# US 12,181,583 B1 · Lidar sensor with orthogonal arrays

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- Number: US 12,181,583 B1
- Document ID: US12181583B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 17/712,264
- Filed: 2022-04-04
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-18
- Assignees: Acacia Communications, Inc.
- Applicants: Acacia Communications, Inc.
- Inventors: Christopher Doerr; Long Chen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181583B1

## CPC

- G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging
- G01S 7/4811: {common to transmitter and receiver}
- G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters}
- G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning}
- G01S 17/10: using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32)
- G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46)
- G02B 5/1819: {Plural gratings positioned on the same surface, e.g. array of gratings (plural diffractive elements positioned sequentially along the optical path G02B27/4272)}
- G02B 5/1866: {Transmission gratings characterised by their structure, e.g. step profile, contours of substrate or grooves, pitch variations, materials (G02B5/1809, G02B5/1828, G02B5/1833, G02B5/1838 and G02B5/1847 take precedence)}
- G02B 6/12016: {characterised by the input or output waveguides, e.g. tapered waveguide ends, coupled together pairs of output waveguides}
- G02B 6/122: Basic optical elements, e.g. light-guiding paths
- G02B 26/10: Scanning systems
- H01S 5/0071: {for beam steering, e.g. using a mirror outside the cavity to change the beam direction}
- H01S 5/141: {using a wavelength selective device, e.g. a grating or etalon (H01S5/146 takes precedence)}
- G01S 7/499: using polarisation effects
- 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
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL

## Abstract

A method for scanning a scene is disclosed. According to the method, light is transmitted by a transmitter through a transmitter surface grating array, as a first elliptical pattern in a first lateral direction. Light is received by a receiver through a receiver surface grating array, from an area of a second elliptical pattern. The received light is reflected from the first elliptical pattern. The first elliptical pattern is orthogonal to the second elliptical pattern. The first elliptical pattern overlaps with the second elliptical pattern.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for scanning a scene, the method comprising:
transmitting light, by a transmitter through a transmitter surface grating array, as a first elliptical pattern;
receiving light, by a receiver through a receiver surface grating array, from an area of a second elliptical pattern; wherein the area is defined by an overlap of the first elliptical pattern and the second elliptical pattern only; wherein the received light is a reflection of at least a portion of the transmitted light; and wherein the first elliptical pattern is orthogonal to the second elliptical pattern;
processing the received light to create a point cloud of a scene,
sending information of the received light to a digital signal processor (DSP);
processing, by the DSP, the information of the received light;
creating a point cloud of the scene the reflects the light;
recovering, by the DSP, magnitude and phase of the light received by the receiver surface grating array;
comparing a speed of interference fringes from a scanned object to a sweeping speed of the frequency-swept laser light; and
calculating, by the DSP, a distance to the scanned object in the scene based on the comparison of the speed of interference fringes from the scanned object to the sweeping speed of the frequency-swept laser light,
wherein an input to the transmitter is a frequency-swept laser light, and wherein at least a portion of the frequency-swept laser light is to act as an oscillator for the receiver.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitted light is coherent light.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
steering the transmission of the light to cause reflection of different portions of a scene.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 comprising:
adjusting phase shifters in the transmitter transmitting the light; and
steering transmission of the light based on the adjusted phase shifters.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising:
processing the received light to determine a motion associated with a scanned object.