Patent Publication Number: US-2021190921-A1

Title: LiDAR METHODS AND SYSTEMS WITH CONTROLLED FIELD OF VIEW BASED ON OPTICAL FIBER MOVEMENT

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
     The present application claims priority to Russian Patent Application No. 2019143301, entitled “LiDAR Methods and Systems with Controlled Field of View Based on Optical Fiber Movement,” filed on Dec. 23, 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY 
     The present technology relates to Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems, and more specifically, to LiDAR systems for detecting objects in a region of interest. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Several computer-based navigation systems that are configured for aiding navigation and/or control of vehicles have been proposed and implemented in the prior art. These systems range from more basic map-aided localization-based solutions—i.e. use of a computer system to assist a driver in navigating a route from a starting point to a destination point; to more complex ones such as computer-assisted and/or driver-autonomous driving systems. 
     Some of these systems are implemented as what is commonly known as a “cruise control” system. Within these systems, the computer system boarded on the vehicles maintains a user-set speed of the vehicle. Some of the cruise control systems implement an “intelligent distance control” system, whereby the user can set up a distance to a potential car in front (such as, select a value expressed in a number of vehicles) and the computer system adjusts the speed of the vehicle at least in part based on the vehicle approaching the potential vehicle in front within the pre-defined distance. Some of the cruise control systems are further equipped with collision control systems, which systems, upon detection of the vehicle (or other obstacle) in front of the moving vehicle, slow down or stop the vehicle. 
     Some of the more advanced systems provide for a fully autonomous driving of the vehicle without direct control from the operator (i.e. the driver). These autonomously driven vehicles include systems that can cause the vehicle to accelerate, brake, stop, change lane and self-park. 
     One of the main technical challenges in implementing the above systems is the ability to detect an object located around the vehicle. In one example, the systems may need the ability to detect the vehicle in front of the present vehicle (the present vehicle having the system onboard), which vehicle in front may pose a risk/danger to the present vehicle and may require the system to take a corrective measure, be it braking or otherwise changing speed, stopping or changing lanes. 
     Other technical challenges with the implementation of the above systems include de-calibration of sensors and other components that gather data about the surroundings of the vehicle. A plethora of factors, including weather, road conditions, driving habits, for example, influence sensors and other components over time, requiring calibration in order to ensure that data is accurately captured and correctly used for controlling vehicles. 
     In LiDAR-based systems, objects around the vehicle can be detected by transmitting beams of light towards a region of interest, and measuring reflected light beams with a detector. Lasers emitting pulses of light within a narrow wavelength are often used as the light source. The position and distance of the object can be computed using Time of Flight calculations of the emitted and detected light beam. By computing such positions as “data points”, a digital multi-dimensional representation of the surroundings can be generated. 
     In rotational LiDAR-based systems, the light beams are caused to rotate about a horizontal or vertical axis which can provide a scan of the region of interest in the horizontal or vertical plane, respectively. Typically, such rotation of the beams is achieved by a laser which is rotatable. However, moving components of the LiDAR system are prone to wear and tear leading to premature failure of the system. 
     It may be desirable, in certain applications, to obtain as large a region of interest as possible. In this respect, a number of lasers can be provided which are arranged to emit light beams in differing directions, thus enlarging the region of interest obtained with a single laser. However, increasing the number of lasers in a single LiDAR-based system can be prohibitively expensive. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods which avoid, reduce or overcome the limitations of the prior art. 
     The area which can be scanned (also referred to as “region of interest” (ROI)) by conventional rotational LiDAR systems is determined, on a horizontal axis, by an extent of available rotation of a light beam about a rotation axis. In certain systems which include a microelectromechanical (MEM) component, scanning on a vertical axis is also possible and limited by an amplitude of oscillation of the MEM component. 
     Known methods of further increasing the scanned area comprise increasing the number of light sources or MEM components, with the associated disadvantages of increased expense and decreased lifetime of the LiDAR systems. 
     Broadly, inventors have developed a LiDAR system that can scan an increased area compared to conventional systems without the use of additional light sources and taking into account the minimization of moving components, in certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, LiDAR systems of the present technology have an increased angle of spread of the beam of light transmitted to the region of interest, on one or both of the horizontal or vertical axis. 
     In certain embodiments, advantages of the present technology include an increased capacity of the system without compromising an expense and complexity of the system. 
     In accordance with a first broad aspect of the present technology, there is provided a LiDAR system for detecting objects in a region of interest, the system comprising a radiation source for emitting an output beam; a first optical fiber with an input end communicatively coupled to the radiation source for receiving the output beam and configured to transmit the output beam having an optical axis along the first optical fiber to an output end for emitting the output beam, the output beam having a first spread; an actuator coupled to the first optical fiber for imparting a first optical fiber movement to the output end of the first optical fiber, the first optical fiber movement comprising a plurality of positions of the output end of the first optical fiber defining a total first spread of the output beam when the output end is moving; an optical lens positioned by a focal distance from the output end of the first optical fiber, the optical lens being configured to transmit the output beam through the optical lens towards the region of interest and to cause the output beam to spread by a second spread of the output beam, the second spread being larger than the first spread, and a total second spread of the output beam when the output end is moving being larger than the total first spread; and a processor for controlling the actuator and the first optical fiber movement to modulate the angle of spread of radiation of the output beam in the region of interest. 
     In certain embodiments, the actuator comprises a piezoelectric component. 
     In certain embodiments, the LiDAR system further comprises a detection system for detecting an input beam from the region of interest, the detection system comprising: a detector; and a second optical fiber configured to transmit the input beam to a detector, the second optical fiber having: an input end for receiving the input beam, and an output end communicatively coupled to the detector, wherein the actuator is coupled to the second optical fiber for imparting a second optical fiber movement to the input end of the second optical fiber, the processor configured to control the actuator and the second optical fiber movement of the second optical fiber. 
     In certain embodiments, the actuator is configured to cause the second optical fiber movement to be physically coordinated with the first optical fiber movement. 
     In certain embodiments, the actuator is configured to induce the first optical fiber movement simultaneously with the second optical fiber movement. 
     In certain embodiments, the first optical fiber is selectively connected to the second optical fiber such that the input beam received at the output end of the first optical fiber can be redirected to the second optical fiber. 
     In certain embodiments, the system further comprises a detection system for detecting an input beam from the region of interest, the detection system comprising: a detector; and a second optical fiber configured to transmit the input beam to the detector and selectively communicatively coupled to the first optical fiber, the second optical fiber having: an input end for receiving the input beam from the first optical fiber, and an output end communicatively coupled to the detector. 
     In certain embodiments, the system further comprises an optical circulator for selectively transmitting the input beam from the region of interest to the second optical fiber. 
     In certain embodiments, the at least the output end of the first optical fiber has a double cladding construction comprising a first channel for transmitting the input beam and a second channel for transmitting the output beam. 
     In certain embodiments, the total first spread of the first optical fiber is along a first plane, the first plane being the same as a plane of the first optical fiber movement. In certain embodiments, the total second spread is along the first plane. 
     In certain embodiments, the actuator comprises a fixing component to fix the first optical fiber at a first fixing point along a length of the first optical fiber, the first fixing point defining a pivot point of the output end of the first optical fiber. 
     In certain embodiments, the actuator comprises a fixing component to fix the second optical fiber at a second fixing point along a length of the second optical fiber, the second fixing point defining a pivot point of the input end of the second optical fiber. 
     In certain embodiments, the total first spread of the output beam is between about 5° and about 40°. 
     In certain embodiments, the total second spread of the output beam is between about 5° and about 40°. 
     In certain embodiments, the total first spread of the first optical fiber is along two planes, the two planes being the same as two planes of the first optical fiber movement. 
     In certain embodiments, the system further comprises at least one replacement optical lens having different optical properties than the optical lens. 
     From another aspect, there is provided a LiDAR method for detecting objects in a region of interest, the method being implemented by a processor communicatively connected to a LiDAR system, the method comprising: causing a radiation source to emit an output beam incident on a first optical fiber, the first optical fiber having an input end communicatively coupled to the radiation source and configured to transmit the output beam along an optical axis of the first optical fiber to an output end, the output beam at the output end having a first spread; causing an actuator coupled to the first optical fiber to impart a first optical fiber movement to the output end of the first optical fiber, the first optical fiber movement comprising a plurality of positions of the output end of the first optical fiber defining a total first spread of the output beam when the output end is moving; wherein an optical lens positioned by a focal distance from the output end of the first optical fiber is configured to transmit the output beam through the optical lens towards the region of interest and to cause the output beam to spread by a second spread of the output beam, the second spread being larger than the first spread, and a total second spread of the output beam when the output end is moving being larger than the total first spread. 
     In certain embodiments, the method further comprises the processor selectively controlling the actuator to modulate the first optical fiber movement to control the angle of spread of radiation of the output beam in the region of interest. In certain embodiments, modulation of the first optical fiber movement is responsive to a detected object in the region of interest. 
