Patents by Inventor Sean P. Hughes

Sean P. Hughes 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).

  • Publication number: 20230130390
    Abstract: A scanner for a lidar system is configured to direct emitted light to scan a field of regard of the lidar system in accordance with a scan pattern. The scanner includes a mirror and an actuator assembly. The mirror includes a reflective surface and a rear surface and is pivotable along a mirror axle. The actuator assembly is disposed along the rear surface of the mirror and is configured to exert a torque on the mirror to cause the mirror to pivot about the mirror axle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Publication date: April 27, 2023
    Inventor: Sean P. Hughes
  • Patent number: 11543652
    Abstract: A scanner for a lidar system is configured to direct emitted light to scan a field of regard of the lidar system in accordance with a scan pattern. The scanner includes a mirror and an actuator assembly. The mirror includes a reflective surface and a rear surface and is pivotable along a mirror axle. The actuator assembly is disposed along the rear surface of the mirror and is configured to exert a torque on the mirror to cause the mirror to pivot about the mirror axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Luminar, LLC
    Inventor: Sean P. Hughes
  • Publication number: 20220107396
    Abstract: A scanner for a lidar system configured to direct emitted light to scan a field of regard of the lidar system includes a mirror and an actuator assembly. The mirror includes a first end, a second end, and a reflective surface and is pivotable along a mirror axle. The actuator assembly is disposed at the first end of the mirror and includes an asymmetric motor configured to exert a torque on the mirror to cause the mirror to pivot about the mirror axle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventor: Sean P. Hughes
  • Publication number: 20210325663
    Abstract: A scanner for a lidar system is configured to direct emitted light to scan a field of regard of the lidar system in accordance with a scan pattern. The scanner includes a mirror and an actuator assembly. The mirror includes a reflective surface and a rear surface and is pivotable along a mirror axle. The actuator assembly is disposed along the rear surface of the mirror and is configured to exert a torque on the mirror to cause the mirror to pivot about the mirror axle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventor: Sean P. Hughes
  • Patent number: 10578720
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source configured to produce a beam of light, a scanner configured to scan a field of regard of the lidar system, and a receiver configured to detect light from the beam of light scattered by a remote target. The scanner includes a polygon mirror having a block with a first wall, a second wall, and several reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block, the polygon mirror configured to rotate about a scan-mirror rotation axis to scan the beam of light across the field of regard. The scanner further includes a bracket adjacent to the polygon mirror, where at least one of the polygon mirror or the bracket includes a noise-reducing feature configured to reduce acoustic noise produced when pressure waves generated by the polygon mirror during rotation are incident on one or more components of the scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Hughes, Sean P. Hughes
  • Patent number: 10451716
    Abstract: A lidar system comprises a light source to emit pulses of light, a scanner, a receiver, and a controller. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror with reflective surfaces, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block. The scanner further includes a polygon mirror axle extending into the block, about which the block rotates, a rotary encoder having a rotational component with an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, the rotational component having one or more characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return a signal, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle. The controller is configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John Hughes, Nicholas Ventola, Sean P. Hughes
  • Publication number: 20190310351
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source configured to produce a beam of light, a scanner configured to scan a field of regard of the lidar system, and a receiver configured to detect light from the beam of light scattered by a remote target. The scanner includes a polygon mirror having a block with a first wall, a second wall, and several reflective surfaces angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block, the polygon mirror configured to rotate about a scan-mirror rotation axis to scan the beam of light across the field of regard. The scanner further includes a bracket adjacent to the polygon mirror, where at least one of the polygon mirror or the bracket includes a noise-reducing feature configured to reduce acoustic noise produced when pressure waves generated by the polygon mirror during rotation are incident on one or more components of the scanner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Publication date: October 10, 2019
    Inventors: John G. Hughes, Sean P. Hughes
  • Patent number: 10324170
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a light source configured to produce a first and second beams of light, receivers to configured to detect light from the first and second beams of light and scattered by one or more remote targets, and a scanner including a first scan mirror configured to pivot along a first-mirror pivot axis to scan the first beam of light along a first direction, a second scan mirror configured to pivot along a second-mirror pivot axis to scan the second beam of light along the first direction, and a polygon with multiple reflective surfaces configured to rotate about a polygon-mirror rotation axis to scan the first and second beams of light along a second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John P. Engberg, Jr., Christopher A. Engberg, John G. Hughes, Sean P. Hughes
  • Publication number: 20190154816
    Abstract: A lidar system comprises a light source to emit pulses of light, a scanner, a receiver, and a controller. The scanner includes a rotatable polygon mirror with reflective surfaces, the reflective surfaces being angularly offset from one another along a periphery of the block. The scanner further includes a polygon mirror axle extending into the block, about which the block rotates, a rotary encoder having a rotational component with an axis of rotation aligned with the polygon mirror axle, the rotational component having one or more characteristics configured to cause the rotary encoder to return a signal, and a second mirror pivotable along an axis orthogonal to the polygon mirror axle. The controller is configured to determine a rotational parameter of the polygon mirror in response to the signal returned from the rotary encoder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Publication date: May 23, 2019
    Inventors: John Hughes, Nicholas Ventola, Sean P. Hughes
  • Publication number: 20140156361
    Abstract: The described method combines a transaction receipt and packaging. In this way the problem of having the bag and receipt as separate items is solved. The problem of having a separate receipt for a purchase is solved by printing the receipt on the bag, pizza box, tray liner, or other type of packaging.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventor: Sean P. Hughes
  • Patent number: D376229
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Sean P. Hughes