Patents by Inventor Stephen CROUCH
Stephen CROUCH 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).
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Publication number: 20240094401Abstract: A system and method for combining multiple functions of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes receiving a second optical beam generated by the laser source or a second laser source, wherein the second optical beam is associated with a second local oscillator (LO); splitting the second optical beam into a third split optical beam and a fourth split optical beam; transmitting, to the optical device, the third split optical beam and the fourth split optical beam; receiving, from the optical device, a third reflected beam that is associated with the third split optical beam and a fourth reflected beam that is associated with the fourth split optical beam; and pairing the third reflected beam with the second LO signal and the fourth reflected beam with the second LO signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2023Publication date: March 21, 2024Inventors: Zeb Barber, Stephen Crouch, Emil Kadlec
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Patent number: 11921219Abstract: A system and method for combining multiple functions of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes receiving a second optical beam generated by the laser source or a second laser source, wherein the second optical beam is associated with a second local oscillator (LO); splitting the second optical beam into a third split optical beam and a fourth split optical beam; transmitting, to the optical device, the third split optical beam and the fourth split optical beam; receiving, from the optical device, a third reflected beam that is associated with the third split optical beam and a fourth reflected beam that is associated with the fourth split optical beam; and pairing the third reflected beam with the second LO signal and the fourth reflected beam with the second LO signal.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2023Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Zeb Barber, Stephen Crouch, Emil Kadlec
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Patent number: 11899127Abstract: A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar system synthesizes a virtual antenna array where at least a subset of the transmit antennas and receive antennas forming the virtual antenna array are disposed in different local oscillator domains. In some instances, doing so enables radar sensors to be constructed using multiple Antenna On Package (AOP) devices that lack support for cascading or that otherwise would have limited angular resolution on their own to adequately discriminate between various objects in the environment of an autonomous or other vehicle to be used collectively by a vehicle control system in connection with the autonomous control of a vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2020Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Chunshu Li
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Patent number: 11892543Abstract: A system and method for combining multiple functions of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes receiving a second optical beam generated by the laser source or a second laser source, wherein the second optical beam is associated with a second local oscillator (LO); splitting the second optical beam into a third split optical beam and a fourth split optical beam; transmitting, to the optical device, the third split optical beam and the fourth split optical beam; receiving, from the optical device, a third reflected beam that is associated with the third split optical beam and a fourth reflected beam that is associated with the fourth split optical beam; and pairing the third reflected beam with the second LO signal and the fourth reflected beam with the second LO signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2021Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: AURORA INNOVATION, INC.Inventors: Zeb Barber, Stephen Crouch, Emil Kadlec
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Patent number: 11858533Abstract: An autonomous vehicle control system includes one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to cause a transmitter to transmit a transmit signal from a laser source. The one or more processors are configured to cause a receiver to receive a return signal reflected by an object. The one or more processors are configured to cause one or more optics to generate a first polarized signal of the return signal with a first polarization, and generate a second polarized signal of the return signal with a second polarization. The one or more processors are configured to calculate a value of reflectivity based on a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) value of the first polarized signal and an SNR value of the second polarized signal. The one or more processors are configured to operate a vehicle based on the value of reflectivity.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2021Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Zeb Barber, Emil Kadlec, Ryan Galloway, Sean Spillane
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Patent number: 11762079Abstract: A vehicle radar system utilizes multiple radar sensors having overlapping fields of view to effectively synthesize a distributed radar antenna array aperture from the outputs of the multiple radar sensors and effectively enhance one or more of angular resolution, detection range and signal to noise ratio beyond that supported by any of the radar sensors individually.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 2020Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Chunshu Li