     By means of certain embodiments of the present technology, an area of the region of interest which is scanned by the present systems and methods can be increased without increasing the number of LiDAR systems (or number of light sources and light detectors), and the number of moving parts in the system. This can, in turn, translate to costs savings and increasing a longevity of the LiDAR system. 
     In the context of the present specification, a “radiation source” broadly refers to any device configured to emit radiation such as a radiation signal in the form of a beam. A radiation source includes, but is not limited to a light source configured to emit light beams. The light source may be a laser such as a solid-state laser, laser diode, a high power laser, or an alternative light source such as, a light emitting diode (LED)-based light source. Some (non-limiting) examples of the light source are Fabry-Perot laser diode, a quantum well laser, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser, a distributed feedback (DFB) laser, a fiber-laser, or a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). In addition, the light source may emit light beams in differing formats, such as light pulses, continuous wave (CW), quasi-CW, and so on. 
     In some non-limiting examples, the light source may include a laser diode configured to emit light at a wavelength between about 650 nm and 1150 nm. Alternatively, the light source may include a laser diode configured to emit light beams at a wavelength between about 800 nm and about 1000 nm, between about 850 nm and about 950 nm, between about 1300 nm and about 1600 nm, or in between any other suitable range. Unless indicated otherwise, the term “about” with regard to a numeric value is defined as a variance of up to 10% with respect to the stated value. 
     In the context of the present specification, an “output beam” may also be referred to as a radiation beam, such as a light beam, that is generated by the radiation source and is directed downrange towards a region of interest. The output beam may have one or more parameters such as: beam duration, beam angular dispersion, wavelength, instantaneous power, photon density at different distances from light source, average power, beam power intensity, beam width, beam repetition rate, beam sequence, pulse duty cycle, wavelength, or phase etc. The output beam may be unpolarized or randomly polarized, may have no specific or fixed polarization (e.g., the polarization may vary with time), or may have a particular polarization (e.g., linear polarization, elliptical polarization, or circular polarization). 
     In the context of the present specification, an “input beam” may also be referred to as a radiation beam, such as a light beam, reflected from one or more objects in the ROI. By reflected is meant that at least a portion of the output beam incident on one or more objects in the ROI, bounces off the one or more objects. The output beam may have one or more parameters such as: time-of-flight (i.e., time from emission until detection), instantaneous power (e.g., power signature), average power across entire return pulse, and photon distribution/signal over return pulse period etc. 
     In the context of the present specification, a “Region of Interest” may broadly include a portion of the observable environment of LiDAR system in which the one or more objects may be detected. It is noted that the region of interest of the LiDAR system may be affected by various conditions such as but not limited to: an orientation of the LiDAR system (e.g. direction of an optical axis of the LiDAR system); a position of the LiDAR system with respect to the environment (e.g. distance above ground and adjacent topography and obstacles); operational parameters of the LiDAR system (e.g. emission power, computational settings, defined angles of operation), etc. The ROI of LIDAR system may be defined, for example, by a plane angle or a solid angle. In one example, the ROI may also be defined within a certain range (e.g. up to 200 m or so). 
     In the context of the present specification, a “server” is a computer program that is running on appropriate hardware and is capable of receiving requests (e.g. from electronic devices) over a network, and carrying out those requests, or causing those requests to be carried out. The hardware may be implemented as one physical computer or one physical computer system, but neither is required to be the case with respect to the present technology. In the present context, the use of the expression a “server” is not intended to mean that every task (e.g. received instructions or requests) or any particular task will have been received, carried out, or caused to be carried out, by the same server (i.e. the same software and/or hardware); it is intended to mean that any number of software elements or hardware devices may be involved in receiving/sending, carrying out or causing to be carried out any task or request, or the consequences of any task or request; and all of this software and hardware may be one server or multiple servers, both of which are included within the expression “at least one server”. 
     In the context of the present specification, “electronic device” is any computer hardware that is capable of running software appropriate to the relevant task at hand. In the context of the present specification, the term “electronic device” implies that a device can function as a server for other electronic devices, however it is not required to be the case with respect to the present technology. Thus, some (non-limiting) examples of electronic devices include self-driving unit, personal computers (desktops, laptops, netbooks, etc.), smart phones, and tablets, as well as network equipment such as routers, switches, and gateways. It should be understood that in the present context the fact that the device functions as an electronic device does not mean that it cannot function as a server for other electronic devices. 
     In the context of the present specification, the expression “information” includes information of any nature or kind whatsoever capable of being stored in a database. Thus information includes, but is not limited to visual works (e.g. maps), audiovisual works (e.g. images, movies, sound records, presentations etc.), data (e.g. location data, weather data, traffic data, numerical data, etc.), text (e.g. opinions, comments, questions, messages, etc.), documents, spreadsheets, etc. 
     In the context of the present specification, a “database” is any structured collection of data, irrespective of its particular structure, the database management software, or the computer hardware on which the data is stored, implemented or otherwise rendered available for use. A database may reside on the same hardware as the process that stores or makes use of the information stored in the database or it may reside on separate hardware, such as a dedicated server or plurality of servers. 
     In the context of the present specification, the words “first”, “second”, “third”, etc. have been used as adjectives only for the purpose of allowing for distinction between the nouns that they modify from one another, and not for the purpose of describing any particular relationship between those nouns. Further, as is discussed herein in other contexts, reference to a “first” element and a “second” element does not preclude the two elements from being the same actual real-world element. 
     Implementations of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned object and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology that have resulted from attempting to attain the above-mentioned object may not satisfy this object and/or may satisfy other objects not specifically recited herein. 
     Additional and/or alternative features, aspects and advantages of implementations of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present technology will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a schematic diagram of an example computer system for implementing certain embodiments of systems and/or methods of the present technology; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a networked computing environment being suitable for use with certain embodiments of the present technology; 
         FIG. 3  depicts a schematic diagram of an example LiDAR system for implementing certain embodiments of systems and/or methods of the present technology; 
         FIG. 4  depicts an implementation of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 3  implemented in accordance to a specific non-limiting embodiment of the present technology; 
         FIG. 5  depicts a schematic representation of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 4  implemented in accordance to a specific non-limiting embodiment of the present technology; 
         FIG. 6  depicts a cross-sectional profile of an optical fiber of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  depicts a schematic representation of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 4  implemented in accordance to an alternative non-limiting embodiment of the present technology; 
         FIG. 8  depicts a cross-sectional profile of an optical fiber of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  depicts a schematic representation of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 4  implemented in accordance to a further alternative non-limiting embodiment of the present technology; 
         FIG. 10  depicts a cross-sectional profile of an optical fiber and a return optical fiber of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  depicts a schematic representation of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 4  implemented in accordance to a yet further alternative non-limiting embodiment of the present technology; 
         FIG. 12  depicts a cross-sectional profile of an optical fiber and return optical fibers of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 11  according to certain embodiments of the present technology; 
         FIG. 13  depicts a cross-sectional profile of an optical fiber and return optical fibers of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 11  according to certain embodiments of the present technology; 
         FIG. 14  depicts a schematic illustration of a detector system of the LiDAR system of  FIG. 4  implemented in accordance to certain non-limiting embodiments of the present technology; and 
         FIG. 15  illustrates a flowchart of a method for detecting objects in a region of interest, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present technology and not to limit its scope to such specifically recited examples and conditions. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art may devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, nonetheless embody the principles of the present technology and are included within its spirit and scope. 
     Furthermore, as an aid to understanding, the following description may describe relatively simplified implementations of the present technology. As persons skilled in the art would understand, various implementations of the present technology may be of a greater complexity. 
     In some cases, what are believed to be helpful examples of modifications to the present technology may also be set forth. This is done merely as an aid to understanding, and, again, not to define the scope or set forth the bounds of the present technology. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and a person skilled in the art may make other modifications while nonetheless remaining within the scope of the present technology. Further, where no examples of modifications have been set forth, it should not be interpreted that no modifications are possible and/or that what is described is the sole manner of implementing that element of the present technology. 
     Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementations of the technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether they are currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the present technology. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo-code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer-readable media and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown. 
     The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any functional block labeled as a “processor”, may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” or “controller” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included. 
     Software modules, or simply modules which are implied to be software, may be represented herein as any combination of flowchart elements or other elements indicating performance of process steps and/or textual description. Such modules may be executed by hardware that is expressly or implicitly shown. 
     With these fundamentals in place, we will now consider some non-limiting examples to illustrate various implementations of aspects of the present technology. 
     Computer System 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a computer system  100  suitable for use with some implementations of the present technology, the computer system  100  comprising various hardware components including one or more single or multi-core processors collectively represented by processor  110 , a solid-state drive  120 , a memory  130 , which may be a random-access memory or any other type of memory. 
