Method and apparatus for reducing blooming in LiDAR systems

A LiDAR receiver comprising:

• a) an input that is configured to receive light rays from objects illuminated by a LiDAR transmitter;
• b) an optical element positioned adjacent to the input and configured with an optical power that projects light rays received at the input to a region where the received light rays overlap;
• c) an apodized aperture positioned in the region where the received light rays overlap, the apodized aperture configured with an optical transmission profile that changes radially across the apodized aperture so as to provide a desired modulation of the overlapped received light rays;
• d) detector optics positioned adjacent to the apodized aperture that receives the modulated light rays, the detector optics having an optical power and position that projects the modulated light rays at a detector plane;
• and
• e) a two-dimensional pixelated detector array positioned at the detector plane, wherein the desired modulation is chosen so that a desired ratio of an intensity of the projected modulated light rays on one pixel of the two-dimensional array of pixels to an intensity of the projected modulated light rays on an adjacent pixel of the two-dimensional array of pixels is achieved.