Non-uniform lidar beam configuration for object detection, tracking and classification
An apparatus has a collection of emitters on an emitter substrate with irregular distances between the collection of emitters to produce optical beams in a far field with a more even distribution than conventional optical beams in the far field produced by a conventional collection of emitters with regular distances between the conventional collection of emitters. A collection of receivers on a receiver substrate has irregular distances between the collection of receivers. A system substrate hosts the emitter substrate and the receiver substrate.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a collection of emitters on a planar surface of an emitter substrate with irregular distances between the collection of emitters to produce optical beams in a far field with a more even distribution than conventional optical beams in the far field produced by a conventional collection of emitters with regular distances between the conventional collection of emitters;
a collection of receivers on a planar surface of a receiver substrate with irregular distances between the collection of receivers; and
a system substrate hosting the emitter substrate and the receiver substrate;
wherein the emitters are colinear and the receivers are colinear;
wherein the irregular distance between at least a first pair of adjacent ones of the emitters is greater than 17% of a total vertical distance from a bottom of the emitter substrate to a distal emitter of the collection of emitters; and
wherein the irregular distance between at least a first pair of adjacent ones of the receivers is greater than 17% of the total vertical distance from the bottom of the receiver substrate to the distal receiver of the collection of receivers.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the irregular distances between the collection of emitters range between approximately 4% and 20% of the total vertical distance from the bottom of the emitter substrate to the distal emitter of the collection of emitters.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the irregular distances between the collection of receivers on the receiver substrate range between approximately 5% and 25% of the total vertical distance from the bottom of the receiver substrate to the distal receiver of the collection of receivers.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising additional sensors on the system substrate.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a processor on the system substrate.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising memory on the system substrate.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising power electronics on the system substrate.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising beam steering optical elements.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising emitter and receiver positions with different percentages of a ratio of a vertical distance to a lens focal length.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising emitter and receiver pairs using identical vertical distance ratios.