Optical remote sensing

Abstract

An optical remote sensing system is provided, comprising: an emission channel support on which an input end of an emission fiber channel array is mounted; a beam steering device for scanning a light beam from a light source through the input end of the emission fiber channel array; a plurality of sensor sections, each sensor section being configured to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to: an output end of a corresponding emission fiber channel in the emission fiber channel array; and an input end of a corresponding first collection fiber channel in a first collection fiber channel array; a first photodetector configured to detect backscattered light beams propagating through the first collection fiber channel array to sense properties of the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor sections; and a fiber channel hub for passage of the emission fiber channel array and the first collection fiber channel array. A corresponding optical remote sensing method and a corresponding method for forming an optical remote sensing system are also provided.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to Singapore patent application No. 10201904334Y filed on May 14, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to optical remote sensing, and more particularly to an optical remote sensing system, an optical remote sensing method, and a method of forming an optical remote sensing system. Background Art

[0004] Remote sensing involves techniques for capturing attributes (also known as properties or characteristics) of a scene (e.g., attributes of objects in a scene or attributes of the environment in the scene) without physical contact. Remote sensing is generally divided into two categories, namely active remote sensing and passive remote sensing. For example, a color camera (e.g., an RBG camera) is a well-known device for passively sensing the color information of a scene, which can be seen through the limited field of view (FoV) of the camera lens. Typically, to obtain color information, the camera's charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor senses light within the wavelength range visible to the human eye reflected from the surface of an object. On the other hand, laser detection and ranging (LiDAR) is an example of an active remote sensing device that measures the distance to an object. Typically, a LiDAR device emits a light beam toward an object, and the backscattered light beam from the object is captured by the device's sensor. The time-of-flight (ToF) of the light beam (e.g., from the time the light beam is emitted to the time the backscattered light beam is received) can then be used to determine or estimate the distance between the object and the device.

[0005] Active and passive remote sensing devices are used for a wide range of applications. The distance range of the phenomenon being studied can be very short (e.g., a microscope) or very long (e.g., a telescope). Furthermore, the properties being measured can vary greatly depending on the sensing target. Examples of properties that can be measured optically include color, distance, temperature, roughness, vibration, and more. These sensors are also referred to as visual perception sensors.

[0006] Most visual perception devices measure an optical property of an object or medium under the assumption that the object or medium is confined to a finite volume and can therefore be observed through a limited Field of View (FoV). For example, the color, temperature, or distance of a person, a planet, or a microscopic specimen can be studied by pointing the sensing device at the object from a specific observation point. For example, the FoV can be adjusted (e.g., by changing the position of the lens) so that the phenomenon under investigation falls within the sensing device's sensing range (FoV and depth of field). In this case, the sensing device "sees" the phenomenon under investigation from an "external observation point." However, in certain specific applications, the spatial dimensions of the phenomenon under investigation are not finite. Therefore, in these applications, it is not possible to point the sensing device toward the phenomenon under investigation. An example of this is studying the visual properties of objects within the entire ambient scene (or entire space) surrounding a moving vehicle. From the perspective of the moving vehicle, the environment surrounding the moving vehicle is a collection of unknown objects located within the entire FoV surrounding the vehicle. In this case, because the phenomenon under investigation spans the entire perimeter of the observation point, the sensing device cannot fully sense the surrounding environment from a single observation point facing any specific direction. In this case, the sensor needs to sense the phenomenon under investigation from an internal observation point through the entire FoV. This is just one example to illustrate the need for visual sensing across the entire FoV.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to provide an optical remote sensing system and an optical remote sensing method that seeks to overcome or at least improve one or more deficiencies associated with conventional optical remote sensing systems and methods, such as, but not limited to, enhancing FoV capabilities, or otherwise being able to capture multiple attributes (i.e., multiple types of attributes) of a scene in an efficient and / or effective manner. Summary of the Invention

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical remote sensing system comprising:

[0009] A transmitting channel bracket, on which the input end of the transmitting optical fiber channel array is installed;

[0010] a beam steering device for scanning a beam from a light source to an input end of a transmitting fiber channel array mounted to a transmitting channel bracket;

[0011] A plurality of sensor sections, each sensor section being adapted to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to:

[0012] an output end of a corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel in the transmitting optical fiber channel array, the output end being used to transmit a light beam propagating through the corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel to a corresponding scene; and

[0013] an input end of a corresponding first collection optical fiber channel in the first collection optical fiber channel array, the input end being configured to receive a backscattered optical beam about a corresponding scene based on an optical beam emitted from an output end of a corresponding emission optical fiber channel;

[0014] a first photodetector configured to detect backscattered light beams propagating through the first array of collecting fiber channels to sense properties regarding corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions; and

[0015] A fiber channel hub for transmitting the fiber channel array and the first collecting fiber channel array through the fiber channel hub.

[0016] A length of the first collection fiber channel array between the fiber channel hub and the first photodetector is bundled to form a first collection fiber channel bundle.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical remote sensing method using the optical remote sensing system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method comprising:

[0018] The beam steering device scans the light beam from the light source to the input end of the transmitting fiber channel array mounted to the transmitting channel bracket;

[0019] emitting light beams propagating through the emitting optical fiber channel arrays from the output ends of the emitting optical fiber channel arrays to the corresponding scenes respectively;

[0020] receiving backscattered light beams related to corresponding scenes via the input end of the first collection optical fiber channel based on the light beams respectively emitted from the output end of the emission optical fiber channel array; and

[0021] The first photodetector detects backscattered light beams propagating through the first array of collection fiber channels to sense properties about corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions.

