US 2022/0187458 A1 · LIDAR DEVICES WITH FREQUENCY AND TIME MULTIPLEXING OF SENSING SIGNALS

Abstract

The subject matter of this specification can be implemented in, among other things, systems and methods of optical sensing that utilize time and frequency multiplexing of sensing signals. Described are, among other things, a light source subsystem to produce a first beam having a first frequency and a second beam having a second frequency, a modulator to impart a modulation to the second beam, and an optical interface subsystem to receive a third beam caused by interaction of the first beam with an object and a fourth beam caused by interaction of the second beam with the object. Also described are one or more circuits to determine, based on a first phase information carried by the third beam, a velocity of the object, and then determine, based on a second phase information carried by the third beam and the first phase information, a distance to the object.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a light source subsystem configured to produce a first beam having a first frequency and a second beam having a second frequency;
a modulator configured to impart a modulation to the second beam;
an optical interface subsystem configured to:
receive a third beam caused by interaction of the first beam with a first object, and
receive a fourth beam caused by interaction of the second beam with the first object;
and
one or more circuits configured to:
determine, based on a first phase information carried by the third beam, a velocity of the first object;
and
determine, based on a second phase information carried by the third beam and the first phase information, a distance to the first object.

7 more elements

A system comprising:

a light source configured to generate a first beam;
a first modulator configured to produce, based on the first beam, a second beam comprising a plurality of first portions interspersed with a plurality of second portions, wherein each of the plurality of second portions is modulated with a first sequence of shifts, the first sequence of shifts comprising at least one of a sequence of frequency shifts or a sequence of phase shifts;
an optical interface subsystem configured to:
receive a third beam caused by interaction of the second beam with an object, the third beam comprising a plurality of third portions interspersed with a plurality of fourth portions, wherein each of the plurality of fourth portions is modulated with a second sequence of shifts that is time-delayed relative to the first sequence of shifts;
and
one or more circuits configured to:
determine a velocity of the object based on a Doppler frequency shift between the third beam and the second beam, identified using the plurality of first portions and the plurality of third portions;
and
determine a distance to the object based on:
a time delay between the first sequence of shifts and the second sequence of shifts, and
the identified Doppler frequency shift.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Lidar devices with frequency and time multiplexing of sensing signals

Life of this patent

Lidar devices with frequency and time multiplexing of sensing signals

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20