Texas Instruments Corporation

Oracle America, Inc.

Silc Technologies, Inc.

Nirmal Chindhu Warke

Baher S Haroun

David Patrick Magee

Swaminathan Sankaran

Hassan Omar Ali

Srinath Hosur

Marco Corsi

Bradley Allen Kramer

Siraj Akhtar

Ali Kiaei

Ahmad Reza Bahai

Martin J Izzard

Reza Hoshyar

Kevin Zheng

Brad Kramer

Mehdi Asghari

Srinath Mathur Ramaswamy

Drew George Doblar

Dawei Huang

Arthur John Redfern

Deqiang Song

Kofi Dankwa Anim-Appiah

Brian Paul Ginsburg

Robert Floyd Payne

Murtaza Ali

Terry Alan Bartlett

Rahmi Hezar

Michael Stephen Harwood

Eunyoung Seok

Majid Boloorian

Stephen Aldridge Shaw

Wenting Zhou

Rick Oden

Jeffrey Matthew Kempf

Bradley Jonathan Luff

Michael Oliver Polley

Gerd Schuppener

Fernando Alberto Mujica

Charles Kasimer Sestok, Iv

Venugopal Gopinathan

Song Wu

Vijay B Rentala

Behnam Behroozpour

Susan Yim

Zuxu Qin

Lars Jorgensen

Andrew Keith Joy

Vijaya Bhaskar Rentala

William Franklin Leven

Dong Joon Yoon

Waseem Ahmad

Yaser M Ibrahim

Kian Haur Chong

Osman Javed

Nadeem Ahmed

Daniel J Beckman

Ajay Singhvi

Robert F Kramer

Simon Dennis Forey

Ming Ding

Ting Li

Miaad Seyed Aliroteh

Lars Morten Jorgensen

Described example aspects include an integrated circuit includes a timing controller configured to select a selected time slot in a measurement period having a plurality of time slots and a transmit driver configured to provide a transmit signal in accordance with the selected time slot, in which the transmit signal is transmitted to an optical transmitter. The integrated circuit also includes a range estimator configured to receive a received signal after the selected time slot from an optical receiver that is configured to receive a reflection of light transmitted by the optical transmitter off an object, the range estimator configured to determine an estimated distance of the object based on the received signal.

Methods and apparatus for lidar operation with sequencing of pulses

A LIDAR system outputs a system output signal such that the system output signal can be reflected by an object located outside of the LIDAR system. The system also receives a system return signal that includes light from the reflected LIDAR output signal. The system return signal and the system output signal each carries a first channel. The LIDAR system combine light that is from the system return signal and that carries the first channel with a reference signal so as to produce a composite signal beating at a beat frequency. Electronics operate the LIDAR system such that the first channel has a series of chirp cycles. Each chirp cycle includes a linear chirp section where a frequency chirp of the channel is linear. Multiple different sample periods fall within each of the linear chirp sections. The electronics calculate LIDAR data for each of the sample periods from the beat frequency of the composite signal during the sample period. The LIDAR data for a sample period indicates the radial velocity and/or distance between the LIDAR system and the object.

Increasing rate of lidar measurements

An optical distance measuring system includes a first transmitter, a first solid state device, and a receiver. The first transmitter is configured to generate a first optical waveform. The first solid state device is configured to receive the first optical waveform and steer the first optical waveform toward a target object. The receiver is configured to receive the first optical waveform reflected off of the first target object and determine a distance to the first target object based on a time of flight from the transmitter to the first target object and back to the receiver.

Optical distance measurement system using solid state beam steering

In described examples, a system (e.g., a security system or a vehicle operator assistance system) is configured to configure a phased spatial light modulator (SLM) to generate a diffraction pattern. A coherent light source is optically coupled to direct coherent light upon the SLM. The SLM is configured to project diffracted coherent light toward a region of interest. An optical element is configured to focus the diffracted coherent light toward the at least one region of interest.

Phased spatial light modulator for imaging

A LIDAR system has a transmitter that outputs a system output signal from the LIDAR system. The LIDAR system also includes electronics that control a frequency of the system output signal over a series of cycles. The cycles include multiple data periods. The electronics change the frequency of the system output signal at a first rate during a first one of the data periods. The electronics change the frequency of the system output signal at a second rate during a second one of the data periods. The second rate is different from the first rate.

Reduction of sampling rates in lidar systems

A LIDAR system is configured to output a system output signal that travels away from the LIDAR system and can be reflected by objects located outside of the LIDAR system. The system output signal has a frequency versus time pattern with a repeated cycle. Each cycle of the frequency versus time pattern includes multiple data periods configured such that the system output signal is chirped differently in different data periods. The LIDAR system also includes electronics configured to generate multiple different sets of LIDAR data. Each set of LIDAR data indicates a radial velocity and/or separation between the LIDAR system and one or more of the objects located outside of the LIDAR system. Each set of LIDAR data is generated from light that is included in the system output signal during a group of multiple data periods. The groups of data periods including one or more common data periods that are each included in two or more different groups of data periods.

