The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 27, 2019
Filed:
Sep. 19, 2016
U.s.a. As Represented BY the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC (US);
Wenbo Sun, Yorktown, VA (US);
Yongxiang Hu, Yorktown, VA (US);
David G. MacDonnell, Yorktown, VA (US);
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINSTRATOR OF NASA, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
A lidar system includes an optical transmitter having a laser light source that is configured to generate a beam of light that is azimuthally polarized or has Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM). The lidar system further includes an optical receiver having an optical sensor defining a focal plane. A photon sieve is configured to produce a ring pattern on the focal plane corresponding to a laser return signal. The ring pattern comprises azimuthally polarized or Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) light that is transmitted by the transmitter and reflected towards the receiver. The photon sieve is also configured to cause stray light that is not polarized to produce a central region at the center of the ring pattern that is distinct from the ring pattern.