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Publication number: 20230176224Abstract: A system and method for combining multiple functions of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes receiving a second optical beam generated by the laser source or a second laser source, wherein the second optical beam is associated with a second local oscillator (LO); splitting the second optical beam into a third split optical beam and a fourth split optical beam; transmitting, to the optical device, the third split optical beam and the fourth split optical beam; receiving, from the optical device, a third reflected beam that is associated with the third split optical beam and a fourth reflected beam that is associated with the fourth split optical beam; and pairing the third reflected beam with the second LO signal and the fourth reflected beam with the second LO signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 27, 2023Publication date: June 8, 2023Inventors: Zeb Barber, Stephen Crouch, Emil Kadlec
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Publication number: 20230131090Abstract: A vehicle radar sensor utilizes Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar signals that incorporate non-uniform FMCW chirps having chirp profiles that differ from one another to sense one or more parameters of one or more objects in a field of view of the radar sensor. The chirp profiles may differ from one another in various manners, e.g., based on starting frequency, repetition interval, duration and/or slope, and among other advantages, may be used to enhance sensing of various parameters such as range, Doppler/velocity and/or angle.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 19, 2022Publication date: April 27, 2023Inventors: Chunshu Li, Stephen Crouch
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Publication number: 20220412732Abstract: Measurement approaches and data analysis methods are disclosed for combining 3D topographic data with spatially-registered gas concentration data to increase the efficiency of gas monitoring and leak detection tasks. Here, the metric for efficiency is defined as reducing the measurement time required to achieve the detection, or non-detection, of a gas leak with a desired confidence level. Methods are presented for localizing and quantifying detected gas leaks. Particular attention is paid to the combination of 3D spatial data with path-integrated gas concentration measurements acquired using remote gas sensing technologies, as this data can be used to determine the path-averaged gas concentration between the sensor and points in the measurement scene.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 6, 2022Publication date: December 29, 2022Applicant: Bridger Photonics, Inc.Inventors: Michael Thorpe, Aaron Kreitinger, Stephen Crouch
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Patent number: 11536801Abstract: A vehicle radar sensor utilizes Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar signals that incorporate non-uniform FMCW chirps having chirp profiles that differ from one another to sense one or more parameters of one or more objects in a field of view of the radar sensor. The chirp profiles may differ from one another in various manners, e.g., based on starting frequency, repetition interval, duration and/or slope, and among other advantages, may be used to enhance sensing of various parameters such as range, Doppler/velocity and/or angle.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2021Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: Aurora Operations, Inc.Inventors: Chunshu Li, Stephen Crouch
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Publication number: 20220381878Abstract: Time-division quadrature sampling may be used in a pulse-modulated continuous wave (PMCW) radar receiver circuit, e.g., as may be employed in various types of radar sensors used in automotive and other applications, to enable a quadrature sampling circuit to sequence between digitally sampling different complex components of a received radar signal at different times.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 2, 2022Publication date: December 1, 2022Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Chunshu Li
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Patent number: 11415699Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes one or more components that include at least one of an electrical circuit, an electro-optical component, or an optical component. The one or more components are configured to receive an optical beam generated by a laser source, split the optical beam into a plurality of optical beams, transmit the plurality of optical beams through a first subset of optical paths. The one or more components are configured to in response to transmitting the plurality of optical beams, receive a reflected beam through a second subset of the optical paths, generate a first output signal based on a first local oscillator (LO) signal and the reflected beam, and generate a second output signal based on a second local oscillator (LO) signal and the reflected beam.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2021Date of Patent: August 16, 2022Assignee: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Zeb Barber, Stephen Crouch, Emil Kadlec
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Patent number: 11391567Abstract: Measurement approaches and data analysis methods are disclosed for combining 3D topographic data with spatially-registered gas concentration data to increase the efficiency of gas monitoring and leak detection tasks. Here, the metric for efficiency is defined as reducing the measurement time required to achieve the detection, or non-detection, of a gas leak with a desired confidence level. Methods are presented for localizing and quantifying detected gas leaks. Particular attention is paid to the combination of 3D spatial data with path-integrated gas concentration measurements acquired using remote gas sensing technologies, as this data can be used to determine the path-averaged gas concentration between the sensor and points in the measurement scene.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 2020Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Assignee: Bridger Photonics, Inc.Inventors: Michael Thorpe, Aaron Kreitinger, Stephen Crouch
