Large scale steerable coherent optical switched arrays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12474528-B2
Application number	US-202418738465-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2024
Priority date	Mar 20, 2017
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure describe large scale steerable optical switched arrays that may be fabricated on a common substrate including many thousands or more emitters that may be arranged in a curved pattern at the focal plane of a lens thereby allowing the directional control of emitted light and selective reception of reflected light suitable for use in imaging, ranging, and sensing applications including accident avoidance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An optical structure comprising:
a light source; a plurality of optical emitters on a common substrate, each configured to emit a light beam from a different respective portion of the common substrate; an optical power distribution network optically connecting the light source to the plurality of optical emitters, said optical power distribution network including one or more switches; a receiver comprising at least one photo-detector on the common substrate with the plurality of optical emitters and the optical power distribution network; and a processing system configured to perform detection; wherein said one or more switches are configured such that optical power emitted from the light source that enters the optical power distribution network will be emitted from a plurality of the plurality of optical emitters; wherein a portion of the emitted optical power is subsequently reflected by an object; and wherein the reflected optical power is detected by the receiver that provides one or more signals conveyed to the processing system.

2 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the one or more switches comprise a plurality of switches that are organized into levels of switches, and switches at a same level are all switched simultaneously.

3 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the plurality of optical emitters are arranged along a common arc.

4 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the one or more switches comprise a plurality of switches that are organized into levels, and switches at one level operate at a speed different from the speed of operation for switches at a different level.

5 . The optical structure of claim 4 wherein switches of the plurality of switches proximate to the plurality of optical emitters operate at the slowest speed(s).

6 . The optical structure of claim 1 further comprising an optical element positioned in an optical path of the emitted optical power.

7 . The optical structure of claim 6 wherein the optical element comprises a lens.

8 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the optical power distribution network is a tree network and the one or more switches include at least one of: one or more 1×2 switches, one or more 1×3 switches, one or more 1×4 switches, one or more 2×2 switches, or one or more 2×3 switches.

9 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more switches is one selected from the group consisting of thermo-optic and electro-optic switch(es).

10 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein each one of the plurality of optical emitters is one selected from the group consisting of: an optical grating, end-fire facet, plasmonic emitter, metal antennae, and mirror facet.

11 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of optical emitters comprises an optical grating.

12 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the optical emitters are further configured to emit a light beam from a different respective portion of the common substrate toward an external lens that is external to the common substrate.

13 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the receiver comprises a plurality of photo-detectors on the common substrate with the plurality of optical emitters and the optical power distribution network.

14 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises a laser, and the receiver comprises at least one coherent detector configured to provide a portion of light from the laser as a local oscillator providing information about time-of-flight data associated with the reflected optical power.

15 . The optical structure of claim 14 wherein the receiver is configured to provide light from the laser as multiple local oscillators each received by a corresponding one of a plurality of coherent detectors.

16 . The optical structure of claim 1 wherein the processing system is configured to perform light detection and ranging (LiDAR) based on the one or more signals.

17 . A method comprising:
distributing optical power in an optical power distribution network from a light source to a plurality of optical emitters on a common substrate, each configured to emit a light beam from a different respective portion of the common substrate, said optical power distribution network including one or more switches; receiving light in a receiver comprising at least one photo-detector on the common substrate with the plurality of optical emitters and the optical power distribution network; and performing detection using a processing system; wherein said one or more switches are configured such that optical power emitted from the light source that enters the optical power distribution network will be emitted from a plurality of the plurality of optical emitters; wherein a portion of the emitted optical power is subsequently reflected by an object; and wherein the reflected optical power is detected by the receiver that provides one or more signals conveyed to the processing system.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein each of the plurality of optical emitters comprises an optical grating.

19 . The method of claim 17 wherein the receiver comprises a plurality of photo-detectors on the common substrate with the plurality of optical emitters and the optical power distribution network.

20 . The method of claim 17 wherein the light source comprises a laser, and the receiver comprises at least one coherent detector configured to provide a portion of light from the laser as a local oscillator providing information about time-of-flight data associated with the reflected optical power.

21 . The method of claim 20 wherein the receiver is configured to provide light from the laser as multiple local oscillators each received by a corresponding one of a plurality of coherent detectors.

22 . The method of claim 17 wherein the processing system is configured to perform light detection and ranging (LiDAR) based on the one or more signals.

Assignees

• Analog Photonics LLC

Inventors

• Hosseini Ehsan Shah
• Watts Michael Robert

Classifications

• H04Q2011/0035

  using miscellaneous components, e.g. circulator, polarisation, acousto/thermo optical · CPC title

• G02B6/3596

  With planar waveguide arrangement, i.e. in a substrate, regardless if actuating mechanism is outside the substrate · CPC title

• G02B6/3548

  1xN switch, i.e. one input and a selectable single output of N possible outputs · CPC title

• G02B6/34

  utilising prism or grating {(G02B6/293 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H04B10/11

  Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum · CPC title