Apple Inc.

Robert S Upton

Yuval Gerson

Alexander Shpunt

Arman Hajati

Andrew J Sutton

Chandra Kakani

Mina A Rezk

Ariel Lipson

Noel Axelrod

Niv Gilboa

Eric J Hansotte

Chandra S Kakani

An optical device (A,B,) includes a first array of emitters (A,B) disposed on a semiconductor substrate () and configured to emit respective beams of optical radiation. A second array (A,B,) of micro-optics (A,B,) is positioned in alignment with the respective beams of the optical emitters and arranged to condition phases of the beams so that different ones of the beams are transmitted with different phase qualities

Focal plane optical conditioning for integrated photonics

A display system may display image frames. The system may include a scanning mirror and an array of staggered light emitting elements. The light emitting elements may emit image light and collimating optics may direct the light at the scanning mirror, which reflects the image light while rotating about an axis. Control circuitry may selectively activate the light emitting elements across tangential and sagittal axes of the image frame while controlling the scanning mirror to scan across the sagittal axis.

Scanning display systems

Image projection apparatus includes an image generating assembly, which is configured to project a sequence of line images extending in a first direction. A scanning mirror is positioned to receive and to reflect the line images while rotating about a mirror axis parallel to the first direction. A pupil expander has an edge positioned to receive the line images reflected by the scanning mirror and a face extending in a second direction non-parallel to the first direction and to the edge, and which is configured to direct simultaneously through the face multiple, parallel replicas of the expanded line images arrayed along the second direction.

Display using scanning-based sequential pupil expansion

An optical component includes a block of a transparent material, having a trapezoidal cross-section defined by first and second parallel, rectangular faces on mutually-opposing sides of the block and third and fourth faces oriented diagonally at opposing ends of the first and second faces. One or more planar, partially-reflecting layers extend within the block between the third and fourth faces in an orientation parallel to the first and second faces.

Prism beam expander

An optical device includes a transmitter, which emits a beam of optical radiation, and a receiver, which includes a detector configured to output a signal in response to the optical radiation. An active area of the detector has a first dimension along a first axis and a second dimension, which is less than the first dimension, along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. An anamorphic lens, which collects and focuses the optical radiation onto the active area of the detector, has a first focal length in a first plane containing the first axis and a second focal length, greater than the first focal length, in a second plane containing the second axis. A scanner scans the beam across a target scene in a scan direction that is aligned with the first axis, and directs the optical radiation that is reflected from the target scene toward the receiver.

LIDAR system with anamorphic objective lens

An optical apparatus includes an optically transparent slab waveguide including first and second, mutually-parallel planar faces and an edge non-parallel to the planar faces. A radiation source directs a beam of optical radiation to enter the waveguide through the first planar face at an entrance location and entrance angle selected so that the beam subsequently exits the waveguide at an exit location in a surface selected from among the second planar face and the edge. A scanning mirror is positioned to receive the beam that has exited through the surface and to reflect the beam back through the surface into the waveguide while the scanning mirror rotates about an axis parallel to the surface over a range of angles selected so as to cause the beam, after reflection back into the waveguide through the surface, to propagate within the waveguide by total internal reflection (TIR).

Direct optical coupling of scanning light engines to a waveguide

A display system may display image frames. The system may include multiple sets of laser dies. Each set of laser dies may emit a respective set of beams of light to a photonic integrated circuit. Each set of beams may include light in at least three wavelength ranges that include visible and/or infrared wavelengths. Channels in the photonic integrated circuit may receive the sets of beams with a first pitch and may emit the set of beams with a second pitch that is finer than the first pitch and at a given angular separation to tangential and sagittal axis scanning mirrors.

Scanning display systems with photonic integrated circuits

An optical device includes a light source, which is configured to emit a beam of light, and a sensor having a detection area. At least one scanning mirror is configured to scan the beam across a target scene. Light collection optics include a collection lens positioned to receive the light from the scene that is reflected from the at least one scanning mirror and to focus the collected light onto a focal plane, and a non-imaging optical element having a front surface positioned at the focal plane of the collection lens and a rear surface in proximity to the sensor and configured to spread the light focused by the collection lens over the detection area of the sensor.

Focal region optical elements for high-performance optical scanners

Optical systems that may, for example, be used in remote sensing systems, for example in systems that implement combining laser pulse transmission in LiDAR and that include dual transmit and receive systems. A dual receiver system may include a receiver including an optical system with a relatively small aperture and wide field of view for capturing reflected light from short-range (e.g., &#x3c;20 meters) objects, and a receiver that includes an optical system with a relatively large aperture and small field of view for capturing reflected light from long-range (e.g., &#x3e;20 meters) objects. The optical systems may refract the reflected light to photodetectors (e.g., single photo-avalanche detectors (SPADs)) that capture the light. Light captured at the photodetectors may, for example, be used to determine range information for objects or surfaces in the environment.

Optical systems for remote sensing receivers

Optical systems that may, for example, be used in light ranging and detection (LiDAR) applications, for example in systems that implement combining laser pulse transmission in LiDAR and that include dual transmit and receive systems. Receiver components of a dual receiver system in LiDAR applications may include a medium range (50 meters or less) receiver optical system with a medium entrance pupil and small F-number and with a medium to wide field of view. The optical system may utilize optical filters, scanning mirrors, and a nominal one-dimensional SPAD (or SPADs) to increase the probability of positive photon events.

Optical systems

Optical scanning apparatus includes a triangular prism, having first and second side faces and a base. A transmitter directs a beam of optical radiation into the prism through the first side face, which refracts the beam so that the optical radiation is incident on and reflects from the base within the prism at a reflection angle that is greater than a total internal reflection (TIR) angle of the prism and exits the prism through the second side face. At least one scanning mirror is positioned to intercept and reflect the beam back into the prism while scanning the beam over an angular range selected such that after refraction of the scanned beam at the second side face, the scanned beam is incident on the base at a transmission angle that is less than the TIR angle and is transmitted out of the prism through the base.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Robert S Upton