Abstract: A method for providing a detection-signal for objects to be detected—at least a first and second light-beam including different frequencies being generated with a first optical non-linear 3-wave-process from a light-beam of a light-source including an output-frequency, and the first light-beam including a reference-frequency being detected, and the second light-beam including an object-frequency being emitted and received after reflection on an object, and the light-beam including the output-frequency and the second light-beam including the object-frequency being superposed, and a reference-beam including a reference-frequency being generated with a second optical non-linear 3-wave-process from the two superposed light-beams including the output-frequency and including the object-frequency, and a detection-signal being generated so that the object-distance is determinable due to the aforementioned superposition based on the time-difference between the detection of the first light-beam including the reference-

Abstract: A vehicle, Lidar system for the vehicle and method of scanning an object with the Lidar system. The Lidar system includes a first quarter wave plate, a first deflection stage and a detector. The first quarter wave plate produces a circularly polarized scanning beam of light. The first deflection stage selects a rotation direction for a polarization vector of the scanning beam and deflects the scanning beam by a selected angle based on the selected rotation direction of the polarization vector. The detector receives a reflected beam that is a reflection of the scanning beam from the object.

Abstract: A method including receiving, responsive to a transmission of a plurality of optical beams into an environment including a target, a plurality of returned optical beams associated with the target. The method includes generating a plurality of points from the plurality of returned optical beams, wherein each one of the plurality of points respectively corresponds to one of the plurality of returned optical beams; selecting a first point from the plurality of points and a second point from the plurality of points. The method includes identifying, by a processor, an orientation of the first point relative to the FMCW LIDAR system based on the second point from the plurality of points. The method includes computing an orientation of the target relative to the FMCW LIDAR system based on the orientation of the first point; and generating a point cloud based on the orientation of the target.

Abstract: Various technologies described herein pertain to context aware real-time power adjusting for steerable lidar. A lidar system can include a laser source (e.g., FMCW) configured to emit an optical signal. The lidar system can further include a scanner configured to direct the optical signal emitted by the laser source from the lidar system into an environment. The optical signal can be directed over a field of view in the environment during time periods of frames. The lidar system can further include a controller configured to modulate a power of the optical signal emitted by the laser source between the frames and/or within one or more of the frames. The controller can modulate the power of the optical signal emitted by the laser source based on a position of the lidar system in the environment and a direction in which the optical signal is to be transmitted into the environment.

Abstract: Distance ambiguities arising from indirect time-of-flight (ToF) measurements are resolved by using additional information from two or more coded-modulation measurements. An indirect ToF measurement is performed for a pixel of an image processor, to obtain a value indicative of an apparent distance to an imaged object or scene. First and second coded-modulation measurements are also performed, using respective combination of modulation code and reference signals, such that correlation peaks corresponding to these measurements overlap and cover respective first and second adjoining ranges of distances to imaged objects. First and second mask values are determined from the correlation values obtained from the coded-modulation measurements and are used to determine whether the value indicating the apparent distance indicates an actual distance within the first range of distances or within the second range of distances.

Abstract: The LiDAR system includes a coherent receiver disposed in a reference path. The coherent receiver includes a 90° optical hybrid to receive a portion of an optical beam along the reference path and a local oscillator (LO) signal to generate multiple output signals. The coherent receiver includes a first photodetector to receive a first and a second output signal to generate a first mixed signal, and a second photodetector to receive a third and a fourth output signal to generate a second mixed signal. The LiDAR system further includes a processor to combine the first mixed signal and the second mixed signal to generate a combined reference signal to suppress a negative image of a reference beat frequency signal to estimate a phase noise of the optical source to determine range and velocity information of the target.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) core is provided that transmits optical beams, and detects return optical beams. The transmitted optical beams are antiphase chirps that sweep a frequency band, and the sweep of the antiphase chirps includes multiple sub-sweeps over respective sub-bands of the frequency band. The system routes the transmitted optical beams that are launched towards a target, and receives light incident upon the target into the return optical beams. The system simultaneously measures and thereby produces multiple simultaneous measurements of first and second beat frequencies per sweep of the antiphase chirps, from the transmitted and returned optical beams, and includes a simultaneous measurement of the first and second beat frequencies per sub-sweep of the multiple sub-sweeps. And the system determines a range and velocity of the target from the multiple simultaneous measurements of the first and second beat frequencies per sweep of the antiphase chirps.

Abstract: Designs and implementations of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems that project light at a set of different wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) wavelengths based on WDM optical designs to reduce the number of components, complexity of LiDAR optical systems, the weight and cost of LiDAR systems for a wide range of applications.

Abstract: The present invention provides a measuring apparatus and a measuring method in which a relative moving velocity of a target to be measured or a separation displacement of the target to be measured can be accurately measured even in a case where the target to be measured is moved. In a measuring apparatus, a relative moving velocity of a target to be measured and a separation displacement of the target to be measured can be measured in consideration of the influence of Doppler shift that occurs due to the movement of the target to be measured in an in-plane direction, and thus, even in a case where the target to be measured is moved in the in-plane direction, the relative moving velocity of the target to be measured and the separation displacement of the target to be measured can be accurately measured.

