Aeye, Inc.

Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

David James Cook

Luis Carlos Dussan

Allan Steinhardt

James R Baughman

John Stockton

Matthew John Zaluzec

Daniel R Marantz

Oludele Olusegun Popoola

Keith Alan Kowalsky

David Demmer

Blair B Lacorte

Michael Benjamin Levin

Furqan Zafar Shaikh

Daniel M Kabat

Armando Mateo Joaquin

Jeremy Keller

Deborah Rose Pank

David R Demmer

David Furedy

Evan Kent Dawson

Maik Broda

Clemens Maria Verpoort

Larry Gerald Gargol

Robert Edward Dejack

Ulrich Weiss

A ladar system capable of operating in a ladar mode and an optical communication mode is disclosed. When operating in the ladar mode, a ladar transmitter and ladar receiver cooperate to transmit ladar pulses that are used for ranging to targets in a field of view. When operating in an optical communication mode, ladar pulses are used to transmit data messages to locations in the field of view that are determined to have devices that are capable of receiving the optically communicated data messages.

Method and system for optical data communication via ladar

Disclosed herein is a compact beam scanner assembly that includes an ellipsoidal reimaging mirror.

Ladar transmitter with ellipsoidal reimager

Disclosed herein are a number of example embodiments that employ controllable delays between successive ladar pulses in order to discriminate between 'own' ladar pulse reflections and 'interfering' ladar pulses reflections by a receiver. Example embodiments include designs where a sparse delay sum circuit is used at the receiver and where a funnel filter is used at the receiver. Also, disclosed are techniques for selecting codes to use for the controllable delays as well as techniques for identifying and tracking interfering ladar pulses and their corresponding delay codes. The use of a ladar system with pulse deconfliction is also disclosed as part of an optical data communication system.

Method and system for ladar pulse deconfliction

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of an adaptive ladar receiver and associated method whereby the active pixels in a photodetector array used for reception of ladar pulse returns can be adaptively controlled based at least in part on where the ladar pulses were targeted. Additional embodiments disclose improved imaging optics for use by the receiver and further adaptive control techniques for selecting which pixels of the photodetector array are used for sensing incident light.

Method and apparatus for an adaptive ladar receiver

Disclosed herein are various embodiments for a ladar system that includes an adaptive ladar receiver whereby the active pixels in a photodetector array used for reception of ladar pulse returns can be adaptively controlled based at least in part on where the ladar pulses were targeted by the ladar transmitter.

Ladar system with adaptive receiver

Method and system for optical data communication via scanning ladar

Disclosed herein are various embodiment of an adaptive ladar receiver and associated method whereby the active pixels in a photodetector array used for reception of ladar pulse returns can be adaptively controlled based at least in part on where the ladar pulses were targeted. Additional embodiments disclose improved imaging optics for use by the receiver and further adaptive control techniques for selecting which pixels of the photodetector array are used for sensing incident light.

Ladar receiver range measurement using distinct optical path for reference light

Adaptive ladar receiving method

Adaptive ladar receiver

Ladar receiver with advanced optics

Disclosed herein is a scanning ladar transmitter that employs an optical field splitter/inverter to improve the gaze characteristics of the ladar transmitter on desirable portions of a scan area. Also disclosed is the use of scan patterns such as Lissajous scan patterns for a scanning ladar transmitter where a phase drift is induced into the scanning to improve the gaze characteristics of the ladar transmitter on desirable portions of the scan area. Also disclosed is a compact beam scanner assembly that includes an ellipsoidal reimaging mirror.

Ladar transmitter with optical field splitter/inverter

Growing community of inventors

Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

David James Cook