US 12,066,548 B2
LIDAR transmit/receive system
Zeb Barber, Bozeman, MT (US); Stephen Crouch, Bozeman, MT (US); and Emil Kadlec, Bozeman, MT (US)
Assigned to Aurora Operations, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed by Aurora Operations, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed on Feb. 17, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/674,537.
Application 17/674,537 is a continuation of application No. 17/228,346, filed on Apr. 12, 2021, granted, now 11,280,909.
Application 17/228,346 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/196,002, filed on Mar. 9, 2021, granted, now 11,892,543.
Application 17/196,002 is a continuation of application No. 16/915,404, filed on Jun. 29, 2020, granted, now 10,948,600, issued on Mar. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0171072 A1, Jun. 2, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 17/931 (2020.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 7/4912 (2020.01); G01S 17/34 (2020.01); G05D 1/00 (2024.01)
CPC G01S 17/931 (2020.01) [G01S 7/4814 (2013.01); G01S 7/4912 (2013.01); G01S 17/34 (2020.01); G05D 1/0088 (2013.01); G05D 1/0223 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system for a vehicle, the LIDAR system comprising:
a laser source configured to generate light signals;
a transceiver; and
a fiber array coupled to the transceiver and comprising a plurality of output channels,
wherein the transceiver is configured to:
receive one or more light signals from the laser source through a first group of output channels of the fiber array, the first group of output channels being associated with a first type of signal,
receive one or more local oscillator (LO) signals from the laser source through a second group of output channels of the fiber array, the second group of output channels being associated with a second type of signal, different from the first type of signal,
transmit the one or more light signals into an environment of the vehicle,
receive a first returned light reflected from one or more objects in the environment, and
output the first returned light and a first LO signal of the one or more LO signals.