Beijing Voyager Technology Co., Ltd.

Rambus Inc.

Guangzhou Woya Laideling Technology Co., Ltd.

Qualcomm Incorporated

Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne

Didi Research America, LLC

Yue Lu

Youmin Wang

Lingkai Kong

Chao Wang

Zhenghan Zhu

Vipul Chawla

Yonghong Guo

Jared L Zerbe

John K Wu

Yu-Ching Yeh

Yibo Yu

Zuow-Zun Chen

Martin Vetterli

Qin Zhou

Jihua Li

Anan Pan

Feng Yang

Tao Chu

Yang Yang

Jeongsik Yang

Ara Bicakci

Ngar Loong Alan Chan

Sabine Süsstrunk

Sean Joel Lyn

Efthymios Philip Papageorgiou

Clément Fredembach

Martin McCormick

Quin Zhou

John Wu

Jihau Li

In one example, a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) module is provided. The LiDAR module comprises a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) formed on a surface of a silicon substrate, and a controller, the MEMS comprising a polygon assembly, the polygon assembly comprising: a polygon; a support structure connected to the polygon and forming a stack with the polygon along a rotation axis; a plurality of anchors formed on the surface of the substrate; and a plurality of actuators, each actuator of the plurality of actuators being connected between the support structure and an anchor of the plurality of actuators. The controller is configured apply a voltage across each actuator of the plurality of actuators, wherein the voltage causes each actuator to exert a torque on the support structure to rotate the polygon around the rotation axis by a target rotation angle.

Solid-state light steering system

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an optical sensing system containing a diffractive optical element, and an optical sensing method using the same. For example, the optical sensing system includes a laser emitter configured to emit an optical signal. The optical sensing system further includes a steering device configured to direct the emitted optical signal toward an environment surrounding the optical sensing system. The optical sensing system additionally includes a diffractive optical element configured to diffract the optical signal returning from the environment to form a plurality of beams focusing at a plurality of spots on a focal plane. The optical sensing system additionally includes a photosensor array placed at the focal plane, configured to detect the plurality of beams diffracted by the diffractive optical element at the plurality of spots, wherein the photosensor array comprises a plurality of sensitive elements.

Diffractive light distribution for photosensor array-based lidar receiving system

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a transmitter containing a Risley prism-based scanning mechanism, an optical sensing system containing the same, and an optical sensing method using the same. For example, the optical sensing system includes a laser emitter configured to sequentially emit a series of optical signals. The optical sensing system further includes a plurality of prisms configured to receive the series of optical signals and sequentially direct the series of optical signals at different directions in an angle of view of the optical sensing system. At least one prism of the plurality of prisms is configured to rotate relative to at least one other prism of the plurality of prisms to refract the optical signals towards the respective different directions. The optical sensing system additionally includes a receiver configured to receive at least a portion of the series of optical signals reflected from an environment surrounding the optical sensing system.

MEMS actuated vibratory Risley prism for LiDAR

A transmitter for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is provided. The transmitter includes a plurality of laser sources and a light modulator. Each of the laser sources includes interleaved emitting regions and gaps and is configured to provide a native laser beam in a respective incident direction. The light modulator is configured to receive the native laser beams from the plurality of laser sources in different incident directions and combine the native laser beams into a combined laser beam in a diffraction direction.

Transmitter having a light modulator for light detection and ranging (LiDAR)

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a transmitter containing an omni-view peripheral scanning system, an omni-view peripheral scanning system, and an optical sensing method. The optical sensing system includes an optical source configured to sequentially emit optical signals. The optical sensing system further includes an omni-view peripheral scanning system configured to receive the optical signals and sequentially direct the optical signals towards an environment following a peripheral scanning pattern. The peripheral scanning system may include a scanning mirror and a top reflector. Each optical signal may pass through the top reflector towards the scanning mirror, where the scanning mirror is configured to reflect the optical signal back onto the top reflector following a spiral pattern and the top reflector is configured to direct the optical signal towards the environment. The optical sensing system further includes a receiver configured to receive at least a portion of the optical signals reflected from the environment.

Omni-view peripheral scanning system with integrated MEMS spiral scanner

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an optical sensing system for two-dimensional (2D) environmental sensing and an optical sensing method for the optical sensing system. The optical sensing system includes a rotary base and a one-dimensional (1D) optical sensing apparatus supported by the rotary base. The 1D optical sensing apparatus includes an optical source configured to emit optical signals, a 1D MEMS scanner configured to direct the optical signals towards an environment surrounding the optical sensing system, and a receiver configured to receive at least a portion of the optical signals reflected from the environment. The rotary base is configured to drive the 1D optical sensing apparatus to rotate around a first axis to scan the optical signals in a first dimension and the 1D MEMS scanner is configured to independently rotate around a second axis to scan the optical signals in a second dimension in the 2D environmental sensing.

