Lidar sensor

Inventors: Albert Groening (Stuttgart, DE); Andre Albuquerque (Penalva do Castelo, PT); Frederik Ante (Lampertheim, DE); Stefan Spiessberger (Weinstadt, DE)

Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH

G01S7/481 G01S17/894 G02B27/0961

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12704599
App. No.: 18/155,870
Granted: Aug 11, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A lidar sensor. The lidar sensor includes a light source and a fly eye lens arrangement having a first microlens arrangement and a second microlens arrangement. The first microlens arrangement comprises a plurality of identical first microlenses stacked along a first axis. The second microlens arrangement comprises a plurality of identical second microlenses stacked along a second axis. The fly-eye lens arrangement is configured to generate, based on a light generated by the light source, a scanning beam for scanning an environment of the lidar sensor. The scanning beam includes a first sub-beam generated by the first microlens arrangement and a second sub-beam generated by the second microlens arrangement. Predefined optical properties of the first microlens arrangement and predefined optical properties of the second microlens arrangement differ from one another in order to generate a scanning beam having a predefined light intensity distribution.

Claims (29)

1 . A lidar sensor comprising:

a light source; and

a fly-eye lens arrangement including a first microlens arrangement and a second microlens arrangement, the first microlens arrangement including a plurality of identical first microlenses stacked along a first axis, and the second microlens arrangement includes a plurality of identical second microlenses stacked along a second axis, wherein the fly-eye lens arrangement is configured to generate, based on a light generated by the light source, a scanning beam for scanning an environment of the lidar sensor, which is composed of a first sub-beam generated by the first microlens arrangement and a second sub-beam generated by the second microlens arrangement, and wherein optical properties of the first microlens arrangement and optical properties of the second microlens arrangement differ from one another to generate the scanning beam having a predefined light intensity distribution;

wherein the optical properties of the first microlens arrangement and the optical properties of the second microlens arrangement that differ from one another include at least one of:

(i) diameters of the first microlenses and diameters of the second microlenses,

(ii) thicknesses of the first microlenses and thicknesses of the second microlenses,

(iii) curvatures of the first microlenses and curvatures of the second microlenses, or

(iv) main direction of emission of the first microlens arrangement and main direction of emission of the second microlens arrangement.

2 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first sub-beam generated by the first microlens arrangement has a divergence which differs from a divergence of the second sub-beam generated by the second microlens arrangement.

3 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first axis and the second axis are: identical, or arranged with respect to one another at a predefined angle and/or at a predefined parallel offset.

4 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first microlenses of the first microlens arrangement and/or the second microlenses of the second microlens arrangement:

feature an overlap along their axes, and/or

feature a focal point that is located in a region of a curved surface of the first and/or second microlenses.

5 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first sub-beam and the second sub-beam overlap, or do not overlap, in a subregion.

6 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first and/or second microlenses of the first microlens arrangement and/or the second microlens arrangement are each: spherical, or a spherical disk with point symmetry.

7 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the first microlens arrangement and the second microlens arrangement border one another in a longitudinal direction of the first and second microlens arrangements.

8 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a third microlens arrangement having a plurality of identical third microlenses arranged along a third axis, wherein the third microlens arrangement is inserted in a longitudinal direction:

between the first microlens arrangement and the second microlens arrangement, or

borders an exposed end of the first microlens arrangement or the second microlens arrangement.

9 . The lidar sensor according to claim 8 , wherein:

the third microlens arrangement features the same optical properties as the second microlens arrangement,

the second microlens arrangement borders one end of the first microlens arrangement, and

the third microlens arrangement borders the other end of the first microlens arrangement.

10 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein:

(i) the lidar sensor is a line scanner or a flash scanner, and/or

(ii) the fly-eye lens arrangement is formed as one piece or multiple pieces.

11 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the optical properties of the first microlens arrangement and the optical properties of the second microlens arrangement includes those optical properties that cause the first sub-beam generated by the first microlens arrangement to have a divergence which differs from a divergence of the second sub-beam generated by the second microlens arrangement.

12 . The lidar sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the predefined light intensity distribution is a non-uniform light intensity distribution.