Abstract: The present disclosure relates to optical transmitter modules, lidar systems, and methods of their manufacture. An example optical transmitter module includes a transparent substrate and a plurality of wires disposed along the transparent substrate. The optical transmitter module includes driver circuitry electrically-coupled to at least a portion of the plurality of wires and one or more light-emitter devices electrically-coupled to at least a portion of the plurality of wires. The light-emitter device(s) are configured to emit light pulses. The optical transmitter module also includes a fast axis collimation lens disposed along the transparent substrate. The fast axis collimation lens is configured to collimate the light pulses so as to provide collimated light. The optical transmitter module also includes one or more waveguide structures disposed along the transparent substrate within an optical region. The optical transmitter module also includes a lid configured to provide a sealed interior volume.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 30, 2020
Date of Patent:
September 3, 2024
Assignee:
Waymo LLC
Inventors:
David Hutchison, James Dunphy, Pierre-Yves Droz
Abstract: A time-of-flight imaging device comprises an image sensor comprising a pixel array including a plurality of pixel circuits, respective ones of the plurality of pixel circuits including a first tap output configured to output a first tap signal, and a second tap output configured to output a second tap signal; and a signal processing circuit including a time-of-flight processing circuit configured to perform at least one logical operation on the first tap signal and the second tap signal based on a mode of the signal processing circuit, and a counter configured to output a digital signal based on an output of the time-of-flight processing circuit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 26, 2020
Date of Patent:
September 3, 2024
Assignee:
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation
Abstract: A LIDAR device for scanning a scanning area. The LIDAR device includes a transmitting unit for generating beams and for deflecting the beams along the scanning area, and a receiving unit including at least one detector for receiving reflected beams. Individual sections of the detector are consecutively activatable at defined intervals for the detection of the reflected beams, or the reflected beams being deflectable onto individual sections of the detector by a deflector at a changing deflection angle. A control unit and a receiving unit are also provided.
Abstract: Embodiments include a primary short circuit coupled to a primary side of a transformer and a dampening element, coupled to a transducer coupled to a secondary side of the transformer, configured to dampen a received signal during a portion of a reverberation period.
Abstract: A determining method for obstacles includes determining whether an ultrasonic noise exists in TOF of an ultrasonic wave reflected by an object and received; generating a virtual object on an outline of a parking path that a vehicle is to move on based on the received ultrasonic wave TOF; generating virtual indirect wave TOF using the virtual object; and determining whether the object is located inside or outside the outline of the parking path by comparing real indirect wave TOF, which is indirect wave TOF among the received ultrasonic wave TOFs, with the virtual indirect wave TOF.
Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a distance measurement system The system comprises a transmitter device and a receiver device. The transmitter device and the receiver device are clock-synchronized to each other. The transmitter device is configured to emit an ultrasonic signal at one or more predefined transmit times known to the transmitter and the receiver device. The receiver device is configured to receive the ultrasonic signal and to estimate a distance between the transmitter device and the receiver device based on the received ultra-sonic signal and the one or more predefined transmit times.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 31, 2019
Date of Patent:
August 27, 2024
Assignee:
SONY CORPORATION
Inventors:
Dimitri Torfs, Hugo Embrechts, Gonzalo Bailador del Pozo
Abstract: An object detection system includes distance measurement sensors and a hardware processor functioning as a wave transmission control circuit and a determination circuit. The distance measurement sensors provided at different positions in a vehicle. The wave transmission control circuit sets one of the distance measurement sensors as a top of a wave transmission order. A detection range of the one of the distance measurement sensors covers a region where an object is located. The object has been detected through preliminary detection when power supply to the vehicle is started. The wave transmission control circuit then repeats a cyclic wave transmission control on the distance measurement sensors to emit ultrasonic waves sequentially in the wave transmission order. The determination circuit determines an object as a detection target object when any one of the distance measurement sensors has detected the object a predetermined number of times.
