A LiDAR system includes an optical source to emit an optical beam, an optical window to reflect a first portion of the optical beam to generate an LO signal, and an optical scanner to transmit a second portion of the optical beam to a target to scan the target to generate a target return signal. The LiDAR system includes a birefringent crystal plate to transmit the LO signal and the target return signal to a PD and shift the LO signal and the target return signal by different displacements to increase a percentage of an overlap of the LO signal and the target return signal on a detection plane of the PD. The LiDAR system includes the PD to mix the target return signal with the LO signal on the detection plane of the PD to generate a heterodyne signal to extract range and velocity information of the target.

Apparatus and method for enhancing resolution in a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system. In some embodiments, an emitter is configured to emit a first beam of light pulses over a baseline, first field of view (FoV). Responsive to an activation signal, a controller circuit directs the emitter to concurrently interleave a second beam of light pulses over a second FoV within the first FoV. The first and second beams may be provided at different resolutions and frame rates, and may have pulses with different waveform characteristics to enable decoding using separate detection channels. The interlaced beams provide variable scanning of particular areas of interest within the baseline FoV. The second beam may be activated based on range information obtained from the first beam, or from an external sensor. Separate light sources operative at different wavelengths can be used to generate the first and second beams.

A dual mode ladar system includes a laser transmitter having a wavelength of operation and a modulator connected thereto to impose a modulation thereon. The modulator is configured to impose amplitude modulation and/or frequency modulation. Diffusing optics illuminate a field of view and an array of light sensitive detectors each produce an electrical response signal from a reflected portion of the laser light output.

A time of flight based depth detection system is disclosed that includes a projector configured to sequentially emit multiple complementary illumination patterns. A sensor of the depth detection system is configured to capture the light from the illumination patterns reflecting off objects within the sensor's field of view. The data captured by the sensor can be used to filter out erroneous readings caused by light reflecting off multiple surfaces prior to returning to the sensor.

A light emitting apparatus includes a substrate and light emitting elements including at least one light emitting element that is provided, on the substrate, in each region of plural regions and that emits irradiation light toward a target object, the regions including a first region and a second region and being isolated from each other to be arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. In the plural regions, an irradiation light amount of at least one light emitting element provided in the first region that is a region located at an end in an arrangement direction is larger than an irradiation light amount of at least one light emitting element provided in the second region that is a region located at a place other than the end in the arrangement direction.

A LIDAR illuminator includes a plurality of laser sources, each comprising an electrical input that receives a modulation drive signal that causes each of the plurality of laser sources to generate an optical beam. A controller having a plurality of electrical outputs, where a respective one of the plurality of electrical outputs is connected to an electrical input of a respective one of the plurality of laser sources, generates a plurality of modulation drive signals that cause the plurality of laser sources to generate a plurality of optical beams that form a combined optical beam. A peak optical energy of the combined optical beam in a measurement aperture at a measurement distance is less than a desired value.

Systems and methods are provided for processing lidar data. The lidar data can be obtained in a particular manner that allows reconstruction of rectilinear images for which image processing can be applied from image to image. For instance, kernel-based image processing techniques can be used. Such processing techniques can use neighboring lidar and/or associated color pixels to adjust various values associated with the lidar signals. Such image processing of lidar and color pixels can be performed by dedicated circuitry, which may be on a same integrated circuit. Further, lidar pixels can be correlated to each other. For instance, classification techniques can identify lidar and/or associated color pixels as corresponding to the same object. The classification can be performed by an artificial intelligence (AI) coprocessor. Image processing techniques and classification techniques can be combined into a single system.

Methods and systems for performing three-dimensional (3-D) LIDAR measurements with multiple illumination beams scanned over a 3-D environment are described herein. In one aspect, illumination light from each LIDAR measurement channel is emitted to the surrounding environment in a different direction by a beam scanning device. The beam scanning device also directs each amount of return measurement light onto a corresponding photodetector. In some embodiments, a beam scanning device includes a scanning mirror rotated in an oscillatory manner about an axis of rotation by an actuator in accordance with command signals generated by a master controller. In some embodiments, the light source and photodetector associated with each LIDAR measurement channel are moved in two dimensions relative to beam shaping optics employed to collimate light emitted from the light source. The relative motion causes the illumination beams to sweep over a range of the 3-D environment under measurement.

A semiconductor light-emitting element having a structure in which a substrate, a first reflector, a resonator cavity including an active layer, a second reflector and a tunnel junction portion are stacked in this sequence, comprising: a first current constriction portion configured with an oxidation constriction layer; and a second current constriction portion including the tunnel junction portion, wherein a width d2 of the second current constriction portion is smaller than a width d1 of the first current constriction portion.

A light source device in which a plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements are disposed, each of the plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements being configured with a first reflector, a resonator cavity including an active layer, and a second reflector which are stacked in this sequence on a semiconductor substrate, wherein in each of the semiconductor light-emitting elements, an electric contact region for supplying carriers to the active layer is disposed on a surface of the second reflector on an opposite side thereof to the active layer, and wherein the plurality of semiconductor light-emitting elements include a first semiconductor light-emitting element of which shape of the contact region is a first shape, and a second semiconductor light-emitting element of which shape of the contact region is a second shape which is different from the first shape.