Patent ID: 10564266

Abstract:
Large time-of-flight photodetector arrays can be expensive and one solution is to multiplex the detector array between several distinct fields of view, thereby increasing its utilization. In one embodiment, a vehicle-based distributed LIDAR is disclosed, comprising a plurality of coherent fiber optic image bundles (CFOBs) that transfer laser reflections from several fields of view (FOVs) around the vehicle to a shared remotely located detector array. An optical combiner functions to multiplex (e.g. timeshares) the FOVs from each coherent fiber bundle onto the remote detector array. Individual fibers in the CFOBs gather laser reflections from distinct portions of a FOV, thereby enabling correlation of the original reflection directions with fiber locations within a bundle. Unlike single fiber cables or incoherent multicore fiber cables, where the direction of incoming light is lost, the CFOBs transfer both the timing and direction of laser reflections from multiple FOVs to a shared detector array.