Abstract: In one embodiment, a lidar system includes a light source configured to emit pulses of light. The emitted pulses of light include one or more series of standard-resolution pulses alternating with one or more series of high-resolution pulses. Each series of the standard-resolution pulses includes multiple pulses having a standard pulse period, and each series of the high-resolution pulses includes multiple pulses having a high-resolution pulse period. The standard pulse period is greater than or equal to a round-trip time associated with a maximum range of the lidar system, and the high-resolution pulse period is less than the standard pulse period. The lidar system also includes a scanner configured to scan at least a portion of the emitted pulses of light across a field of regard.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 9, 2022
Date of Patent:
August 20, 2024
Assignee:
Luminar Technologies, Inc.
Inventors:
Austin K. Russell, Matthew D. Weed, Liam J. McGregor, Jason M. Eichenholz
Abstract: A peripheral perception system for providing a 360-coverage of a peripheral region around a machine is disclosed. The peripheral perception system includes a first perception device mounted to a first surface of the machine, defining a first elevation and a first angle with respect to a vertical axis of the machine; and a second perception device mounted to a second surface of the machine, defining a second elevation and a second angle with respect to the vertical axis. The first perception device scans a first field of view covering a first peripheral region of the machine and the second perception device scans a second field of view covering a second peripheral region of the machine, such that the first field of view and the second field of view combinedly provide 360-degree coverage of the peripheral region around the machine.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 15, 2020
Date of Patent:
August 20, 2024
Assignee:
Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
Inventors:
Todd Alex Impola, Timothy M. O′Donnell, Jacob J. McAlpine, Christopher Andrew Wahlmark
Abstract: Micromachined ultrasonic transducers having pressure ports are described. The micromachined ultrasonic transducers may comprise flexible membranes configured to vibrate over a cavity. The cavity may be sealed, in some instances by the membrane itself. A pressure port may provide access to the cavity, and thus control of the cavity pressure. In some embodiments, an ultrasound device including an array of micromachined ultrasonic transducers is provided, with pressure ports for at least some of the ultrasonic transducers. The pressure ports may be used to control pressure across the array.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 2, 2019
Date of Patent:
August 6, 2024
Assignee:
BFLY Operations Inc
Inventors:
Keith G. Fife, Jianwei Liu, Jungwook Yang, Joseph Lutsky
Abstract: A printed circuit board assembly includes a printed circuit board, a radio frequency detection circuit, and one or more damping elements. The radio frequency detection circuit is in electrical communication with the printed circuit board and defines a ring-down time interval. The one or more damper elements is mechanically coupled to the printed circuit board and has a damping coefficient that makes the duration of a mechanical ring-down time interval of the printed circuit board assembly shorter than the electrical ring-down time interval of the radio frequency detection circuit.
Abstract: A system includes a controlled acoustic source. The system also includes distributed acoustic sensors along a conduit. The distributed acoustic sensors obtain acoustic signal measurements as a function of position along the conduit in response to at least one acoustic signal provided by the controlled acoustic source. The system also includes a processing unit that generates an acoustic activity plot or report based on the acoustic signal measurements. The acoustic activity plot or report is used to identify at least one acoustic impedance boundary anomaly as a function of position along the conduit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 29, 2015
Date of Patent:
July 16, 2024
Assignee:
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
Inventors:
Christopher Lee Stokely, John L. Maida, Neal Gregory Skinner, Andreas Ellamauthaler
Abstract: The disclosure provides an approach, or workflow, that extrapolates a segmentation carried out on a formation image into the labelling of fractures. The workflow can be applied to 2D and 3D images, which can be generated by different imaging technologies. Advantageously, one or more steps of the workflow can be performed automatically. An example of the workflow includes: (1) distinguishing fractures identified in a formation image from a background of the formation image by applying an entropy filter, wherein the formation image has elements that are defined as either fracture elements or non-fracture elements and entropy values for the elements are generated by the applying of the entropy filter, and (2) identifying the fracture elements that correspond to the fractures by solving a diffusion equation, wherein the entropy values are used as a diffusivity field for solving the diffusing equation and the fracture elements are used as a source.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 28, 2022
Date of Patent:
July 16, 2024
Assignee:
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
Inventors:
Rafael March Castaneda Neto, Naum Moiseyevic Derzhi, Jonas Toelke
Abstract: Material properties between a wellbore and a casing having a partition separating respective domains inside and outside the casing are evaluated by disposing at least one ultrasonic transmitter and a plurality of ultrasonic receivers in longitudinally spaced-apart relationship alongside the partition inside the casing. The ultrasonic transmitter is activated to form ultrasonic waveforms comprising propagated quasi leaky-Lamb waves constituting flexural waves having symmetric and antisymmetric zero-order modes within the partition. A time-shift is applied to the received flexural waves so that the respective time-shifted waveforms corresponding to each of the flexural waves arrive at the same time.
Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for a multi-frequency transducer array. In one example, ground recovery in the transducer array is enabled by configuring an acoustic stack of the transducer array with an interdigitated structure, a top layer coupled to a front side of the interdigitated structure, and a bottom layer coupled to a back side of the interdigitated structure, where the top layer and the bottom is electrically continuous with the interdigitated structure.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 2, 2019
Date of Patent:
July 9, 2024
Assignee:
GE PRECISION HEALTHCARE LLC
Inventors:
Edouard Dacruz, Flavien Daloz, Jason Barrett
Abstract: Improved calibration of a vehicle sensor based on static objects detected within an environment being traversed by the vehicle is disclosed. A first sensor such as a LiDAR can be calibrated to a global coordinate system via a second pre-calibrated sensor such as a GPS IMU. Static objects present in the environment are detected such as signage. Point cloud data representative of the static objects are captured by the first sensor and a first transformation matrix for performing a transformation from a local coordinate system of the first sensor to a local coordinate system of the second sensor is iteratively redetermined until a desired calibration accuracy is achieved. Transformation to the global coordinate system is then achieved via application of the first transformation matrix followed by application of a second known transformation matrix to transition from the local coordinate system of the second pre-calibrated sensor to the global coordinate system.
Abstract: A testing apparatus has a phantom and a scanning mechanism. The scanning mechanism moves an ultrasonic probe in a scanning direction (x direction) while maintaining a contact state of the ultrasonic probe with the phantom. The phantom includes a heart simulated element simulating a heart which is a tissue of interest, and a simulated element simulating a tissue which is present at a periphery of the heart. A form of the heart simulated element changes continuously in the scanning direction. A change of a form thereof represents a change with respect to time of the heart.
Abstract: An apparatus for estimating a first property in a borehole penetrating the earth is described. The apparatus includes a carrier configured to be conveyed through the borehole. The apparatus also includes a first sensor disposed at the carrier and configured to perform a first measurement of the first property, the first sensor having a first direction of sensitivity; a second sensor disposed at the carrier and configured to perform a second measurement of a second property, the second sensor having a second direction of sensitivity; and a processor configured to receive the first and second measurements and to correct the first measurement using the second measurement in order to estimate the first property.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 15, 2019
Date of Patent:
June 25, 2024
Assignee:
BAKER HUGHES HOLDINGS LLC
Inventors:
Sven Hollstein, Eduard Kirchmeier, Hans-Juergen Faber, Christian Fulda
Abstract: A LIDAR data clustering apparatus, a system including the same, and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes a processor that is configured to generate a voxel map including at least one point data based on a LIDAR and remove a road surface point from the at least one point data. The processor also clusters the at least one point data. A storage of the apparatus is configured to store data obtained by the processor and an algorithm for driving the processor.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 7, 2020
Date of Patent:
June 18, 2024
Assignees:
Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
Abstract: The present disclosure provides a laser emitting module and a LiDAR apparatus. The laser emitting module includes at least two groups of laser emitting circuits. Each group of the laser emitting circuits includes one charging energy storage circuit and at least one energy releasing circuit. The energy releasing circuit includes an energy releasing switch and at least one laser. The energy releasing switch is turned on to drive at least one laser to work correspondingly. The charging energy storage circuit and the energy releasing circuit are arranged one-to-one or one-to-multiple. Any two adjacent emissions correspond to different groups of the laser emitting circuits.