Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide magnetic sensing systems and methods for a polygon scanner. An exemplary magnetic sensing system includes a disc permanent magnet configured to provide a magnetic field. The magnetic sensing system further includes a Hall sensor configured to generate a voltage proportional to the strength of the magnetic field as the Hall sensor and the disc permanent magnet move relatively to each other when the polygon mirror rotates. One of the disc permanent magnet and the Hall sensor locates on and rotates with the polygon mirror and the other locates off the polygon mirror. The magnetic sensing system also includes at least one controller configured to determine a rotation angle of the polygon mirror based on the generated voltage by the Hall Sensor.

Abstract: An illumination system for eye tracking is described herein. The illumination system may include a laser light source and an ultra-fast scanning micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) operating at a frequency range from about ten (10) kilohertz (kHz) to about one-hundred (100) kilohertz (kHz) to reflect laser light to the eye and generating a desired fringe pattern controlling intensity and timing. A surface of the MEMS may include diffractive optical element (DOE) to reflect the laser light as a concentrated optical beam. The light may also be projected by grating-based illuminators on a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) controlled through adiabatic couplers projecting multiple binary/grayscale images onto the eye. On the detection side, a 2D single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor or a SPAD array detector and an active MEMS shutter array may be used. Compressive sensing techniques may be applied on the detection side.

Abstract: An eye tracking system for a head-mounted device determines depth characteristics of an eye in an eyebox region. The eye tracking system includes a detector array, a scanning mirror, and a light source. The detector array is oriented on the head-mounted device to receive reflected light from an eyebox region of the head-mounted device. The scanning mirror is optically coupled between the eyebox region and the detector array. The scanning mirror is configured to rotate to direct the reflected light from a plurality of locations within the eyebox region to the detector array. The light source configured to provide pulses of light to illuminate at least part of the eyebox region.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a scanning mirror assembly. In certain configurations, the scanning mirror assembly may include a two-dimensional micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) scanning mirror, a first pair of piezoelectric electrodes coupled to the MEMS scanning mirror through a first pair of looped torsion springs, and a second pair of piezoelectric electrodes coupled to the MEMS scanning mirror through a second pair of looped torsion springs. The first pair of piezoelectric electrodes drives the MEMS scanning mirror to rotate around a first axis. The second pair of piezoelectric electrodes drives the MEMS scanning mirror to rotate around a second axis orthogonal to the first axis.

Abstract: A grating for a steering mirror of a LiDAR system is made without a metal coating. The grating comprising a plurality of ridges defined by a period. The period has a width that is equal to or less than a wavelength of a laser of the LiDAR system. The ridges can be made of crystalline silicon to form a high-contrast grating.

Abstract: An imaging device includes an image pixel array and a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) Alvarez tunable lenses disposed over regions of the imaging pixels. The MEMS Alvarez tunable lenses are configured to be adjusted to varying optical powers to focus image light to the plurality of imaging pixels at varying focus depths. Processing logic is configured to drive the plurality of MEMS Alvarez tunable lenses to provide varying optical powers to focus the image light to the imaging pixels during a plurality of image captures with the imaging pixels.

Abstract: A MEMS-based Wavelength Selectable Switch (WSS), used classically for demultiplexing fiber optic communications, is re-purposed to act as a filter. A light emitter provides a light beam with its wavelength detected by a wavelength detector. A light condenser directs reflected light from the light emitter to an input of the WSS. The WSS is controllable to provide a selected wavelength band to a selected output of the WSS, where it is detected by a photodetector. Other wavelengths are discarded by the WSS at other outputs. A controller is configured to control the WSS to select the selected wavelength band based on a detected wavelength from the wavelength detector.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide an optical sensing system, a method for controlling a receiver gain in the optical sensing system, and a receiver in the optical sensing system. The exemplary optical sensing system includes a transmitter configured to emit light beams at a plurality of vertical detection angles to scan an object. The optical sensing system further includes a receiver having a detector configured to detect the light beams returned by the object. The optical sensing system also includes a controller configured to dynamically vary a gain of the detector for detecting the light beams of the respective vertical detection angles.

Abstract: A microelectromechanical system MEMS structure is described. A first actuator is attached to a substrate and configured to rotate the substrate along a first axis of rotation. An array of rotatable MEMS mirrors is mounted on the substrate, aligned parallel to the first axis of rotation. Each rotatable MEMS mirror is rotatable about a second axis of rotation with each second axis of rotation being perpendicular to the first axis of rotation and parallel to every other axis of rotation. An array of second actuators is configured to rotate each of the rotatable MEMS mirrors about its corresponding second axis of rotation. A controller is configured to control the first actuator to rotate the substrate about the first axis of rotation. The controller further controls the array of second actuators to rotate each rotatable MEMS mirror of the array of rotatable MEMS mirrors about its corresponding second axis of rotation.

