Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system includes a beam combining component to combine a first optical beam including a first polarization and a second optical beam including a second polarization into a single spatial mode optical beam, and a first beam splitting component to split the single spatial mode optical beam into a plurality of single spatial mode optical beams.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system with a sensing system that emits a plurality of outgoing optical beams is disclosed. The sensing system includes a plurality of optical sources to emit a plurality of optical signals, which are combined to form combined optical signals. The sensing system also includes a transmit/receive (TX/RX) subsystem to receive the combined optical signals and distribute each combined optical signal between a plurality of TX/RX units as separate input signals. Each TX/RX unit is configured to emit a respective one of the separate input signals to generate one of the plurality of outgoing optical beams, receive light returned from a target as a return optical beam, and generate a beat frequencies from the return optical beam. The sensing system also includes a signal processing system to determine a target range and velocity from the beat frequencies generated by each of the TX/RX units.

Abstract: A method of operating a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system is provided that includes generating a set of optical beams, wherein at least one property is varied across the optical beams, transmitting the optical beams toward a target, and receiving a return signal from each of the optical beams reflected from the target. The method further includes generating detection signals based on each of the return signals, determining, for each of the detection signals, a characteristic of the target to produce a set of data points for the target, and determining an updated characteristic of the target based on the set of data points for the target.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technique that includes generating a baseband signal based on an optical beam and processing the baseband signal to identify beat frequencies corresponding with the plurality of up-chirps and down-chirps. The technique also includes identifying, in the baseband signal, a single-frequency detection comprising a detected beat frequency that lacks a complimentary beat frequency. The technique also includes computing an estimated range and an estimated velocity of a point based on the single-frequency detection and adding the point to a point cloud.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system determines a likelihood metric for a spectrum of frequencies of a frequency domain waveform. The LIDAR system modifies the likelihood metric for the spectrum of frequencies based on a parameter associated with the frequency domain waveform and a weight to generate a modified likelihood metric for the spectrum of frequencies. The LIDAR system selects a peak frequency from the spectrum of frequencies corresponding to a frequency with a highest value for the modified likelihood metric. The LIDAR system determines a property of a target based on the selected peak frequency.

Abstract: A method of adjusting a detection threshold in a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes determining a first confidence threshold with respect to a confidence metric for detecting a first target within a range of frequencies corresponding to a field of view of the LIDAR system, determining a subset of frequencies within the range of frequencies for detecting a second target, wherein a frequency peak associated with the second target has a confidence metric value lower than the first confidence threshold, and adjusting the first confidence threshold to a second confidence threshold at the subset of frequencies for detecting the second target.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system performs a method including generating a frequency domain waveform based on a baseband electrical signal in a time domain, wherein the frequency domain waveform includes a spectrum of frequencies and determining a likelihood metric for the spectrum of frequencies of the frequency domain waveform. The method further includes in response to one or more parameters associated with the frequency domain waveform satisfying a condition, modifying the likelihood metric for the spectrum of frequencies based on the one or more parameters associated with the frequency domain waveform to generate a modified likelihood metric for the spectrum of frequencies, selecting a peak frequency from the frequency domain waveform corresponding to a frequency with the highest value for the modified likelihood metric, and determining one or more properties of a target based at least in part on the selected peak frequency.

Abstract: A method includes identifying, by a processing device, a first frequency in a frequency domain waveform that exceeds a threshold value for a first likelihood metric. The method includes selecting, by the processing device, a peak frequency from the frequency domain waveform corresponding to a frequency with a highest value for a second likelihood metric based on the first frequency. The method includes determining a property of a target based at least in part on the selected peak frequency.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes optical sources to emit a continuous-wave (CW) optical beam and a frequency-modulated CW (FMCW) optical beam, an optical component to split a target return signal into a CW return signal and a FMCW return signal, and at least one optical detector to detect a first beat frequency from a combination of a CW local oscillator (LO) signal and the CW return signal, and a second beat frequency from a combination of a FMCW LO signal and the FMCW return signal, wherein the first beat frequency is associated with a velocity of a target and the second beat frequency is associated with a range of the target.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, includes a memory, and a processor, operatively coupled to the memory, to identify an obstruction of the LIDAR system based on a comparison of a frequency of an energy peak generated from a return signal to a threshold frequency and mitigate the obstruction.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system performs a method including generating a frequency domain waveform based on a baseband signal in a time domain, determining a first likelihood metric for frequencies in the frequency domain waveform, and identifying one or more frequencies in the frequency domain waveform that exceed a threshold value for the first likelihood metric. The method further includes determining a second likelihood metric for the frequencies in the frequency domain waveform, selecting a peak frequency from the frequency domain waveform corresponding to the frequency with the highest value for the second likelihood metric based on the one or more frequencies in the frequency domain waveform that exceed the threshold value for the first likelihood metric, and determining one or more properties of a target based at least in part on the selected peak frequency and the corresponding values of the first and second likelihood metrics.

