Scanning LIDAR system using a curved rotating surface

US10838042B2 · kind B2 · utility

Inventors

• Vipul Dutt Badoni · San Jose, US
• Michael Patrick Lenihan · Sunnyvale, US
• Michael J. Henderson · Grass Valley, US
• Boping Xie · San Ramon, US
• Michael V. Morelli · San Jose, US
• Randy Goettsch · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 20, 2017
• Grant date: Nov 17, 2020
• Expiry date: Jan 19, 2039

Classification

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

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a horizontal array of emitter/detector pairs; an array of lens pairs mounted above and aligned with emitter/detector pairs; and a first curved reflective surface positioned such that for each emitter/detector pair and corresponding lens pair, light from the emitter that passes through a lens of the lens pair is redirected into the far field, and light arriving from the far field is redirected through the other lens of the lens pair onto the detector. Light from each emitter is emitted upwards along a vertical axis, and light received by each detector is incident on the detector downwards along a vertical axis. If light emitted from the first array and reflected by the first surface into the far field reflects off an object in the far field and returns to the apparatus, the returning light is reflected off the first surface and detected by the first array.