[0022] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical remote sensing method using the optical remote sensing system according to the first aspect of the present invention, the method comprising:

[0023] The beam steering device scans the light beam from the light source to the input end of the transmitting fiber channel array mounted to the transmitting channel bracket;

[0024] emitting light beams propagating through the emitting optical fiber channel arrays from the output ends of the emitting optical fiber channel arrays to the corresponding scenes respectively;

[0025] Based on the light beams emitted from the output ends of the transmitting optical fiber channel arrays, respectively, receiving backscattered light beams related to the corresponding scenes via the input end of the first collecting optical fiber channel array;

[0026] a first photodetector detecting a backscattered light beam propagating through the first array of collection fiber channels to sense properties regarding corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions;

[0027] receiving, via an input end of each third collection fiber channel array, a beam of light reflected or radiated with respect to a corresponding scene; and

[0028] The third photodetector detects the reflected or radiated light beams propagating through the corresponding third array of collection fiber channels to sense corresponding additional properties about the corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions.

[0029] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming an optical remote sensing system, the method comprising:

[0030] Providing a transmission channel bracket, the transmission channel bracket is equipped with an input end of a transmission optical fiber channel array;

[0031] providing a beam steering device for scanning a light beam from a light source to an input end of an array of transmitting fiber channels mounted to a transmitting channel bracket;

[0032] A plurality of sensor sections are provided, each sensor section being adapted to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to:

[0033] an output end of a corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel in the transmitting optical fiber channel array, the output end being used to transmit a light beam propagating through the corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel to a corresponding scene; and

[0034] an input end of a corresponding first collection optical fiber channel in the first collection optical fiber channel array, the input end being configured to receive a backscattered optical beam about a corresponding scene based on an optical beam emitted from an output end of a corresponding emission optical fiber channel;

[0035] providing a first photodetector configured to detect backscattered light beams propagating through the first array of collecting fiber channels to sense properties regarding corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions; and

[0036] A fiber channel hub is provided, the fiber channel hub is used for the transmission fiber channel array and the first collection fiber channel array to pass through,

[0037] A length of the first collection fiber channel array between the fiber channel hub and the first photodetector is bundled to form a first collection fiber channel bundle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] By way of example only, embodiments of the present invention will be readily understood and apparent to those skilled in the art from the following written description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0039] Figures 1A to 1C depicts a schematic diagram of an optical remote sensing system according to various embodiments of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2A and Figure 2B depicts a schematic flow chart illustrating an optical remote sensing method according to various embodiments of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 depicts a schematic flow chart illustrating a method of forming an optical remote sensing system according to various embodiments of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 4 A table summarizing some of the shortcomings associated with existing visual perception sensors is described;

[0043] Figure 5 depicts a schematic diagram of a single-beam probe-based optical remote sensing system according to various example embodiments of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 6 depicts a schematic diagram of an optical remote sensing system based on a multi-beam fiber optic probe according to various example embodiments of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 7 depicts a schematic diagram of another optical remote sensing system based on a multi-beam fiber optic probe according to various example embodiments of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 8 depicts a schematic diagram of yet another optical remote sensing system based on a multi-beam fiber optic probe according to various example embodiments of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 9 depicts a schematic diagram of another optical remote sensing system according to various example embodiments of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 10 A table comparing various LiDAR technologies and highlighting the limitations of FoV is shown;

[0049] Figure 11 A picture showing existing LiDAR technology, where the sensor probe can be mounted high on top of a mobile platform, but the sensor probe's FoV is still obscured by the body of the mobile platform;

[0050] Figure 12 A diagram showing existing LiDAR technology, where multiple sensors can be mounted around a mobile platform; and

[0051] Figure 13Depicted are schematic diagrams of a LiDAR-based optical remote sensing system implemented in a mobile platform and having an entire FoV surrounding the mobile platform, according to various example embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] As described in the background, conventional optical remote sensing systems may have a limited field of view (FoV), making these systems unsuitable for applications requiring FoV flexibility or requiring a large FoV (e.g., the entire FoV) relative to the observation point. Furthermore, conventional optical remote sensing systems may only be able to sense one attribute (i.e., one property) about a scene, such as color information or distance information of the scene. Accordingly, various embodiments of the present invention provide an optical remote sensing system and an optical remote sensing method that seeks to overcome or at least ameliorate one or more deficiencies associated with conventional optical remote sensing systems and methods, such as, but not limited to, enhancing FoV capabilities, or otherwise enabling the capture of multiple attributes (i.e., multiple types of attributes) of a scene in an efficient and / or effective manner.

[0053] Figure 1AA schematic diagram of an optical remote sensing system 100 according to various embodiments of the present invention is depicted. The optical remote sensing system 100 includes: an emission channel holder 104 having an input end of an array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e mounted thereon (i.e., an input end of each emission fiber channel 108e in the array 108); a beam steering device 112 for scanning a light beam from a light source 116 to (e.g., relative to) the input end of the array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e mounted to the emission channel holder 104; and a plurality of sensor portions 120, each sensor portion (also interchangeably referred to as a sensing portion) configured to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to: an output end of a corresponding emission fiber channel 108e in the array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e, the output end configured to transmit light through the corresponding emission fiber channel 108e to the corresponding scene (associated with the sensor portion 120). e; and an input end of a corresponding first collection fiber channel 124c in the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c, the input end being configured to receive a backscattered light beam related to a corresponding scene (associated with the sensor portion 120) based on the light beam emitted from the output end of the corresponding transmission fiber channel 108e; a first photodetector 128 configured to detect the backscattered light beam propagated through the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c to sense an attribute (e.g., also referred to as a property or characteristic, where appropriate) related to the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120 (respectively); and a fiber channel hub 132 for allowing the array 108 of transmission fiber channels 108e and the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c to pass through. Furthermore, a length of the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c located between the fiber channel hub 132 and the first photodetector 128 is bundled to form a first collection fiber channel bundle.