     Communication between the various components of the computer system  100  may be enabled by one or more internal and/or external buses (not shown) (e.g. a PCI bus, universal serial bus, IEEE 1394 “Firewire” bus, SCSI bus, Serial-ATA bus, etc.), to which the various hardware components are electronically coupled. According to embodiments of the present technology, the solid-state drive  120  stores program instructions suitable for being loaded into the memory  130  and executed by the processor  110  for determining a presence of an object. For example, the program instructions may be part of a vehicle control application executable by the processor  110 . It is noted that the computer system  100  may have additional and/or optional components (not depicted), such as network communication modules, locationalization modules, and the like. 
     Networked Computer Environment 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a networked computer environment  200  suitable for use with some embodiments of the systems and/or methods of the present technology. The networked computer environment  200  comprises an electronic device  210  associated with a vehicle  220 , and/or associated with a user (not depicted) who is associated with the vehicle  220 , such as an operator of the vehicle  220 , a server  235  in communication with the electronic device  210  via a communication network  240  (e.g. the Internet or the like, as will be described in greater detail herein below). 
     Optionally, the networked computer environment  200  can also include a GPS satellite (not depicted) transmitting and/or receiving a GPS signal to/from the electronic device  210 . It will be understood that the present technology is not limited to GPS and may employ a positioning technology other than GPS. It should be noted that the GPS satellite can be omitted altogether. 
     The vehicle  220  to which the electronic device  210  is associated may comprise any transportation vehicle, for leisure or otherwise, such as a private or commercial car, truck, motorbike or the like. Although the vehicle  220  is depicted as being a land vehicle, this may not be the case in each embodiment of the present technology. For example, the vehicle  220  may be a watercraft, such as a boat, or an aircraft, such as a flying drone. 
     The vehicle  220  may be user operated or a driver-less vehicle. In at least some embodiments of the present technology, it is contemplated that the vehicle  220  may be implemented as a Self-Driving Car (SDC). It should be noted that specific parameters of the vehicle  220  are not limiting, these specific parameters including: vehicle manufacturer, vehicle model, vehicle year of manufacture, vehicle weight, vehicle dimensions, vehicle weight distribution, vehicle surface area, vehicle height, drive train type (e.g. 2× or 4×), tire type, brake system, fuel system, mileage, vehicle identification number, and engine size. 
     The implementation of the electronic device  210  is not particularly limited, but as an example, the electronic device  210  may be implemented as a vehicle engine control unit, a vehicle CPU, a vehicle navigation device (e.g. TomTom™, Garmin™), a tablet, a personal computer built into the vehicle  220 , and the like. Thus, it should be noted that the electronic device  210  may or may not be permanently associated with the vehicle  220 . Additionally or alternatively, the electronic device  210  can be implemented in a wireless communication device such as a mobile telephone (e.g. a smart-phone or a radio-phone). In certain embodiments, the electronic device  210  has a display  270 . 
     The electronic device  210  may comprise some or all of the components of the computer system  100  depicted in  FIG. 1 . In certain embodiments, the electronic device  210  is an on-board computer device and comprises the processor  110 , the solid-state drive  120  and the memory  130 . In other words, the electronic device  210  comprises hardware and/or software and/or firmware, or a combination thereof, for processing data as will be described in greater detail below. 
     In some embodiments of the present technology, the communication network  240  is the Internet. In alternative non-limiting embodiments, the communication network  240  can be implemented as any suitable local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), a private communication network or the like. It should be expressly understood that implementations for the communication network  240  are for illustration purposes only. A communication link (not separately numbered) is provided between the electronic device  210  and the communication network  240 , the implementation of which will depend inter alia on how the electronic device  210  is implemented. Merely as an example and not as a limitation, in those embodiments of the present technology where the electronic device  210  is implemented as a wireless communication device such as a smartphone or a navigation device, the communication link can be implemented as a wireless communication link. Examples of wireless communication links include, but are not limited to, a 3G communication network link, a 4G communication network link, and the like. The communication network  240  may also use a wireless connection with the server  235 . 
     In some embodiments of the present technology, the server  235  is implemented as a computer server and may comprise some or all of the components of the computer system  100  of  FIG. 1 . In one non-limiting example, the server  235  is implemented as a Dell™ PowerEdge™ Server running the Microsoft™ Windows Server™ operating system, but can also be implemented in any other suitable hardware, software, and/or firmware, or a combination thereof. In the depicted non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the server is a single server. In alternative non-limiting embodiments of the present technology (not shown), the functionality of the server  235  may be distributed and may be implemented via multiple servers. 
     In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the processor  110  of the electronic device  210  can be in communication with the server  235  to receive one or more updates. The updates can be, but are not limited to, software updates, map updates, routes updates, weather updates, and the like. In some embodiments of the present technology, the processor  110  can also be configured to transmit to the server  235  certain operational data, such as routes travelled, traffic data, performance data, and the like. Some or all data transmitted between the vehicle  220  and the server  235  may be encrypted and/or anonymized. 
     It should be noted that a variety of sensors and systems may be used by the electronic device  210  for gathering information about surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the vehicle  220  may be equipped with a plurality of sensor systems  280 . It should be noted that different sensor systems from the plurality of sensor systems  280  may be used for gathering different types of data regarding the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . 
     In one example, the plurality of sensor systems  280  may comprise one or more camera-type sensor systems that are mounted to the vehicle  220  and communicatively coupled to the processor  110 . Broadly speaking, the one or more camera-type sensor systems may be configured to gather image data about various portions of the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . In some cases, the image data provided by the one or more camera-type sensor systems may be used by the electronic device  210  for performing object detection procedures. For example, the electronic device  210  may be configured to feed the image data provided by the one or more camera-type sensor systems to an Object Detection Neural Network (ODNN) that has been trained to localize and classify potential objects in the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . 
     In another example, the plurality of sensor systems  280  may comprise one or more radar-type sensor systems that are mounted to the vehicle  220  and communicatively coupled to the processor  110 . Broadly speaking, the one or more radar-type sensor systems may be configured to make use of radio waves to gather data about various portions of the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . For example, the one or more radar-type sensor systems may be configured to gather radar data about potential objects in the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220  and which data may be representative of distance of objects from the radar-type sensor system, orientation of objects, velocity and/or speed of objects, and the like. 
     It should be noted that the plurality of sensor systems  280  may comprise additional types of sensor systems to those non-exhaustively described above and without departing from the scope of the present technology. 
     Furthermore, the vehicle  220  is equipped with one or more Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems for gathering information about surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . The LiDAR systems may be in addition to, or in some cases instead of, the plurality of sensor systems  280 . A given LiDAR system  230  from the one or more LiDAR systems may be mounted, or retrofitted, to the vehicle  220  in a variety of locations and/or in a variety of configurations. 
     For example, a given LiDAR system  230  may be mounted on an interior, upper portion of a windshield of the vehicle  220 . Nevertheless, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , other locations for mounting the given LiDAR system  230  are within the scope of the present disclosure, including on a back window, side windows, front hood, rooftop, front grill, front bumper or the side of the vehicle  220 . In some cases, the given LiDAR system  230  can even be mounted in a dedicated enclosure mounted on the top of the vehicle  220 . 
     As mentioned above, the LiDAR system  230  may also be mounted in a variety of configurations. 
     In one embodiment, such as that of  FIG. 2 , the given LiDAR system  230  of the one or more LiDAR systems is mounted to the rooftop of the vehicle  220  in a rotatable configuration. For example, the given LiDAR system  230  mounted to the vehicle  220  in a rotatable configuration may comprise at least some components that are rotatable 360 degrees about an axis of rotation of the given LiDAR system  230 . It should be noted that the given LiDAR system  230  mounted in rotatable configurations may gather data about most of the portions of the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . 
     In another embodiment, such as that of  FIG. 2 , the given LiDAR system  230  of the one or more LiDAR systems is mounted to the side, or the front grill, for example, in a non-rotatable configuration. For example, the given LiDAR system  230  mounted to the vehicle  220  in a non-rotatable configuration may comprise at least some components that are not rotatable 360 degrees and are configured to gather data about pre-determined portions of the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . 
     Irrespective of the specific location and/or the specific configuration of the given LiDAR system  230 , the LiDAR system  230  is configured to capture data about the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220  for building a multi-dimensional map of objects in the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . How the given LiDAR system  230  are configured to capture data about the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220  will now be described. 
     LiDAR System 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , there is depicted a non-limiting example of a LiDAR system  310 . It should be noted that the LiDAR system  230  (see  FIG. 2 ) may be implemented in a similar manner to the implementation of the LiDAR system  310 . 
     Broadly speaking, the LiDAR system  310  may comprise a variety of internal components such as, but not limited to: (i) a light source component  312  (also referred to as a “radiation source component”), (ii) a scanner component  316 , (iii) a receiver component  318  (also referred to herein as a “detection system”), and (iv) a controller component  320 . It is contemplated that in addition to the internal components non-exhaustively listed above, the LiDAR system  310  may further comprise a variety of sensors (such as, for example, a temperature sensor, a moisture sensor, etc.) which are omitted from  FIG. 3  for sake of clarity. 
