Microvision, Inc.

Meteorcomm LLC

Jonathan A Morarity

Alga Lloyd Nothern, Iii

P Selvan Viswanathan

Thomas Ivan Nonn

Patrick J McVittie

Christopher Brian Adkins

Jari Honkanen

Robert James Jackson

Matthew Ellis

Arun Naidu

Damon Marlow Domjan

Sumit Sharma

David W Armour

Bin Xue

Matthieu Saracco

Dale Eugene Zimmerman

Ru Chen

Justin R Zilke

Alga Lloyd Nothern Iii

Henry J Baron

The embodiments described herein provide systems and methods that can improve performance in scanning laser devices. Specifically, the systems and methods utilize a non-uniform variation in optical expansion coupled with variation in the energy level of laser light pulses to provide an improved effective range over a scanning area. In general, the improved effective range varies over the scan field, with relatively long effective range in some areas of the scan field and relatively short effective range in other areas of the scan field. This varying range over the scan field is facilitated by expansion optics that provide a non-uniform variation in optical expansion for laser light pulses relative to position along a first axis in the scan field and by a light source controller that varies the energy level of the laser light pulses according to position along the first axis of the scan field.

Scanning laser devices and methods with non-uniform optical expansion and pulse energy variation

An eye-safe light detection and ranging system includes a virtual protective housing. A short range pulse is emitted at every measurement point in a field of view before conditionally emitting a long range pulse. Short range pulses result in accessible emissions that are eye-safe at short distances and long range pulses result in accessible emissions that are eye-safe at longer distances.

Eye-safe scanning lidar with virtual protective housing

A light detection and ranging system includes synchronously scanning transmit and receive mirrors that scan a pulsed fanned laser beam in two dimensions. Imaging optics image a receive aperture onto an arrayed receiver that includes a plurality of light sensitive devices. Adaptive methods dynamically modify the size and location of the field of view as well as laser pulse properties in response to internal and external sensors data.

Steered LIDAR system with arrayed receiver

Adaptive LIDAR scanning methods

A light detection and ranging system includes synchronously scanning transmit and receive mirrors that scan a pulsed fanned laser beam in two dimensions. Imaging optics image a receive aperture onto an arrayed receiver that includes a plurality of light sensitive devices. Scanning mirror offsets may be applied to modify a fan angle of the pulsed fanned laser beam. Adaptive methods dynamically modify the size and location of the field of view, laser pulse properties, and/or fan angle in response to internal and external sensors data.

LIDAR system with spatial beam combining

A light detection and ranging system includes synchronously scanning transmit and receive mirrors that scan a pulsed fanned laser beam in two dimensions. Imaging optics image a receive aperture onto an arrayed receiver that includes a plurality of light sensitive devices. A phase offset may be injected into a scanning trajectory to mitigate effects of interfering light sources.

Variable phase scanning lidar system

A light detection and ranging system includes multiple scanning mirror assemblies to increase a receive aperture. The multiple scanning mirror assemblies are controlled to mimic the operation of one large scanning mirror. The multiple scanning mirror assemblies may be arranged in one-dimensional arrays or two-dimensional arrays. Two arrays of scanning mirror assemblies provide for scanning in two dimensions.

Arrayed MEMS mirrors for large aperture applications

A light detection and ranging system modulates laser light pulses with a channel signature to encode transmitted pulses with channel information. The modulated laser light pulses may be scanned into a field of view. Received reflections not modulated with the same channel signature are rejected. Multiple light pulses of different wavelengths may be similarly or differently modulated.

Method and apparatus for LIDAR channel encoding

A mechanically resonant system exhibits a resonant mode frequency response. A conductor is included on a resonant member within the mechanically resonant system. A current in the conductor causes a modification of the resonant mode frequency response when in the presence of a magnetic field. The modification of the resonant mode frequency response may include an offset in the natural frequency of the mechanically resonant system.

Alteration of resonant mode frequency response in mechanically resonant device

A projection system emits light pulses in a field of view and measures properties of reflections. Properties may include time of flight and return amplitude. Foreground objects and background surfaces are distinguished, distances between foreground objects and background surfaces are determined based on reflections that are occluded by the foreground objects and other properties of the projection system.

Occlusion-based height estimation

Transmitter/receiver disparity for occlusion-based height estimation

A scanning mirror resonates on a first axis and moves on a second axis at a frequency dictated by a sync signal. The period of movement on the second axis is not necessarily an integer multiple of the period of movement on the first axis. A drive circuit excites movement of the mirror. The drive circuit adds a position offset to the signal that excites movement on the second axis. The position offset is capable of causing the resonant movement on the first axis to scan a substantially identical trajectory for at least a portion of each period on the second axis.

Scanning mirror control and slow scan position offset

A method of linearizing a relationship between a signal to an amplifier and an output signal from the amplifier includes applying an inverse of a transfer function of the amplifier to the signal prior to presenting the signal as the amplifier input. The inverse transfer function is represented by a polynomial defined by a set of coefficients. The transmitter output signal is measured by the idle receiver in a time division duplex system. The output signal is filtered to isolate intermodulation products of a selected order and the peak power of the isolated intermodulation products is then estimated. An adaptive algorithm is applied in response to the estimate of the peak power to update the set of coefficients of the polynomial representing the inverse of the transfer function of the amplifier.

Systems and methods using digital predistortion to linearize radio transmitter operation

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a MEMS scanned beam projector includes a light source to emit a light beam, a scanning platform to redirect the light beam impinging on the platform, and a display controller to control the light source and the scanning platform to cause the scanning platform to scan the light beam in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a scan pattern to project an image onto a projection surface. The display controller is configured to correct for image distortion in the projected image by providing a compensated drive signal to the scanning platform to compensate for the image distortion.

MEMS scan controlled keystone and distortion correction

A scanning projector includes one or more scanning mirrors that reflect a light beam to create an image. The beam is created by multiple laser light sources, at least two of which create light at substantially the same color. The multiple laser light sources are used alternately to illuminate successive pixels, lines, and/or frames. Speckle reduction is achieved because of spatial overlap of the light beams produced by the multiple laser light sources.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Jonathan A Morarity