Switchable coherent pixel array for frequency modulated continuous wave light detection and ranging
AssigneeOURS Technology, LLC
InventorsAmir Hosseini, Sen Lin, Andrew Steil Michaels
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A LIDAR transceiver includes an input port, optical antennas, an optical switch, splitters, and mixers. The optical switch switchably couples an input port to the optical antennas. For at least one optical path from the input port to one of the optical antennas, a splitter is coupled along the optical path. The splitter splits a received portion of a laser signal into a local oscillator signal and a transmit signal and outputs a return signal that is a portion of the reflected signal. The transmit signal is emitted through the optical antenna and a reflection of the transmit signal is received through the optical antenna as a reflected signal.
Claims19
A LIDAR sensor system comprising:
- a laser source that is configured to generate a frequency modulated laser signal;
- and
- a transceiver that includes:
- a source input configured to receive the frequency modulated laser signal;
- a coherent pixel array that includes a plurality of coherent pixels;
- an optical switch configured to switchably couple the source input to the coherent pixel array, wherein at least one coherent pixel of the plurality of coherent pixels includes:
- an input port coupled to the optical switch;
- an optical antenna;
- and
- a splitter coupled between the input port and the optical antenna, wherein the splitter is configured to:
- split a received portion of the frequency modulated laser signal into a local oscillator signal and a transmit signal, wherein the transmit signal is emitted through the optical antenna and a reflection of the transmit signal is received through the optical antenna as a reflected signal;
- and
- output a return signal that is a portion of the reflected signal.
An automotive frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LIDAR system comprising:
- a LIDAR chip including a FMCW LIDAR transceiver implemented on a photonic integrated circuit, the photonic integrated circuit comprising:
- a source input configured to receive a frequency modulated laser signal;
- a coherent pixel array that includes a plurality of coherent pixels;
- an optical switch configured to switchably couple the source input to the coherent pixel array, wherein at least one coherent pixel of the plurality of coherent pixels includes:
- an input port coupled to the optical switch;
- an optical antenna;
- and
- a splitter coupled between the input port and the optical antenna, wherein the splitter is configured to:
- split a received portion of the frequency modulated laser signal into a local oscillator signal and a transmit signal, wherein the transmit signal is emitted through the optical antenna and a reflection of the transmit signal is received through the optical antenna as a reflected signal;
- and
- output a return signal that is a portion of the reflected signal;
- and
- a lens system positioned to collimate the transmit signal emitted through the antenna, wherein the lens is also positioned to receive the reflected signal and couple the reflected signal to the optical antenna.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.