     In certain embodiments, one or more of the internal components of the LiDAR system  310  may be implemented in a common housing  340  as depicted in  FIG. 3 . In other implementations, at least the controller component  320  may be located outside of the common housing  340 , and optionally remotely thereto. 
     Light Source Component 
     The light source component  312  is communicatively coupled to the controller component  320  and is configured to emit radiation, such as a radiation signal in the form of a beam. In certain embodiments, the light source component  312  is configured to emit light. The light source component  312  comprises one or more lasers that emit light having a particular operating wavelength. The operating wavelength of the light source component  312  may be in the infrared, visible, and/or ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, the light source component  312  may include one or more lasers with an operating wavelength between about 650 nm and 1150 nm. Alternatively, the light source may include a laser diode configured to emit light at a wavelength between about 800 nm and about 1000 nm, between about 850 nm and about 950 nm, or between about 1300 nm and about 1600 nm. However, it should be noted that the light source component  312  may include lasers with different operating wavelengths, without departing from the scope of the present technology. In certain other embodiments, the light source component  312  comprises a light emitting diode (LED) or a fiber-laser. 
     In operation, the light source component  312  generates an output beam  322  of light. It is contemplated that the output beam  322  may have any suitable form such as continuous-wave, or pulsed. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the output beam  322  exits the LiDAR system  310  and is directed downrange towards the surroundings  250 . 
     Let it be assumed that an object  330  is located at a distance  390  from the LiDAR system  310 . It should be noted though, as will be explained below in greater detail, the presence of the object  330  and the distance  390  are not apriori known and that the purpose of the LiDAR system  310  is to locate the object  330  and/or capture data for building a multi-dimensional map of at least a portion of the surroundings  250  with the object  330  (and other potential objects) being represented in it in a form of one or more data points. 
     Once the output beam  322  reaches the object  330 , the object  330  may reflect at least a portion of light from the output beam  322 , and some of the reflected light beams may return back towards the LiDAR system  310 . By reflected is meant that at least a portion of light beam from the output beam  322  bounces off the object  330 . A portion of the light beam from the output beam  322  may be absorbed by the object  330 . 
     In the example illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the reflected light beam is represented by input beam  324 . The input beam  324  is captured by the LiDAR system  310  via the receiver component  318 . It should be noted that, in some cases, the input beam  324  may contain only a relatively small fraction of the light from the output beam  322 . It should also be noted that an angle of the input beam  324  relative to a surface of the object  330  (“angle of incidence”) may be the same or different than an angle of the output beam  322  relative to surface of the object  330  (“angle of reflection”). 
     The operating wavelength of the LiDAR system  310  may lie within portions of the electromagnetic spectrum that correspond to light produced by the sun. Therefore, in some cases, sunlight may act as background noise which can obscure the light signal detected by the LiDAR system  310 . This solar background noise can result in false-positive detections and/or may otherwise corrupt measurements of the LiDAR system  310 . Although it may be feasible to increase a Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the LiDAR system  310  by increasing the power level of the output beam  322 , this may not be desirable in at least some situations. For example, increasing power levels of the output beam  322  may result in the LiDAR system  310  not being eye-safe. 
     It is contemplated that the LiDAR system  310  may comprise an eye-safe laser, or put another way, the LiDAR system  310  may be classified as an eye-safe laser system or laser product. Broadly speaking, an eye-safe laser, laser system, or laser product may be a system with some or all of: an emission wavelength, average power, peak power, peak intensity, pulse energy, beam size, beam divergence, exposure time, or scanned output beam such that emitted light from this system presents little or no possibility of causing damage to a person&#39;s eyes. 
     As previously alluded to, the light source component  312  may include one or more pulsed lasers configured to produce, emit, or radiate pulses of light with certain pulse duration. For example, the light source component  312  may be configured to emit pulses with a pulse duration (e.g., pulse width) ranging from 10 ps to 100 ns. In another example, the light source component  312  may emit pulses at a pulse repetition frequency of approximately 100 kHz to 5 MHz or a pulse period (e.g., a time between consecutive pulses) of approximately 200 ns to 10 μs. Overall, however, the light source component  312  can generate the output beam  322  with any suitable average optical power, and the output beam  322  may include optical pulses with any suitable pulse energy or peak optical power for a given application. 
     In some embodiments, the light source component  312  may comprise one or more laser diodes, such as but not limited to: Fabry-Perot laser diode, a quantum well laser, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser, a distributed feedback (DFB) laser, or a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). Just as examples, a given laser diode operating in the light source component  312  may be an aluminum-gallium-arsenide (AlGaAs) laser diode, an indium-gallium-arsenide (InGaAs) laser diode, or an indium-gallium-arsenide-phosphide (InGaAsP) laser diode, or any other suitable laser diode. It is also contemplated that the light source component  312  may include one or more laser diodes that are current-modulated to produce optical pulses. 
     In some embodiments, the output beam  322  emitted by the light source component  312  is a collimated optical beam with any suitable beam divergence for a given application. Broadly speaking, divergence of the output beam  322  is an angular measure of an increase in beam size (e.g., a beam radius or beam diameter) as the output beam  322  travels away from the light source component  312  or the LiDAR system  310 . In some embodiments, the output beam  322  may have a substantially circular cross section. 
     It is also contemplated that the output beam  322  emitted by light source component  312  may be unpolarized or randomly polarized, may have no specific or fixed polarization (e.g., the polarization may vary with time), or may have a particular polarization (e.g., the output beam  322  may be linearly polarized, elliptically polarized, or circularly polarized). 
     In at least some embodiments, the output beam  322  and the input beam  324  may be substantially coaxial. In other words, the output beam  322  and input beam  324  may at least partially overlap or share a common propagation axis, so that the input beam  324  and the output beam  322  travel along substantially the same optical path (albeit in opposite directions). Nevertheless, in other embodiments, it is contemplated that the output beam  322  and the input beam  324  may not be coaxial, or in other words, may not overlap or share a common propagation axis inside the LiDAR system  310 , without departing from the scope of the present technology. 
     It should be noted that in at least some embodiments of the present technology, the light source component  312  may be rotatable, such as by 360 degrees or less, about the axis of rotation (not depicted) of the LiDAR system  310  when the LiDAR system  310  is implemented in a rotatable configuration. However, in other embodiments, the light source component  312  may be stationary even when the LiDAR system  310  is implemented in a rotatable configuration, without departing from the scope of the present technology. 
     Internal Beam Paths 
     As schematically illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the LiDAR system  310  may make use of a given internal beam path from a plurality of internal beam paths  314  for emitting the output beam  322  (generated by the light source component  312 ) towards the surroundings  250 . In one example, the given internal beam path amongst the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may allow providing the light from the light source component  312  to the scanner component  316  and, in turn, the scanner component  316  may allow the output beam  322  to be directed downrange towards the surroundings  250 . 
     Also, the LiDAR system  310  may make use of another given internal beam path from the plurality of internal beam paths  314  for providing the input beam  324  to the receiver component  318 . In one example, the another given internal beam path amongst the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may allow providing the input beam  324  from the scanner component  316  to the receiver component  318 . In another example, the another given internal beam path amongst the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may allow providing the input beam  324  directly from the surroundings  250  to the receiver component  318  (without the input beam  324  passing through the scanner component  316 ). 
     It should be noted that the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may comprise a variety of optical components. For example, the LiDAR system  310  may include one or more optical components configured to condition, shape, filter, modify, steer, or direct the output beam  322  and/or the input beam  324 . For example, the LiDAR system  310  may include one or more lenses, mirrors, filters (e.g., band pass or interference filters), optical fibers, circulators, beam splitters, polarizers, polarizing beam splitters, wave plates (e.g., half-wave or quarter-wave plates), diffractive elements, microelectromechanical (MEM) elements, collimating elements, or holographic elements. 
     It is contemplated that in at least some embodiments, the given internal beam path and the another internal beam path from the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may share at least some common optical components, however, this might not be the case in each and every embodiment of the present technology. 
     Scanner Component 
     Generally speaking, the scanner component  316  steers the output beam  322  in one or more directions downrange towards the surroundings  250 . The scanner component  316  may comprise a variety of optical components and/or mechanical-type components for performing the scanning of the output beam  322 . For example, the scanner component  316  may include one or more mirrors, prisms, lenses, MEM components, piezoelectric components, optical fibers, splitters, diffractive elements, collimating elements, and the like. It should be noted that the scanner component  316  may also include one or more actuators (not illustrated) driving at least some optical components to rotate, tilt, pivot, or move in an angular manner about one or more axes, for example. 
