A light detection and ranging system can have an array of solid-state optical energy emitters coupled to a controller and at least one antennae. Each emitter may be coupled to a phase shifter that has a first waveguide and a second waveguide with a heating element continuously extending between the respective waveguides.

In a LIDAR device (100) a laser light source (110) generates first laser light having a first laser frequency which is frequency modulated with a first frequency modulation. A non-linear optical element (120) receives the first laser light and generates therefrom second laser light having a comb-like frequency spectrum with a plurality of second laser frequencies which are each frequency modulated with a second frequency modulation defined by the first frequency modulation. A frequency excursion of the second frequency modulation is smaller than a spacing of the second laser frequencies. A diffractive element (140) spatially separates the second laser light according to the second laser frequencies and directs the spatially separated second laser light towards a ranging region (200), with each of the second laser frequencies being directed towards a corresponding spatially distinct target position in the ranging region (200). A detector (150) receives reflections of the second laser light from the ranging region (200) and measures, by simultaneously detecting a frequency modulation of the reflections for each of the second laser frequencies, a distance and/or a velocity at the target position corresponding to the second laser frequency.

The present technology relates to a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a distance measurement device capable of preventing erroneous detection of the number of cycles N in a method of resolving ambiguity of the number of cycles N on the basis of a result of distance measurement using two frequencies.

A signal processing device (33) includes: a condition determination unit (43) that determines whether or not a condition [Expression (27) or Expression (28)] that neither carrying nor borrowing occurs is satisfied in a number-of-cycles determination expression for determining the number of cycles of 2π of either a first phase difference or a second phase difference, the first phase difference being detected by a distance measurement sensor (2) when irradiation light is emitted at a first frequency (f.sub.l), the second phase difference being detected by the distance measurement sensor when the irradiation light is emitted at a second frequency (f.sub.h) higher than the first frequency; and a distance calculation unit (46) that determines the number of cycles of 2π from the number-of-cycles determination expression in a case where it is determined that the condition is satisfied and calculates a distance from an object by using the first phase difference and the second phase difference. The present technology is applicable to, for example, a distance measurement device that measures a distance from a subject, or other devices.

The invention relates to a system and a method for simultaneous range and velocity measurement in an FMCW LiDAR system. A first light source (16) produces first light having a first frequency that varies according to a first chirp rate. A second light source (18) produces second light having a second frequency that is constant or that varies according to a second chirp rate being different from the first chirp rate. Measuring light obtained by combining the first and second light therefore has two different frequency components during a measurement interval. A splitter (22) separates the measuring light into reference light and output light, and a scanning unit (28) directs the output light towards an object (12) and receives input light that is obtained by reflection of the output light at the object (12). A detector (32) detects a superposition of the reference light and the input light. A computing unit (34) computes unambiguously the range and relative velocity by analyzing beat frequencies resulting from the superposition, wherein ambiguities due to Doppler frequency shifts are removed by performing a decision tree analysis.

A light detection and ranging system can consists of an optical emitter and optical detector each connected to a controller. An isolator may be coupled to the optical emitter and be constructed of photonic crystals that exhibit a high group index to allow broadband operation with a reduced physical length.

A light detection and ranging system can consists of an optical emitter and optical detector each connected to a controller. An isolator may be coupled to the optical emitter and be constructed of photonic crystals that exhibit a high group index to allow broadband operation with a reduced physical length.

A distance measurement apparatus includes a light emitting apparatus capable of emitting first light and second light having a smaller spread than the first light, and changing an emission direction of the second light, a light receiving apparatus, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit performs a process including causing the light receiving apparatus to detect reflected light that occurs due to the first light and reflected light that occurs due to the second light, and generate therefrom first distance data and second distance data, when an object is present outside a first target area included in an area illuminated by the first light, causing the light emitting apparatus to track the object by the second light; and when the object enters the inside of the first target area from the outside of the first target area, causing the light emitting apparatus to stop the tracking by the second light.

A measurement apparatus that includes a laser apparatus outputting a frequency-modulated laser beam, a branching part branching the frequency-modulated laser beam into a reference light and a measurement light, a beat signal generation part generating a beat signal by mixing the reference light and a reflected light that is reflected by radiating the measurement light onto an object to be measured, an extraction part extracting a signal component corresponding to a resonator frequency of the frequency-modulated laser beam, a clock signal generation part generating a first clock signal on the basis of the signal component, a conversion part converting the beat signal into a first digital signal using the first clock signal, and a calculation part calculating a difference in a propagation distance between the reference light and the measurement light on the basis of the first digital signal.

The present disclosure generally pertains to a time-of-flight sensing circuitry for sensing image information in different imaging modes, having: a light sensing circuitry for detecting light and outputting light sensing signals; and a logic circuitry for processing the light sensing signals from the light sensing circuitry, wherein the logic circuitry is configured to decide an imaging mode among the different imaging modes.

At least one beam of an optical wave is transmitted along a transmission angle toward a target location from a send aperture of a transmitter. The optical wave comprises at least a first portion, and a second portion having a different characteristic from a characteristic of the first portion. Two or more receivers include at least one receiver comprising: a receive aperture arranged in proximity to at least one of the send aperture or a receive aperture of a different receiver, an optical phased array within the receive aperture, the optical phased array being configured to receive at least a portion of a collected optical wave arriving at the receive aperture along a respective collection angle, and a filter configured to filter the received portion of the collected optical wave according to the characteristic of the first portion of the optical wave.