US 12,332,387 B2
Coherent LIDAR system including optical antenna array
Sen Lin, Santa Clara, CA (US); and Andrew Steil Michaels, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to AURORA OPERATIONS, INC., Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed by Aurora Operations, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed on Jul. 5, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/347,426.
Application 18/347,426 is a continuation of application No. 17/558,476, filed on Dec. 21, 2021, granted, now 11,740,336.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/129,847, filed on Dec. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0358867 A1, Nov. 9, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01S 7/4911 (2020.01); G01S 7/4914 (2020.01); G01S 17/42 (2006.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 7/4911 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4914 (2013.01); G01S 17/42 (2013.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor system comprising:
a transceiver configured to receive a transmit signal, wherein the transceiver includes:
a plurality of optical antenna arrays; and
an active optical switch comprising an input configured to receive the transmit signal and a particular number of output channels respectively coupled to the plurality of optical antenna arrays, wherein the active optical switch is configured to selectively provide the transmit signal to the plurality of optical antenna arrays by coupling the transmit signal to at least one selected optical antenna array of the plurality of optical antenna arrays one at a time over a scanning period of the transceiver; and
wherein at least three of the plurality of optical antenna arrays respectively include:
a particular number of optical antennas arranged in a two-dimensional configuration; and
an optical splitter coupled to the particular number of optical antennas and configured to individually provide the transmit signal to each of the particular number of optical antennas, wherein the optical splitter is configured to receive the transmit signal from an output channel of the particular number of output channels of the active optical switch, and wherein the optical splitter comprises a plurality of passive optical splitters configured to evenly distribute the transmit signal to a particular number of communication channels corresponding to the particular number of optical antennas.