[0054] The optical remote sensing system 100 advantageously has an enhanced Field of View (FoV) capability in an efficient and / or effective manner. Specifically, the plurality of sensor sections 120 are advantageously configured to be respectively exposed to corresponding scenes, such as distributed across the surface of an object, whereby each sensor section 120 is oriented or configured to face a desired or predetermined direction. Thus, the corresponding fields of view (FoV) associated with the plurality of sensor sections 120 together provide a desired FoV associated with the optical remote sensing system 100 with respect to the object, whereby the desired FoV can be a portion of the entire FoV or the entire FoV. Thus, the optical remote sensing system 100 advantageously has an enhanced FoV capability. Furthermore, since the optical remote sensing system 100 includes the transmit channel support 104 and the fiber channel hub 132, the transmit channel support 104 being equipped with the input end of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e, and the fiber channel hub 132 being used for passing the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e and the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c, a length of the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c located between the fiber channel hub 132 and the first photodetector 128 is bundled to form a first collection fiber channel bundle, the optical remote sensing system 100 can achieve an enhanced FoV capability in an efficient and / or effective manner. These advantages or technical effects will become more apparent to those skilled in the art as the optical remote sensing system 100 is described in more detail according to various embodiments or exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0055] In various embodiments, a length of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e located between the transmit channel support 104 and the fiber channel hub 132 is bundled to form a transmit fiber channel bundle.

[0056] In various embodiments, the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c of the aforementioned lengths can extend from at least the fiber channel hub 132 (e.g., the first collection fiber channel outlets thereof) to the output end of the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c. In various embodiments, the array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e of the aforementioned lengths can extend from at least behind or adjacent the emission channel support 104 to the fiber channel hub 132 (e.g., the emission fiber channel entrances thereof). In various embodiments, the input ends of the array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e can be mounted to the emission channel support 104 in a spatially distributed manner (e.g., in a two-dimensional (2D) array) across a surface (the first surface or source beam receiving surface) of the emission channel support 104. Thus, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the array 108 of transmit fiber optic channels 108e extending from the transmit channel support 104 can be bundled starting only from where the transmit fiber optic channels 108e can be collected or held together (e.g., where practical, such as near the transmit channel support 104), and bundled to form a transmit fiber optic channel bundle.

[0057] In various embodiments, the plurality of sensor portions 120 are distributed (eg, spatially distributed) across the surface of the object such that the corresponding FoVs associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120 together provide a desired FoV associated with the optical remote sensing system 100 with respect to the object.

[0058] In various embodiments, the desired FoV is the FoV of at least substantially the entire surrounding scene around an axis of the object (e.g., but not limited to, the vertical axis of the mobile platform). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the aforementioned axis of the object is not limited to any particular axis of the object and can be any axis of the object that is desired or appropriate. In various embodiments, the desired FoV is the FoV of at least substantially the entire surrounding scene around multiple axes of the object, such as, but not limited to, three-dimensional (3D) axes, resulting in at least substantially the entire spherical surrounding scene around the object. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to any specific, dedicated, or predetermined position of the multiple sensor portions 120 across the surface of the object, as long as the multiple sensor portions 120 are configured or arranged across the surface of the object such that the corresponding FoVs associated with the multiple sensor portions 120 together provide the desired FoV associated with the optical remote sensing system 100 with respect to the object. For example, the final position of the multiple sensor portions 120 can depend on the shape or configuration of the object, such that the multiple sensor portions 120 are distributed across the surface of the object based on the shape of the object to achieve the desired FoV.

[0059] In various embodiments, the beam steering device 112 is configured to sequentially (i.e., one after another) scan the light beam from the light source to each input end of the transmitting fiber channel 108e. For example, since for each transmitting fiber channel 108e, the light beam received at the input end of the transmitting fiber channel 108e propagates through the transmitting fiber channel 108e and is output from the output end of the transmitting fiber channel 108e, which is connected to the corresponding sensor portion 120 for sensing the corresponding scene (having a corresponding FoV), in each scan, the light beam can be sequentially scanned to each input end of the transmitting fiber channel 108e to respectively sense the corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of corresponding sensor portions 120, thereby obtaining a desired FoV in each complete scan. In various embodiments, in each scan, the light beam can be sequentially selectively scanned to the selected input end of the transmitting fiber channel 108e to respectively sense the selected corresponding scenes associated with the selected corresponding sensor portion 120, thereby obtaining a desired (or selected) FoV associated with the selected corresponding sensor portion 120. For example, in various embodiments, while the optical remote sensing system 100 may be capable of providing an entire FoV about an object, the optical remote sensing system 100 may be controllable to selectively provide a selected FoV that is a subset of the entire FoV based on selectively scanning selected input ends of the transmit fiber channel 108e as described above.

[0060] In various embodiments, the optical remote sensing system 100 further includes a light source 116 for emitting a light beam having a wavelength suitable for sensing the aforementioned properties of the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120. Light of various wavelengths, respectively suitable for sensing various types of properties, is known in the art and, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, need not be described herein. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the optical remote sensing system 100 is not limited to any particular wavelength or wavelengths.

[0061] In various embodiments, the aforementioned attributes include distance information (e.g., the distance of an object in the scene), physical attribute information (e.g., the physical attribute of an object in the scene (e.g., roughness)), or state information (e.g., the state of an object in the scene (e.g., vibration level)). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the optical remote sensing system 100 is not limited to these types of attributes, and that other types of attributes that can be sensed remotely (e.g., based on active remote sensing) are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0062] In various embodiments, the optical remote sensing system 100 further includes a light source 116 for emitting a light beam having a plurality of wavelengths suitable for sensing a plurality of attributes (i.e., a plurality of types of attributes) regarding a corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120, each wavelength being suitable for sensing a corresponding attribute among the plurality of attributes regarding a corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120.