     The scanner component  316  may be configured to scan the output beam  322  over a variety of horizontal angular ranges and/or vertical angular ranges. In other words, the scanner component  316  may be instrumental in providing the LiDAR system  310  with a desired Region of Interest (ROI)  380 . The ROI  380  of the LiDAR system  310  may refer to an area, a volume, a region, an angular range, and/or portion(s) of the surroundings  250  about which the LiDAR system  310  may be configured to scan and/or can capture data. 
     It should be noted that the scanner component  316  may be configured to scan the output beam  322  horizontally and/or vertically, and as such, the ROI  380  of the LiDAR system  310  may have a horizontal direction and a vertical direction. For example, the LiDAR system  310  may have a horizontal ROI  380  of 360 degrees and a vertical ROI  380  of 45 degrees. 
     The scanner component  316  may be communicatively coupled to the controller component  320 . As such, the controller component  320  may be configured to control the scanner component  316  so as to guide the output beam  322  in a desired direction downrange and/or along a desired scan pattern. Broadly speaking, a scan pattern may refer to a pattern or path along which the output beam  322  is directed by the scanner component  316  during operation. 
     The LiDAR system  310  may thus make use of the scan pattern to generate a point cloud substantially covering the ROI  380  of the LiDAR system  310 . As will be described in greater detail herein further below, this point cloud of the LiDAR system  310  may be used to render a multi-dimensional map of objects in the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220 . 
     In operation, in certain embodiments, the light source component  312  emits pulses of light (represented by the output beam  322 ) which the scanner component  316  scans across the ROI  380  of the LiDAR system  310  in accordance with the scan pattern. As mentioned above, the object  330  may reflect one or more of the emitted pulses. The receiver component  318  receives or detects photons from the input beam  324  and generates one or more representative data signals. For example, the receiver component  318  may generate an output electrical signal (not depicted) that is representative of the input beam  324 . The receiver component  318  may also provide the so-generated electrical signal to the controller component  320  for further processing. 
     The Receiver Component 
     The receiver component  318  is communicatively coupled to the controller component  320  and may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, the receiver component  318  may comprise a photoreceiver, optical receiver, optical sensor, detector, photodetector, optical detector, optical fibers, and the like. As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the receiver component  318  acquires or detects at least a portion of the input beam  324  and produces an electrical signal that corresponds to the input beam  324 . For example, if the input beam  324  includes an optical pulse, the receiver component  318  may produce an electrical current or voltage pulse that corresponds to the optical pulse detected by the receiver component  318 . 
     It is contemplated that the receiver component  318  may be implemented with one or more avalanche photodiodes (APDs), one or more single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), one or more PN photodiodes (e.g., a photodiode structure formed by a p-type semiconductor and a n-type semiconductor), one or more PIN photodiodes (e.g., a photodiode structure formed by an undoped intrinsic semiconductor region located between p-type and n-type regions), and the like. 
     In some non-limiting embodiments, the receiver component  318  may also comprise circuitry that performs signal amplification, sampling, filtering, signal conditioning, analog-to-digital conversion, time-to-digital conversion, pulse detection, threshold detection, rising-edge detection, falling-edge detection, and the like. For example, the receiver component  318  may include electronic components configured to convert a received photocurrent (e.g., a current produced by an APD in response to a received optical signal) into a voltage signal. The receiver component  318  may also include additional circuitry for producing an analog or digital output signal that corresponds to one or more characteristics (e.g., rising edge, falling edge, amplitude, duration, and the like) of a received optical pulse. 
     Controller Component 
     Depending on the implementation, the controller component  320  may include one or more processors, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or other suitable circuitry. The controller component  320  may also include non-transitory computer-readable memory to store instructions executable by the controller component  320  as well as data which the controller component  320  may produce based on the signals acquired from other internal components of the LiDAR system  310  and/or may provide signals to the other internal components of the LiDAR system  310 . The memory can include volatile (e.g., RAM) and/or non-volatile (e.g., flash memory, a hard disk) components. The controller component  320  may be configured to generate data during operation and store it in the memory. For example, this data generated by the controller component  320  may be indicative of the data points in the point cloud of the LiDAR system  310 . 
     It is contemplated that in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller component  320  may be implemented in a similar manner to the electronic device  210  and/or the computer system  100 , without departing from the scope of the present technology. 
     In addition to collecting data from the receiver component  318 , the controller component  320  may also be configured to provide control signals to, and potentially receive diagnostics data from, the light source component  312  and the scanner component  316 . 
     As previously stated, the controller component  320  is communicatively coupled to one or more of the light source component  312 , the scanner component  316 , and the receiver component  318 . The controller component  320  may receive electrical trigger pulses from the light source component  312 , where each electrical trigger pulse corresponds to the emission of an optical pulse by the light source component  312 . The controller component  320  may further provide instructions, a control signal, and/or a trigger signal to the light source component  312  indicating when the light source component  312  is to produce optical pulses. 
     Just as an example, the controller component  320  may be configured to send an electrical trigger signal that includes electrical pulses, so that the light source component  312  emits an optical pulse in response to each electrical pulse of the electrical trigger signal. It is also contemplated that, the controller component  320  may cause the light source component  312  to adjust one or more characteristics of light produced by the light source component  312  such as, but not limited to: frequency, period, duration, pulse energy, peak power, average power, and wavelength of the optical pulses. 
     It should be noted that the controller component  320  may be configured to determine a “time-of-flight” value for an optical pulse based on timing information associated with (i) when a given pulse was emitted by light source component  312  and (ii) when a portion of the pulse (e.g., from the input beam  324 ) was detected or received by the receiver component  318 . 
     It is contemplated that the controller component  320  may be configured to analyze one or more characteristics of the electrical signals from the light source component  312  and/or the receiver component  318  to determine one or more characteristics of the object  330  such as the distance  390  downrange from the LiDAR system  310 . 
     For example, the controller component  320  may determine the time of flight value and/or a phase modulation value for the emitted pulse of the output beam  322 . Let it be assumed that the LiDAR system  310  determines a time-of-light value “T” representing, in a sense, a “round-trip” time for an emitted pulse to travel from the LiDAR system  310  to the object  330  and back to the LiDAR system  310 . As a result, the controller component  320  may be configured to determine the distance  390  in accordance with the following equation: 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   D 
                   = 
                   
                     
                       c 
                       * 
                       T 
                     
                     2 
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   ( 
                   
                     Equation 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     1 
                   
                   ) 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     wherein D is the distance  390 , T is the time-of-flight value, and c is the speed of light (approximately 3.0×10 8  m/s). 
     As previously alluded to, the LiDAR system  310  may be used to determine the distance to one or more other potential objects located in the surroundings  250 . By scanning the output beam  322  across the ROI  380  of the LiDAR system  310  in accordance with a scanning pattern, the LiDAR system  310  is configured to map distances (similar to the distance  390 ) to respective data points within the ROI  380  of the LiDAR system  310 . As a result, the LiDAR system  310  may be configured to render these data points captured in succession (e.g., the point cloud) in a form of a multi-dimensional map. 
     As an example, this multi-dimensional map may be used by the electronic device  210  for detecting, or otherwise identifying, objects or determining a shape or distance of potential objects within the ROI  380  of the LiDAR system  310 . It is contemplated that the LiDAR system  310  may be configured to repeatedly/iteratively capture and/or generate point clouds at any suitable rate for a given application. 
     It should be noted that a location of a given object in the surroundings  250  of the vehicle  220  may be overlapped, encompassed, or enclosed at least partially within the ROI of the LiDAR system  310 . For example, the object  330  may include all or a portion of a person, vehicle, motorcycle, truck, train, bicycle, wheelchair, pushchair, pedestrian, animal, road sign, traffic light, lane marking, road-surface marking, parking space, pylon, guard rail, traffic barrier, pothole, railroad crossing, obstacle in or near a road, curb, stopped vehicle on or beside a road, utility pole, house, building, trash can, mailbox, tree, any other suitable object, or any suitable combination of all or part of two or more objects. 
     Specific System Components 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , there is depicted an implementation of the LiDAR system  310  executed in accordance to a specific non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. 
     More specifically, in the LiDAR system  310  the light source component  312  comprises a laser  402  and a collimator  404 ; the scanner component  316  comprises an optical fiber  406  (also referred to herein as “first optical fiber”) communicatively coupled with the light source component  312  and arranged to transmit the output beam  322  from an input end  407  to an output end  409  of the optical fiber  406  along an optical axis of the optical fiber  406 , an actuator  410  for inducing movement in the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 , and a lens component  411  (also referred to herein as “optical lens”) configured to transmit the output beam  322  through the lens component  411  as a modulated output beam towards the ROI  380 ; and the receiver component  318  comprises an optical detector  416 . It is to be noted that other elements may be present but not illustrated for purposes of clarity. In use, actuation of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406  causes a modulation of a spread of the output beam  322  emitted to the ROI  380 , which will be described in further detail below. 
