US 11,988,746 B2
Multi-axis velocity and rangefinder optical measurement device
Bryce Remesch, Hollis, NH (US); and Nicholas Armstrong-Crews, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 24, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/247,835.
Prior Publication US 2022/0206150 A1, Jun. 30, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 17/00 (2020.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 17/06 (2006.01); G01S 17/58 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 17/58 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4814 (2013.01); G01S 7/4816 (2013.01); G01S 17/06 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a light source to produce a first beam;
one or more first optical elements to impart an orbital angular momentum (OAM) to at least some of a plurality of output beams, wherein each of the plurality of output beams is obtained from the first beam;
an output optical device to direct the plurality of output beams towards a target object;
a plurality of photodetectors, wherein each of the plurality of photodetectors is to generate a signal representative of a difference between an input phase information, carried by one of a plurality of reflected beams, and an output phase information, carried by one of a plurality of local copies of the output beams, wherein at least one of the plurality of reflected beams is reflected from the target object in response to the plurality of output beams interacting with the target object; and
a processing device to determine, using the difference between the input phase information and the output phase information, one or more components of a velocity of the target object, wherein the one or more components are orthogonal to a direction to the target object.