A sensor system is disclosed. The sensor system may comprise a housing; an emitter, carried by the housing, that emits a beam comprising depth-data signals; a beam-distribution adjustment system; and a processor programmed to control the adjustment system by selectively changing an angular distribution of the depth-data signals emitted from the housing.

An optical device for the contactless measurement of a liquid level contained in a storage device by an optical signal, the optical device including an optical unit fixedly positioned above the storage device and an electronic control unit capable of emitting an optical signal, dissociated from the optical unit and positioned at a distance from the optical unit. The optical unit includes a single channel for the emission and the reception of the optical signal. The optical unit is connected to the electronic control unit through an optical fibre capable of transmitting the optical signal emitted by the electronic control unit and an optical signal reflected by the liquid. The optical fibre has first and second optical cores that juxtapose each other such that at least a part of the optical signal emitted in the first optical core of the optical fibre is backscattered in the second optical core.

A LIDAR sensor for detecting at least one object in a field of view. The LIDAR sensor includes: a transmitting unit includes a laser source; and a receiving unit having at least one detector unit for receiving secondary light that has been reflected and/or scattered in the field of view by an object. The detector unit includes a sub-detector array including a plurality of sub-detectors arranged in a first direction of extent next to each other and/or in a second direction of extent one behind another, and a processor unit that is designed to select a first group from a plurality of sub-detectors and to group it to form a first macropixel, and simultaneously to select at least one second group and to group it/them to form at least one second micropixel. The first macropixel and at least one of the second macropixels comprise at least one same sub-detector.

A vehicular collision avoidance system comprising a system controller, pulsed laser transmitter, a number of independent ladar sensor units, a cabling infrastructure, internal memory, a scene processor, and a data communications port is presented herein. The described invention is capable of developing a 3-D scene, and object data for targets within the scene, from multiple ladar sensor units coupled to centralized LADAR-based Collision Avoidance System (CAS). Key LADAR elements are embedded within standard headlamp and taillight assemblies. Articulating LADAR sensors cover terrain coming into view around a curve, at the crest of a hill, or at the bottom of a dip. A central laser transmitter may be split into multiple optical outputs and guided through fibers to illuminate portions of the 360° field of view surrounding the vehicle. These fibers may also serve as amplifiers to increase the optical intensity provided by a single master laser.

A sensor system comprises a LiDAR unit having an emitter for laser light having a wavelength of 900 nm to 1600 nm and a receiver for light over a wavelength range which is between 800 nm and 1600 nm and at least partly below the operating wavelength of the LiDAR sensor and a cover having a substrate layer made of thermoplastic material which is arranged such that IR light emitted by the LiDAR unit and received by the LiDAR unit passes through the cover.

The invention provides a sensing system (1000), e.g. for agricultural application, comprising a radiation generator (100), a sensing apparatus (200), and a control system (300) functionally coupled to the radiation generator (100) and the sensing apparatus (200), wherein the sensing system (1000) has one or more time-of-flight sensing modes of operation, wherein the generator (100) is configured to generate a pulse of radiation (111) in the one or more time-of-flight sensing modes of operation, and wherein the sensing apparatus (200) is configured to sense wavelength dependent spectral intensities of radiation received by the sensing apparatus (200) as a function of time in the one or more time-of-flight sensing modes, to provide a sensing system signal; wherein the sensing system signal is indicative of the wavelength dependent spectral intensity distribution of the received radiation as a function of time in the one or more time-of-flight sensing modes.

A decrease in sensitivity of distance measurement is reduced. A light receiving element includes a first voltage application unit and a second voltage application unit, a first charge detection unit, and a second charge detection unit. The first voltage application unit and the second voltage application unit are configured in linear shapes extending in the same direction on the surface of the semiconductor substrate that performs photoelectric conversion of the incident light, are arranged apart from each other, and are provided with proximity portions and applied with different voltages. The first charge detection unit is arranged around the first voltage application unit on the surface of the semiconductor substrate and detects a charge generated by photoelectric conversion. The second charge detection unit is arranged around the second voltage application unit on the surface of the semiconductor substrate and detects a charge generated by photoelectric conversion.

Aspects of the technology employ sensors having high speed rotating mirror assemblies. For instance, the sensors may be Lidar sensors configured to detect people and other objects in an area of interest. A given mirror assembly may have a triangular or other geometric cross-sectional shape. The reflective faces of the mirror assembly may connect along edges or corners. In order to minimize wind drag and torque issues, the corners are rounded, filleted, beveled, chamfered or otherwise truncated. Such truncation may extend the length of the mirror side. The mirror assembly may employ one or more beam stops, light baffles and/or acoustic/aerodynamic baffles. These sensors may be employed with self-driving or manual driven vehicles or other equipment. The sensors may also be used in and around buildings.

A test apparatus has at least one optical source, a high-speed photodetector, a microcontroller or processor, and electrical circuitry to power and drive the optical source, high-speed photodetector, and microcontroller or processor. The apparatus measures the frequency response and optical path length of a multimode optical fiber under test, utilizes a reference VCSEL spatial spectral launch condition and modal-chromatic dispersion interaction data to estimate the channels total modal-chromatic bandwidth of the fiber under test, and computes and presents the estimated maximum data rate the fiber under test can support.

Provided are an image sensor and a detection system using same, which belong to the field of semiconductor image sensors. The image sensor includes: a first substrate, wherein the first substrate at least includes a photoelectric unit for photoelectric conversion, and N signal transmission channels which are connected to the photoelectric unit, with N being greater than or equal to 1; and a second substrate, which includes N second charge storage units which correspond to the N transmission channels. The transmission channels receive control signals, electrically communicate the photoelectric unit and the second charge storage units, and transfer at least some photo-induced electrons, which are generated in the photoelectric unit, to the second charge storage units. The effect of miniaturization and high integration design of pixels is ensured by means of stacking two substrates; and by means of further providing charge storage units on both of the two substrates, the area of the peripheral region of the pixels can be used, the effect of a higher charge storage amount can be achieved, and the effects such as measurement accuracy can be ensured.