[0063] In various embodiments, the plurality of attributes are selected from distance information (e.g., the distance of an object in a scene), physical attribute information (e.g., the physical attribute of an object in a scene (e.g., roughness)), and state information (e.g., the state of an object in a scene (e.g., vibration level)). As described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the optical remote sensing system 100 is not limited to these types of attributes, and that other types of attributes that can be sensed (e.g., based on active remote sensing) are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0064] In various embodiments, where the light source 116 is configured to emit a light beam having a plurality of wavelengths suitable for sensing a plurality of properties about a corresponding scene, the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c is configured to receive a backscattered light beam having a wavelength corresponding to one of the plurality of wavelengths of the emitted light beam (e.g., a particular wavelength). In this case, as Figure 1B As shown, the optical remote sensing system 100 may further include an array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136c for each of the remaining one or more wavelengths of the plurality of wavelengths of the emitted light beam (for clarity and simplicity, Figure 1B Only one array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c is shown. Each array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c is configured to receive a backscattered light beam having a wavelength corresponding to a corresponding remaining wavelength (e.g., a specific corresponding remaining wavelength) among the plurality of wavelengths of the emitted light beam. In this case, each sensor section 120 of the plurality of sensor sections 120 is also connected to the input end of the corresponding second collection fiber channel 136 c in the array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c. In other words, for each array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c, the input end of each second collection fiber channel 136 c in the array 136 is connected to the corresponding sensor section 120.

[0065] In various embodiments, the optical remote sensing system 100 further includes a second photodetector 140 for each array 136 of the second collection fiber channels 136 c, each second photodetector 136 being configured to detect a backscattered light beam propagating through the corresponding array 136 of the second collection fiber channels 136 c to sense a corresponding attribute among the plurality of attributes of the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120. In other words, a second photodetector 140 may be provided for each array 136 of the second collection fiber channels 136 c (for clarity and simplicity, only the second photodetector 140 is shown in FIG. 1 ). Figure 1B A second photodetector 140 is shown to sense corresponding attributes about corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120 .

[0066] In various embodiments, the array 124 of first collection fiber optic channels 124c and the array 136 of each second collection fiber optic channel 136c can be used to collect backscattered light beams for active remote sensing, for example, backscattered light beams having different wavelengths (corresponding to the multiple wavelengths of the above-mentioned emission light beams, respectively) for respectively sensing different types of properties about the corresponding scene.

[0067] In various embodiments, each array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c is configured to pass through the fiber channel hub 132, and for each array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c, a length of the array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c between the fiber channel hub 132 and the corresponding second photodetector 140 is bundled to form a second collection fiber channel bundle. In various embodiments, the length can extend from at least the fiber channel hub 132 (e.g., from its corresponding second collection fiber channel outlet) to the output end of the array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c, in a manner similar to or similar to the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124 c described herein.

[0068] In various embodiments, such as Figure 1C As shown, the optical remote sensing system 100 may also include an array 144 of one or more third collection fiber channels 144c (for clarity and simplicity, only the third array 144c is shown). Figure 1C144c) is shown, with each array 144 of third collection fiber optic channels 144c configured to receive reflected or radiated light beams to sense corresponding additional attributes related to corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor sections 120. In this case, each sensor section in the plurality of sensor sections 120 is also connected to an input of a corresponding third collection fiber optic channel 144c in the array 144 of third collection fiber optic channels 144c. In other words, the array 144 of third collection fiber optic channels 144c can be provided to sense each specific corresponding additional attribute related to corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor sections 120. Furthermore, for each array 144 of third collection fiber optic channels 144c, the input of each third collection fiber optic channel 144c in the array 144 is connected to a corresponding sensor section 120.

[0069] In various embodiments, the additional attributes include color information (e.g., the color of an object in a scene sensed based on a light beam reflected from the object) or temperature information (e.g., the temperature of a medium or object in a scene sensed based on a light beam radiated from the object). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the optical remote sensing system 100 is not limited to these types of attributes, and that other types of attributes that can be remotely sensed (e.g., based on passive remote sensing) are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0070] In various embodiments, the optical remote sensing system 100 further includes a third photodetector 148 for each array 144 of the third collection fiber channels 144c, each third photodetector being configured to detect a beam of reflected or radiated light propagating through the corresponding array 144 of the third collection fiber channels 144c to sense corresponding additional properties of the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120. In other words, a third photodetector 148 may be provided for each array 144 of the third collection fiber channels 144c (for clarity and simplicity, only the third photodetector 148 is provided). Figure 1C A third photodetector 148 is shown to sense corresponding attributes of corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120 .

[0071] In various embodiments, each array 144 of third collection fiber optic channels 144c can be used to collect reflected or radiated light beams for passive remote sensing, for example, to respectively sense different reflected or radiated light beams regarding different types of attributes of a corresponding scene, such as collecting reflected light beams from an object to sense the color of the object or collecting radiated light beams from an object to sense the temperature of the object.

[0072] In various embodiments, each array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144 c is configured to pass through the fiber channel hub 132, and for each array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144 c, a length of the array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144 c located between the fiber channel hub 132 and the third photodetector 148 is bundled to form a third collection fiber channel bundle. In various embodiments, the length can extend from at least the fiber channel hub 132 (e.g., from its corresponding third collection fiber channel outlet) to the output end of the array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144 c, in a manner similar to or similar to the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124 c described herein.

