for road and obstacle detection in navigating an autonomous vehicle

The invention relates to the field of fiber optics, and more particularly to birefringence in single-mode fibers. The sensitivity of a fiber optic sensor coil for a current sensor may be incresed by winding the sensing fiber, without torsion, around a current-carrying wire to form the coil, wherein the pitch angle of the fiber (14) may be selected to result in a phase shift due to Berry's phase of circularly polarized light propagating throught the fiber. Preferably, the pitch angle may be approximately 60°.

Decreasing the effects of linear birefringence in a fiber-optic sensor by use of berry's topological phase

The invention is directed to an apparatus and a method for reducing noise, in particular RIN noise, in optical sensors, in particular fiber-optic sensors. The optical sensor produces a sensor output signal representing a physical quantity to be measured and also contains a first noise component, which is detected by a first detector. A separate detector detects an input light noise component of the input light source of the optical sensor and produces a second noise component. The second noise component is electronically processed and time-delayed by a filter by a time delay which substantially corresponds to the time delay experienced by the sensor input light traversing the optical sensor. The time-delayed processed signal is then subtracted from the sensor output signal to produce a reduced noise optical sensor signal corresponding to the measured physical quantity.

Apparatus and method for electronic RIN reduction in fiber-optic sensors utilizing filter with group delay

The invention is directed to an apparatus and a method for reducing noise, in particular RIN noise, in optical sensors, in particular fiber-optic sensors. The optical sensor produces a sensor output signal representing a physical quantity to be measured and also contains a first noise component, which is detected by a first detector. A separate detector detects an input light noise component of the input light source of the optical sensor and produces a second noise component. The second noise component is electronically processed and time-delayed or phase shifted by a time delay which substantially correspond to the time delay experienced by the sensor input light traversing the optical sensor. The time-delayed processed signal is then subtracted from the sensor output signal to produce a reduced noise optical sensor signal corresponding to the measured physical quantity.

Apparatus and method for electronic RIN reduction in fiber-optic sensors

In a ring laser gyroscope the sum and the difference of the two opposed beam intensities is utilized, in a first implementation, to correct gain non-linearity, and in a second implementation, to adjust tuning mirror positions to minimize non-linear gain output. In a third implementation one or two external mirrors can be used to feed back into the cavity to produce linear gain output, again using the sum and difference of the two opposed beam and the phase angle between the two beams. Accordingly, the sum and the difference of the beam intensities and their phase angle is used to compensate for the laser gain and loss dependent terms and for the back-scattering terms which heretofore have been caused errors in the readout.

Wah L. Lim

Papers

Scale factor stability control