US 12,461,209 B2
Pseudo monostatic LiDAR with two-dimensional silicon photonic MEMS switch array
Tae Joon Seok, El Cerrito, CA (US); and Ming Chiang A. Wu, Piedmont, CA (US)
Assigned to nEYE Systems, Inc., Emeryville, CA (US)
Filed by nEYE Systems, Inc., Emeryville, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 9, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/446,711.
Application 18/446,711 is a continuation of application No. 17/687,372, filed on Mar. 4, 2022, granted, now 11,754,683.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/186,748, filed on May 10, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0175989 A1, May 30, 2024
Int. Cl. G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 17/42 (2006.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 7/4817 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4811 (2013.01); G01S 7/4818 (2013.01); G01S 17/42 (2013.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A pseudo-monostatic photonic integrated circuit (PIC) device, comprising:
a substrate;
at least one light detector shared by a plurality of pixels;
an optical antenna array comprising a plurality of paired optical antennas disposed on the substrate and forming the plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a transmit optical antenna adjacent to a receive optical antenna and a dual-channel 1×2 optical switch comprising two parallel switches connecting an optical bus waveguide to a selected transmit optical antenna and a second optical bus waveguide to the receive optical antenna paired to the selected transmit optical antenna, each transmit optical antenna being configured to transmit light towards a target and each receive optical antenna configured to receive light from the target; and
a programmable optical network disposed on the substrate and configured to provide a first light path to the selected transmit optical antenna via the dual-channel 1×2 optical switches, the programmable optical network being further configured to provide a separate second light path from the receive optical antenna paired to the selected transmit optical antenna to the at least one light detector via the dual-channel 1×2 optical switches.