G01S7/4813

Lidar system with polygon mirror

A lidar system includes one or more light sources configured to generate a first beam of light and a second beam of light, a scanner configured to scan the first and second beams of light across a field of regard of the lidar system, and a receiver configured to detect the first beam of light and the second beam of light scattered by one or more remote targets. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror that includes multiple reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the polygon mirror, the reflective surfaces configured to reflect the first and second beams of light to produce a series of scan lines as the polygon mirror rotates. The scanner also includes a pivotable scan mirror configured to (i) reflect the first and second beams of light and (ii) pivot to distribute the scan lines across the field of regard.

Golf Putt Measurement Device
20230233920 · 2023-07-27 ·

A description is provided herein of an apparatus comprising a golf ball having embedded electronic components that can measure how far said ball has rolled and its velocity during a putt across a putting surface. Elements of the ball fabrication are described which allow light to be transmitted to interrogation devices which respond depending on the orientation of the ball relative to external light sources. A correlation of light received at various parts of the ball provide an event signal which is interpreted by an on-board processor. Determination of current distance and speed is continuously calculated during the roll of the putted ball. Data is relayed to a secondary device capable of displaying the information to a golfer during putting practice sessions. This will help the golfer to train how hard to hit a putt so that it will roll a known distance.

Proximity sensor with light inhibiting barrier comprising a gap having a cross-section with parallel walls substantially perpendicular to the top surface of an optically transmissive material

A sensor comprising a light emitter and light detector coupled directly with or formed directly on a lead frame and directly covered and encapsulated by a layer of light transmissive compound. A gap in the light transmissive compound between the light emitter and the light detector wherein in some embodiments the gap can be filled with a light blocking barrier material.

Optical time of arrival airfoil measurement probe

An optical probe includes an optical housing, a transmitting lens and a receiving lens. The optical housing extends from a proximate end to an opposing distal end. The transmitting lens is disposed at the distal end and is configured to output a first transmitted signal beams having a first transmission axis and a second transmitted beam having a second transmission axis that is different from the first transmission axis. The receiving lens is disposed at the distal end and configured to receive the first and second reflected signal beams corresponding respectively to the first and second transmitted signal beams. The optical housing has formed therein a transmitting optical channel configured to communicate an input optical signal from the proximate end to the transmitting lens. A receiving optical channel separated from the transmitting optical channel communicates the first and second reflected signal beams to the proximate end.

Coupling prisms for tunable optical metasurfaces

According to various embodiments, a solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR) transmitter includes a tunable optical metasurface to selectively steer incident optical radiation long an azimuth axis. In some embodiments, different subsets of lasers in an array of lasers are activated to generate optical radiation for incidence on the metasurface at different angles of incidence on an elevation axis for unsteered deflection by the metasurface at corresponding angles of elevation. In some embodiments, a prism is positioned relative to the tunable optical metasurface to deflect the optical radiation from the optical assembly by the optical radiation source for incidence on the metasurface at an angle of incidence that is between the first steering angle and the second steering angle, such that the optical radiation incident on the metasurface and the steered output optical radiation from the metasurface spatially overlap within the prism.

LIGHT MODULE AND LIDAR APPARATUS HAVING AT LEAST ONE LIGHT MODULE OF THIS TYPE
20230023489 · 2023-01-26 · ·

A light module has a carrier with a circuit die. On the top side of the carrier, a light-emitting diode die, and a charge store component are electrically connected to the conduction path terminal fields of a transistor by means of die-to-die bondings. The electrical connection between the two dies and the conduction path of the transistor is as short as possible. A terminal field is situated in each case on the top side of the two dies, which terminal fields are connected to one another using a first bonding wire. The charge store component is charged by means of a charging circuit which is electrically connected to the charge store component via a second bonding wire. The second bonding wire is longer than the first bonding wire. The light module may be part of a LIDAR apparatus.

Motorized Mounting Device for Positioning an Optical Element Within a Field-of-View of an Optical Sensor and Method of Use
20230027882 · 2023-01-26 ·

A mounting device for selectively positioning an optical element within a field-of-view of an optical sensor of a vehicle includes: a housing defining an opening sized to fit over an aperture of the optical sensor; a holder for the optical element connected to the housing and positioned such that, when the holder is in a first position, the optical element is at least partially within the field-of-view of the optical sensor; and a motorized actuator. The motorized actuator can be configured to move the holder to adjust the position of the optical element relative to the field-of-view of the optical sensor.

Lidar device

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.

LIDAR SYSTEM DETECTING WINDOW BLOCKAGE
20230025236 · 2023-01-26 · ·

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.

SUBMOUNT ARCHITECTURE FOR MULTIMODE NODES

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.