Abstract: Computing devices, systems, and methods described in various embodiments herein may relate to light detection and ranging (LIDAR or lidar) systems. An example computing device could include a controller having at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one processor is configured to execute program instructions stored in the at least one memory so as to carry out operations. The operations include receiving information indicative of transmit light emitted from a lidar system along a light-emission axis. The operations also include determining, based on the received information, a maximum instrumented distance. The maximum instrumented distance includes a known unobstructed region defined by a ray segment extending between the lidar system and a point along the light-emission axis.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a light detector includes an element including a photodiode. A plurality of the elements are provided. The element includes a structure body for at least a portion of the plurality of elements. The structure body surrounds the photodiode and has a different refractive index from the photodiode. At least portions of the structure bodies are separated from each other.

Abstract: An optical device for determining a distance of a measurement object includes a LIDAR unit and a light sensor. The LIDAR unit has an illumination device to illuminate the measurement object and a measurement channel to detect a measurement beam reflected from the measurement object and to generate a LIDAR measurement signal. The light sensor has an optical source with a mode-locked laser to generate first and second frequency comb signals and splits the first frequency comb signal into a first measurement signal and a first reference signal and to illuminate the measurement object with the first measurement signal. The light sensor splits the second frequency comb signal into a second measurement signal and a second reference signal. An evaluation unit determines first distance information, evaluates signals detected by a measurement detector and a reference detector, generates a frequency spectrum, and determines second distance information of the measurement object.

Abstract: A distance measuring device is configured to emit a transmitted wave and detect a reflected wave from an object irradiated with the transmitted wave to measure a distance to the object. At least one of the transmitted wave and the reflected wave is transmitted through a transmission window. A heater is configured to heat the transmission window from an inside of the distance measuring device. A control unit is configured to control energization of the heater according to an inside air temperature which is an air temperature inside the distance measuring device and an outside air temperature which is an air temperature outside the distance measuring device.

Abstract: Techniques are described herein that are capable of providing a modularized acoustic probe that includes multiple acoustic transducers that have discrete substrates. A first acoustic transducer is configured to generate an acoustic signal and to transmit the acoustic signal toward an object. The second acoustic transducer is configured to detect a reflected acoustic signal, which results from the acoustic signal reflecting from the object, and to convert the reflected acoustic signal to an electrical signal. The first and second acoustic transducers have respective discrete substrates. In an example, the second acoustic transducer may not be configured to generate acoustic signals. In another example, the first and second acoustic transducers may be in respective first and second rows of a two-row transducer array. In accordance with this example, the first and second acoustic transducers may be designed to have an acoustic parameter having respective first and second parameter values.

Abstract: An apparatus, and method of operating the same locates and tracks a target in four dimensions across a FPA using GMAPD data. The apparatus includes a receiver and a processor arranged to generate a video filter array, the video filter array including a set of estimated velocity pixel coordinate components arranged in a linear data set. The processor generates detected photo events based on received scattered laser pulses, filters the detected photo events by linearly indexing each of the plurality of detected photo events based on, for each detected photo event, a vertical position in the focal plane array, a horizontal position in the focal plane array, a frame number, and the dimensions of the focal-plane array. The processor maps each detected photo event to the set of estimated velocity pixel coordinate components, and generates a motion-compensated image associated with the mapped detected photo events in a filtered two-dimensional array.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging system. The system includes a solid-state optical antenna array, a phase monitor array, a phase controller, a plurality of phase shifters and a global phase shifter. The phase monitor array is configured to output a first mixed signal associated with one of the optical antenna subarrays, and a second mixed signal associated with two of the optical antenna subarrays. The phase controller is configured to output a first phase coefficient based on the first mixed signal and a second phase coefficient based on the second mixed signal. One of the phase shifters is configured to apply the first phase coefficient to compensate for temperature variation within one of the optical antenna subarrays. The global phase shifter is configured to apply the second phase coefficient to compensate for temperature variation between two of the optical antenna subarrays.

Abstract: A sensor assembly includes a base, a housing mounted to the base and rotatable relative to the base around an axis in a direction of rotation, a sensing apparatus inside the housing and rotatable with the housing, and a sensor window extending from a point on the housing in a direction that is radially outward and circumferential relative to the axis. The sensor window is flat. The sensing apparatus has a field of view through the sensor window. An exterior surface of the sensor window faces in a direction that is radially outward and circumferentially in the direction of rotation relative to the axis.

