Patents Examined by Mark Hellner
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Patent number: 11609477Abstract: A liquid crystal based optical deflector includes a light source array configured to generate a laser beam, an optical deflector including a plurality of liquid crystal cells, which transmit the laser beam, the optical deflector configured to deflect a transmission path of the laser beam depending on a gradually increased voltage profile applied to the plurality of liquid crystal cells, an optics assembly configured to scan the laser beam deflected by the optical defector in a horizontal direction, and a controller configured to adjust the voltage profile applied to the plurality of liquid crystal cells.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2020Date of Patent: March 21, 2023Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Inha University Research and Business FoundationInventors: Yong Sung Lee, Kyong Hon Kim, Yu Deuk Kim, Ju Seong Bang
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Patent number: 11609182Abstract: Disclosed here are methods, devices, and systems for generating an output light beam for a pulsed laser. An example method may comprise generating one or more pump optical beams comprising at least two photons having a pump wavelength. A first nonlinear stage may convert the at least two photons to a first photon having a first wavelength that is half of the pump wavelength. The first optical beam may be caused to spatially overlap with a seed optical beam. At least two second nonlinear stages separated by a gap may be used to convert, based on the seed optical beam, the first photon to a second photon having a second wavelength and a third photon having a target wavelength greater than the pump wavelength. A third nonlinear stage may convert the second photon to a fourth photon and a fifth photon each having the target wavelength or having a wavelength within an offset range of the target wavelength.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2020Date of Patent: March 21, 2023Assignee: CACI, Inc.—FederalInventors: Andrew John Stentz, Arlee Virgil Smith, Jesse Joel Smith
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Patent number: 11604255Abstract: A dual mode ladar system includes a laser transmitter having a wavelength of operation and a modulator connected thereto to impose a modulation thereon. The modulator is configured to impose amplitude modulation and/or frequency modulation. Diffusing optics illuminate a field of view and an array of light sensitive detectors each produce an electrical response signal from a reflected portion of the laser light output.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2020Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: Continental Autonomous Mobility US, LLCInventors: Howard Bailey, Patrick Gilliland, Barton Goldstein, Laurent Heughebaert, Brad Short, Joseph Spagnolia, Roger Stettner
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Patent number: 11604283Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a light source system suitable for use in a time of flight camera. The light source system includes a light source, such as a laser, and a driver arranged to supply a drive current to the light source to turn the light source on to emit light. The driver includes a capacitor to store energy and then discharge to generate the drive current, and the driver is integrated into a semiconductor die on which the light source is mounted. Consequently, the driver includes within it the source of energy for the drive current and the light source and driver are very close together, meaning that the light source may be turned on and off very quickly with a relatively large drive current, in order to output a high optical power, short duration light pulse.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2020Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited CompanyInventors: David Neil, Jonathan Ephraim David Hurwitz, George Redfield Spalding, Jr.
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Patent number: 11598850Abstract: An apparatus has an illumination layer having an array of a plurality of illuminators, and a circuit layer having one or more drivers for controlling the plurality of illuminators. The laser layer and the circuit layer overlap at least partially, and each driver of the one or more drivers controls at least one illuminator of the plurality of illuminators.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2017Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions CorporationInventors: Daniel Van Nieuwenhove, Ward Van Der Tempel
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Patent number: 11598909Abstract: Disclosed is a LiDAR window integrated optical filter that includes a window of a polymer material for absorbing a visible light band and transmitting a near-infrared band; and an upper reflective layer and a lower reflective layer formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the window. The upper reflective layer and the lower reflective layer may be formed in a thin film including titanium dioxide (TiO2) and silicon dioxide (SiO2).Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2020Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, OPTRONTEC CO., LTDInventors: Kyoung-Chun Kweon, Seon-Yong An, Min-Seok Oh, Jang-Seob Kim, Jae-Bum Kim
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Patent number: 11592292Abstract: A total station or a theodolite includes scanning functionality for optical surveying of an environment, in which the total station or the theodolite is configured such that direction-dependent active acquisition regions of the receiver are defined depending on the transmission direction of the transmitted radiation to adapt the receiver surface mechanically and/or electronically to a varying imaging position of the received radiation on the overall detector surface.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2018Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: HEXAGON TECHNOLOGY CENTER GMBHInventors: Tim Mayer, Jürg Hinderling
