A method of LIDAR sensing, the method comprising:
- controlling a light source to project a beam over a range of frequencies from a first frequency to a last frequency, to scan along a first axis of an external environment, the beam being projected towards a wavelength dispersive element;
- splitting, via a beam splitting device, the beam into a reference beam and an object beam;
- directing, via a beam directing device arranged along the path of the object beam, the object beam along a plurality of angles along a second axis, the beam directing device comprising a 1×N optical switch comprising an input and N outputs, wherein the input receives the object beam and the 1×N optical switch selectively outputs the beam to one or more of the N outputs, and wherein the N outputs are aligned parallel to the second axis;
- diffracting, via the wavelength dispersive element, the object beam into the external environment at an angle dependent on a frequency of the object beam;
- rotating, by a rotational system operatively connected to the wave dispersive element, the wave dispersive element such that the wave dispersive element directs the object beam along a plurality of angles along the second axis based on a rotational position of the rotational system, wherein the first axis and the second axis are not parallel;
- generating, by an auxiliary detector, a reference beat signal, corresponding to split beams generated by an auxiliary interferometer using at least a portion of the beam from the light source;
- compensating, by a signal analyzer using the reference beat signal, for non-linearity in the projection of the beam over the range of frequencies;
- and
- calculating distances associated with objects located within the external environment based on interference patterns generated based on 1) light corresponding to the object beam being reflected off objects in the external environment and 2) the reference beam reflected off a reference mirror.