US 11,899,116 B2
Single beam digitally modulated lidar for autonomous vehicle distance sensing
Russell Smith, Mountain View, CA (US); and Hao Li, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to NURO, INC., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Nuro, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 20, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/998,294.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/925,717, filed on Oct. 24, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0124055 A1, Apr. 29, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 17/34 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 17/931 (2020.01) [G01S 7/4808 (2013.01); G01S 7/4817 (2013.01); G01S 17/34 (2020.01)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for performing lidar sensing, comprising:
generating a single divergent light beam from a stable light source to which baseband modulation is applied to produce a modulated light beam;
scanning the modulated light beam in an azimuth direction into a target area;
receiving returned light from the target area with an optical receiver coupled to the stable light source; and
demodulating the returned light with a baseband demodulator and applying coherent detection based on returned light from the target area to detect one or more objects in the target area.