[0073] In various embodiments, the Fibre Channel hub 132 includes a transmission fibre channel inlet for receiving the transmission fibre channel bundle 108 and a first collection fibre channel outlet for outputting the first collection fibre channel bundle 124. In this case, the array 108 of transmission fibre channels 108e is in an unbundled state after being received into the Fibre Channel hub 132 through the transmission fibre channel inlet, and the transmission fibre channels 108e in the array 108 of transmission fibre channels 108e are correspondingly allocated to the plurality of sensor sections 120 for connection to the plurality of sensor sections 120. Similarly, the array 124 of first collection fibre channels 124c is in an unbundled state before being output from the Fibre Channel hub 132 through the first collection fibre channel outlet, and the first collection fibre channels 124c in the array 124 of first collection fibre channels 124c are correspondingly allocated to the plurality of sensor sections 120 for connection to the plurality of sensor sections 120. The Fibre Channel hub 132 may further include a second collection fiber channel outlet for each array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c, and / or a third collection fiber channel outlet for each array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144 c. Similar to or identical to the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124 c, for each array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c, the array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c is in an unbundled state before being output from the Fibre Channel hub 132 through the second collection fiber channel outlet, and the second collection fiber channels 136 c in the array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136 c are correspondingly allocated to the plurality of sensor portions 120 for connection to the plurality of sensor portions 120. Similar to or identical to the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c, for each array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144c, the array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144c is in an unbundled state before being output from the fiber channel hub 132 through the third collection fiber channel outlet, and the third collection fiber channels 144c in the array 144 of third collection fiber channels 144c are correspondingly allocated to multiple sensor parts 120 to be connected to the multiple sensor parts 120.

[0074] In various embodiments, the transmit channel support 104 includes a housing (e.g., a partial housing) that is at least partially (or partially) spherical, and the input ends of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e are mounted through the housing so as to be exposed from the inner side 152 of the housing. As described above, the input ends of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e can be mounted to the transmit channel support 104 in a spatially distributed manner (e.g., a two-dimensional (2D) array) across a surface (a first surface or light source beam receiving surface, i.e., corresponding to the inner side 152) of the transmit channel support 104. In this case, those skilled in the art will understand that the input ends of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e can be spatially distributed in any desired or appropriate manner, such as based on or in cooperation with a beam steering device so that the beam steering device 112 can scan the beam from the light source 116 to the input ends of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e in a desired or appropriate manner.

[0075] In various embodiments, each transmit fiber channel 108e in the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e includes a fiber optic line (e.g., one or more fiber optic lines), and each first collection fiber channel 124c in the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c includes a fiber optic line (e.g., one or more fiber optic lines). Similarly, in various embodiments, each second collection fiber channel 136c in the array 136 of second collection fiber channels 136c includes a fiber optic line (e.g., one or more fiber optic lines), and / or each third collection fiber channel 144c in the array 144 of third collection fiber channels 124c includes a fiber optic line (e.g., one or more fiber optic lines).

[0076] In various embodiments, the light beam from the light source 116 is a laser beam.

[0077] In various embodiments, the beam steering device 104 is a motorless beam steering device.

[0078] In various embodiments, the above-mentioned properties include distance information, and the optical remote sensing system 100 also includes a sensing information processing module, which is used to generate point cloud data based on the distance information about the corresponding scenes associated with the multiple sensor parts 120 detected by the first photodetector 128.

[0079] In various embodiments, for example, in the case of sensing multiple attributes (i.e., multiple types of attributes) regarding a corresponding scene associated with multiple sensor parts 120, the above-mentioned attributes include distance information, and the optical remote sensing system 100 also includes a sensing information processing module, which is used to generate point cloud data based on the distance information regarding the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts 120 detected by the first photodetector 128, and associate each data point in the point cloud data with a corresponding additional attribute, which corresponds to the data point regarding the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts 120 detected by the third photodetector 148 of the array 144 for each of the above-mentioned third collection optical fiber channels 144c. For example, but not by way of limitation, when the multiple attributes include distance information, color information, and temperature information, point cloud data can be generated based on the distance information about the corresponding scenes associated with the multiple sensor portions 120 detected by the first photodetector 128. Furthermore, for each data point in the point cloud data, the data point is associated with the corresponding color information and temperature information about the corresponding scenes associated with the multiple sensor portions 120 detected by the third photodetector 148 of the array 144 for each of the third collection fiber channels 144 c. Therefore, according to various embodiments of the present invention, point cloud data with one or more additional attributes about the corresponding scenes associated with the multiple sensor portions 120 can be advantageously obtained, and such point cloud data with one or more additional attributes can be referred to herein as multi-dimensional point cloud data.

[0080] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various techniques for generating point cloud data based on distance information (eg, based on LiDAR) are known in the art, and therefore, for the sake of brevity and clarity, these techniques need not be described in detail herein.

[0081] Those skilled in the art will understand that at least one processor can be used to perform the desired function or operation through an instruction set (e.g., a software module), and the instruction set can be executed by the at least one processor to perform the desired function or operation. Thus, for example, a sensing information processing module (or a sensing information processing circuit) can be used to generate the above-mentioned point cloud data based on the distance information. As another example, as described above according to various embodiments of the present invention, a beam steering controller module (or a beam steering controller circuit) can be provided and used to control the beam steering device 112 to scan the light beam from the light source to (or relative to) the input end of the emission fiber channel 108e in a specific or desired manner. For example, the sensing information processing module and the beam steering controller module can each be implemented as an executable software program, which can be stored in a memory and can be executed by at least one processor to perform the functions / operations described herein according to various embodiments.

