公开(公告)号：US10333269B2

公开(公告)日：2019-06-25

申请号：US15849700

申请日：2017-12-21

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Ido Luft ,  Andrew J. Sutton ,  Ronen Akerman

IPC: H01S3/10 ,  H01S3/23 ,  H01S3/094 ,  H01S5/065

Abstract: A laser system includes a master oscillator, which emits a train of optical seed pulses with variable intervals between the pulses. An optical power amplifier includes an optical gain medium, which receives and amplifies the optical seed pulses from the master oscillator, and a pump, which applies pump radiation to the optical gain medium. A pulse generator applies a control input to the master oscillator, which causes the intervals between the optical seed pulses to vary by at least 50% at a rate of change that is greater than a response frequency of the optical gain medium. A control unit drives the pump responsively to predicted intervals between the optical seed pulses, at a variable pump power selected so that the pulse amplitudes of the output pulses vary by no more than 20% irrespective of the varying intervals between the optical seed pulses.

公开(公告)号：US20180372847A1

公开(公告)日：2018-12-27

申请号：US15849701

申请日：2017-12-21

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Robert S. Upton ,  Andrew J. Sutton ,  Ariel Lipson ,  Noel Axelrod

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G02B26/10 ,  G01S17/08

Abstract: An optical device includes a light source, which is configured to emit a beam of light, and a sensor having a detection area. At least one scanning mirror is configured to scan the beam across a target scene. Light collection optics include a collection lens positioned to receive the light from the scene that is reflected from the at least one scanning mirror and to focus the collected light onto a focal plane, and a non-imaging optical element having a front surface positioned at the focal plane of the collection lens and a rear surface in proximity to the sensor and configured to spread the light focused by the collection lens over the detection area of the sensor.

公开(公告)号：US20180062345A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-01

申请号：US15250962

申请日：2016-08-30

Applicant: APPLE INC.

Inventor： Richard E. Bills ,  Andrew J. Sutton ,  Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Mina A. Rezk

IPC: H01S5/00 ,  H01S5/42 ,  H01S5/042 ,  G02B26/08 ,  G02F1/29 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/481

CPC classification number: H01S5/0071 ,  G01S7/4815 ,  G01S7/4817 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G02B26/0816 ,  G02B26/0891 ,  G02F1/292 ,  H01S5/042 ,  H01S5/423

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes an array of lasers, which are arranged in a grid pattern having a predefined spatial pitch and are configured to emit respective beams of pulses of optical radiation. Projection optics having a selected focal length project the beams toward a target with an angular pitch between the beams defined by the spatial pitch and the focal length. A scanner scans the projected beams over a range of scan angles that is less than twice the angular pitch. Control circuitry drives the lasers and the scanner so that the pulses cover the target with a resolution finer than the angular pitch. A receiver receives and measures a time of flight of the pulses reflected from the target.

公开(公告)号：US10955531B2

公开(公告)日：2021-03-23

申请号：US15849701

申请日：2017-12-21

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Robert S Upton ,  Andrew J. Sutton ,  Ariel Lipson ,  Noel Axelrod

IPC: G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G02B26/10

Abstract: An optical device includes a light source, which is configured to emit a beam of light, and a sensor having a detection area. At least one scanning mirror is configured to scan the beam across a target scene. Light collection optics include a collection lens positioned to receive the light from the scene that is reflected from the at least one scanning mirror and to focus the collected light onto a focal plane, and a non-imaging optical element having a front surface positioned at the focal plane of the collection lens and a rear surface in proximity to the sensor and configured to spread the light focused by the collection lens over the detection area of the sensor.

公开(公告)号：US10823955B2

公开(公告)日：2020-11-03

申请号：US16182660

申请日：2018-11-07

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Andrew J. Sutton ,  Alexander Shpunt ,  Yuval Gerson

IPC: G03H1/16 ,  G02B26/10 ,  G02B27/30 ,  H01S5/00 ,  G03H1/02 ,  H01S5/125 ,  G02B5/32 ,  G02B26/12 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S7/481

Abstract: An optical device includes a laser light source configured to emit a collimated beam of light, and a scanning mirror, which is configured to reflect and scan the beam of light over a predefined angular range. The optical device further includes a volume holographic grating (VHG), which is positioned to receive and reflect the collimated beam emitted by the laser light source toward the scanning mirror by Bragg reflection at a predefined Bragg-angle, while transmitting the beam reflected from the scanning mirror over a part of the angular range that is outside a cone containing the Bragg-angle.

