Lidar transmit/receive system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11415699-B2
Application number	US-202117228339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2021
Priority date	Jun 29, 2020
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes one or more components that include at least one of an electrical circuit, an electro-optical component, or an optical component. The one or more components are configured to receive an optical beam generated by a laser source, split the optical beam into a plurality of optical beams, transmit the plurality of optical beams through a first subset of optical paths. The one or more components are configured to in response to transmitting the plurality of optical beams, receive a reflected beam through a second subset of the optical paths, generate a first output signal based on a first local oscillator (LO) signal and the reflected beam, and generate a second output signal based on a second local oscillator (LO) signal and the reflected beam.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system comprising one or more components that include at least one of an electrical circuit, an electro-optical component, or an optical component, the one or more components being configured to:
receive, from a fiber array, a first local oscillator (LO) signal at a first input;
receive, from the fiber array, a second LO signal at a second input;
receive an optical beam generated by a laser source;
split the optical beam into a plurality of optical beams;
transmit the plurality of optical beams through a first subset of optical paths;
in response to transmitting the plurality of optical beams, receive a first reflected beam and a second reflected beam through a second subset of optical paths;
generate a first output signal based on the first LO signal and the first reflected beam; and
generate a second output signal based on the second LO signal and the second reflected beam,
wherein the first reflected beam and the second reflected beam have different polarizations.

2. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more components are further configured to:
provide the first output signal to a first optical detector to cause the first optical detector to generate a first electrical signal based on the first output signal; and
provide the second output signal to a second optical detector to cause the second optical detector to generate a second electrical signal based on the second output signal.

3. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more components are further configured to:
receive transverse electric (TE) reflected beams through a first path of the optical paths;
receive transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beams through a second path of the optical paths; and
cause a detector to generate electrical signals associated with the TM reflected beams and the TE reflected beams.

4. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein
the first reflected beam includes a first transverse electric (TE) reflected beam, and the second reflected beam includes a first transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beam, and
the one or more components are further configured to
generate the first output signal based on the first LO signal and the first TE reflected beam, and
generate the second output signal based on the second LO signal and the first TM reflected beam.

5. The LIDAR system of claim 4 , wherein
the first TE reflected beam and the first TM reflected beam are associated with a first optical beam of the plurality of optical beams, and
the one or more components are further configured to:
receive a second transverse electric (TE) reflected beam and a second transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beam through the second subset of the optical paths,
wherein the second TE reflected beam and the second TM reflected beam are associated with a second optical beam of the plurality of optical beams.

6. The LIDAR system of claim 4 wherein the one or more components are further configured to:
receive a second optical beam generated by the laser source;
split the second optical beam into a plurality of second optical beams;
transmit the plurality of second optical beams through the first subset of optical paths; and
receive a second transverse electric (TE) reflected beam and a second transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beam through the second subset of the optical paths.

7. The LIDAR system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more components are further configured to:
generate a third output signal by combining a third LO signal and the second TE reflected beam; and
generate a fourth output signal by combining a fourth LO signal and the second TM reflected beam.

8. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein (1) the optical paths carrying the first reflected beam and the second reflected beam and (2) LO optical paths carrying the first LO signal and the second LO signal have a perpendicular crossing point.

9. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more components are further configured to:
generate the first LO signal by splitting the first LO signal into a first plurality of LO signals; and
generate the second LO signal by splitting the second LO signal into a second plurality of LO signals.

10. The LIDAR system of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of optical paths and the second subset of optical paths each correspond to parallel optical paths.

11. A method for operating a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, the method comprising:
receiving, from a fiber array, a first local oscillator (LO) signal at a first input;
receiving, from the fiber array, a second LO signal at a second input;
receiving an optical beam generated by a laser source;
splitting the optical beam into a plurality of optical beams;
transmitting the plurality of optical beams through a first subset of optical paths;
in response to transmitting the plurality of optical beams, receiving a first reflected beam and a second reflected beam through a second subset of optical paths;
generating a first output signal based on the first LO signal and the first reflected beam; and
generating a second output signal based on the second LO signal and the second reflected beam,
wherein the first reflected beam and the second reflected beam have different polarizations.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
providing the first output signal to a first optical detector to cause the first optical detector to generate a first electrical signal based on the first output signal; and
providing the second output signal to a second optical detector to cause the second optical detector to generate a second electrical signal based on the second output signal.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving transverse electric (TE) reflected beams through a first path of the optical paths;
receiving transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beams through a second path of the optical paths; and
causing a detector to generate electrical signals associated with the TM reflected beams and the TE reflected beams.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein
the first reflected beam includes a first transverse electric (TE) reflected beam, and the second reflected beam includes a first transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beam, and
the method further comprises:
generating the first output signal based on the first LO signal and the first TE reflected beam, and
generating the second output signal based on the second LO signal and the first TM reflected beam.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein
the TE reflected beam and the TM reflected beam are associated with a first optical beam of the plurality of optical beams, and
the method further comprises:
receiving a second transverse electric (TE) reflected beam and a second transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beam through the second subset of the optical paths,
wherein the second TE reflected beam and the second TM reflected beam are associated with a second optical beam of the plurality of optical beams.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving a second optical beam generated by the laser source;
splitting the second optical beam into a plurality of second optical beams;
transmitting the plurality of second optical beams through the first subset of optical paths; and
receiving a second transverse electric (TE) reflected beam and a second transverse magnetic (TM) reflected beam through the second subset of the optical paths.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
generating a third output signal by combining a third LO signal

Assignees

• Aurora Innovation Inc
• Aurora Operations Inc

Inventors

• Barber Zeb
• CROUCH Stephen
• Kadlec Emil

Classifications

• G01S7/4917

  superposing optical signals in a photodetector, e.g. optical heterodyne detection · CPC title

• G01S17/931 Primary

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4912

  Receivers · CPC title

• G01S7/4818

  using optical fibres · CPC title

• G01S17/34 Primary

  using transmission of continuous, frequency-modulated waves while heterodyning the received signal, or a signal derived therefrom, with a locally-generated signal related to the contemporaneously transmitted signal · CPC title