[0082] In various embodiments, a "circuit" may be understood as any type of logical implementation entity, and a "circuit" may be a dedicated circuit or processor that executes software stored in memory, firmware, or any combination thereof. Thus, in an embodiment, a "circuit" may be a hard-wired logic circuit or a programmable logic circuit, such as a programmable processor (e.g., a microprocessor (e.g., a complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor or a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor)). A "circuit" may also be a processor that executes software (e.g., any type of computer program (e.g., a computer program using a virtual machine code (e.g., Java))). Any other type of implementation of the various functions described in more detail below may also be understood as a "circuit" according to various alternative embodiments. Similarly, a "module" may be part of a system according to various embodiments of the present invention and may include a "circuit" as described above, or may be understood as any type of logical implementation entity therein.

[0083] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various modules described herein (e.g., the sensing information processing module and / or the beam steering controller module) can be software modules implemented by computer programs or instruction sets that can be executed by a computer processor to perform the desired functions, or can be hardware modules that are functional hardware units designed to perform the desired functions. It will also be understood that a combination of hardware and software modules can be implemented.

[0084] In various embodiments, a computer program product is provided, which is implemented in one or more computer-readable storage media (non-transitory computer-readable storage media) and includes instructions that can be executed by one or more computer processors (for example, a sensing information processing module or a beam steering controller module) to generate the above-mentioned point cloud data based on distance information according to various embodiments.

[0085] Figure 2A A schematic flow chart illustrating a method 200 of optical remote sensing according to various embodiments is depicted, wherein the method 200 uses the optical remote sensing apparatus described above (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 1 ) according to various embodiments. Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B ,as well as Figure 1CThe optical remote sensing system 100 of any one of the foregoing claims. The method 200 includes: the beam steering device 112 scanning (at 202) a light beam from the light source 116 through (e.g., relative to) an input end of an array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e mounted to a transmit channel bracket 104; emitting (at 204) light beams propagating through the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e from output ends of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e toward corresponding scenes; receiving (at 206) backscattered light beams regarding corresponding scenes via an input end of the array 124 of first collection optical fibers 124c based on the light beams respectively emitted from the output ends of the array 108 of transmit fiber channels 108e; and the first photodetector 128 detecting (at 208) the backscattered light beams propagating through the array 124 of first collection optical fibers 124c to sense attributes (e.g., properties or characteristics, where appropriate) regarding corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120 (respectively).

[0086] In various embodiments, the optical remote sensing method 200 is similar to the method described above (e.g., with reference to FIG. Figure 1A ), and therefore, the various steps or operations of the method 200 may correspond to the various functions or operations performed by the various components (or elements) of the optical remote sensing system 100 as described above according to various embodiments, and therefore, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, there is no need to repeat them with respect to the method 200. In other words, in the context of the optical remote sensing system 100 (e.g., with reference to Figure 1A ) The various embodiments described herein are similarly valid for the method 200 of optical remote sensing, and vice versa.

[0087] In various embodiments, scanning (at 202) the light beam as described above includes sequentially (ie, one after the other) scanning the light beam from the light source 116 to each input end of the array 108 of the emission fiber channels 108e.

[0088] In various embodiments, the light beam emitted from the light source 116 has a wavelength suitable for sensing the aforementioned properties of the corresponding scene. In various embodiments, the aforementioned properties include distance information (e.g., the distance of an object in the scene), physical property information (e.g., a physical property of an object in the scene (e.g., roughness)), or state information (e.g., the state of an object in the scene (e.g., vibration level)). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method 200 of optical remote sensing is not limited to these types of properties, and that other types of properties that can be sensed remotely (e.g., based on active remote sensing) are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0089] In various embodiments, the attributes include distance information, and the method 200 further includes generating point cloud data based on the distance information detected by the first photodetector 128 regarding corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions 120 .

[0090] Figure 2B A schematic flow chart illustrating a method 250 of optical remote sensing according to various embodiments is depicted, the method using a method as described above (e.g., as described above with reference to Figure 1C The method 250 includes: the beam steering device 112 scans (at 252) a light beam from the light source 116 through (e.g., relative to) an input end of the array 108 of the transmitting fiber channels 108e mounted to the transmitting channel bracket 104; emitting (at 254) light beams propagating through the array 108 of the transmitting fiber channels 108e toward corresponding scenes from the output ends of the array 108 of the transmitting fiber channels 108e; and receiving (at 256) backscattered images of the corresponding scenes via the input end of the array 124 of the first collecting fiber channels 124c based on the light beams emitted from the output ends of the array 108 of the transmitting fiber channels 108e. The first photodetector 128 detects (at 258) the backscattered light beam propagated through the array 124 of the first collection fiber optic channels 124c to sense the attributes of the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts 120; the input end of each of the above-mentioned third collection fiber optic channels receives (at 260) the reflected or radiated light beam of the corresponding scene; the third photodetector 148 detects (at 262) the reflected or radiated light beam propagated through the corresponding array 144 of the third collection fiber optic channels 144c to sense the corresponding additional attributes of the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts 120.

[0091] In various embodiments, the optical remote sensing method 250 is similar to the method described above (e.g., with reference to FIG. 1 ) according to various embodiments. Figure 1C ), and therefore, the various steps or operations of the method 250 may correspond to the various functions or operations performed by the various components (or elements) of the optical remote sensing system 100 as described above according to various embodiments, and therefore, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, there is no need to repeat the method 250. In other words, in the context of the optical remote sensing system 100 (e.g., with reference to Figure 1C ) The various embodiments described herein are similarly valid for the method 250 of optical remote sensing, and vice versa.

[0092] In various embodiments, scanning (at 252) the light beam as described above includes sequentially (ie, one after the other) scanning the light beam from the light source to each input end of the array 108 of the emission fiber channels 108e.

