Optical assembly for scanning lidar system

Abstract

A LiDAR system includes a light source to emit pulsed laser light beams, a scanning optical assembly to direct the pulsed laser light beams to scan an environment for detecting one or more objects therein, and a receiver to receive, via the scanning optical assembly, return light beams reflected by the one or more objects. The scanning optical assembly includes a first optical element rotatable about a first axis and to receive a light beam at a first surface thereof and refract the light beam by a second surface thereof at which the light beam exits the first optical element, and a second optical element spaced from the first optical element and rotatable about a second axis. The second optical element includes a reflective surface to reflect the light beam to the environment and a refractive surface to refract the light beam to the reflective surface.