Use of common chirp periods in generation of LIDAR data

A pulsed light source illuminates a scene with a virtual array of points. Light reflected by the scene is detected by a small pixel array, allowing generation of a three-dimensional map of the scene. A processing element processing data output by the small pixel array uses a multipath resolution algorithm to resolve individual objects in the scene.

Virtual array method for 3D robotic vision

An optical distance measurement system includes a transmission circuit and a receive circuit. The transmission circuit is configured to generate narrowband intensity modulated light transmission signals over a first band of frequencies and direct the narrowband light transmission signal toward a target object. The receive circuit is configured to receive reflected light off the target object, convert the reflected light into a current signal proportional to the intensity of the reflected light, filter frequencies outside a second band of frequencies from the current signal to create a filtered current signal, and convert the filtered current signal into a voltage signal. The second band of frequencies corresponds with the first band of frequencies.

Narrowband TIA and signaling for optical distance measurement systems

Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method for chip to chip communications in electronic circuits. In one embodiment, a networking device includes an input port circuit having a transmitter circuit coupled one or more transmitter antennas, wherein the input port circuit transmits a data packet to a first output port circuit using millimeter wave signals. The networking device includes output port circuits including at least the first output port circuit, each of the output port circuits having a receiver circuit coupled to one or more receiver antennas. The networking device includes a beamforming circuit coupled to the one or more transmitter antennas of the input port circuit, wherein the beamforming circuit causes the one or more transmitter antennas to transmit an antenna beam directed at the one or more receiver antennas of the first output port circuit.

Wireless chip-to-chip switching

An optical time of flight system includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter is configured to generate a modulation signal having a modulation signal frequency that varies as a function of time, generate an optical waveform with amplitude modulation corresponding to the modulation signal, and direct the optical waveform toward a field of view (FOV). The receiver is configured to receive the optical waveform reflected off of an object within the FOV and determine a distance to the object based on a time of flight from the transmitter to the object and back to the receiver.

Frequency modulation for interference free optical time of flight system

An example apparatus includes a transducer to receive a reference signal and a reflected signal, the reflected signal being the reference signal after being reflected of a target; a filter to generate a band-pass reference signal and a band-pass reflected signal by filtering (A) reference signal samples associated with the reference signal and (B) reflected signal samples associated with the reflected signal; a correlator to generate a first correlation by correlating the reference signal samples with the reflected signal samples and a second correlation by correlating the band-pass reference signal with the band-pass reflected signal; and a delay estimator to determine a distance to the target based on the first correlation (coarse delay) and the second correlation (fine delay) and output a signal including the distance to the target.

Methods and apparatus for narrowband ranging systems using coarse and fine delay estimation

Described examples include an integrated circuit having an analog-to-digital converter operable to receive an input signal derived from a light signal and convert the input signal to a digital received signal, the analog-to-digital converter operable to receive the input signal during at least one window. The integrated circuit further has a receiver operable to receive the digital received signal, the receiver operable to determine a distance estimate of an object from which the light signal is reflected based on the digital received signal. In an example, the window locations are chosen to correspond to the locations of maximum slope in the signal.

Power efficient LIDAR

An optical transmitting system for distance measuring includes a signal generator, a laser diode coupled to the signal generator, and an optics device. The signal generator is configured to generate a first plurality of electrical signals. The laser diode is configured to generate a first plurality of optical waveforms that correspond with the first plurality of electrical signals. The optics device is configured to receive the first plurality of optical waveforms and direct the first plurality of optical waveforms toward a first plurality of scan points that form a scan region within a field of view (FOV). A first signal type, a first signal duration, a first signal amplitude, or a first signal repetition frequency of the first plurality of optical waveforms is based on a first desired range of the first plurality of scan points.

Transmit signal design for an optical distance measurement system

In described examples, an integrated circuit includes a modulator configured to modulate a driving signal for an optical transmitter with a narrow band modulation signal in which the driving signal with a fixed duration is transmitted to the optical transmitter periodically. The integrated circuit also includes a demodulator configured to receive a signal from an optical receiver that is configured to receive a reflection of light transmitted by the optical transmitter off an object, the demodulator configured to discriminate the narrow band modulation signal and estimate a distance of the object using the narrow band modulation signal.

Methods and apparatus for LIDAR operation with narrowband intensity modulation

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Irving, TX, United States of America

Nirmal Chindhu Warke