US 12,468,020 B2
Optical redirector device
Blaise Gassend, East Palo Alto, CA (US); David Duff, Portola Valley, CA (US); Pierre-Yves Droz, Los Altos, CA (US); Paul Karplus, Redwood City, CA (US); Jason Watson, San Jose, CA (US); Michael Brickner, Mountain View, CA (US); and Alex Rivas, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed by Waymo LLC, Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Dec. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/565,572.
Application 17/565,572 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/134,277, filed on Dec. 26, 2020, granted, now 12,055,659.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/954,088, filed on Dec. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0120877 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 7/486 (2020.01); G01S 17/08 (2006.01); G02B 26/08 (2006.01); G02B 26/12 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/4868 (2013.01) [G01S 17/08 (2013.01); G02B 26/0816 (2013.01); G02B 26/12 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A light detection and ranging (lidar) system comprising:
a transmitter comprising:
at least one light-emitter device configured to transmit emission light into an environment of the lidar system;
a receiver configured to detect return light from the environment, the receiver comprising:
a plurality of apertures;
a plurality of photodetectors; and
a plurality of optical redirectors, wherein each optical redirector is configured to receive return light from a respective aperture, separate the return light into unequal portions, and illuminate at least two photodetectors of the plurality of photodetectors, wherein at least one of the optical redirectors comprises an optically isolating coating, and wherein the optically isolating coating three-dimensionally coats each exterior surface of the at least one optical redirector other than an entrance face and an exit face of the at least one optical redirector.