# US 11,029,395 B1 · Systems and methods for pulsed-wave LIDAR > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,029,395 B1 - Document ID: US11029395B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 16/917,297 - Filed: 2020-06-30 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-06-30 - Assignees: Aurora Innovation, Inc. - Applicants: Aurora Innovation, Inc. - Inventors: Zeb Barber; Randy Reibel; Devlin Baker; Emil Kadlec - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11029395B1 ## CPC - G01S 7/484: Transmitters - G01S 7/282: Transmitters - G01S 7/4814: {of transmitters alone} - G01S 17/26: wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency-modulated or phase-modulated carrier wave, e.g. for pulse compression of received signals - G01S 17/34: using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal - G01S 17/58: Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems - G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - B60W 10/00: Conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function (for propulsion of purely electrically-propelled vehicles with power supplied within the vehicle B60L50/00 - B60L58/00) - G05D 1/0231: {using optical position detecting means (position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16)} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES ## Abstract A system and method for pulsed-wave LIDAR to support the operation of a vehicle. In some implementations, the system and method include modulating an optical signal to generate a modulated optical signal; selecting a plurality of pulses from the modulated optical signal to generate a pulsed envelope signal; transmitting the pulsed envelope signal via one or more optical elements; receiving a reflected signal responsive to transmitting the pulsed envelope signal; and determining a range to an object based on an electrical signal associated with the reflected signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system comprising: a laser source configured to provide an optical signal at a first signal power; an amplifier having a plurality of gain configurations, wherein the amplifier is configured to receive the optical signal and amplify the optical signal based on a gain configuration of the plurality of gain configurations; one or more processors configured to: adjust the gain configuration of the amplifier across two or more of the plurality of gain configurations to cause the amplifier to generate a pulse envelope signal at a second signal power, wherein the second signal power is greater than the first signal power by at least an amount corresponding to an inverse of a duty cycle of the optical signal. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the amplifier transmits the pulse envelope signal via one or more optical elements. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The LIDAR system of claim 2, further comprising: a receiver configured to receive a reflected signal responsive to the amplifier transmitting the pulse envelope signal, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a range to an object based on an electrical signal associated with the reflected signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the pulse envelope signal has a pulse repetition period that is greater than or equal to 1 microsecond and less than or equal to 1 millisecond. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, further comprising: an electro-optic modulator configured to: receive the optical signal from the laser source; and modulate the optical signal prior to the amplifier receiving the optical signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The LIDAR system of claim 5, wherein the modulator is an electro-optic modulator, an electro-absorption modulator, or a Mach-Zehnder modulator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the laser source modulates the optical signal prior to the amplifier receiving the optical signal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the amplifier comprises an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) or a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The LIDAR system of claim 8, wherein the amplifier comprises the SOA, and wherein the SOA modulates the optical signal using index modulation. ### Claim 10 A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system comprising: a laser source configured to provide an optical signal at a first signal power; a pulse envelope generator configured to generate a pulse envelope signal at a second signal power by: determining a relative phase difference between a first optical signal associated with the optical signal and a second optical signal associated with the optical signal, wherein the second signal power is greater than the first signal power by at least an amount corresponding to an inverse of a duty cycle of the optical signal; and an amplifier configured to amplify the pulse envelope signal and transmit the amplified pulse envelope signal via one or more optical elements. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein the pulse envelope generator modulates an amplitude of the light signal. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein the pulse envelope generator is an electro-absorption modulator (EAM). ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein the pulse envelope generator is configured to: split the optical signal into the first optical signal and the second optical signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein the pulse envelope generator is a Mach-Zehnder modulator. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein the amplifier comprises an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) or a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). ### Claim 16 A method comprising: modulating an optical signal at a first signal power to generate a modulated optical signal; selecting a plurality of pulses from the modulated optical signal to generate a pulsed envelope signal at a second signal power, wherein the second signal power is greater than the first signal power by at least an amount corresponding to an inverse of a duty cycle of the optical signal; transmitting the pulsed envelope signal via one or more optical elements; receiving a reflected signal responsive to transmitting the pulsed envelope signal; and determining a range to an object based on an electrical signal associated with the reflected signal.