Optical transmitting apparatus and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12474449-B2
Application number	US-202217955261-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2022
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

Optical transmitting apparatuses are disclosed. In in an implementation, an apparatus comprises an array light source that includes M*N light sources. An included angle between any column of light sources in the N columns of light sources and any row of light sources in the M rows of light sources is predetermined. The array light source is located on a first side of a collimating lens, a plane on which the array light source is located is perpendicular to an optical axis of the collimating lens, and a distance between the plane on which the array light source is located and a center point of the collimating lens is a focal length of the collimating lens. An rotatable scanning mirror is located on a second side of the collimating lens, and a center point of a reflective surface of the scanning mirror is on the optical axis of the collimating lens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An optical transmitting apparatus, wherein a light beam emitted by the optical transmitting apparatus is irradiated on a target object and reflected by the target object, comprising: an array light source, a collimating lens, a rotatable scanning mirror, and an optical beam splitter, wherein
the array light source comprises M×N light sources having M rows and N columns, wherein both M and N are positive integers, wherein a spacing between two adjacent columns of the light sources, a spacing between two adjacent rows of the light sources, and an included angle between a column of the light sources and a row of the light sources are predetermined; the array light source is configured to emit K light beams, K≥1, and K is a positive integer, wherein the array light source is located on a first side of the collimating lens, a plane on which the array light source is located is perpendicular to an optical axis of the collimating lens, and a distance between the plane on which the array light source is located and a center point of the collimating lens is a focal length of the collimating lens; the collimating lens is configured to convert the K light beams into K first collimated light beams; the rotatable scanning mirror is located on a second side of the collimating lens and configured to perform one-dimensional rotation, the optical axis of the collimating lens passes through a reflective surface of the rotatable scanning mirror, and the reflective surface is configured to reflect the K first collimated light beams into K second collimated light beams; and the optical beam splitter is configured to receive the K second collimated light beams and split each of the K second collimated light beams into i third collimated light beams corresponding to i points of the target object, wherein i≥2, and i is a positive integer, and wherein the array light source and optical beam splitter are configured such that one light beam from a single light source corresponds to i pixels in a generated image.

2 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical beam splitter comprises at least one of a one-dimensional grating, a two-dimensional diffractive optical element, and a prism film.

3 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the one-dimensional grating configured to split one light beam into i light beams, wherein the i light beams have different propagation directions.

4 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the prism film, an incident surface of the optical beam splitter is a plane, and an exit surface of the optical beam splitter is of a prism film structure; and wherein the prism film structure comprises i beam splitting surfaces configured to split one light beam into i light beams, and the i light beams have different propagation directions.

5 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the two-dimensional diffractive optical element configured to split one light beam into a light beam matrix comprising i light beams.

6 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the included angle is an acute angle.

7 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical transmitting apparatus further comprises a controller connected to the rotatable scanning mirror;
the controller is configured to receive a control signal and transmit the control signal to the rotatable scanning mirror, wherein the control signal indicates the rotatable scanning mirror to adjust an angle of the reflective surface; and the rotatable scanning mirror is configured to: (1) receive the control signal, and (2) adjust, based on the control signal, the angle of the reflective surface to adjust propagation directions of the K second collimated light beams.

8 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the rotatable scanning mirror comprises a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) reflector or a digital micromirror device DMD.

9 . An electronic device, comprising:
an optical transmitting apparatus, wherein a light beam emitted by the optical transmitting apparatus is irradiated on a target object and reflected by the target object; and a receiving apparatus, configured to receive a light beam reflected by the target object, wherein the optical transmitting apparatus comprises: an array light source, a collimating lens, a rotatable scanning mirror, and an optical beam splitter, wherein the array light source comprises M×N light sources having M rows and N columns, wherein both M and N are positive integers, wherein a spacing between two adjacent columns of the light sources, a spacing between two adjacent rows of the light sources, and an included angle between a column of the light sources and a row of the light sources are predetermined; the array light source is configured to emit K light beams, K≥1, and K is a positive integer, wherein the array light source is located on a first side of the collimating lens, a plane on which the array light source is located is perpendicular to an optical axis of the collimating lens, and a distance between the plane on which the array light source is located and a center point of the collimating lens is a focal length of the collimating lens; the collimating lens is configured to convert the K light beams into K first collimated light beams; the rotatable scanning mirror is located on a second side of the collimating lens and configured to perform one-dimensional rotation, the optical axis of the collimating lens passes through a reflective surface of the rotatable scanning mirror, and the reflective surface is configured to reflect the K first collimated light beams into K second collimated light beams; and the optical beam splitter is configured to receive the K second collimated light beams and split each of the K second collimated light beams into i third collimated light beams corresponding to i points of the target object, wherein i≥2, and i is a positive integer, and wherein the array light source and optical beam splitter are configured such that one light beam from a single light source corresponds to i pixels in a generated image.

10 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein
the optical beam splitter comprises at least one of a one-dimensional grating, a two-dimensional diffractive optical element, and a prism film.

11 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the included angle is an acute angle.

12 . The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the one-dimensional grating configured to split one light beam into i light beams, wherein the i light beams have different propagation directions.

13 . The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the prism film, an incident surface of the optical beam splitter is a plane, and an exit surface of the optical beam splitter is of a prism film structure; and wherein
the prism film structure comprises i beam splitting surfaces configured to split one light beam into i light beams, and the i light beams have different propagation directions.

14 . The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the two-dimensional diffractive optical element; and
configured to split one light beam into a light beam matrix comprising i light beams.

15 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the optical transmitting ap

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wei Wenxiong
• Wang Fan
• Yu Feng
• Yu Kai
• Qiu Chen

Classifications

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S17/894

  Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar · CPC title

• H04N13/207

  using a single two-dimensional [2D] image sensor · CPC title

• G01S7/4816

  of receivers alone · CPC title

• G01S7/4817

  relating to scanning · CPC title