Abstract: Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for spatial and temporal encoding of transmission in full synthetic transmit aperture imaging to achieve optimal spatial and contrast resolution and large signal-to-noise ratio for medical imaging applications with fewer signal transmissions, which can be equal to or less than the number of array elements within the aperture. In some aspects, a method of signal transmission is disclosed that includes a sequence of one or more sets of transmissions on a plurality of elements with unique, random, and/or optimized combinations of waveforms using amplitude and phase, and/or delay encoding. Sets of echoes corresponding to the sequence are beamformed such that fewer transmissions are needed than the number of array elements within the aperture, while maintaining complete spatial sampling of the aperture as if sampled according to a full set of synthetic transmit aperture transmissions on the same aperture.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer device comprises a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT), a transmitter with first and second differential outputs, and a controller. The PMUT includes a membrane layer. A bottom electrode layer, comprising a first bottom electrode and a second bottom electrode, is disposed above the membrane layer. The piezoelectric layer is disposed above the bottom electrode layer. The top electrode layer is disposed above the piezoelectric layer and comprises a segmented center electrode disposed above a center of the membrane layer and a segmented outer electrode spaced apart from the segmented center electrode. The controller, responsive to the PMUT being placed in a transmit mode, is configured to couple the first and second segments of the bottom electrode layer with ground, couple the first output of the transmitter with the segments of the segmented center electrode, and couple the second output with the segments of the segmented outer electrode.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to utilizing ultrasonic transducers and receivers to implement directional sound in combination with gesture detection in an Electronic Gaming Machine (EGM). In one embodiment, a set of ultrasound transducers transmits positional ultrasound pulses to identify the player and/or his gesture, as well as an audio carrier signal, e.g., through a direction speaker, providing directional sound based on the feedback from the ultrasound pulses. Further, embodiments may implement air haptics in both or either of the transmitted pulses of the ultrasonic transducers and/or the audio signal from the directional speaker to provide an enhanced user experience.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems and methods that utilize an internal optical path in lidar applications. An example method includes causing at least one light-emitter device to emit a plurality of light pulses toward a rotatable mirror. The rotatable mirror (i) reflects at least a first light pulse of the plurality of light pulses into an external environment; and (ii) reflects at least a second light pulse of the plurality of light pulses into an internal optical path. The method also includes receiving, by a photodetector, (i) a reflected light pulse comprising a reflection of the first light pulse caused by an object in the external environment; and (ii) the second light pulse received via the internal optical path. The internal optical path is defined at least in part by one or more internal reflectors that reflect the second light pulse toward the rotatable mirror such that the rotatable mirror reflects the second light pulse toward the photodetector.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a measurement device capable of measuring distance to an object. The measurement device comprises an illumination optical system configured to emit irradiation light having a predetermined pattern onto an object through a first optical path and a second optical path different from each other, and an observation system configured to observe a first light source image projected onto the object through the first optical path and a second light source image projected onto the object through the second optical path. The illumination optical system is configured to focus light through the first optical path and light through the second optical path on predetermined positions in a plan view of the object viewed along a traveling direction of the irradiation light. The measurement device measures a distance to the object based on the first light source image and the second light source image observed by the observation system.

Abstract: A ranging method and a range finder allow reliable measurement of the distance to a target object even when the target object has a very low reflectivity and/or under conditions with disturbances. The range finder includes: a light receiving element configured to receive a reflected component of light emitted to a target object; a first detection unit and a second detection unit configured to perform two different types of detections with different detection gains; and a distance/light-intensity calculation processing unit serves as a calculation unit for calculating a measured distance based on a combination of result patterns of the detections performed by the first and second detection units. The range finder determines a distance by causing each of the first and second detection units performs at least two detections with a time interval per a single light emission.

Abstract: A system and method of classifying an object. The system includes a polarizing beam splitter, a first detector, a second detector and a processor. The polarizing beam splitter generates a first source signal having a first polarization direction and a second source signal having a second polarization. The first detector transmits the first source signal at the object and receives a first reflected signal generated at the object in response to the first source signal. The second detector transmits the second source signal at the object and receives a second reflected signal generated at the object in response to the second source signal. The processor is configured to compare the first reflected signal to the second reflected signal to classify the object.

Abstract: A waveform generator includes a system control unit and signal channels controlled by the system control unit and configured to supply driving signals for driving a respective transducer of an array of transducers. Each signal channel includes a sequential access memory having rows, where each row contains an instruction word configured to generate a respective step of a waveform to be generated. A memory output of the sequential access memory is defined by an output row at a fixed location. The waveform to be generated is defined by a block of instruction words. Each signal channel also includes an internal control unit that is configured to sequentially move the content of the sequential access memory, based on the instruction word currently at the memory output, so that sequences of instruction words are provided at the output row.

Abstract: A scanning imaging sensor is configured to sense an environment through which a vehicle is moving. A method for determining one or velocities associated with objects in the environment includes generating features from the first set of scan lines and the second set of scan lines, the two sets corresponding to two instances in time. The method further includes generating a collection of candidate velocities based on feature locations and time differences, the features selected pairwise with one from the first set and another from the second set. Furthermore, the method includes analyzing the distribution of candidate velocities, for example, by identifying one or more modes from the collection of the candidate velocities.

Abstract: Systems/methods for operating an autonomous vehicle. The methods comprise: obtaining LiDAR data generated by a LiDAR system of the autonomous vehicle and image data generated by a camera of the autonomous vehicle; performing a first object detection algorithm to generate first object detection information using the LiDAR data, and a second object detection algorithm to generate second object detection information using both the LiDAR data and the image data; and processing the first and second object detection information to determine whether a given object was detected by both the first and second object detection algorithms. When a determination is made that the given object was detected by both the first and second object detection algorithms, the first object detection information is selectively modified based on contents of the second object detection information. The modified first object detection information is used to facilitate at least one autonomous driving operation.

Abstract: A light emitting element emits detecting light toward an outside area of a vehicle. A light receiving element outputs a light receiving signal corresponding to reflected light. A processor detects information of the outside area on the basis of the light receiving signal. A translucent cover forms a part of an outer surface of the vehicle, and has a plurality of flat portions allowing passage of the detecting light. The processor excludes, from the information to be detected, a position corresponding a boundary portion between adjacent ones of the flat portions.

Abstract: A safety laser scanner (10) for detecting objects in a monitored zone (20) is provided that has a light transmitter (12) for transmitting a scan beam (16), a movable deflection unit (18) for the periodic scanning of the monitored zone (20) by the scan beam (16), a light receiver (26) for generating a received signal from the scan beam (22) remitted by the objects, a front screen (38), and a control and evaluation unit (32) that is configured to acquire information on the objects in the monitored zone (20) from the received signal and to recognize an impaired light permeability of the front screen (38) in a front screen monitoring by evaluating a front screen reflection beam (54) that is generated from the scan beam (16) by reflection at the front screen (38), At least one light deflection unit (56, 58) is provided in the optical path of the front screen reflection beam (54) that guides the front screen reflection beam (54) to the front screen (38) again in a region (60) to be tested so that a twice-reflected