IP Library Granted Patent US 12,474,449
Granted Patent B2
US 12,474,449 · App. 17/955,261 · Granted Nov 18, 2025

Optical transmitting apparatus and electronic device

Inventors: Wenxiong Wei (Hangzhou, CN); Fan Wang (Hangzhou, CN); Feng Yu (Hangzhou, CN); Kai Yu (Hangzhou, CN); Chen Qiu (Hangzhou, CN)
Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
G01S7/4815G01S17/89G01S17/894H04N13/207
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,474,449
App. No.
17/955,261
Granted
Nov 18, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Optical transmitting apparatuses are disclosed. In in an implementation, an apparatus comprises an array light source that includes M*N light sources. An included angle between any column of light sources in the N columns of light sources and any row of light sources in the M rows of light sources is predetermined. The array light source is located on a first side of a collimating lens, a plane on which the array light source is located is perpendicular to an optical axis of the collimating lens, and a distance between the plane on which the array light source is located and a center point of the collimating lens is a focal length of the collimating lens. An rotatable scanning mirror is located on a second side of the collimating lens, and a center point of a reflective surface of the scanning mirror is on the optical axis of the collimating lens.

Claims (46)

1 . An optical transmitting apparatus, wherein a light beam emitted by the optical transmitting apparatus is irradiated on a target object and reflected by the target object, comprising: an array light source, a collimating lens, a rotatable scanning mirror, and an optical beam splitter, wherein

the array light source comprises M×N light sources having M rows and N columns, wherein both M and N are positive integers, wherein a spacing between two adjacent columns of the light sources, a spacing between two adjacent rows of the light sources, and an included angle between a column of the light sources and a row of the light sources are predetermined;

the array light source is configured to emit K light beams, K≥1, and K is a positive integer, wherein the array light source is located on a first side of the collimating lens, a plane on which the array light source is located is perpendicular to an optical axis of the collimating lens, and a distance between the plane on which the array light source is located and a center point of the collimating lens is a focal length of the collimating lens;

the collimating lens is configured to convert the K light beams into K first collimated light beams;

the rotatable scanning mirror is located on a second side of the collimating lens and configured to perform one-dimensional rotation, the optical axis of the collimating lens passes through a reflective surface of the rotatable scanning mirror, and the reflective surface is configured to reflect the K first collimated light beams into K second collimated light beams; and

the optical beam splitter is configured to receive the K second collimated light beams and split each of the K second collimated light beams into i third collimated light beams corresponding to i points of the target object, wherein i≥2, and i is a positive integer, and wherein the array light source and optical beam splitter are configured such that one light beam from a single light source corresponds to i pixels in a generated image.

2 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the optical beam splitter comprises at least one of a one-dimensional grating, a two-dimensional diffractive optical element, and a prism film.

3 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the one-dimensional grating configured to split one light beam into i light beams, wherein the i light beams have different propagation directions.

4 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the prism film, an incident surface of the optical beam splitter is a plane, and an exit surface of the optical beam splitter is of a prism film structure; and wherein the prism film structure comprises i beam splitting surfaces configured to split one light beam into i light beams, and the i light beams have different propagation directions.

5 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the two-dimensional diffractive optical element configured to split one light beam into a light beam matrix comprising i light beams.

6 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the included angle is an acute angle.

7 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical transmitting apparatus further comprises a controller connected to the rotatable scanning mirror;

the controller is configured to receive a control signal and transmit the control signal to the rotatable scanning mirror, wherein the control signal indicates the rotatable scanning mirror to adjust an angle of the reflective surface; and

the rotatable scanning mirror is configured to: (1) receive the control signal, and (2) adjust, based on the control signal, the angle of the reflective surface to adjust propagation directions of the K second collimated light beams.

8 . The optical transmitting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the rotatable scanning mirror comprises a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) reflector or a digital micromirror device DMD.

