US 12,436,324 B2
Transmitter having a light modulator for light detection and ranging (LiDAR)
Youmin Wang, Berkeley, CA (US); Yonghong Guo, Mountain View, CA (US); Chao Wang, Milpitas, CA (US); Yue Lu, Los Gatos, CA (US); and Lingkai Kong, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to BEIJING VOYAGER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., Beijing (CN)
Filed by GUANGZHOU WOYA LAIDELING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., Guangzhou (CN)
Filed on Jul. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/381,076.
Application 17/381,076 is a division of application No. 16/212,631, filed on Dec. 6, 2018, granted, now 11,086,058.
Prior Publication US 2021/0349244 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. G02B 5/18 (2006.01); G01S 17/02 (2020.01); G02B 27/10 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 5/1823 (2013.01) [G01S 17/02 (2013.01); G02B 27/1086 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A transmitter for light detection and ranging (LiDAR), comprising:
a plurality of laser sources, each comprising interleaved emitting regions and first gaps and configured to provide a native laser beam in a respective incident direction; and
a light modulator configured to receive the native laser beams from the plurality of laser sources in different incident directions and combine the native laser beams into a combined laser beam in a diffraction direction,
wherein the light modulator comprises:
reflective regions comprising light reflection elements on a transparent substrate, respectively, each light reflection element being coated with one or more material layers that are configured to selectively reflect the native laser beams; and
transmissive regions comprising remaining regions of the transparent substrate that are not covered by the light reflection elements, wherein the transmissive regions are configured to selectively pass the native laser beams,
wherein the transmissive regions and the reflective regions of the light modulator are interleaved to selectively pass and reflect each of the native laser beams such that light from a first one of the native laser beams covers second gaps in a second one of the native laser beams.