Beam steering apparatus, method of driving the beam steering apparatus, and spatial information acquisition apparatus using the beam steering apparatus

A method of driving a beam steering apparatus, the method comprising:

• generating first voltages that are applied respectively to elements of a steering array to drive the steering array, based on second voltages, the elements having refractive indexes varying with a voltage driving the steering array;
• generating the second voltages, based on an intermediate value of predetermined initial voltages, and based on a number of cells that are included in a line of a drive array and to which the second voltages are applied;
• applying the generated second voltages to be used to generate the first voltages, to the drive an array;
• and
• controlling a direction of a beam from a light source and incident on the steering array, by the elements of the steering array.

A spatial information acquisition apparatus comprising:

• a beam steering apparatus configured to:
• generate first voltages that are applied respectively to elements of a steering array to drive the steering array, based on an intermediate value of second voltages that are stored in adjacent cells included in a drive array, the elements having refractive indexes varying with a voltage driving the steering array;
• generate and apply second voltages to be used to generate the first voltages, to the drive array;
• and
• control a direction of a beam from a light source and incident on the elements of the steering array;
• and
• a detector configured to detect information of a space into which the beam is reflected from the steering array, based on information that is received when the beam is reflected.

A method of a spatial information acquisition apparatus, the method comprising:

• generating first voltages that are applied respectively to elements of a steering array to drive the steering array, based on an intermediate value of second voltages that are stored in adjacent cells included in a drive array, the elements having refractive indexes varying with a voltage driving the steering array;
• generating and applying second voltages to be used to generate the first voltages, to the drive array;
• controlling a direction of a beam from a light source and incident on the elements of the steering array;
• and
• detecting information of a space into which the beam is reflected from the steering array, based on information that is received when the beam is reflected.