公开(公告)号：US20200096615A1

公开(公告)日：2020-03-26

申请号：US16388450

申请日：2019-04-18

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Robert S. Upton ,  Alexander Shpunt ,  Andrew J. Sutton ,  Chandra S. Kakani ,  Yuval Gerson

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/89 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G02B13/08

Abstract: An optical device includes a transmitter, which emits a beam of optical radiation, and a receiver, which includes a detector configured to output a signal in response to the optical radiation. An active area of the detector has a first dimension along a first axis and a second dimension, which is less than the first dimension, along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. An anamorphic lens, which collects and focuses the optical radiation onto the active area of the detector, has a first focal length in a first plane containing the first axis and a second focal length, greater than the first focal length, in a second plane containing the second axis. A scanner scans the beam across a target scene in a scan direction that is aligned with the first axis, and directs the optical radiation that is reflected from the target scene toward the receiver.

公开(公告)号：US20190278077A1

公开(公告)日：2019-09-12

申请号：US16182660

申请日：2018-11-07

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Andrew J. Sutton ,  Alexander Shpunt ,  Yuval Gerson

IPC: G02B26/10 ,  G02B27/30 ,  H01S5/00 ,  G02B26/12 ,  H01S5/125 ,  G02B5/32 ,  G03H1/02

Abstract: An optical device includes a laser light source configured to emit a collimated beam of light, and a scanning mirror, which is configured to reflect and scan the beam of light over a predefined angular range. The optical device further includes a volume holographic grating (VHG), which is positioned to receive and reflect the collimated beam emitted by the laser light source toward the scanning mirror by Bragg reflection at a predefined Bragg-angle, while transmitting the beam reflected from the scanning mirror over a part of the angular range that is outside a cone containing the Bragg-angle.

公开(公告)号：US10305247B2

公开(公告)日：2019-05-28

申请号：US15250962

申请日：2016-08-30

Applicant: APPLE INC.

Inventor： Richard E. Bills ,  Andrew J. Sutton ,  Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Mina A. Rezk

IPC: G01C3/08 ,  H01S5/00 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G02B26/08 ,  G02F1/29 ,  H01S5/42 ,  G01S17/42 ,  H01S5/042

Abstract: An optical apparatus includes an array of lasers, which are arranged in a grid pattern having a predefined spatial pitch and are configured to emit respective beams of pulses of optical radiation. Projection optics having a selected focal length project the beams toward a target with an angular pitch between the beams defined by the spatial pitch and the focal length. A scanner scans the projected beams over a range of scan angles that is less than twice the angular pitch. Control circuitry drives the lasers and the scanner so that the pulses cover the target with a resolution finer than the angular pitch. A receiver receives and measures a time of flight of the pulses reflected from the target.

公开(公告)号：US20180081061A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-22

申请号：US15673428

申请日：2017-08-10

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Shingo Mandai ,  Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Richard E. Bills ,  Moshe Laifenfeld ,  Mina A. Rezk ,  Alexander Shpunt ,  Ron Sokolovsky ,  Tal Kaitz ,  Ronen Akerman ,  Jason D. Mudge ,  Andrew J. Sutton

IPC: G01S17/89 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01B11/02 ,  G02F1/29

CPC classification number: G01S17/89 ,  G01B11/026 ,  G01S7/4814 ,  G01S7/4817 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/4868 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G02F1/292

Abstract: An electro-optical device includes a laser, which is configured to emit toward a scene pulses of optical radiation. An array of detectors are configured to receive the optical radiation that is reflected from points in the scene and to output signals indicative of respective times of arrival of the received radiation. A controller is coupled to drive the laser to emit a sequence of pulses of the optical radiation toward each of a plurality of points in the scene and to find respective times of flight for the points responsively to the output signals, while controlling a power of the pulses emitted by the laser by counting a number of the detectors outputting the signals in response to each pulse, and reducing the power of a subsequent pulse in the sequence when the number is greater than a predefined threshold.