     The laser  402  is configured to generate the output beam  322 . In certain embodiments, the generated output beam  322  comprises a plurality of sequential output beams. Further, each output beam  322  may be collimated and/or modulated by the collimator  404 . As previously discussed, the LiDAR system  310  may make use of a given internal beam path from a plurality of internal beam paths  314  for emitting the output beam  322  towards the ROI  380 . In one example, the given internal beam path amongst the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may allow providing the collimated and/or modulated output beam  322  from the collimator  404  towards the optical fiber  406 . 
     The optical fiber  406  is configured to transmit the output beam  322  from its input end  407  to its output end  409  along an optical axis of the optical fiber  406 . The output end  409  of the optical fiber  406  is spaced from the lens component  411  by a focal distance  418 . The lens component  411  is arranged to diffract the output beam  322  such that an angular spread of the output beam  322  is increased. More specifically, the output beam  322  can be considered to be emitted from the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 , at time t 1 , with a first angular spread, Θ 1 . After diffraction by the lens component  411 , the output beam  322  has a second angular spread, Θ 2 , which is greater than the first angular spread Θ 1 . The LiDAR system  310  may be provided with one or more lens components  411  having different optical properties to one another and thus providing different second angular spread Θ 2 . A mechanism may be provided for switching between the different lens components and adjusting the focal distance  418 . 
     The actuator  410  comprises any component which can impart a movement (also referred to herein as “first optical fiber movement” and “optical fiber movement”) to at least the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406  to modulate the relative positions of the output end  409  and the lens component  411 . In this respect, the actuator  410  further comprises a fixing component (not shown) to fix the optical fiber  406  at a first fixing point  420  along a length of the optical fiber  406 . The first fixing point  420  defines a pivot point along the length of the optical fiber  406  fixing the optical fiber  406  at the pivot point and permitting movement of the optical fiber  406  at the output end  409 . In certain embodiments, the actuator  410  comprises a piezoelectric component which can induce movement through a change in shape induced by electrical current. The controller component  320  is communicatively connected to the actuator  410  and configured to send instructions to the actuator  410  in order to control its movement and hence the movement of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 . 
     The lens component  411  comprises any transmissive optical device, such as a lens or a prism, which can increase an angle of spread of the output beam  322  (such as by refraction to disperse the light). The lens component  411  can be a simple or compound lens. In certain embodiments, the lens is a diverging lens. In certain embodiments, the lens component  411  permits transmission of light in a plurality of directions. For example, the lens component  411  permits both the output beam  322  and the input beam  324  to be transmitted therethrough. 
     The optical fiber movement comprises a plurality of positions of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 . Three such positions, at times t 1 , t 2  and t 3 , for example, are illustrated in  FIG. 4 , but it will be appreciated that the present technology is not limited to the illustrated three positions and can include more or fewer than three positions. At time t 1 , the output beam  322  is emitted from the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406  with a first angular spread, Θ 1 , and after diffraction by the lens component  411 , the output beam  322  has a second angular spread, Θ 2 , which is greater than the first angular spread Θ 1 . At time t 2 , the optical fiber  406  defines a first angular spread, Θ 3 , on emission from the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 , and a second angular spread, Θ 4 , after diffraction by the lens component  411 , the second angular spread Θ 4  being greater than the first angular spread Θ 3 . At time t 3 , the optical fiber  406  defines a first angular spread, Θ 5 , on emission from the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 , and a second angular spread, Θ 6 , after diffraction by the lens component  411 , the second angular spread Θ 6  being greater than the first angular spread Θ 5 . 
     During the optical fiber  406  movement, a total spread of the output beam  322  emitted by the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406  is defined as a total first spread Θ Total1  After diffraction by the lens component  411 , a total spread of the modulated output beam is defined as a total second spread Θ Total2 . By means of certain embodiments of the present technology, the total second spread Θ Total2  is greater than the total first spread Θ Total1 . In this manner, the output beam  322  scanning the region of interest is enhanced. 
     The actuator  410  is arranged to move in any manner which can induce the movement of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 . In certain embodiments, the actuator  410  is arranged to induce a swinging motion, in at least a single plane, in the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 . In this respect, and as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , in certain embodiments the actuator  410  is arranged to move backwards and forwards in opposing directions, as indicated by the arrows, in a single plane. The single plane may be a vertical plane or a horizontal plane. In other embodiments (not illustrated), the actuator  410  is arranged to move in two planes which can induce a swinging motion in a vertical and a horizontal plane of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 . In such alternative embodiments, the actuator  410  can be implemented as a multi-component device, such as multiple piezoelectric components. 
     In certain embodiments, a plane of the total first spread Θ Total1  is the same as a plane of the optical fiber movement. In certain embodiments, a plane of the total second spread Θ Total2  is the same as the plane of the optical fiber movement. The total first spread Θ Total1  is between about 5 to about 40°, and the total second spread Θ Total2  is between about 5 to about 40° or more than about 5 to about 40°, in certain embodiments. 
     In embodiments in which the optical fiber movement is on two planes, the total first spread Θ Total1  may also be on two planes. The two planes of the optical fiber movement may be the same as the two planes of the first spread Θ Total1 . 
     Thus, due to the movement of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 , an increased total angle of spread of the output beam  322  transmitted to the ROI  380  can be obtained, which may then be utilized to derive multiple angular resolutions of the object  330  in the ROI  380 . As a result, in certain embodiments, a single LiDAR system  310  may scan and capture multiple angular resolutions of the object  330 . The number of LiDAR systems (or number of light sources and light detectors) required to scan an object can be minimized, thereby minimizing costs for operating the SDC and increasing a longevity of the LiDAR system due to fewer moving parts. 
     It is also contemplated that in certain embodiments, the LiDAR system  310  may be configured to rotate horizontally to scan the ROI  380 . In other embodiments, the light source component  312  may be configured to rotate horizontally to scan the ROI  380 . In this respect, one or both of the LiDAR system  310  and the light source component  312  may be positioned on a platform (not shown) configured to move horizontally. As an example, such a platform may be located inside the LiDAR system  310  or may be a part of the common housing  340 . In other embodiments, it is the scanner component  316  that is arranged to rotate horizontally. In certain embodiments, the horizontal rotation occurs simultaneously with the vertical and/or horizontal spreading of the output beam  322  created by the actuator  410  movement. 
     As previously discussed, the LiDAR system  310  may make use of a given internal beam path from a plurality of internal beam paths  314  for emitting the output beam  322  (generated by the light source component  312 ) towards the surroundings  250  and for receiving the reflected beams by the receiver component  318 . In  FIG. 4 , the output beam  322  incident on the ROI  380  at t 1 , t 2  and t 2  is represented as  322   t1 ,  322   t2 , and  322   t3 . It is contemplated that at least a portion of the output beam  322   t1 ,  322   t2 , and  322   t3  may be reflected by the object  330  in the ROI  380 . Such reflected portion of the output beam is the input beam  324  and represented at times t 1 , t 2  and t 3  respectively by input beam  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  which may return back towards the LiDAR system  310  and be captured by the LiDAR system  310  via the receiver component  318 . 
     In certain embodiments, the LiDAR system  310  may make use of another given internal beam path from the plurality of internal beam paths  314  for providing the input beam  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  to the receiver component  318 . In one example, the another given internal beam path amongst the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may allow providing the input beams  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  from the scanner component  316  to the receiver component  318 . In another example, the another given internal beam path amongst the plurality of internal beam paths  314  may allow providing the input beams  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  directly from the ROI  380  to the receiver component  318  (without the input beam  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  passing through the scanner component  316 ). 
     In at least some embodiments, a return pathway associated with the input beams  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  reflected from the ROI  380  towards the receiver component  318  may include a sub-portion that is a same path as one used by the output beams  322   t1 ,  322   t2 , and  322   t3 . As such, the return pathway may include the input beams  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  being incident on, and being reflected by, the lens component  411 . In other words, at least some of the output beams  322   t1 ,  322   t2 , and  322   t3 , and at least some of the input beams  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  may at least partially overlap or share a common propagation axis, so that they travel along substantially the same optical path (albeit in different directions). 
