US 12,339,399 B2
Optical switching for tuning direction of LIDAR output signals
Mehdi Asghari, La Canada Flintridge, CA (US); Dazeng Feng, El Monte, CA (US); and Bradley Jonathan Luff, La Canada Flintridge, CA (US)
Assigned to SiLC Technologies, Inc., Monrovia, CA (US)
Filed by SiLC Technologies, Inc., Monrovia, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 6, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/858,977.
Application 17/858,977 is a division of application No. 16/277,790, filed on Feb. 15, 2019, granted, now 11,536,805.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/689,716, filed on Jun. 25, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0342048 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G02B 26/08 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/4817 (2013.01) [G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G02B 26/0833 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical system, comprising:
a LIDAR chip that includes a switch configured to direct an outgoing LIDAR signal to one of multiple different alternate waveguides;
a redirection component configured to receive the outgoing LIDAR signal from any one of the alternate waveguides and configured to redirect the received outgoing LIDAR signal such that a direction that the outgoing LIDAR signal travels away from the redirection component changes in response to changes in the alternate waveguide from which the redirection component receives the outgoing LIDAR signal,
the redirection component including a splitter configured to receive the outgoing LIDAR signal from any one of the alternate waveguides and to split the outgoing LIDAR signal into multiple output signals; and
multiple steering waveguides that are each configured to receive a different one of the output signals, and
the steering waveguides being configured such that the output signals exit from the steering waveguides and combine to re-form the outgoing LIDAR signal with the re-formed outgoing LIDAR signal traveling away from the redirection component.