The present invention provides a measuring apparatus and a measuring method in which a relative moving velocity of a target to be measured or a separation displacement of the target to be measured can be accurately measured even in a case where the target to be measured is moved. In a measuring apparatus, a relative moving velocity of a target to be measured and a separation displacement of the target to be measured can be measured in consideration of the influence of Doppler shift that occurs due to the movement of the target to be measured in an in-plane direction, and thus, even in a case where the target to be measured is moved in the in-plane direction, the relative moving velocity of the target to be measured and the separation displacement of the target to be measured can be accurately measured.

An optical proximity sensor includes a first vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine distance to and/or velocity of an object. The optical proximity sensor also includes a second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser configured for self-mixing interferometry to determine whether any variation in a fixed distance has occurred. The optical proximity sensor leverages output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to calibrate output from the second vertical cavity surface-emitting laser to eliminate and/or mitigate environmental effects, such as temperature changes.

An eye accommodation distance determining device is provided. The eye accommodation distance determining device includes an interferometer configured to generate a plurality of frequency modulated laser beams in different directions and to generate a plurality of interferometric signals using laser beams reflected from eye reflecting surfaces, a signal processer configured to generate a signal spectrum using each of said plurality of interferometric signals, a distance determiner configured to determine distances to the eye reflecting surfaces for each of said plurality of frequency modulated laser beams, a point coordinates determiner configured to determine coordinates of points on each of the eye reflecting surfaces for each of the laser beams, a reconstructor configured to generate an eye inner structure model based on the determined coordinates of points, and an eye accommodation distance determiner configured to determine, based on said eye inner structure model, an eye accommodation distance.

A sensor system includes a self-mixing interferometry sensor; a drive circuit configured to apply a modulated drive signal to an input of the self-mixing interferometry sensor; a mixer circuit configured to mix a modulated output of the self-mixing interferometry sensor with a local oscillator signal that is orthogonal to the modulated drive signal over a period of time; an integrator circuit configured to integrate an output of the mixer circuit over the period of time; and a processor configured to determine, using an output of the integrator circuit, at least one of a round-trip propagation time of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the self-mixing interferometry sensor and reflected back into the self-mixing interferometry sensor by an object or medium, or a velocity of the object or medium.

A LIDAR sensor apparatus and a control method thereof. The LIDAR sensor apparatus includes a transmitter configured to transmit a laser, first and second receivers each configured to receive a reflected signal reflected from an object after the laser is transmitted through the transmitter, a control unit configured to calculate first and second distances by performing signal processing on first and second signals received from the first and second receivers after the laser is transmitted through the transmitter, and to calculate an intermediate distance by performing signal processing on an overlapping signal obtained by overlapping the first and second signals, and an output unit configured to output the first and second distances and the intermediate distance calculated by the control unit.

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes a transmitter, a receiving pixel, a rotating mirror, and a beam displacement apparatus. The transmitter is configured to emit a transmit beam. The receiving pixel is configured to receive a returning beam. The rotating mirror is configured to direct the transmit beam to a target and direct the returning beam to the receiving pixel. The beam displacement apparatus is disposed between the receiving pixel and the rotating mirror. The beam displacement apparatus is configured to introduce a displacement to the returning beam to compensate for a spacing between the transmitter and the receiving pixel.

A system and method for generating, enhancing, and detecting the amplitude and phase modulation of a laser under a condition of self-mixing is provided. The system may comprise a laser and a detector to extract the characteristic self-mix signal, which is then interpreted using algorithms implemented in hardware or software. In the case of the laser being a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting laser (VCSEL), the output signal can be detected by monitoring the surface light emission by means of a beam splitter, or in some embodiments as emission from the bottom surface of the laser. In some embodiments, the system may further comprise a wavelength filter such as an etalon in the signal path.

A portable electronic device is operable in a particulate matter concentration mode where the portable electronic device uses a self-mixing interferometry sensor to emit a beam of coherent light from an optical resonant cavity, receive a reflection or backscatter of the beam into the optical resonant cavity, produce a self-mixing signal resulting from a reflection or backscatter of the beam of coherent light, and determine a particle velocity and/or particulate matter concentration using the self-mixing signal. The portable electronic device is also operable in an absolute distance mode where the portable electronic device determines whether or not an absolute distance determined using the self-mixing signal is outside or within a particulate sensing volume associated with the beam of coherent light. If not, the portable electronic device may determine a contamination and/or obstruction is present that may result in inaccurate particle velocity and/or particulate matter concentration determination.

Doppler LIDARs, such as those used in ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) and autonomous vehicles, may need to sense objects at many directions. Some of the Doppler LIDAR devices use mechanically moving parts to scan over a range of directions and the various directions are not sensed simultaneously but sensed in turns over time. Mechanically moving parts generally have higher costs, less reliability and shorter Mean Time To Failure (MTTF). The camera sensor for LIDAR with Doppler-sensing pixels disclosed herein uses a Doppler sensing-chip that enables Doppler LIDAR devices to sense many directions simultaneously without having to use mechanical scan and mechanically moving parts, at least reduce the use thereof. Lower costs and higher reliability as well as higher direction sensing accuracy are objectives of this invention.

A frequency modulated continuous wave LiDAR system is disclosed that may be scalable and integrated in compact and demanding environments. The improved system of the present disclosure includes: an electro-optic modulator configured to modulate a laser generated by a laser source; a balanced photo detector configured to process an interference signal of a local copy of the laser coupled with a signal of the laser returned from a target and output a beatnote signal; a modulation source with two outputs, and a Frequency Information Rapid Extraction for Ranging Applications (“FIRE-RA”) system to receive the interference signal from the balanced photo detector, process the interference signal with a signal from one of the two outputs of the modulation source for the balanced photo detector, and output distance and speed data for the target according to the processed interference signal.