Patents by Inventor Michael Patrick Lenihan

Michael Patrick Lenihan has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Scanning LIDAR system using a curved rotating surface
    Patent number: 10838042
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a horizontal array of emitter/detector pairs; an array of lens pairs mounted above and aligned with emitter/detector pairs; and a first curved reflective surface positioned such that for each emitter/detector pair and corresponding lens pair, light from the emitter that passes through a lens of the lens pair is redirected into the far field, and light arriving from the far field is redirected through the other lens of the lens pair onto the detector. Light from each emitter is emitted upwards along a vertical axis, and light received by each detector is incident on the detector downwards along a vertical axis. If light emitted from the first array and reflected by the first surface into the far field reflects off an object in the far field and returns to the apparatus, the returning light is reflected off the first surface and detected by the first array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Inventors: Vipul Dutt Badoni, Michael Patrick Lenihan, Michael John Henderson, Boping Xie, Michael V Morelli, Randy Goettsch
  • Scanning LIDAR System using a curved rotating surface
    Publication number: 20180143301
    Abstract: An apparatus comprises a horizontal array of emitter/detector pairs; an array of lens pairs mounted above and aligned with emitter/detector pairs; and a first curved reflective surface positioned such that for each emitter/detector pair and corresponding lens pair, light from the emitter that passes through a lens of the lens pair is redirected into the far field, and light arriving from the far field is redirected through the other lens of the lens pair onto the detector. Light from each emitter is emitted upwards along a vertical axis, and light received by each detector is incident on the detector downwards along a vertical axis. If light emitted from the first array and reflected by the first surface into the far field reflects off an object in the far field and returns to the apparatus, the returning light is reflected off the first surface and detected by the first array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Vipul Dutt Badoni, Michael Patrick Lenihan, Michael John Henderson, Boping Xie, Michael V. Morelli, Randy Goettsch