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Patent number: 11592560Abstract: A frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LIDAR can be configured to reduce re-reflection and cross-coupling in the FMCW LIDAR. A first laser can be configured to generate a ranging signal, and a second laser can be configured to generate a local oscillator signal. A feedback control can be configured to maintain an offset between the ranging signal and the local oscillator signal. The offset can be a non-zero value. A transmit portion configured to emit a reference laser signal based on the ranging signal into an environment. A receiver portion can be configured to receive a return laser signal from the environment. The return laser signal can be a reflected version of the reference laser signal. A receiver photodetector can be configured to combine the return laser signal and the local oscillator signal.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2020Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Paul Donald Schmalenberg, Yasuo Uehara
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Patent number: 11592561Abstract: A LIDAR system is described for detecting surroundings, including a laser light source for emitting a laser light, a receiving device for receiving a laser light reflected by the surroundings, and a control device for activating the laser light source, the control device being configured to activate the laser light source for emitting a continuous light beam and to continually modulate the emitted light beam, so that the light beam includes a multitude of successive codes.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2017Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventor: Thomas Fersch
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Patent number: 11592556Abstract: An object capturing device includes light emission, receiving, and scanning units, and distance calculation, and object determination units. The scanning unit measures light from the emission unit to head toward a measurement target space to perform scanning, and to guide reflected light from the object with respect to the measurement light to the receiving unit. The distance calculation unit calculates a distance to the object in association with a scanning angle of the scanning unit. The object determination unit determines whether the object is a capture target based on whether a scanning angle range within which a difference between distances is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value corresponding to a reference scanning angle range of the capture target, and a determination of whether intensity distribution of the reflected light within the scanning angle range corresponds to reference intensity distribution of the reflected light from the capture target.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2018Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: HOKUYO AUTOMATIC CO., LTD.Inventors: Toshihiro Mori, Akihito Yamamoto, Masayuki Maeda, Takahiro Kasahara
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Patent number: 11585930Abstract: Systems and methods for a silicon photonics integrated optical velocimeter are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method includes producing a laser output at a laser source; emitting the laser output from a plurality of emitters formed in an optical chip; receiving a plurality of reflected portions of the emitted laser output at an optical collector formed in the optical chip, wherein the plurality of reflected portions are reflected off of at least one surface; beating the laser output against the reflected portions of the emitted laser output, wherein one of the laser output or the reflected portions of the emitted laser output are modulated by at least one modulation frequency; and calculating a doppler shift for each of the plurality of reflected portions of the emitted laser output based on an output of the beating and the at least one modulation frequency.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 2020Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Steven Tin, Matthew Wade Puckett, Chad Fertig
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Patent number: 11585928Abstract: A LIDAR measuring device and a method for determining the speed of particles in a measuring volume includes a narrowband continuous wave laser light source (1), which emits light which is coupled into a measuring branch (3) and a reference branch (4). The light coupled into the measuring branch (3) is at least partially emitted by a transmitting device in the direction of the measuring volume such that the emitted light is at least partially scattered and/or reflected by the particles in the measuring volume. A part of the scattered and/or reflected light is then received by a receiver device and is coherently superimposed with the light leaving the reference branch (4), and the resulting light beam is directed onto a detector (6) to generate a detector signal characteristic for the resulting light beam. Finally, the speed of the particles in the measuring volume is determined in an evaluation unit (11) by taking into account the detector signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2018Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: METEK Meteorologische Messtechnik GmbHInventors: Gerhard Peters, Ernst Brinkmeyer, Christoph Bollig
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Patent number: 11588290Abstract: A system includes a light transmitter configured to emit a first light beam. The first light beam includes a primary portion and an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) portion. The system also includes a host material configured to receive the first light beam and emit a second light. The host material is configured to generate the second light by depopulation of chromophores of one or more dopants in the host material caused by energy of the primary portion of the first light beam. The second light is continuous wave and speckle free.Type: GrantFiled: April 8, 2020Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: Raytheon CompanyInventor: Holger M. Jaenisch
