Patent ID: 11867899
Assignee: AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 15:
16. A method for increasing a field-of-view (FOV) of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system comprising an optical system and an optical shutter, the method comprising:
receiving, at the optical system, optical signals reflected from an environment and comprising a first range of angles;
compressing, via the optical system, the first range of angles into a second range of angles that are below a threshold angle, wherein the optical shutter comprises a birefringent material that generates one or more interference patterns in an image when an optical signal having an angle above the threshold angle propagates through the birefringent material;
controlling the optical shutter to modify polarization states of the optical signals with the second range of angles as the optical signals propagate through the optical shutter; and
generating a first image of the environment, based in part on the optical signals output from the optical shutter with the modified polarization states.