Abstract: A beam-steering engine, comprising an optical element switchable between a first operational mode and a second operational mode, in the first operational mode of the optical element the beam-steering engine is configured to output an input light beam incident on the beam-steering engine along a first propagation direction and in the second operational mode of the optical element the beam-steering engine is configured to output the input light beam incident on the beam-steering engine along a second propagation direction. A transition of the optical element between the first and second operational modes is characterized by a transition time period that varies with a temperature of the optical element. The beam-steering engine further includes a device to control a temperature of the solid-state optical element to maintain the transition time period below a certain limit.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging system is provided. The system includes a Galvanometer mirror; a multiple-facet light steering device; and a controller device comprising one or more processors, memory, and processor-executable instructions stored in memory. The processor-executable instructions comprise instructions for receiving a first movement profile of the Galvanometer mirror of the LiDAR scanning system; receiving calibration data of the multiple-facet light steering device of the LiDAR scanning system; generating a second movement profile of the Galvanometer mirror based on the calibration data and the first movement profile; and providing one or more control signals to adjust movement of the Galvanometer mirror based on the second movement profile.

Abstract: A surveying instrument comprises a light projecting optical system for projecting a distance measuring light to a predetermined measuring point, a light receiving optical system for receiving a reflected distance measuring light and an infrared light from the measuring point, and an arithmetic control module for controlling a distance measurement and a temperature measurement based on light receiving results of the reflected distance measuring light and the infrared light, and the arithmetic control module measures a distance to the measuring point based on light receiving results of the reflected distance measuring light received by a photodetector of the light receiving optical system, and measures a temperature of the measuring point based on light receiving results of the infrared light received by a temperature sensor of the light receiving optical system.

Abstract: Example embodiments relate to LIDAR systems with multi-faceted mirrors. An example embodiment includes a LIDAR system. The system includes a multi-faceted mirror that includes a plurality of reflective facets, which rotates about a first rotational axis. The system also includes a light emitter configured to emit a light signal toward one or more regions of a scene. Further, the system includes a light detector configured to detect a reflected light signal. In addition, the system includes an optical window positioned between the multi-faceted mirror and the one or more regions of the scene such that light reflected from one or more of the reflective facets is transmitted through the optical window. The optical window is positioned such that the optical window is non-perpendicular to the direction toward which the light emitted along the optical axis is directed for all angles of the multi-faceted mirror.

Abstract: A multiple-pulses-in-air (MPiA) laser scanning system, wherein the MPiA problem is addressed in that an MPiA assignment of return pulses to send pulses of a laser scanner is based on range tracking and range probing at intermittent points in time. Each range probing comprises a time-of-flight arrangement which is constructed to be free of the MPiA problem. The invention further relates to an MPiA laser scanning system, wherein an MPiA ambiguity within a time series of return pulses, is converted into 3D point cloud space, which provides additional information from the spatial neighborhood of the points in question to enable MPiA disambiguation.

Abstract: A system and method of LIDAR imaging to overcome scattering effects pulses a scene with light pulse sequences from a light source. Reflected light from the scene is measured for each light pulse to form a sequence of time-resolved signals. Time-resolved contrast is calculated for each location in a scene. A three-dimensional map or image of the scene is created from the time-resolved contrasts. The three-dimensional map is then utilized to affect operation of a vehicle.

Abstract: An optoelectronic sensor for detecting objects in a monitored zone is provided, wherein the sensor has a scanning unit that is movable about an axis of rotation and that has a plurality of scanning modules accommodated therein for a periodic scanning of the monitored zone and for a generation of corresponding received signals and that has a control and evaluation unit for acquiring information on the objects from the received signals; and wherein the scanning modules each comprise a light transmitter for transmitting a light beam and a light receiver for generating a respective received signal from the light beam remitted by the objects. A respective mirror element is here associated with the scanning modules to set an angle of elevation of a respective scanning plane detected by a scanning module with respect to a central scanning plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

Abstract: A monostatic laser rangefinder device including: a laser light source; a photodetector; a double-clad optical fiber coupled to a collimating and focusing device; and an optical fiber diplexer. The diplexer includes a first optical fiber forming an input port and a second, multimode optical fiber forming a first output port. The first fiber is coupled to the laser source, the second fiber is coupled to the photodetector, and the double-clad fiber forms a second output port. A numerical aperture of a light guide formed of an inner and outer cladding of the double-clad fiber is less than or equal to 0.5, and greater than 0.1. The end of the double-clad fiber facing the collimating and focusing device has a face inclined with respect to an axis perpendicular to the axis of the fiber by an angle greater than or equal to half of the arcsine of the numerical aperture.

Abstract: A distance measurement system includes: a signal generator which generates a light emission signal that instructs light emission and an exposure signal that instructs exposure of reflected light; a first illumination and distance measurement light source which receives the light emission signal and, according to the signal received, performs the light emission for illumination without a purpose of distance measurement and the light emission with the purpose of distance measurement using the reflected light; an imaging device which receives the exposure signal, performs the exposure according to the signal received, and obtains an amount of light exposure of the reflected light; and a calculator which calculates distance information using the amount of light exposure and outputs the distance information, wherein the distance measurement system has operation modes including an illumination mode and a first distance measurement mode.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system encodes a frequency modulation (FM) modulated signal with a time of flight (TOF) signal as a power and frequency modulated signal. The system can emit the power and frequency modulated signal and apply processing to a signal reflection to generate a target point set. The target point set processing can include frequency processing to generate target points based on range and Doppler information, and TOF processing to provide TOF range information. The LIDAR system can include a modulator to AM modulate an FM modulated light signal with a passive modulator to provide the TOF signal information with the FM modulated signal as the power and frequency modulated signal.

Abstract: A laser scanner includes multiple measuring beams for optical surveying of an environment. The laser scanner is configured to provide scanning with at least two different multi-beam scan patterns, in which each multi-beam scan pattern is individually activatable by a computing unit of the laser scanner.