US 12,355,215 B2
Light source, sensor and method of illuminating a scene
Stephan Gronenborn, Aachen (DE)
Assigned to TRUMPF PHOTONIC COMPONENTS GMBH, Ulm (DE)
Filed by TRUMPF Photonic Components GmbH, Ulm (DE)
Filed on Apr. 22, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/726,544.
Application 17/726,544 is a continuation of application No. PCT/EP2020/078449, filed on Oct. 9, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 19206268 (EP), filed on Oct. 30, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0247158 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. H01S 5/42 (2006.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01)
CPC H01S 5/423 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4815 (2013.01); G01S 7/4865 (2013.01); G01S 17/10 (2013.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A light source comprising:
an array of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs), the array comprising at least two sub-arrays, each sub-array comprising at least one VCSEL, the sub-arrays being displaced with respect to one another along a first axis (y), the sub-arrays being configured to individually emit light independent from light emission of the other sub-array or sub-arrays, and
an optical member configured as a single optical element and configured to transform light emitted by the sub-arrays into substantially parallel illumination lines in a target area, wherein the illumination lines are arranged along the first axis (y), each illumination line having a width in a direction of the first axis (y) and a length in a direction of a second axis (x) perpendicular to the first axis (y), wherein the width is smaller than the length, wherein the optical member has facets in the direction of the second axis (x), wherein each facet has a size in the direction of the second axis (x) which is smaller than a size of a sub-array in the direction of the second axis (x), wherein the optical member is configured as an imaging lens or collimating lens in the direction of the first axis (y), and as a diffusor in the direction of the second axis (x).