LIDAR transmitter and receiver optics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449669-B2
Application number	US-202017435601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2020
Priority date	Mar 5, 2019
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to optical systems and related methods of their use. An example optical system includes a transmitter. The transmitter includes a light emitter device configured to emit emission light. The light emitter device defines a reference plane. The transmitter also includes a fast axis collimation (FAC) lens optically coupled to the light emitter device. A lens axis of the FAC lens is arranged at a non-zero angle with respect to the reference plane. The transmitter also includes a transmit lens optically coupled to the FAC lens. The optical system also includes a receiver. The receiver includes a receive lens and a light detector optically coupled to the receive lens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lidar system comprising:
a transmitter comprising:
a light emitter device configured to emit emission light, wherein a surface of the light emitter device which emits the emission light defines a reference plane;
a fast axis collimation (FAC) lens optically coupled to the light emitter device, wherein a cylindrical axis of the FAC lens is at a non-zero angle with respect to the reference plane; and
a transmit lens optically coupled to the FAC lens; and
a receiver comprising:
a receive lens; and
a light detector optically coupled to the receive lens.

2. The lidar system of claim 1 , wherein the FAC lens comprises a cylindrical lens.

3. The lidar system of claim 1 , wherein the FAC lens comprises an acylindrical lens.

4. The lidar system of claim 1 , wherein the light emitter device comprises a laser diode bar.

5. The lidar system of claim 4 , wherein an end facet of the laser diode bar defines a facet plane, wherein a fast axis of the FAC lens is not parallel to the facet plane.

6. The lidar system of claim 5 , wherein the fast axis of the FAC lens forms a pitch angle between 0 degrees and 0.5 degrees with respect to the facet plane.

7. The lidar system of claim 5 , wherein the fast axis of the FAC lens forms a pitch angle between 0.5 degrees and 20 degrees with respect to the facet plane.

8. The lidar system of claim 4 , wherein an end facet of the laser diode bar defines a facet plane, wherein a back plane of the FAC lens is not parallel to the facet plane.

9. The lidar system of claim 8 , wherein the back plane of the FAC lens forms a yaw angle between 0 degrees and 0.5 degrees with respect to the facet plane.

10. The lidar system of claim 8 , wherein the back plane of the FAC lens forms a yaw angle between five degrees and twenty degrees with respect to the facet plane.

11. The lidar system of claim 1 , wherein the non-zero angle is configured to center a beam profile of the emission light at the transmit lens.

12. The lidar system of claim 1 , wherein the FAC lens is fixed with respect to the light emitter device with at least one of: an adhesive, a curable epoxy, or a clamp.

13. The lidar system of claim 1 , wherein the light detector comprises a light detection area having a light detection area shape, wherein the receive lens has a shape that corresponds to the light detection area shape.

14. The lidar system of claim 13 , wherein the light detection area shape is square or rectangular, wherein the receive lens has a square or rectangular shape, and wherein the transmit lens has a square or rectangular shape.

15. The lidar system of claim 1 , wherein the light detector comprises at least one of: a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) device, a single photon avalanche photodiode (SPAD), an avalanche photodiode (APD), or a multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC).

16. A vehicle comprising:
an optical system comprising:
a transmitter, wherein the transmitter comprises:
a light emitter device configured to emit emission light, wherein a surface of the light emitter device which emits the emission light defines a reference plane;
a fast axis collimation (FAC) lens optically coupled to the light emitter device, wherein a cylindrical axis of the FAC lens is at a non-zero angle with respect to the reference plane; and
a transmit lens optically coupled to the FAC lens; and
a receiver, wherein the receiver comprises:
a receive lens; and
a light detector optically coupled to the receive lens.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the FAC lens comprises a cylindrical lens.

18. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the FAC lens comprises an acylindrical lens.

19. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the light emitter device comprises a laser diode bar.

20. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein an end facet of the laser diode bar defines a facet plane, wherein a back plane of the FAC lens is not parallel to the facet plane.

Assignees

• Waymo Llc

Inventors

• Gassend Blaise
• Shepard Ralph
• Droz Pierre-Yves

Classifications

• G02B27/0966

  Cylindrical lenses (cylindrical lenses per se G02B3/06) · CPC title

• G02B27/0922

  the semiconductor light source comprising an array of light emitters · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/4817

  relating to scanning · CPC title

• G01S7/4816

  of receivers alone · CPC title