US Patent 10048374 LIDAR based 3-D imaging with varying pulse repetition

Methods and systems for performing three dimensional LIDAR measurements with different pulse repetition patterns are described herein. Each repetitive pattern is a sequence of measurement pulses that repeat over time. In one aspect, the repetition pattern of a pulsed beam of illumination light emitted from a LIDAR system is varied to reduce total energy consumption and heat generated by the LIDAR system. In some examples, the repetitive pattern is varied by skipping a number of pulses. In some examples, the repetitive pattern of pulses of illumination light emitted from the LIDAR system is varied by changing a repetition rate of the sequence of emitted pulses. In some examples, the pulse repetition pattern is varied based on the orientation of the LIDAR device. In some examples, the repetition pattern is varied based on an object detected by the LIDAR device or another imaging system.