Patent ID: 11320535

Abstract:
In an optical detection system, received light can be concentrated and presented to a single-pixel photodetector (or an array of relatively few photodetectors). Concentration of received light can be performed by curved concentrator such as a continuously-curved or faceted reflector. A portion or an entirety of the detector might be blinded (e.g., desensitized) by bright interferers such as the sun. An electro-optic shutter such as a liquid crystal (LC) structure can be used to selectively transmit or mask-off portions of the received light. For example, an LC structure can have regions of selectable opacity for a specified polarization of incident light. The LC structure can be controlled to render certain region opaque, such as to suppress interference from unwanted interferers such as the sun, bright lights, or unwanted reflections. An LC structure can also be used to implement a scanned transmit/receive technique.