     In other embodiments, it is contemplated that the output beams  322   t1 ,  322   t2 , and  322   t3  and the input beams  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  may include a sub-portion that is a different path to one another. In other words, in certain embodiments, the input beams  324   t1 ,  324   t2 , and  324   t3  and the output beams  322   t1 ,  322   t2 , and  322   t3  do not overlap or share a common propagation axis inside the LiDAR system  310 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 5-13 , in which different embodiments of the internal beam paths  314  between the light source component  312 , the receiver component  318  and the scanner component  316  are illustrated, and more specifically different embodiments of the return path of the input beam  324 . The scanner component  316  comprises the actuator  410  and the lens component  411  as described above. In the illustrated examples, the input beam  324 , which comprises a reflected portion of the output beam  322 , passes through the lens component  411  and is directed to the receiver component  318  through a portion of the optical fiber  406 , and (ii) a return optical fiber  422 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate further the transmission of the output beam  322  and the input beam  324  of the LiDAR system  310  embodiment of  FIG. 4 . In these embodiments, the optical fiber  406  is used for both transmission of the input beam  324  and for transmission of the output beam  322 . An optical circulator  424  connects the optical fiber  406  to the return optical fiber  422  which in turn is communicatively coupled to the receiver component  318  ( FIG. 5 ). The optical fiber  406  in these embodiments comprises a single channel through which light may propagate. In certain embodiments, the optical fiber  406  has cladding  432  and core  434  structure through which light can travel in two opposing directions at any one time ( FIG. 6 ). The optical circulator  424  is communicatively coupled to the controller component  320 . The controller component  320  can cause the optical circulator  424  to control the direction of light propagation through the optical fiber  406 . In other words, the controller component  320  can cause the optical circulator  424  to redirect the input beam  324  to the return optical fiber  422 . In an output phase, the optical circulator  424  is configured to allow light to be transmitted in a direction from the light source component  312  to the scanner component  316 . In an input phase, the optical circulator  424  is configured to transmit light in a direction from the scanner component  316  to the receiver component  318  (from the scanner component  316  to the optical circulator  424 , and from the optical circulator  424  to the receiver component  318  via the return optical fiber  422 ). The controller component  320  can cause the modulation of the scanner component  316  between the input phase and the output phase based on one or more triggers. Such triggers include a timing of the emission of the output beam  322  by the light source, a position of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 , a position of the actuator  410 , a predetermined time, and a predetermined time interval, to name a few. 
     The embodiment of the LiDAR system  310  of  FIG. 7  differs from that of  FIG. 5  in that instead of the optical fiber  406  having a single propagation channel, a double channel optical fiber  436  is used for transmission of the input beam  324  and the output beam  322 . The double channel optical fiber  436  comprises two channels, one channel for propagation of the output beam  322 , and the other channel for propagation of the input beam  324 . As for the optical fiber  406 , the double channel optical fiber  436  is fixed at the first fixing point  420  and has an output end (not shown) which is arranged to be moved by the actuator  410 . The optical circulator  424  communicatively couples the return optical fiber  422  to the double channel optical fiber  436  ( FIG. 7 ). The cross-sectional structure of the double channel optical fiber  436  in certain embodiments is illustrated in  FIG. 8  and comprises a core  438 , an inner cladding  440 , and an outer cladding  441 . In certain embodiments, the core  438  is arranged to transmit the output beam  322 , and the inner cladding  440  is arranged to transmit the input beam  324 . The optical circulator  424  is arranged to redirect the input beam  324  coming from the scanner component  316  to the return optical fiber  422 . In an output phase, the optical circulator  424  is configured to allow light to be transmitted in a direction from the light source component  312  to the scanner component  316 . In the input phase, the optical circulator  424  is configured to transmit light from the scanner component  316  to the optical circulator  424 , and from the scanner component  316  to the receiver component  318  via the return optical fiber  422 . As before, the controller component  320  is configured to cause the modulation of the scanner component  316  between the input phase and the output phase based on one or more triggers. Such triggers may include a timing of the emission of the output beam  322  by the light source, a position of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 , a position of the actuator  410 , a predetermined time, and a predetermined time interval, to name a few. 
     In another embodiment, instead of the double channel optical fiber  436 , an optical fiber with three internal pathways (not shown) is provided for transmission of the input beam  324  and the output beam  322 . In such embodiments, a coupler may be used. 
     The embodiment of the LiDAR system  310  of  FIG. 9  differs from that of  FIG. 5  in that the optical fiber  406  is used for transmission of the output beam  322 , and the return optical fiber  422  (also referred to herein as “second optical fiber”) is used for transmission of the input beam  324  only ( FIG. 9 ). There is no shared pathway between the input beam  324  and the output beam  322 . In this respect, the return optical fiber  422  is communicatively coupled at an input end to the receiver component  318 , and at an output end to the scanner component  316 . In certain embodiments, the actuator  410  is coupled to the return optical fiber  422  for imparting a movement to the input end (“second optical fiber movement”). In certain other embodiments, the return optical fiber  422  is coupled to another actuator (not shown) for imparting the movement. The controller component  320  is configured to control the respective movements of the optical fiber  406  and the return optical fiber  422 , and in this respect, in certain embodiments, the movements of the optical fiber  406  and the return optical fiber  422  are coordinated. The movements of the optical fiber  406  and the return optical fiber  422  are simultaneous in certain embodiments. 
     The optical fiber  406  and the return optical fiber  422  may have any suitable configuration. On certain embodiments, the optical fiber  406  and the return optical fiber  422  each have the core  434  and the cladding  432  configuration ( FIG. 10 ) of  FIG. 6 . 
     The embodiment of the LiDAR system  310  of  FIG. 11  differs from that of  FIG. 9  in that instead of the single return optical fiber  422  communicatively coupled at one end to the receiver component  318 , there may be provided a plurality of return optical fibers  422  and a plurality of receiver components  318 . Each one of the plurality of return optical fibers  422  may be connected at one end to the scanner component  316 , and at their other respective end to the given receiver component  318 . The plurality of return optical fibers  422  may be configured as a fiber bundle or as a fiber array ( FIGS. 12 and 13 ). In yet further embodiments, the optical fiber  406  may comprise a plurality of optical fibers (not shown). The number of optical fibers and return optical fibers are not limited and may comprise any number suitable to the given application. 
     Any of the optical fiber  406 , return optical fiber  422 , and the double channel optical fiber  436  may also include an outer jacket layer which is not illustrated in the figures. 
     Turning now to the optical detector  416  of the receiver component  318 .  FIG. 14  depicts a representative implementation of an optical detector  416  executed in accordance to a specific non-limiting embodiment of the present technology. As depicted, in certain embodiments, the optical detector  416  employs a fiber optic array  450  and a plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N. The fiber optic array  450  comprises a plurality of optical fibers  454 . The plurality of optical fibers  454  associated with the fiber optic array  450  may be connected to the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N to form N optical paths  456 - 1 ,  456 - 2 , . . .  456 -N from the fiber optic array  450  to the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N. 
     In certain embodiments, the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N correspond, one-to-one, to the plurality of optical fibers  454  associated with the fiber optic array  450 , and each detector in the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N may be configured to receive the input beam  324  through the fiber optic array  450 . In other words, a given optical fiber  454  of the fiber optic array  450  is associated with a given detector of the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N, in a one-to-one relationship. In these embodiments, a given optical fiber and a given detector are connected by a given optical path. 
     In the above one-to-one arrangement of the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N and the plurality of optical fibers  454 , an increased density of data points in the given ROI  380  may be achieved, and hence an increased resolution of the object  330  in the ROI  380 , as will be described below. By increased density of data points in the given ROI  380  is meant an increased number of output beams  322  incident in the ROI  380  in a given time, and subsequently an increased number of data points defined in the ROI  380  in the given time. 
     In embodiments with the one-to-one arrangement, the controller component  320  may be configured to monitor which of the optical fibers  454  of the fiber optic array  450  and its associated detector is receiving which input beam  324 . With this monitoring process, the light source component  312  may be configured to emit the output beam  322  without waiting for the detection of the prior input beam  324 , resulting, in certain embodiments, in the increased density of the data points. 
     It is contemplated that in certain other embodiments, instead of a one-to-one relationship between optical fibers of the fiber optic array  450  and the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N, a subset of the plurality of optical fibers  454  associated with the fiber optic array  450  may have a common detector from the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N. In these embodiments, there would be a plurality of optical paths associated with a single detector. In such embodiments, reducing the number of detectors may also result in a costs saving. Also, in certain embodiments the common detector from the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N may require less power and space thereby, saving some physical space power requirement while implementing the LiDAR system  310 . 
     In certain embodiments, the optical detector  416  may also include an optical fiber connector  458  and a plurality of micro-lens  460 - 1 ,  460 - 2 , . . .  460 -N. The optical fiber connector  458  may be configured to connect the plurality of optical fibers  454  associated with the fiber optic array  450  to the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N to form the N optical paths  456 - 1 ,  456 - 2 , . . .  456 -N from the fiber optic array  450  to the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N. The plurality of micro-lens  460 - 1 ,  460 - 2 , . . .  460 -N may correspond, one-to-one, to the plurality of detectors  442 - 1 ,  442 - 2 , . . .  442 -N, and may be configured to converge the input beams  324  transmitted via the plurality of optical fibers  454  associated with the fiber optic array  450  to the corresponding plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N. 
     Turning now to the optical fibers  454 , it is contemplated that in certain embodiments, the plurality of optical fibers  454  may be constructed as the fiber optic array  450  in any manner, such as by laser welding, butt welding, soldering, or the like. Further, at least some of the optical fibers in the fiber optic array  450  may have a polarization-maintaining axis which is oriented or aligned based on positioning of the plurality of optical fibers. As an example, the polarization-maintaining axis of the optical fibers  454  are all aligned to be substantially parallel to a single plane. As such, the polarization-maintaining axis may assist the optical fibers  454  to control and maintain certain polarizations for example linear polarization. 