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Publication number: 20220171072Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system for a vehicle, includes a laser source configured to generate light signals, a transceiver, and a fiber array coupled to the transceiver and including a plurality of output channels. The transceiver is configured to receive one or more light signals from the laser source through a first group of output channels of the fiber array, receive one or more local oscillator (LO) signals through a second group of output channels of the fiber array, transmit the one or more light signals into an environment of the vehicle, receive a first returned light reflected from one or more objects in the environment, and output the first returned light and a first LO signal of the one or more LO signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2022Publication date: June 2, 2022Applicant: Aurora Innovation, Inc.Inventors: Zeb Barber, Stephen Crouch, Emil Kadlec
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Patent number: 11320516Abstract: Time-division quadrature sampling may be used in a pulse-modulated continuous wave (PMCW) radar receiver circuit, e.g., as may be employed in various types of radar sensors used in automotive and other applications, to enable a quadrature sampling circuit to sequence between digitally sampling different complex components of a received radar signal at different times.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2021Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: Aurora Operations, Inc.Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Chunshu Li
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Publication number: 20220099795Abstract: A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar system synthesizes a virtual antenna array where at least a subset of the transmit antennas and receive antennas forming the virtual antenna array are disposed in different local oscillator domains. In some instances, doing so enables radar sensors to be constructed using multiple Antenna On Package (AOP) devices that lack support for cascading or that otherwise would have limited angular resolution on their own to adequately discriminate between various objects in the environment of an autonomous or other vehicle to be used collectively by a vehicle control system in connection with the autonomous control of a vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2020Publication date: March 31, 2022Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Chunshu Li
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Publication number: 20220099817Abstract: A vehicle radar system utilizes multiple radar sensors having overlapping fields of view to effectively synthesize a distributed radar antenna array aperture from the outputs of the multiple radar sensors and effectively enhance one or more of angular resolution, detection range and signal to noise ratio beyond that supported by any of the radar sensors individually.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2020Publication date: March 31, 2022Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Chunshu Li
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Publication number: 20220099837Abstract: A multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar sensor encodes or decodes radar signals generated by multiple MIMO transmitters using a mixture of sub-set digital codes that discriminate between different sub-sets of MIMO transmitters and Doppler-division codes that discriminate between different MIMO transmitters within each of the sub-sets.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 23, 2020Publication date: March 31, 2022Inventors: Stephen Crouch, Chunshu Li
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Patent number: 11280909Abstract: A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes a transceiver, a laser source coupled to the transceiver, a time-division multiplexing (TDM) circuit, and one or more processors. The TDM circuit is configured to generate a plurality of first signals. The one or more processors are configured to control the laser source to provide an optical beam to a first input optical channel of a plurality of input optical channels of the transceiver during a first time slot, based on the optical beam provided to the first input optical channel, control the transceiver to send a first reflected beam and a second reflected beam to the TDM circuit through a first output optical channel of a plurality of output optical channels of the transceiver, and based on a control signal provided to the TDM circuit, control the TDM circuit to select the plurality of first signals during the first time slot.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2021Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Zeb Barber, Stephen Crouch, Emil Kadlec
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Publication number: 20220024487Abstract: An autonomous vehicle control system includes one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to cause a transmitter to transmit a transmit signal from a laser source. The one or more processors are configured to cause a receiver to receive a return signal reflected by an object. The one or more processors are configured to cause one or more optics to generate a first polarized signal of the return signal with a first polarization, and generate a second polarized signal of the return signal with a second polarization. The one or more processors are configured to calculate a value of reflectivity based on a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) value of the first polarized signal and an SNR value of the second polarized signal. The one or more processors are configured to operate a vehicle based on the value of reflectivity.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 5, 2021Publication date: January 27, 2022Applicant: AURORA OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Stephen CROUCH, Zeb Barber, Emil KADLEC, Ryan Galloway, Sean Spillane