Light detection and ranging sensor

US10324171B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Apple Inc. · US

Inventors

• Cristiano L. Niclass · San Jose, US
• Alexander Shpunt · Nes Ziona, IL
• Gennadiy Agranov · Boise, US
• Matthew C. Waldon · San Francisco, US
• Mina Rezk · Haymarket, US
• Thierry Oggier · Zürich, CH

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 8, 2016
• Grant date: Jun 18, 2019
• Expiry date: Dec 11, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/42
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An electro-optical device includes a laser light source, which emits at least one beam of light pulses, a beam steering device, which transmits and scans the at least one beam across a target scene, and an array of sensing elements. Each sensing element outputs a signal indicative of a time of incidence of a single photon on the sensing element. Light collection optics image the target scene scanned by the transmitted beam onto the array. Circuitry is coupled to actuate the sensing elements only in a selected region of the array and to sweep the selected region over the array in synchronization with scanning of the at least one beam.