[0093] In various embodiments, the light beam emitted from the light source 116 has a wavelength suitable for sensing the aforementioned properties about the corresponding scene. In various embodiments, the aforementioned properties include distance information (e.g., the distance of an object in the scene), physical property information (e.g., the physical property of an object in the scene (e.g., roughness)), or state information (e.g., the state of an object in the scene (e.g., vibration level)). In various embodiments, the aforementioned additional properties include color information (e.g., the color of an object in the scene sensed based on a light beam reflected from the object) or temperature information (e.g., the temperature of a medium or object in the scene sensed based on a light beam radiated from the object). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method 250 of optical remote sensing is not limited to these types of properties, and that other types of properties that can be sensed (e.g., based on active and / or passive remote sensing) are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0094] In various embodiments, the above-mentioned attributes include distance information, and the method 250 also includes generating point cloud data based on the above-mentioned distance information regarding the corresponding scenes associated with the multiple sensor parts 120 detected by the first photodetector 128, and associating each data point in the point cloud data with a corresponding additional attribute, which corresponds to the data point regarding the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts 120 detected by the third photodetector 148 of the array 144 for each of the above-mentioned third collection fiber optic channels 144c.

[0095] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart illustrating a method 300 of forming an optical remote sensing system according to various embodiments of the present invention is depicted, the optical remote sensing system being, for example, the optical remote sensing system described above with reference to FIG. Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B ,as well as Figure 1CThe optical remote sensing system 100 of any one of the methods 300 includes: providing (at 302) an emission channel holder 104, the emission channel holder 104 being mounted with an input end of an array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e; providing (at 304) a beam steering device 112, the beam steering device 112 being used to scan a light beam from a light source to (relative to) the input end of the array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e mounted to the emission channel holder 104; providing (306) a plurality of sensor portions 120, each sensor portion 120 being used to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to: an output end of a corresponding emission fiber channel 108e in the array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e, the output end being used to transmit a light beam propagating through the corresponding emission fiber channel 108e to the corresponding scene; and an input end of a corresponding first collection fiber channel 124c in the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c, the input end being configured to receive a backscattered light beam related to a corresponding scene based on the light beam emitted from the output end of the corresponding emission fiber channel 108e; providing (at 308) a first photodetector 128, the first photodetector 128 being configured to detect the backscattered light beam propagating through the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c to sense a property related to a corresponding scene associated with a plurality of sensor portions (respectively); and providing (310) a fiber channel hub 132, the fiber channel hub 132 being configured to pass through the array 108 of emission fiber channels 108e and the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c. In addition, a length of the array 124 of first collection fiber channels 124c located between the fiber channel hub 132 and the first photodetector 128 is bundled to form a first collection fiber channel bundle.

[0096] In various embodiments, method 300 is used to form the Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B ,as well as Figure 1C Thus, various steps or operations of method 300 may correspond to various components or elements of forming, providing, or configuring the optical remote sensing system 100 as described above according to various embodiments, and therefore, for the sake of clarity and conciseness, such corresponding steps or operations need not be repeated with respect to method 300. In other words, various embodiments herein described in the context of the optical remote sensing system 100 are similarly valid for method 300 (e.g., for forming the optical remote sensing system 100 having the various components and configurations described above according to various embodiments), and vice versa.

[0097] Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms used herein are used only to describe various embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when used in this specification, the term "comprising" specifies the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groupings thereof.

[0098] In order to facilitate understanding and implementation of the present invention, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below by way of example only and not limitation. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a variety of different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments given below. On the contrary, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0099] In various applications, it may be desirable to sense multiple optical / visual properties (i.e., multiple types of properties) of a scene. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are various different types of properties of a scene that can be sensed by an optical remote sensing system. According to various example embodiments, preferred types of properties of a scene that are sensed may include color, depth (or distance), and / or temperature, and these properties will be further described below by way of example only. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to these particular types of properties of a scene, and that other types of properties of a scene (in addition to or in place of one or more of the aforementioned particular types of properties) may be sensed by the optical remote sensing system 100 as desired or appropriate, such as, but not limited to, roughness, smoothness, transparency, vibration, and the like, without exceeding the scope of the present invention.

[0100] Color cameras are a well-known sensor for visual perception. This is primarily because they are perhaps the most basic, readily available, and inexpensive commercial camera that can produce images understandable to the human eye. Basic RGB cameras produce two-dimensional (2D) images. If the camera is equipped with a lens, the output image will be distorted based on the properties of the lens. Basic cameras have many limitations, including:

[0101] Limited FoV (e.g. due to the natural limitations of existing photosensor arrays);

[0102] Distortion (lens effect);

[0103] Lack of depth information (except at very short range and limited to a certain depth of field);

[0104] Sensitivity to lighting conditions; and

[0105] Limited depth of field (due to the lens, only objects within a certain range or depth may be in focus; the rest of the image may be blurry).

[0106] Regarding the limitations of FoV, various remedies have been previously disclosed, including:

[0107] Combined with a panoramic lens (covering the entire azimuth FoV);

[0108] Combining parabolic and hyperbolic reflectors (extending FoV in azimuth and altitude); and

[0109] Calibrate multiple cameras facing different directions.

[0110] Regarding distortion, software techniques can be applied to compensate for it. For example, if the camera is equipped with a microprocessor, lens effects might be compensated. It's also possible to address this issue at a higher level of programming, provided the software developer knows the lens's properties.

[0111] Regarding the lack of depth information, stereo vision can be applied. This is a technique for estimating depth information based on two properly calibrated cameras. For example, this estimation can be accurate within a limited range (typically 2 to 10 meters). There are also other depth measurement techniques based on complementary active sensors.

