# US 12,768,993 B2 · Segmented flash LIDAR using stationary reflectors

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- Number: US 12,768,993 B2
- Document ID: US12768993B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/249,312
- Filed: 2021-10-21
- Published: 2023-12-21
- Granted: 2026-10-20
- Earliest claimed: 2020-10-22
- Assignees: Sense Photonics, Inc.
- Applicants: Sense Photonics, Inc.
- Inventors: Hod Finkelstein
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12768993B2

## CPC

- G01S 17/42: Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46)
- G01S 7/4815: {using multiple transmitters}
- G01S 7/4816: {of receivers alone}
- G01S 17/894: Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
- 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

## Abstract

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system includes a lidar emitter comprising one or more emitter elements configured to emit optical signals defining a primary field of illumination; a lidar detector comprising one or more detector pixels configured to detect light corresponding to the optical signals over a primary field of detection; and one or more reflective optical elements that are arranged to reflect one or more subsets of the optical signals into respective fields of illumination that are different than the primary field of illumination, and/or to reflect light from respective fields of view different than the primary field of detection toward the lidar detector. At least one of the respective fields of illumination or the respective fields of view does not overlap with the primary field of illumination or the primary field of detection, respectively.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, comprising:
a flash-type lidar emitter comprising one or more emitter elements configured to emit optical signals as a broad-area illumination pulse defining a primary field of illumination comprising a first segment and a second segment;
a lidar detector comprising an array of detector pixels configured to detect light corresponding to the optical signals, wherein the array of detector pixels includes first and second subsets of detector pixels arranged in distinct regions of the array, wherein the first subset of detector pixels is dedicated to detecting light from the first segment of the primary field of illumination; and
one or more stationary reflective optical elements, positioned within the primary field of illumination, and arranged such that:
at least one of the optical elements is configured to reflect a first subset of the optical signals emitted from the flash-type lidar emitter away from the second segment of the primary field of illumination and redirect the first subset of optical signals into a secondary field of illumination that is spatially distinct from and non-overlapping with the primary field of illumination, while simultaneously permitting a second subset of the optical signals to illuminate the first segment of the primary field of illumination; and
at least one of the optical elements is configured to simultaneously reflect light from a secondary field of view, corresponding to the secondary field of illumination and spatially distinct and non-overlapping with the primary field of detection, toward the second subset of detector pixels;
wherein the LIDAR system is configured such that both the first segment of the primary field of illumination and the secondary field of illumination are concurrently illuminated by the broad area illumination pulse.

### Claim 2

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, comprising:
a lidar emitter comprising an array of emitter elements configured to emit optical signals to concurrently illuminate first and second fields of illumination that are spatially distinct and non-overlapping;
a lidar detector comprising an array of detector pixels, wherein the array includes first and second subsets of detector pixels arranged in distinct regions of the array; and
one or more stationary reflective optical elements mounted in fixed positions relative to the lidar detector and arranged such that reflected light from a target in the second field of illumination is reflected by the at least one stationary reflective optical element toward the second subset of detector pixels, and reflected light from a target in the first field of illumination reaches the first subset of detector pixels without being reflected by the one or more stationary reflective optical elements;
wherein the first and second subsets of detector pixels are configured to concurrently detect reflected light from their respective fields when the lidar emitter concurrently illuminates the first and second fields of illumination.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the one or more stationary reflective optical elements are arranged to obstruct a portion of the optical signals to define the second field of illumination.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The LIDAR system of claim 3, wherein the lidar emitter is configured to be mounted facing a first direction corresponding to the first field of illumination, and wherein the second field of illumination is in a second direction that differs from the first direction by at least about 60 degrees.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The LIDAR system of claim 4, wherein the array of emitter elements comprises first and second subsets of emitter elements, the first subset of emitter elements are configured to provide the first field of illumination, and the second subset of emitter elements and the one or more stationary reflective optical elements are configured to provide the second field of illumination.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The LIDAR system of claim 5, further comprising:
an emitter control circuit coupled to the lidar emitter and configured to activate the first and second subsets of emitter elements to concurrently provide the first and second fields of illumination, respectively, with different power levels.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The LIDAR system of claim 4, wherein the first field of illumination and the second field of illumination collectively illuminate an angular range of up to 360 degrees relative to the first direction.