Spinning LiDAR with one dimensional MEMS scanner

Embodiments of the disclosure provide optical sensing systems, optical sensing methods, and integrated transmitter/receiver (TX/RX) modules. An exemplary optical sensing system includes an integrated TX/RX module and a controller coupled to the integrated TX/RX module. The integrated TX/RX module includes a laser emitter, one or more optics, and a receiver frontend. The laser emitter is configured to emit an optical signal toward the one or more optics. The one or more optics are configured to form the optical signal received from the laser emitter into a predefined shape and direct the optical signal having the predefined shape to an environment surrounding the optical sensing system. The receiver frontend is configured to receive a returned optical signal from the environment and convert the returned optical signal into an electrical signal. The laser emitter, the one or more optics, and the receiver frontend are assembled in a single package.

Integrated transmitter and receiver module for LiDAR system

A MEMS-based Wavelength Selectable Switch (WSS), used classically for demultiplexing fiber optic communications, is re-purposed to act as a filter. A light emitter provides a light beam with its wavelength detected by a wavelength detector. A light condenser directs reflected light from the light emitter to an input of the WSS. The WSS is controllable to provide a selected wavelength band to a selected output of the WSS, where it is detected by a photodetector. Other wavelengths are discarded by the WSS at other outputs. A controller is configured to control the WSS to select the selected wavelength band based on a detected wavelength from the wavelength detector.

MEMS wavelength selectable switch for adaptive wavelength filtering

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an optical sensing system, a method for controlling a receiver gain in the optical sensing system, and a receiver in the optical sensing system. The exemplary optical sensing system includes a transmitter configured to emit light beams at a plurality of vertical detection angles to scan an object. The optical sensing system further includes a receiver having a detector configured to detect the light beams returned by the object. The optical sensing system also includes a controller configured to dynamically vary a gain of the detector for detecting the light beams of the respective vertical detection angles.

Dynamic receiver gain control for LiDAR system

An array of MEMS mirrors intercept a laser beam and redirect it toward an environment to be detected. A controller is configured to control the laser and the array of MEMS mirrors to generate a plurality of irregular patterns, such as a Hadamard pattern. The controller controls the laser and the array of MEMS mirrors to generate a plurality of Hadamard patterns on a single scan line at different times, such that all pixel positions in the scan line are impacted by one of the redirected beams from the mirror array at least once. The detected intensities of all the pixel reflections in each pattern are combined to give a total combined intensity for each of the different times. The Hadamard pattern is used to decode the various total combined intensities for a scan line to determine an intensity of each pixel in the scan line.

Detector array detection with hadamard pattern scanning

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a laser beam generation system. The laser beam generation system includes a first laser chip configured to generate a first polarized laser beam and a second laser chip configured to generate a second polarized laser beam. The laser beam generation system also includes a polarizer configured to combine the first polarized laser beam and the second polarized laser beam to generate a third laser beam.

Systems and methods for laser generation based on polarized beams

A grating for a steering mirror of a LiDAR system is made without a metal coating. The grating comprising a plurality of ridges defined by a period. The period has a width that is equal to or less than a wavelength of a laser of the LiDAR system. The ridges can be made of crystalline silicon to form a high-contrast grating.

High contrast grating for highly reflective mems surface for LiDAR

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a micro shutter array, and an optical signal filtering method. The micro shutter array is used for filtering a series of optical signals at a plurality of time points. The optical signal at each time point includes a laser beam. The micro shutter array includes a plurality of micro shutter elements arranged in an array and a driver. The driver is configured to sequentially open a subset of the micro shutter elements at a specified location at each time point to allow a respective laser beam to pass through the micro shutter array at that time point.

Micro shutter array for LIDAR signal filtering

Embodiments of the disclosure include a receiver of an optical sensing system. The receiver may include a mask configured to resonate during a scanning procedure performed by the optical sensing system. The receiver may also include a photodetector array positioned on a first side of the mask. The photodetector array may be configured to detect light that passes through the mask during the scanning procedure to generate a frame. The receiver may further include a light collector array aligned with the photodetector array and configured to concentrate the light that passes through the mask during the scanning procedure before directing the light to the photodetector array.

Receiver with a light collector array and a mask for improving detection resolution during a scanning procedure of an optical sensing system

An apparatus for detecting an incoming laser beam with a photodetector is described. A beam splitter is mounted to receive the incoming laser beam after correction by a wavefront corrector. The beam splitter directs most of the incoming laser beam to the photodetector, but diverts a small portion of the incoming laser beam to a wavefront sensor. A feedback control circuit is configured to control the wavefront corrector to at least partially correct for wavefront distortions detected by the wavefront sensor.

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Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Yue Lu