Array of waveguide diffusers for light detection using an aperture

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device comprising:

• a LIDAR transmitter that illuminates a scene;
• a LIDAR receiver that receives light from the scene, wherein the light from the scene comprises light scattered by one or more objects within the scene, wherein the LIDAR receiver comprises:
• an aperture defined within an opaque material;
• a lens configured to focus the light from the scene toward the aperture, such that the light from the scene is transmitted through the aperture;
• a plurality of waveguides optically coupled to the lens via the aperture, the plurality of waveguides including at least a first waveguide configured to receive a first portion of the light transmitted through the aperture and a second waveguide configured to receive a second portion of the light transmitted through the aperture, wherein the first waveguide has a first input end and a first output end and is configured to receive the first portion of the light transmitted through the aperture at the first input end and guide the received first portion toward the first output end by total internal reflection, and wherein the second waveguide has a second input end and a second output end and is configured to receive the second portion of the light transmitted through the aperture at the second input end and guide the received second portion toward the second output end by total internal reflection;
• a first light detector array optically coupled to the first waveguide, wherein the first waveguide is configured to guide the received first portion toward the first light detector array;
• and
• a second light detector array optically coupled to the second waveguide, wherein the second waveguide is configured to guide the received second portion toward the second light detector array.

A method comprising:

• focusing, by a lens, light from a scene toward an aperture defined within an opaque material, such that the light from the scene is transmitted through the aperture;
• receiving, at a first waveguide, a first portion of the light transmitted through the aperture, wherein the first waveguide has a first input end and a first output end;
• guiding, by the first waveguide, the received first portion from the first input end toward the first output end by total internal reflection and toward a first light detector array;
• receiving, at a second waveguide, a second portion of the light transmitted through the aperture, wherein the second waveguide has a second input end and a second output end;
• guiding, by the second waveguide, the received second portion from the second input end toward the second output end by total internal reflection and toward a second light detector array.