### Claim 8

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, comprising:
a lidar emitter comprising an array of emitter elements configured to emit optical signals as a broad-area illumination pulse toward a primary field of illumination comprising a first segment and a second segment;
a lidar detector comprising an array of detector pixels configured to detect light corresponding to the optical signals, wherein the array of detector pixels includes first and second subsets of detector pixels and the first subset of detector pixels is dedicated to detecting light from the first segment of the primary field of illumination; and
one or more stationary reflective optical elements mounted in fixed positions relative to the lidar emitter and lidar detector and arranged to obstruct and redirect a first subset of the optical signals from a first region of the emitter array away from the second segment of the primary field of illumination into a secondary field of illumination that is non-overlapping with the primary field of illumination, while allowing a second subset of the optical signals from a second region of the emitter array to illuminate the first segment of the primary field of illumination.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The LIDAR system of claim 8, wherein the lidar detector is configured to detect light over a primary field of detection comprising a first field of view and one or more additional fields of view, and wherein the one or more reflective optical elements are arranged to obstruct the one or more additional fields of view, optionally without altering the first field of view.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The LIDAR system of claim 9, wherein the lidar detector is configured to be mounted facing a first direction, and wherein at least one of the one or more additional fields of view comprises a second field of view in a second direction that differs from the first direction by about 60 degrees or more, by about 90 degrees or more, by about 120 degrees or more, or by about 180 degrees or more.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein the first subset of detector pixels is configured to image the first field of view, and the second subset of detector pixels and the one or more reflective optical elements are configured to image the second field of view.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The LIDAR system of claim 11, further comprising:
a detector control circuit coupled to the lidar detector and configured to activate the first and second subsets of detector pixels to image the first and second fields of view, respectively, sequentially and/or with different sensitivity levels,
optionally synchronously or in coordination with activation of emitter elements in the first and second regions of the emitter array to sequentially provide first and second fields of illumination, respectively.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The LIDAR system of claim 11, further comprising:
at least one control circuit coupled to the lidar detector, wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to:
receive respective detection signals output from the first and second subsets of detector pixels;
calculate a distance, position, and/or direction of a first target in the first field of view relative to the first direction responsive to the respective detection signals output from the first subset of detector pixels; and
calculate a distance, position, and/or direction of a second target in the second field of view relative to the first direction responsive to the respective detection signals output from the second subset of detector pixels.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The LIDAR system of claim 10, wherein the first field of view and the second field of view collectively image an angular range of up to 360 degrees relative to the first direction.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reflective optical elements comprise a shared element that is configured to reflect the one or more subsets of the optical signals into the secondary field of illumination and to reflect the light from secondary field of view toward the lidar detector.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reflective optical elements comprises one or more mirrors.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reflective optical elements comprises one or more reflective surfaces of a housing comprising the lidar emitter and/or the lidar detector.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the first segment of the primary field of illumination is directed in a first direction, and wherein the first direction is a forward direction of travel of an autonomous vehicle.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The LIDAR system of claim 18, further comprising:
at least one control circuit coupled to the lidar emitter and/or the lidar detector, wherein the at least one control circuit is configured to:
operate the lidar emitter and/or the lidar detector to provide the first segment of the primary field of illumination and/or detect light from the first segment responsive to detecting a first vehicle operational mode for travel in the forward direction; and
operate the lidar emitter and/or the lidar detector to provide the secondary field of illumination and/or the secondary field view responsive to detecting a second vehicle operational mode for travel in a reverse direction of travel.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the one or more reflective optical elements are arranged to provide the first segment of the primary field of illumination and the secondary field of illumination and/or the corresponding fields of view in two or more dimensions.

### Claim 21

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system, comprising:
a housing configured for fixed mounting to a vehicle;
a flash lidar emitter comprising an array of emitter elements and a lidar detector comprising an array of detector pixels disposed within the housing;
a shared stationary reflective optical element fixed within the housing and positioned to intersect a portion of a primary field of illumination of the emitter array and a portion of a primary field of detection of the detector array; and
a control circuit operably coupled to the vehicle, the emitter array, and the detector array, the control circuit configured to:
detect a vehicle operational mode corresponding to a forward direction of travel or a reverse direction of travel;
responsive to detecting the forward direction of travel, activate a first segment of the emitter array to provide illumination in a first direction relative to the housing, and activate a first segment of the detector array to detect reflected light from the first direction; and
responsive to detecting the reverse direction of travel, activate a second segment of the emitter array such that optical signals from the second segment are redirected by the shared stationary reflective element into a second direction that differs from the first direction by at least 90 degrees, and activate a second segment of the detector array to detect reflected light from the second direction that is redirected to the second segment of the detector array by the shared stationary reflective element.