Abstract: A LiDAR system includes an optical source to emit an optical beam toward a target, a partially reflective surface to generate a local oscillator (LO) signal from the optical beam, and an optical lens disposed in front of a photodetector (PD), wherein the LO signal is incident at a decenter of the optical lens to shift the LO signal at the photodetector with respect to a return signal received from the target.

Abstract: A method generates first points based on a first scan of an environment that includes one or more moving objects. The method transforms the first points into a first static frame, which includes removing one or more of the first points corresponding to the one or more moving objects. The method generates second points based on a second scan of the environment that includes the one or more moving objects. The method transforms the second points into a second static frame, which includes removing one or more of the second points corresponding to the one or more moving objects. The method combines the first static frame and the second static frame into an accumulated static frame, which has an increase in resolution compared with the first static frame. The method then loads the accumulated static frame into a point cloud.

Abstract: A set of POIs of a point cloud are received at a first filter, where each POI of the set of POIs comprises one or more points. Each POI of the set of POIs is filtered. A set of neighborhood points of a POI is selected. A metric for the set of neighborhood points is computed based on a property of the set of neighborhood points and the POI, wherein the property comprises a velocity. Based on the metric, whether to accept the POI, modify the POI, reject the POI, or transmit the POI to a second filter, to extract at least one of range or velocity information related to the target is determined. Provided the POI is not accepted, modified, or rejected, the POI is transmitted to the second filter to determine whether to accept, modify, or reject the POI to extract the at least one of range or velocity information related to the target.

Abstract: A method of compensation in a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system. The method includes applying a first frequency shift to a target signal to compensate for doppler shift in the target signal and performing a phase impairment correction on the target signal to produce a corrected target signal. The method further includes undoing the first frequency shift on the corrected target signal.

Abstract: A method to compensate for phase impairments in a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes estimating one or more phase impairments in the LIDAR system using a digitally-sampled reference signal to produce one or more estimated phase impairments and performing one or more corrections on one or more phase impairments in a digitally-sampled target signal based on the one or more estimated phase impairments.

Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system that includes an optical arrangement to emit an outgoing optical beam towards a target and collect light returned from the target in a target optical beam. The system also includes an optical splitter to redirect a portion of the outgoing optical beam to an optical delay device to generate a reference optical beam. The system also includes a first optical receiver to generate a target signal, and a second optical receiver to generate a reference signal. The system also includes a signal processing system to process the reference signal to generate a phase noise estimate, combine the phase noise estimate with the target signal in a digital time-domain computation to eliminate noise in the target signal to generate a phase corrected target signal, and determine a range of the target from the phase corrected target signal.

Abstract: A method of determining range and velocity information of a target in a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, includes determining a set of signal power density spectrums in a frequency domain based on an optical signal returned from a target, wherein a number of the set of signal power density spectrums is determined based on an expected mirror Doppler shift associated with the optical signal returned from the target. The method further includes averaging the set of signal power density spectrums to generate a compensated signal power density spectrum and detecting a peak value in the compensated signal power density spectrum to determine range and velocity information related to a target based on a corresponding frequency of the peak value of compensated signal power density spectrum.

Abstract: A method of operating a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system is provided that includes performing a scene measurement using a LiDAR sensor capable of measuring Doppler per point. The method also includes estimating a velocity of the LiDAR sensor with respect to static points within the scene based on the scene measurement. The method may also include compensating for the velocity of the LiDAR sensor and compensating for a Doppler velocity of the LiDAR sensor.

Abstract: A method of operating a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system is provided. The method includes transmitting a beam of co-propagating, cross-polarized light to a target. The method includes receiving return light reflected from the target by at least one detector. The method further includes transforming a polarization state of the beam at a transformation rate faster than a data collection rate from the at least one detector.