{
  "patent_number": "US 12292511",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Toyota's Patent on Detecting Road Hazards with LIDAR",
  "original_title": "Method for road debris detection using low-cost LIDAR",
  "summary": "Toyota's 2025 patent describes a car system using LIDAR to spot road problems by comparing how light bounces off the road to a known 'good' road signal.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent explains how a car can detect unexpected things on the road, like potholes or debris. It uses a special type of LIDAR (light detection and ranging) that sends out a light signal and measures the reflection. The system takes the reflected light data, does a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to turn it into frequency information, and compares its 'slope' on a graph to the expected slope from a known 'good' road signal. If the difference in slopes is too big, it signals an anomaly. This helps the car know if something unusual is ahead without needing complex mechanical scanners.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Detecting anomalies using methods other than LIDAR, such as cameras or radar.",
    "Identifying anomalies based on visual appearance rather than the reflected light signal's frequency characteristics.",
    "Systems that do not perform a Fast Fourier Transform on the reflected light signal.",
    "Anomaly detection that doesn't compare the signal's slope to a predefined 'known response signal' slope.",
    "Road condition analysis that relies on traditional mechanical scanning LIDAR systems."
  ],
  "filed": "2023-12-12",
  "granted": "2025-05-06",
  "expires": "2043-12-12",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/toyota-motor-engineering-and-manufacturing-north-america",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Paul D. Schmalenberg",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/paul-d-schmalenberg"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "automotive",
    "consumer_electronics",
    "semiconductors",
    "software",
    "ai_ml"
  ],
  "abstract": "Improved systems and methods are provided to implement anomaly detection. The method includes a FMCW LIDAR system that steers the laser beam of the LIDAR system via the wavelength tuning of a FMCW. The direction of the laser beam can be diffracted and controlled by the optical grating antennas which may diffract the laser beam as a function of wavelength. The method may also provide a LIDAR sensor with exhibits a controlled and wide-angle fill or output without the use of conventional mechanical mechanisms for scanning. The LIDAR system provides a cost-effective method to reduce scan dimensionality without sacrificing performance.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12292511/method-for-road-debris-detection-using-low-cost-lidar",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12292511/method-for-road-debris-detection-using-low-cost-lidar/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12292511",
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}