Method and apparatus for light detection and ranging (LiDAR). In some embodiments, an emitter is used to emit a set of pulses to impinge a target, and a detector is used to detect a corresponding set of reflected pulses. Range information associated with the target is extracted using the reflected pulses. To compensate for doppler shift and enable more emitted pulses to be in-flight between the system and the target, a maximum expected doppler shift is determined, and the emitted pulses are provided with differential frequency intervals that are greater than the determined maximum expected doppler shift, such as a multiple (e.g., 2×) of the maximum expected doppler shift. In some cases, each in-flight pulse will have a unique frequency separated from all other pulse frequencies by at least the maximum expected doppler shift. Adaptive adjustments can be made such as increasing the differential frequency intervals for long distance targets.

A light frequency standard for use as an optical clock is disclosed that is improved by optical pumping. Optical pumping is utilized to change the ground states of the atomic vapor from transition forbidden to transition allowed ground states involved in two-photon absorption process. The added element of an optical pump increases the absorbers available in the two-photon process and creates a stronger absorption line signal used for locking the laser to an absolute frequency.

An optical spectrometer based upon two-photon absorption is disclosed that is improved by optical pumping. In this case, two optical pumps are used, One optical pump provides photons for two-photon absorption, but it also depletes absorbing atoms that are in ground states where two-photon absorption is allowed. The other optical pump replenishes the supply of absorbing atoms into ground states allowing two-photon absorption. The spectrometer is useful for measuring Doppler shift with LIDAR.

A system for a quantitative detection of a movement. The system includes a signal emitter and two signal receivers, positioned in series, along a first axis parallel to a second axis of movement of a reflective marker provided on a moving object. The reflective marker is configured to reflect a signal emitted by the signal emitter towards the two signal receivers. The two receivers have a signal reception coverage such that allows existence of a reflective marker position, on the second axis, in which the reflective marker of a given size is recognized simultaneously by the two signal receivers.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors that characterizes motion of an object over multiple time steps, providing the sensor data characterizing the motion of the object to a motion prediction neural network having a brain emulation sub-network with an architecture that is specified by synaptic connectivity between neurons in a brain of a biological organism, and processing the sensor data characterizing the motion of the object using the motion prediction neural network having the brain emulation sub-network to generate a network output that defines a prediction characterizing the motion of the object.

A method for identifying an object, an optical sensing apparatus and a system are provided. A controller of the system drives multiple light sources of the optical sensing apparatus to emit the multiple light beams with different beam angles, controls a light sensor to sense the lights reflected by the object, and performs the method for identifying the object. In the method, the light sensor is used to sense a first light emitted by a first light source with a first beam angle reflected by the object, and sense an intensity of the reflected first light. The light sensor is also used to sense a second light emitted by a second light source with a second beam angle reflected by the object and sense another intensity of the reflected second light. Therefore, the object can be identified by integrating information of the intensities obtained by the light sensor.

A method for identifying an object, an optical sensing apparatus and a system are provided. A controller of the system drives multiple light sources of the optical sensing apparatus to emit the multiple light beams with different beam angles, controls a light sensor to sense the lights reflected by the object, and performs the method for identifying the object. In the method, the light sensor is used to sense a first light emitted by a first light source with a first beam angle reflected by the object, and sense an intensity of the reflected first light. The light sensor is also used to sense a second light emitted by a second light source with a second beam angle reflected by the object and sense another intensity of the reflected second light. Therefore, the object can be identified by integrating information of the intensities obtained by the light sensor.

A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) apparatus capable of extracting speed information and distance information of objects in front thereof is provided. The LiDAR apparatus includes: a continuous wave light source configured to generate continuous wave light; a beam steering device configured to emit the continuous wave light to an object for a first time and stop emitting the continuous wave light to the object for a second time; a receiver configured to receive the continuous wave light that is reflected from the object to form a reception signal; and a signal processor configured to obtain distance information and speed information about the object based on the reception signal.

Techniques of measuring vibrations from an object surface using LIDAR includes grouping beams having similar vibration velocity values over a specified time window and replace outlier vibration velocity values with a vibration velocity value based on the similar vibration velocity values over the specified time window. Advantageously, replacing outlier vibration velocity values with a value based on vibration velocity values of similar beams results in a more accurate profile of the vibration velocity field over the surface.

Techniques of measuring vibrations from an object surface using LIDAR includes grouping beams having similar vibration velocity values over a specified time window and replace outlier vibration velocity values with a vibration velocity value based on the similar vibration velocity values over the specified time window. Advantageously, replacing outlier vibration velocity values with a value based on vibration velocity values of similar beams results in a more accurate profile of the vibration velocity field over the surface.

An image processing device includes a first image acquisition unit (10) that acquires first image data including one distance image among a plurality of distance images generated temporally continuously, a second image acquisition unit (20) that acquires second image data including one camera image among a plurality of camera images temporally continuously generated at a frame rate different from a frame rate of the first image data, and a processing unit (60) that performs processing of associating information of a distance image included in the first image data with the second image data on the basis of a time at which the first image data is generated and a time at which the second image data is generated.