A laser distance measuring device, a laser distance measuring method, and a movable platform are provided. The laser distance measuring device includes a transmitting module and a receiving module. The transmitting module includes a transmitting circuit and an optical transmitting system, the transmitting circuit is configured to transmit laser pulses, and the optical transmitting system is configured to disperse the laser pulse, to make the laser pulses cover a designated field-of-view area. The receiving module includes a receiving circuit and an optical receiving system, the receiving circuit includes an APD array operating in a linear mode and is configured to receive at least some of returning laser pulses upon the laser pulses being reflected back by a measured object, and convert the at least some of the returning laser pulses into an electrical signal.

A geodesic system for measuring the position of a target when the target is obstructed from view by a station. The geodesic system includes a rod fastener positioned on a housing axis for selectively coupling a housing to a survey rod, wherein the housing axis is collinear with a rod axis centrally-positioned within the survey rod when the system is coupled to the survey rod. The system further includes a cuboid-shaped station-scope for viewing the station along a station-line extending between the system and the station and for viewing the target along a target-line extending between the system and the target. The station-scope includes a mirror equally bisecting the station-scope. The housing axis equally bisects the mirror at an intersection of the station-line and the target-line. The station further includes a rangefinder for aligning a laser with the target, the laser having an origination point along the housing axis.

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) apparatus is provided that includes a laser source configured to emit a laser beam in a first direction. The apparatus also includes lensing optics configured to pass a first portion of the laser beam in the first direction toward a target, return a second portion of the laser beam into a return path as a local oscillator signal, and return a target signal into the return path. The apparatus also includes a quarter-wave plate configured to polarize the laser beam headed in the first direction and polarize the target signal returned through the lensing optics. The apparatus also includes a polarization beam splitter configured to pass non-polarized light through the beam splitter in the first direction and reflect polarized light in a second direction different than the first direction, wherein the polarization beam splitter is further configured to enable interference between the local oscillator signal and the target signal to generate a mixed signal. The apparatus also includes an optical detector configured to receive the mixed signal.

A system includes a light source, an optical splitter, and a pulse-energy measurement circuit. The light source is configured to generate an emitted beam of light that includes an emitted pulse of light. The optical splitter is configured to split the emitted beam of light to produce at least (i) a test beam of light that includes a test pulse of light, the test pulse of light including a first portion of the emitted pulse of light and (ii) an output beam of light that includes an output pulse of light, the output pulse of light including a second portion of the emitted pulse of light allowed to at least in part exit the system. The pulse-energy measurement circuit is configured to receive the test pulse of light and determine a numerical value corresponding to an individual energy amount of the test pulse of light.

A LIDAR device, including a housing, and an emitter device that is situated rotatably about a rotation axis and that is designed in such a way that the measuring beams of the emitter device intersect in the area of an exit aperture of the LIDAR device.

An image sensor, employed in a time-of-flight (TOF) sensing system, includes a pixel array including a plurality of pixels arranged in plural rows and plural columns, each pixel generating an amount of charge in response to an incident light, and first driving circuitry configured to supply a driving control signal to each pixel via the plural columns. The first driving circuitry is configured to supply the driving control signal via one of odd and even columns.

A LiDAR system includes a casing having a window, a light emitter in the casing, a light sensor including an array of photodetectors, and a scanning mirror between the window and the light sensor. The LiDAR system includes a controller programmed to move the scanning mirror to a plurality of different positions when the light emitter is inactive. The scanning mirror is aimed at a different subset of the photodetectors in the different positions. The controller is programmed to operate at least some of the photodetectors when the scanning mirror is in different positions and the light emitter is inactive. The controller is programmed to identify a blockage on the window based on comparison of detected light at different positions of the scanning mirror.

The technology disclosed herein includes a system having a light source configured to generate a laser signal, an optical signal splitter circuit configured to split the laser signal into a first laser signal for transmission to a plurality of targets and a second laser signal, an optical signal scanner configured to transmit the first laser signal to the plurality of targets, two or more optical delay lines configured to receive the second laser signal, wherein each of the two or more optical delay lines adds a predetermined time delay to the second laser signal to generate a delayed second laser signal, and a detector configured to receive a reflected laser signal from the plurality of targets, wherein the reflected laser signal includes a reflection of the first laser signal from the plurality of targets, and the delayed second laser signal.

Presented herein are a submount architecture for an electro-optical engine, which may be embodied as an apparatus in the form of at least an electro-optical engine and a multimode node, and a method for providing the same. According to at least one example, an apparatus includes a printed circuit board (PCB), a substrate with a finer structuring than the PCB, and electro-optical components. A bottom surface of the substrate is coupled to the PCB and electro-optical components are mounted on or in a top surface of the substrate. The electro-optical components include one or more optical components arranged to emit optical signals towards and/or receive optical signals from an area above the top surface of the substrate.

A vehicle sensing system may include a housing for containing sensor electronics, the housing having at least one window being aligned with at least one of the sensor electronics within the housing, a fan arranged on the housing and configured to provide airflow through the housing, and a conditioning element having a plurality of fins forming configured to receive the airflow from the fan to cool the sensor electronics and to direct warmed air from the fins onto the window to provide the warmed air to the window.