Transmission beam splitter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11619828-B2
Application number	US-202016746670-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2020
Priority date	Jan 17, 2020
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an electronic device including a sensor having a transmission module configured to provide a plurality of collimated light beams. The transmission module includes a light source and a transmission beam splitter. The transmission beam splitter includes a plurality of lenslets. The transmission beam splitter is configured to receive one or more light beams from the light source and refract the one or more light beams for forming the plurality of collimated light beams.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a sensor including a transmission module configured to transmit a plurality of collimated light beams, the transmission module including:
a light source; and
a transmission beam splitter including a plurality of lenslets,
the plurality of lenslets including a center lenslet and a plurality of peripheral lenslets that surround the center lenslet,
each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets including a first side physically coupled to a first adjacent peripheral lenslet of the plurality of peripheral lenslets, a second side physically coupled to a second adjacent peripheral lenslet of the plurality of peripheral lenslets, and a third side physically coupled to the center lenslet,
each of the plurality of lenslets configured to receive one or more light beams from the light source and refract the one or more light beams for forming respective collimated light beams of the plurality of collimated light beams,
each of the plurality of lenslets including a curved inner surface configured to refract the one or more light beams from a first direction to a second direction, and a curved outer surface configured to refract the one or more light beams from the second direction to a third direction.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the light source is a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the VCSEL includes one or more emitters for generating the one or more light beams.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the VCSEL includes three emitters.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of peripheral lenslets encircle the center lenslet.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein each collimated light beam of the plurality of collimated light beams has a propagation direction, and wherein each propagation direction is different from each other propagation direction.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein shapes of the curved inner and outer surfaces of each lenslet is based upon one or more of: propagation directions of the plurality of collimated light beams, and refractive indices of the plurality of lenslets.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the center lenslet is positioned symmetrically on a longitudinal axis.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein an area of the curved outer surface of the center lenslet is less than an area of the curved outer surface of any of the plurality of peripheral lenslets.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein shapes of the curved inner and outer surfaces of the center lenslet is configured such that the one or more light beams from the light source passing through the center lenslet are refracted to form one or more respective collimated light beams propagating approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor further includes a receiving module configured to receive a plurality of light beams, wherein the plurality of light beams are reflections of the plurality of collimated light beams from one or more objects, and wherein the sensor further includes a processor configured to determine distances from the sensor to the one or more objects based on a time-of-flight analysis for each the plurality of collimated light beams.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein
the curved inner surface of each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets is configured to refract the one or more light beams from the first direction to the second direction, which is different from the first direction,
the curved outer surface of each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets is configured to refract the one or more light beams from the second direction to the third direction, which is different from the second direction,
the curved inner surface of the center lenslet is configured to refract the one or more light beams from the first direction to the second direction, which is the same as the first direction, and
the curved outer surface of the center lenslet is configured to refract the one or more light beams from the second direction to the third direction, which is the same as the second direction.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the respective collimated light beams having different propagation directions.

14. A device, comprising:
a light source including one or more emitters for generating one or more light beams; and
a transmission beam splitter including a plurality of lenslets,
each of the plurality of lenslets configured to receive the one or more light beams and generate one or more respective collimated light beams,
the plurality of lenslets including a center lenslet and a plurality of peripheral lenslets,
each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets including a first side physically coupled to a first adjacent peripheral lenslet of the plurality of peripheral lenslets, a second side physically coupled to a second adjacent peripheral lenslet of the plurality of peripheral lenslets, and a third side physically coupled to the center lenslet,
each of the plurality of lenslets includes curved inner surface configured to refract the one or more light beams from a first direction to a second direction, and curved outer surface configured to refract the one or more light beams from the second direction to a third direction,
the one or more light beams enter each of the plurality of lenslets through the curved inner surface and exit each of the plurality of lenslets through the curved outer surface.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the center lenslet is positioned on a longitudinal axis of the transmission beam splitter.

16. A transmission beam splitter having a longitudinal axis, the transmission beam splitter comprising:
a circular base portion; and
a top portion on the circular base portion, the top portion having a plurality of lenslets including:
a center lenslet positioned on the longitudinal axis; and
a plurality of peripheral lenslets positioned circumferentially around the longitudinal axis,

wherein each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets includes a top edge connecting with a portion of a circumferential edge of the center lenslet, and a bottom edge connecting with a portion of a circumferential edge of the circular base portion;
wherein each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets includes two side edges,
wherein each side edge of each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets connects with a side edge of an adjacent peripheral lenslet,
wherein each of the plurality of lenslets includes an inner surface and an outer surface, and shapes of the outer and inner surfaces of each of the plurality of lenslets is configured such that one or more light beams passing through each lenslet are refracted to form one or more respective collimated light beams, the one or more respective collimated light beams having different propagation directions, and
wherein a shape of the inner surface of each of the plurality of lenslets is curved to refract the one or more light beams from a first direction to a second direction, and a shape of the outer surface of each of the plurality of lenslets is curved to refract the one or more light beams from the second direction to a third direction.

17. The transmission beam splitter of claim 16 wherein the outer surface of each of the plurality of peripheral lenslets is larger than the outer surface of the center lenslet.

Assignees

• St Microelectronics Res & Dev Ltd

Inventors

• Gopal Krishnan Thineshwaran
• Townsend Christopher

Classifications

• G01S7/4814

  of transmitters alone · CPC title

• G01S17/08

  for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) · CPC title

• G01B11/25

  by projecting a pattern, e.g. {one or more lines,} moiré fringes on the object (G01B11/255 takes precedence {; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50}) · CPC title

• G02B27/30 Primary

  Collimators · CPC title

• G02B3/0062

  Stacked lens arrays, i.e. refractive surfaces arranged in at least two planes, without structurally separate optical elements in-between · CPC title