     The optical fibers  454  may have any suitable configuration. In certain embodiments, at least some of the optical fibers  454  may have a circular cross-section. In certain other embodiments, at least some of the optical fibers  454  may have a cross-section which is not circular, such as a polygonal (e.g., octagon, hexagon or other suitable polygon) shape, or a curved circumference having at least one flat (e.g., a flatted side on a circular cross section), or any other shape. The optical fibers  454  may have any suitable refractive index. 
     In certain embodiments, at least some of the optical fibers  454  may further include a filter, such as a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) filters (not depicted) to filter certain wavelengths of light. In certain embodiments, FBG filters reflect certain wavelengths of light and transmit other wavelengths. 
     It is contemplated that the individual optical fibers  454  in the fiber optic array  450  may be arranged in any manner such as in aligned rows, staggered rows, circular or spiral configuration, or the like. It will be appreciated that the physical characteristics of the fiber optic array  450  as well as the individual optical fibers  454  are not limited. Similarly, receiving ends of the plurality of optical fibers  454  associated with the fiber optic array  450  through which the input beam  324  is received can be arranged in any manner as a two dimensional array, such as with equal or unequal spacing. The fiber optic array  450  may have an equal or unequal number of receiving ends along an x-axis or a y-axis. 
     In certain embodiments, there is provided a receiving lens (not shown) configured to focus the input beams  324  to one of the receiving ends of the optical fibers  454  of the fiber optic array  450 . In certain embodiments, a distance between the receiving lens and one of the receiving ends of the optical fibers  454  of the fiber optic array  450  comprises a focal distance of the input beam  324 . The end face of the fiber optic array  450  may be on a focal plane of the receiving lens. Further, for a given detection time interval, the receiving lens may be configured to focus different input beams  324  to different receiving ends of the optical fibers  454  of the fiber optic array  450 . In this respect, in certain embodiments the receiving lens may be configured to move or tilt in a suitable manner such that at least one the input beams  324  may be focused on at least one of plurality of optical fibers  454 . The movement of the receiving lens may be controlled by the controller component  320 . 
     As previously discussed, in certain embodiments, the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N may be configured to detect at least an optical signal of the input beams  324  and produce a corresponding electrical signal. For example, if the input beam  324  comprises an optical pulse, the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N may detect the optical pulses and produce electrical signals such as electrical current or voltage pulses that correspond to the detected optical signals. 
     It is contemplated that the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N may be implemented as photodetectors with one or more avalanche photodiodes (APDs), one or more single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs), one or more PN photodiodes (e.g., a photodiode structure formed by a p-type semiconductor and a n-type semiconductor), one or more PIN photodiodes (e.g., a photodiode structure formed by an undoped intrinsic semiconductor region located between p-type and n-type regions), and the like. 
     Turning now to the controller component  320 , in certain embodiments, the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N are communicatively coupled to the controller component  320 . The controller component  320  is configured to receive the electrical signals from the plurality of detectors  452 - 1 ,  452 - 2 , . . .  452 -N and may be further be configured to analyse the electrical signals to detect the object  330  in the ROI  380 . It is contemplated that the controller component  320  may use any suitable techniques (such as, techniques based on determining “Time-of-Flight” as previously discussed) for detecting objects without departing from the principles presented herein. 
     The controller component  320  may further be communicatively coupled to the light source component  312  in such a manner that the controller component  320  may be configured to control the emissions from the light source component  312 . In one embodiment, the emission of the next output beam(s) after the emission of the output beam  322  may be coordinated with detection of the input beams  324  by the optical detector  416 . As such, the controller component  320  may be configured to cause the light source component  312  to emit the output beam(s) after the input beam  324  has been detected. In other embodiments, the light source component  312  may be configured to operate independently of the optical detector  416 . That is, the light source component  312  may emit the next output beam(s) without coordinating with the detection of the input beams  324  by the optical detector  416 . 
     Computer-Implemented Methods 
     Now turning to  FIG. 15 , a flowchart of a method  600  for detecting objects in a region of interest is illustrated, in accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present technology. 
     In some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the method  600  may be implemented by the controller component  320  communicatively connected to the LiDAR system  310 . As previously discussed, in at least some non-limiting embodiments of the present technology, the controller component  320  may include one or more processors and may be implemented in a similar manner to the electronic device  210  and/or the computer system  100 , without departing from the scope of the present technology. The method  600  begins at step  602 . 
     Step  602 : causing a radiation source to emit an output beam incident on a first optical fiber, the first optical fiber having an input end communicatively coupled to the radiation source and configured to transmit the output beam along an optical axis of the first optical fiber to an output end, the output beam at the output end having a first spread 
     At step  602 , the controller component  320  provides instructions, a control signal, and/or a trigger signal to the light source component  312  indicating when the radiation source component  312  (such as the light source component) is to emit the output beam  322  towards the optical fiber  406 . In one or more steps associated with the method  600 , the controller component  320  may be configured to cause the light source component  312  to emit the output beam  322  in certain conditions. Such conditions may include one or more of: upon operation of the vehicle  220  in self-driving mode; when the vehicle  220  is in motion irrespective of the driving mode; when the vehicle  220  is stationary; when the vehicle  220  is initially turned on; at a predetermined time or location; and based on a manual operation performed by a user operating the vehicle  220  etc. 
     Step  604 : causing an actuator coupled to the first optical fiber to impart a first optical fiber movement to the output end of the first optical fiber, the first optical fiber movement comprising a plurality of positions of the output end of the first optical fiber defining a total first spread of the output beam when the output end is moving; wherein an optical lens positioned by a focal distance from the output end of the first optical fiber is configured to transmit the output beam through the optical lens towards the region of interest and to cause the output beam to spread by a second spread of the output beam, the second spread being larger than the first spread, and a total second spread of the output beam when the output end is moving being larger than the total first spread. 
     In Step  604  of the method  600 , the processor causes the actuator  410  coupled to the optical fiber  406  to impart a movement to the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 . The movement comprises a plurality of positions of the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406  which define a total first spread Θ Total1  of the output beam  322  when the output end  409  is moving and in the plurality of positions. The output beam  322  is transmitted through the lens component  411 , which is positioned at a distance corresponding to the focal distance  418  from the output end  409  of the optical fiber  406 . The lens component  411  is configured to transmit the output beam  322  towards the ROI  380  and to cause the output beam  322  to spread by the second spread Θ 1′ , the second spread Θ 2′  being larger than the first spread Θ 1 . The total second spread θ Total2  of the output beam  322  when the output end  409  is moving is thus larger than the total first spread Θ Total1 . 
     In one or more non-limiting steps associated with the method  600 , the controller component  320  receives a detected optical signal from the input beam  324 , such as from the receiver component  318  or the optical detector  416 . In embodiments where the optical detector  416  is a fiber optic array  450 , the method  600  comprises determining an association between a given detector of the plurality of detectors  452 , the detected optical signal and a given output beam  322 . In certain embodiments in which the LiDAR system includes the optical circulator  424 , the method comprises causing the input beam  324  to be re-directed towards the receiver component  318 . 
     In one or more non-limiting steps associated with the method  600 , in order to determine the object  330  in the ROI  380 , the controller component  320  may be configured to determine a “time-of-flight” value for a light beam based on timing information associated with (i) when a given light beam (e.g. the output beam  322 ) was emitted by light source component  312 , and (ii) when a portion of the light beam was detected or received by the receiver component  318 . 
     In one or more non-limiting steps associated with the method  600 , the method  600  further comprises the processor selectively controlling the actuator  410  to modulate the optical fiber movement to control the angle of spread of the output beam  322  in the ROI  380 . 
     In one or more non-limiting steps associated with the method  600 , the processor may control the emission of a next output beam  322  after the emission of an earlier output beam  322  and such emission may be coordinated with detection of the input beam by the optical detector  416 . As such, the controller component  320  may be configured to cause the light source component  312  to emit the output beam  322  after the input beam  324  has been detected. 
     In one or more non-limiting steps associated with the method  600 , the light source component  312  may be configured to operate independently of the optical detector  416 . That is, the light source component  312  may emit the output beam  322  without coordinating with the detection of the input beam  324  detected by the optical detector  416 . 
     It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of the present technology aim to expand a range of technical solutions for addressing a particular technical problem, namely improving performance of a LiDAR system while reducing the hardware burden imposed on various LiDAR systems by incorporating MEM components and modulating the amplitude of oscillations associated with the MEM components for selectively controlling the intervals of the output beam(s). 
     Modifications and improvements to the above-described implementations of the present technology may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present technology is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims. 
     While the above-described implementations have been described and shown with reference to particular steps performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these steps may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered without departing from the teachings of the present technology. Accordingly, the order and grouping of the steps is not a limitation of the present technology.