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Patent number: 11585926Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system to transmit optical beams including at least two up-chirp signals and at least two down-chirp signals toward targets in a field of view of the LIDAR system and receive returned signals of the up-chirp and the down-chirp as reflected from the targets. The LIDAR system generates a baseband signal in a frequency domain of the returned signals of the at least two up-chirp signals and the at least two down-chirp signals. The baseband signal includes a first set of peaks associated with the at least one up-chirp signal and a second set of peaks associated with the at least one down-chirp signal. The LIDAR system determines the target location using the first set of peaks and the second set of peaks.Type: GrantFiled: March 23, 2022Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: Aeva, Inc.Inventors: Kumar Bhargav Viswanatha, Carlo Giustini, Esha John, Jose Krause Perin, James Nakamura, Rajendra Tushar Moorti
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Patent number: 11579271Abstract: A LIDAR noise removal apparatus and a LIDAR noise removal method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes a LIDAR detection information processor that processes LIDAR detection information received from a LIDAR of a vehicle. A sun position acquirer acquires an azimuth angle and elevation angle of the sun relative to a traveling direction of the vehicle. An ROI selector selects an ROI corresponding to the sun from a front image of the vehicle based on the azimuth angle and elevation angle and compares a brightness of the selected ROI with a threshold value. A noise region selector selects a noise region corresponding to the ROI from the LIDAR detection information based on the azimuth angle and elevation angle when the brightness of the ROI exceeds the threshold value, and a noise remover removes noise points in the selected noise region.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2020Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors CorporationInventors: Yoon Ho Jang, Soo Kyung Ryu
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Patent number: 11579293Abstract: A method of compensation in a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system. The method includes generating a digitally-sampled target signal. The method also includes compensating for ego-velocity and target velocity in the digitally-sampled target signal based on an estimated ego-velocity and an estimated target velocity to produce a compensated digitally-sampled target signal.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2021Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Aeva, Inc.Inventors: Kumar Bhargav Viswanatha, Jose Krause Perin, Esha John, Rajendra Tushar Moorti, Mina Rezk
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Patent number: 11581693Abstract: The disclosure relates to a pulsed laser driver that utilizes a high-voltage switch transistor to support a high output voltage for a laser, and a low-voltage switch transistor that switches between an ON state and an OFF state to generate a pulsed current that is supplied to the laser to generate an output pulsed laser signal. The pulsed laser driver switches the low-voltage switch transistor between the ON state and the OFF state according to an input pulsed signal such that the output pulsed laser signal is modulated according to the input pulsed signal. The pulsed laser driver also utilizes a feedback control module to control the gate terminal voltage of the high-voltage switch transistor to improve the precision of the output pulsed laser signal.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2019Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Photonic Technologies (Shanghai) CO., LTD.Inventors: Shenglong Zhuo, Patrick Yin Chiang
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Patent number: 11549799Abstract: Disclosed herein are self-mixing interferometry (SMI) sensors, such as may include vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes and resonance cavity photodetectors (RCPDs). Structures for the VCSEL diodes and RCPDs are disclosed. In some embodiments, a VCSEL diode and an RCPD are laterally adjacent and formed from a common set of semiconductor layers epitaxially formed on a common substrate. In some embodiments, a first and a second VCSEL diode are laterally adjacent and formed from a common set of semiconductor layers epitaxially formed on a common substrate, and an RCPD is formed on the second VCSEL diode. In some embodiments, a VCSEL diode may include two quantum well layers, with a tunnel junction layer between them. In some embodiments, an RCPD may be vertically integrated with a VCSEL diode.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2020Date of Patent: January 10, 2023Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Fei Tan, Arnaud Laflaquiere, Chin Han Lin, Keith Lyon, Marc A. Drader, Weiping Li
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Patent number: 11543533Abstract: Methods and systems for combining information from a first image captured of a scene via a first sensor and information from a second image captured of the scene via a second sensor wherein the first image and second image have at least one common field of view (FoV) and wherein the first image comprises pixels that are distributed according to a non-linear image point distribution function. The first image is corrected, before combining, based on said non-linear distribution function.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2022Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Assignee: LeddarTech Inc.Inventors: Robert Baribault, Pierre Olivier
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Patent number: 11543531Abstract: A semi-automatic three-dimensional light detection and ranging (LIDAR) point cloud data annotation system and method for autonomous driving of a vehicle involve filtering 3D LIDAR point cloud and normalizing the filtered 3D LIDAR point cloud data relative to the vehicle to obtain normalized 3D LIDAR point cloud data, quantizing the normalized 3D LIDAR point cloud data by dividing it into a set of 3D voxels, projecting the set of 3D voxels to a 2D birdview, identifying a possible object by applying clustering to the 2D birdview projection, obtaining an annotated 2D birdview projection including annotations by a human annotator via the annotation system regarding whether the bounding box corresponds to a confirmed object and a type of the confirmed object, and converting the annotated 2D birdview projection to back into annotated 3D LIDAR point cloud data.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2018Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Assignee: FCA US LLCInventors: Dalong Li, Alex Smith, Stephen Horton