Apparatuses, systems, and methods for open path laser spectroscopy with mobile platforms. An example system may include a first mobile platform and a second mobile platform, each of which supports a payload. A light beam directed from one payload to another may define a measurement path, which may be at a particular height above the ground. The payloads may determine a gas concentration along the measurement path. Wind information at the measurement height may be used to determine a gas flux. One or both of the mobile platforms may then move to a new location, and take a measurement along a new measurement path. By combining the measurement paths, gas flux through a flux surface may be determined.

An imaging system for material characterization of a sample is provided. Said imaging system comprises at least two imaging arrays configured to form at least one imaging array pair. In this context, the imaging system is configured to perform at least one reflection measurement with the aid of at least one imaging array. Furthermore, the imaging system is configured to perform at least one transmission measurement with the aid of the at least one imaging array pair. In addition to this, the imaging system is configured to determine material characteristics of the sample on the basis of the at least one reflection measurement and/or the at least one transmission measurement.

One or more systems and methods for identifying one or more passive optical identifier tag from a plurality of passive optical identifier tags is provided. The method includes emitting light from a light source device. Further, the method includes transmitting, by said plurality of passive optical identifier tags, reflected light to a receiver. The method further includes reflecting, by the plurality of passive optical identifier tags, the emitted light with its unique set of wavelengths, said set of wavelengths being inferred by the corresponding reflection sequence.

A system and method for a bistatic coherent LIDAR system with lasers locked to a reference. Utilizing atomic absorption lines to lock the frequency for the bistatic system provides an absolute reference, as each of the lasers in the bistatic system would have the same frequency to within the linewidth of the frequency reference. Each laser may also be additionally locked to an optical cavity for increased frequency stability. Not only does such a system provide essentially an infinite aperture, it also reduces laser power requirements because the detector platforms could be much closer to the target than the platform that contains the laser.

A single space platform with an optical telescope, a spectrometer, and/or a database of stored spectral information may be used to determine the range and/or velocity of natural or artificial resident space objects (RSOs). Relativistic Doppler shift measured from reflected solar photons and/or photons from other emitting source(s) provides information that the space platform can use to determine the relative velocity and the range rate. This information can then be used in combination with the right ascension and declination angles to perform differential correction and obtain an updated orbit.

Radar and LiDAR sensors play important roles in autonomous vehicles and ADAS (advanced driving assistance systems) in automobiles, however, they can only detect objects in view (line-of-sight). For example, when three vehicles are driving on road in a same lane, and if the first vehicle suddenly brakes, the third vehicle cannot detect it by regular radar and/or LiDAR because the second vehicle in front blocks the view. This invention discloses system and method to enable radar and/or LiDAR to detect vehicles on road that are blocked in view by another vehicle by specially configured active beacon transmitters, and reduce risks of rear-end collisions.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for multi-detector LIDAR and methods. An example method may include emitting, by a light emitter of a LIDAR system, a first light pulse. The example method may also include activating a first light detector of the LIDAR system at a first time, the first time corresponding a time when return light corresponding to the first light pulse would be within a first field of view of the first light detector. The example method may also include activating a second light detector of the LIDAR system at a second time, the second time corresponding a time when return light corresponding to the first light pulse would be within a second field of view of the second light detector, wherein the first light detector is configured to include the first field of view, the first field of view being associated with a first range from the light emitter, and wherein the second light detector configured to include the second field of view, the second field of view being associated with a second range from the light emitter.

A method of integrating a lidar system in a vehicle involves disposing one or more receive portions of the lidar system in one or more first locations of the vehicle and fabricating an integrated transmit portion of the lidar system to be disposed in a second location of the vehicle. The fabricating includes injection molding optical components to light emitting devices affixed to a printed circuit board to form a transmit portion and overmolding one or more additional elements to the transmit portion. The overmolding includes performing one or more additional injection molding processes.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for multi-detector LIDAR and methods. An example method may include emitting, by a light emitter of a LIDAR system, a first light pulse. The example method may also include activating a first light detector of the LIDAR system at a first time, the first time corresponding a time when return light corresponding to the first light pulse would be within a first field of view of the first light detector. The example method may also include activating a second light detector of the LIDAR system at a second time, the second time corresponding a time when return light corresponding to the first light pulse would be within a second field of view of the second light detector, wherein the first light detector is configured to include the first field of view, the first field of view being associated with a first range from the light emitter, and wherein the second light detector configured to include the second field of view, the second field of view being associated with a second range from the light emitter.

Systems and methods for reducing or eliminating undesired effects of retro-reflections in imaging are disclosed. A system for reducing the undesired effects of retro-reflections may include an illuminator and an optical receiver. The illuminator is configured to emit an illumination signal for illuminating a scene. The optical receiver is configured to receive returned portions of the illumination signal scattered or reflected from the scene. Return signals from retroreflectors present in the scene may oversaturate or otherwise negatively affect sensors in the optical receiver. To limit return signals from retroreflectors that may be present in the scene, the illuminator and optical receiver are physically separated from each other by an offset distance that limits or prevents retro-reflections from the retroreflectors from being received by the optical receiver.