Abstract: An array of MEMS mirrors intercept a laser beam and redirect it toward an environment to be detected. A controller is configured to control the laser and the array of MEMS mirrors to generate a plurality of irregular patterns, such as a Hadamard pattern. The controller controls the laser and the array of MEMS mirrors to generate a plurality of Hadamard patterns on a single scan line at different times, such that all pixel positions in the scan line are impacted by one of the redirected beams from the mirror array at least once. The detected intensities of all the pixel reflections in each pattern are combined to give a total combined intensity for each of the different times. The Hadamard pattern is used to decode the various total combined intensities for a scan line to determine an intensity of each pixel in the scan line.

Abstract: An illumination system for eye tracking is described herein. The illumination system may include a laser light source and an ultra-fast scanning micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) operating at a frequency range from about 10 kHz to about 100 kHz to reflect laser light to the eye and generating a desired fringe pattern controlling intensity and timing. A surface of the MEMS may include diffractive optical element (DOE) to reflect the laser light as a concentrated optical beam. The light may also be projected by grating-based illuminators on a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) controlled through adiabatic couplers projecting multiple binary/grayscale images onto the eye. On the detection side, a 2D single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor or a SPAD array detector and an active MEMS shutter array may be used. Compressive sensing techniques may be applied on the detection side.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a laser beam generation system. The laser beam generation system includes a first laser chip configured to generate a first polarized laser beam and a second laser chip configured to generate a second polarized laser beam. The laser beam generation system also includes a polarizer configured to combine the first polarized laser beam and the second polarized laser beam to generate a third laser beam.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide an interface module for a LiDAR assembly. The interface module includes a printed circuit board (PCB) and a first connector interface disposed on the PCB. The first connector interface is configured to be connectable to a laser emitter of the LiDAR assembly. The interface module further includes a second connector interface disposed on the PCB and a third connector interface disposed on the PCB. The second connector interface is configured to be connectable to a receiver of the LiDAR assembly and the third connector interface is configured to be connectable to a control module configured to control the operation of the laser emitter and the receiver. The interface module also includes a bracket where the PCB is affixed to. The interface module is positioned to a lateral face of the LiDAR assembly through the bracket.

Abstract: A grating for a steering mirror of a LiDAR system is made without a metal coating. The grating comprising a plurality of ridges defined by a period. The period has a width that is equal to or less than a wavelength of a laser of the LiDAR system. The ridges can be made of crystalline silicon to form a high-contrast grating.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a micro shutter array, and an optical signal filtering method. The micro shutter array is used for filtering a series of optical signals at a plurality of time points. The optical signal at each time point includes a laser beam. The micro shutter array includes a plurality of micro shutter elements arranged in an array and a driver. The driver is configured to sequentially open a subset of the micro shutter elements at a specified location at each time point to allow a respective laser beam to pass through the micro shutter array at that time point.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide an integrated transmitter-receiver module for a LiDAR assembly. The integrated transmitter-receiver module includes a laser emitter configured to emit optical signals to an environment surrounding the LiDAR assembly. The integrated transmitter-receiver module also includes a receiver configured to detect returned optical signals from the environment. The laser emitter and the receiver are pre-aligned to focus the returned optical signal on one or more detectors of the receiver and are disposed on a shared base wherein the shared base is configured to assemble the integrated transmitter-receiver module to the LiDAR assembly.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure include a receiver of an optical sensing system. The receiver may include a mask configured to resonate during a scanning procedure performed by the optical sensing system. The receiver may also include a photodetector array positioned on a first side of the mask. The photodetector array may be configured to detect light that passes through the mask during the scanning procedure to generate a frame. The receiver may further include a light collector array aligned with the photodetector array and configured to concentrate the light that passes through the mask during the scanning procedure before directing the light to the photodetector array.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting an incoming laser beam with a photodetector is described. A beam splitter is mounted to receive the incoming laser beam after correction by a wavefront corrector. The beam splitter directs most of the incoming laser beam to the photodetector, but diverts a small portion of the incoming laser beam to a wavefront sensor. A feedback control circuit is configured to control the wavefront corrector to at least partially correct for wavefront distortions detected by the wavefront sensor.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide a control system for a LiDAR assembly. The control system includes a control module affixed on a printed circuit board (PCB), configured to control a transmitter and a receiver of the LiDAR assembly to emit and receive optical signals. The control system also includes an interface module affixed on a first bracket, configured to operatively couple the control module to the transmitter and the receiver. The control module and the interface module are configured to be positioned at predetermined positions of the LiDAR assembly through the PCB and the first bracket respectively.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus is part of a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) module of a vehicle and comprises: a receiver circuit including a photodiode and an amplifier circuit; and a controller configured to: obtain information of an operation condition of the LiDAR module; based on the information, set a multiplication ratio by which the photodiode converts incident light to a photocurrent; obtain, from the amplifier circuit, an output signal based on the photocurrent; and perform a ranging operation based on the output signal.