Patents by Inventor Ross D. Uthoff

Ross D. Uthoff 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).

  • Patent number: 11747446
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR) transmitter includes a tunable optical metasurface to selectively steer incident optical radiation long an azimuth axis. In some embodiments, different subsets of lasers in an array of lasers are activated to generate optical radiation for incidence on the metasurface at different angles of incidence on an elevation axis for unsteered deflection by the metasurface at corresponding angles of elevation. In some embodiments, a prism is positioned relative to the tunable optical metasurface to deflect the optical radiation from the optical assembly by the optical radiation source for incidence on the metasurface at an angle of incidence that is between the first steering angle and the second steering angle, such that the optical radiation incident on the metasurface and the steered output optical radiation from the metasurface spatially overlap within the prism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventors: Ross D. Uthoff, Apurva Jain, Gleb M. Akselrod, Matthieu Saracco
  • Patent number: 11740534
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR) transmitter includes a tunable optical metasurface to selectively steer incident optical radiation long an azimuth axis. In some embodiments, different subsets of lasers in an array of lasers are activated to generate optical radiation for incidence on the metasurface at different angles of incidence on an elevation axis for unsteered deflection by the metasurface at corresponding angles of elevation. In some embodiments, a prism is positioned relative to the tunable optical metasurface to deflect the optical radiation from the optical assembly by the optical radiation source for incidence on the metasurface at an angle of incidence that is between the first steering angle and the second steering angle, such that the optical radiation incident on the metasurface and the steered output optical radiation from the metasurface spatially overlap within the prism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Inventors: Ross D. Uthoff, Apurva Jain, Gleb M. Akselrod, Matthieu Saracco
  • Patent number: 11644546
    Abstract: An example optical transceiver system, such as a solid-state light detection and ranging (lidar) system, includes a tunable, optically reflective metasurface to selectively reflect incident optical radiation as transmit scan lines at transmit steering angles between a first steering angle and a second steering angle. In some embodiments, a feedback element, such as a volume Bragg grating element, may lock a laser to narrow the band of optical radiation. A receiver may include a tunable, optically reflective metasurface for receiver line-scanning or a two-dimensional array of detector elements forming a set of discrete receive scan lines. In embodiments incorporating a two-dimensional array of detector elements, receiver optics may direct optical radiation incident at each of a plurality of discrete receive steering angles to a unique subset of the discrete receive scan lines of detector elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Inventors: Gleb M. Akselrod, Prasad Padmanabha Iyer, Ross D. Uthoff
  • Patent number: 11567390
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a solid-state light detection and ranging (LiDAR) transmitter includes a tunable optical metasurface to selectively steer incident optical radiation long an azimuth axis. In some embodiments, different subsets of lasers in an array of lasers are activated to generate optical radiation for incidence on the metasurface at different angles of incidence on an elevation axis for unsteered deflection by the metasurface at corresponding angles of elevation. In some embodiments, a prism is positioned relative to the tunable optical metasurface to deflect the optical radiation from the optical assembly by the optical radiation source for incidence on the metasurface at an angle of incidence that is between the first steering angle and the second steering angle, such that the optical radiation incident on the metasurface and the steered output optical radiation from the metasurface spatially overlap within the prism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Lumotive, LLC
    Inventors: Ross D. Uthoff, Apurva Jain, Gleb M. Akselrod, Matthieu Saracco
  • Publication number: 20220043117
    Abstract: An example optical transceiver system, such as a solid-state light detection and ranging (lidar) system, includes a tunable, optically reflective metasurface to selectively reflect incident optical radiation as transmit scan lines at transmit steering angles between a first steering angle and a second steering angle. In some embodiments, a feedback element, such as a volume Bragg grating element, may lock a laser to narrow the band of optical radiation. A receiver may include a tunable, optically reflective metasurface for receiver line-scanning or a two-dimensional array of detector elements forming a set of discrete receive scan lines. In embodiments incorporating a two-dimensional array of detector elements, receiver optics may direct optical radiation incident at each of a plurality of discrete receive steering angles to a unique subset of the discrete receive scan lines of detector elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Gleb M. Akselrod, Prasad Padmanabha Iyer, Ross D. Uthoff
  • Patent number: 11092675
    Abstract: An example optical transceiver system, such as a solid-state light detection and ranging (lidar) system, includes a tunable, optically reflective metasurface to selectively reflect incident optical radiation as transmit scan lines at transmit steering angles between a first steering angle and a second steering angle. In some embodiments, a feedback element, such as a volume Bragg grating element, may lock a laser to narrow the band of optical radiation. A receiver may include a tunable, optically reflective metasurface for receiver line-scanning or a two-dimensional array of detector elements forming a set of discrete receive scan lines. In embodiments incorporating a two-dimensional array of detector elements, receiver optics may direct optical radiation incident at each of a plurality of discrete receive steering angles to a unique subset of the discrete receive scan lines of detector elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Lumotive, LLC
    Inventors: Gleb M. Akselrod, Prasad Padmanabha Iyer, Ross D. Uthoff
  • Publication number: 20210141060
    Abstract: An example optical transceiver system, such as a solid-state light detection and ranging (lidar) system, includes a tunable, optically reflective metasurface to selectively reflect incident optical radiation as transmit scan lines at transmit steering angles between a first steering angle and a second steering angle. In some embodiments, a feedback element, such as a volume Bragg grating element, may lock a laser to narrow the band of optical radiation. A receiver may include a tunable, optically reflective metasurface for receiver line-scanning or a two-dimensional array of detector elements forming a set of discrete receive scan lines. In embodiments incorporating a two-dimensional array of detector elements, receiver optics may direct optical radiation incident at each of a plurality of discrete receive steering angles to a unique subset of the discrete receive scan lines of detector elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2020
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventors: Gleb M. Akselrod, Prasad Padmanabha Iyer, Ross D. Uthoff