9 . An electronic device, comprising:

an optical transmitting apparatus, wherein a light beam emitted by the optical transmitting apparatus is irradiated on a target object and reflected by the target object; and

a receiving apparatus, configured to receive a light beam reflected by the target object,

wherein the optical transmitting apparatus comprises: an array light source, a collimating lens, a rotatable scanning mirror, and an optical beam splitter, wherein

the array light source comprises M×N light sources having M rows and N columns, wherein both M and N are positive integers, wherein a spacing between two adjacent columns of the light sources, a spacing between two adjacent rows of the light sources, and an included angle between a column of the light sources and a row of the light sources are predetermined;

the array light source is configured to emit K light beams, K≥1, and K is a positive integer, wherein the array light source is located on a first side of the collimating lens, a plane on which the array light source is located is perpendicular to an optical axis of the collimating lens, and a distance between the plane on which the array light source is located and a center point of the collimating lens is a focal length of the collimating lens;

the collimating lens is configured to convert the K light beams into K first collimated light beams;

the rotatable scanning mirror is located on a second side of the collimating lens and configured to perform one-dimensional rotation, the optical axis of the collimating lens passes through a reflective surface of the rotatable scanning mirror, and the reflective surface is configured to reflect the K first collimated light beams into K second collimated light beams; and

the optical beam splitter is configured to receive the K second collimated light beams and split each of the K second collimated light beams into i third collimated light beams corresponding to i points of the target object, wherein i≥2, and i is a positive integer, and wherein the array light source and optical beam splitter are configured such that one light beam from a single light source corresponds to i pixels in a generated image.

10 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein

the optical beam splitter comprises at least one of a one-dimensional grating, a two-dimensional diffractive optical element, and a prism film.

11 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the included angle is an acute angle.

12 . The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the one-dimensional grating configured to split one light beam into i light beams, wherein the i light beams have different propagation directions.

13 . The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the prism film, an incident surface of the optical beam splitter is a plane, and an exit surface of the optical beam splitter is of a prism film structure; and wherein

the prism film structure comprises i beam splitting surfaces configured to split one light beam into i light beams, and the i light beams have different propagation directions.

14 . The electronic device according to claim 10 , wherein the optical beam splitter is the two-dimensional diffractive optical element; and

configured to split one light beam into a light beam matrix comprising i light beams.

15 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the optical transmitting apparatus further comprises a controller connected to the rotatable scanning mirror;

the controller is configured to receive a control signal and transmit the control signal to the rotatable scanning mirror, wherein the control signal indicates the rotatable scanning mirror to adjust an angle of the reflective surface; and

the rotatable scanning mirror is configured to: (1) receive the control signal, and (2) adjust, based on the control signal, the angle of the reflective surface to adjust propagation directions of the K second collimated light beams.

16 . The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the receiving apparatus comprises a receiving lens and an image sensor, and an optical axis of the receiving lens is perpendicular to a plane on which the image sensor is located;

the receiving lens is configured to receive the light beam reflected by the target object and refract the light beam reflected by the target object into a refracted light beam; and

the refracted light beam is irradiated on the image sensor, so that the target object is imaged on the image sensor.

17 . The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein a distance between the image sensor and the receiving lens is less than twice a focal length of the receiving lens.

18 . The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein a pixel of the image sensor is E×F, wherein E and F are positive integers; and

the image sensor comprises j detectors, wherein j is a positive integer less than E×F.

19 . The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein each of the j detectors comprises at least one single-photon detector.

20 . The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein the receiving apparatus further comprises an optical filter;

the optical filter is disposed between the receiving lens and the image sensor, and the optical filter is parallel to the plane on which the image sensor is located; and

the optical filter is configured to filter out ambient light in the refracted light beam.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 20, 2025
From: WEI, WENXIONG; YU, FENG; YU, KAI
To: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072077/0697 →
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 20, 2025
From: WANG, FAN
To: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072608/0644 →
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Recorded Aug 20, 2025
From: QIU, CHEN
To: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 072742/0522 →
Priority Claims (2)
CN 202010246351.6 · Mar 31, 2020 · national
CN 202011511815.8 · Dec 18, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTCN2021079346 · Mar 5, 2021
Related Publication 20230026858A1 · Jan 26, 2023
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