Lidar scanning with expanded scan angle
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorTerry A. Bartlett
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In described examples of a system for outputting a patterned light beam, the system includes: an illumination source; a positive optical element positioned to receive light from the illumination source and to output converging light; a reflective element positioned to receive the converging light from the positive optical element, the reflective element configured to reflect the converging light to form a scan beam; and a negative optical element to receive the scan beam from the reflective element, the negative optical element configured to output the scan beam to a field of view.
Claims26
A system comprising:
- an illumination source configured to generate light;
- an optical modulator;
- a positive optical element configured to receive the light from the illumination source and to focus the light towards the optical modulator as converging light;
- and
- a negative optical element;
- the optical modulator configured to reflect the converging light, to form a scan beam directed towards the negative optical element;
- and
- the negative optical element configured to receive the scan beam from the optical modulator, the negative optical element configured to output the scan beam to scan a scanning field of view, wherein the negative optical element is configured to increase the scanning field of view.
A system, comprising:
- an optical modulator;
- a positive optical element configured to receive coherent light and to focus the coherent light towards the optical modulator as converging light;
- and
- a negative optical element;
- the optical modulator configured to receive the converging light and to reflect the converging light towards the negative optical element as reflected light;
- and
- the negative optical element configured to receive the reflected light from the optical modulator and to output a scan beam having a scanning field of view in accordance with the reflected light, wherein the negative optical element is configured to increase the scanning field of view.
A vehicle comprising:
- a roof;
- and
- a lidar system mounted on the roof, the lidar system comprising:
- an illumination source configured to generate light;
- an optical modulator;
- a positive optical element configured to receive the light from the illumination source and to focus the light towards the optical modulator as converging light;
- and
- a negative optical element;
- the optical modulator configured to reflect the converging light to direct a scan beam towards the negative optical element;
- and
- the negative optical element configured to receive the scan beam from the optical modulator, the negative optical element configured to output the scan beam to a scanning field of view, wherein the negative optical element is configured to increase the scanning field of view.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.