[0112] Regarding sensitivity to lighting conditions, cameras are typically very sensitive to these conditions. For example, the image captured by a camera in direct sunlight will look very different from that captured in a dark environment. Some compensation can be achieved by automatically sensing the ambient light intensity and applying an external flash. However, when visible light flicker is undesirable (such as in military applications), or when the desired object is partially in direct sunlight and partially in shadow, compensation without active measurement techniques becomes very challenging.

[0113] Regarding the limited depth of field, a natural drawback of combining lenses is their limited depth of field. In this case, only objects within a limited depth are in focus, while the rest of the image may be blurred. For example, by adding a microlens array to a camera, it is possible to capture the entire depth of field and refocus any part of the image after the scene is captured, or reconstruct an image in focus across all pixels. However, to simultaneously extend both the FoV and the depth of field, images from, for example, dozens of cameras need to be combined and processed simultaneously. As a result, the resulting capture equipment becomes bulky, and the measurable range remains limited to a few meters.

[0114] LiDAR is a sensor that estimates the distance to a surface by measuring the time of flight (ToF) of a light beam that is scattered after hitting the surface. LiDAR can measure short distances (e.g., sub-centimeter) and long distances (e.g., several kilometers) with an accuracy down to the micrometer (μm) range. While the emitted light beam can be selected from a wide range of light spectra, wavelengths of 905nm or 1550nm are typically used for this purpose.

[0115] There are also planar LiDAR or 2D LiDAR. While a single LiDAR module can be used to measure the distance to a single point on an object, it is possible to mount the module on a rotating platform and scan a portion of the plane by appropriately recording sensor readings at different angles (e.g., different rotation steps of the motor). However, incorporating a motor can have undesirable consequences, such as: · Undesirable vibrations of the sensor;

[0116] Lifespan (durability) concerns (when the sensor is mounted on a shaky / highly dynamic platform);

[0117] ·overweight;

[0118] Oversized; and

[0119] Scan rate limit.

[0120] In multi-plane LiDAR, an array of linearly or radially arranged LiDAR modules can be rotated on a rotating platform to scan a portion of a cylinder or sphere.

[0121] In three-dimensional (3D) LiDAR, similar to the concept of plane scanning, the LiDAR module can be oriented in different spatial directions to scan the 3D scene. However, motorized designs are either too slow, bulky, or the scanning output is sparse and uneven. On the other hand, traditional designs based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) or phased array beam steering technology may limit the FoV. A recent 3D scanning method is based on combining a diffuse lens and generating images through a photodiode array. Although this technology can, for example, expand the FoV, it cannot be extended to the sides and back of the sensor.

[0122] An active RGB camera, which may also be referred to as a color LiDAR, has been disclosed. Although color cameras are often referred to as passive sensors, active measurement techniques have been incorporated into color cameras to collect color and depth information using a single instrument based on another principle. In one approach, a red laser light source, a green laser light source, and a blue laser light source are used for three LiDAR modules. In this way, any of the three LiDAR modules can measure the time of flight (ToF). In addition, the amount of red, green, and blue reflected from an object can also be sensed by the same photosensor, so that the color of the object can also be known. However, in many applications, irradiating an object with visible light may not be ideal.

[0123] Different types of cameras and LiDAR have also been proposed to capture RGB-D and temperature information. The main problem with these designs is that the camera can be calibrated with the LiDAR, which only works within the sensor's limited depth of field. In addition, such sensing equipment is bulky and expensive.

[0124] Therefore, as mentioned above, existing visual perception sensors (or visual remote sensing technologies) have one or more shortcomings. Figure 4 Some of these shortcomings are summarized in the table shown. Consequently, for various applications that rely heavily on visual perception sensors (e.g., smart mobility), it appears that there is no complete, reliable solution at a reasonable price. Therefore, various exemplary embodiments provide optical remote sensing systems and corresponding optical remote sensing methods that seek to overcome or at least ameliorate as many of the aforementioned shortcomings (e.g., all of these shortcomings) as possible in an affordable manner.

[0125] The optical remote sensing system according to various example embodiments of the present invention is based on LiDAR. The components of a LiDAR sensor are known to those skilled in the art and therefore need not be repeated herein for the sake of brevity. For example, a single-beam time-of-flight LiDAR sensor estimates the distance from the sensor to the object by measuring the time it takes the light beam to fly from the time the light beam is emitted to the time the backscattered light is received. For example, the main components of such a sensor include: a light source; a collimating optical device; a time-of-flight measurement electronic device; a collection optical device; and a photoelectric sensor. With respect to the light source, common light sources for LiDAR applications may include a light source with a wavelength of 905nm or 1550nm (a light beam with a wavelength of 905nm or 1550nm). With respect to the collimating optical device, a lens or a combination of lenses may be used to collimate the emitted light. For example, the output of the collimating optical device may be a collimated light beam within a civilian eyesafe power level. With respect to the time-of-flight measurement electronic device, time-of-flight measurement electronic devices known in the art can be used to measure the travel time of the light beam and therefore need not be described in detail herein. With respect to the collection optical device, the light emitted to the object is scattered, and a portion of the light may return to the sensor. Collection optics (e.g., a lens) can collect as much backscattered light as possible and direct the collected backscattered light to a photosensor, which can be placed at the focal point of the lens. With respect to the photosensor, backscattered light collected from the object can be sensed by the photosensor. Various photosensors (also referred to as photodetectors) suitable for detecting various types of light (e.g., reflected light or backscattered light) are known in the art and therefore need not be described in detail herein.

[0126] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a single beam probe based optical remote sensing system 500 according to various example embodiments of the present invention is depicted. In particular, Figure 5 An optical remote sensing system 500 based on LiDAR with a single-beam fiber probe is shown. The optical remote sensing system 500 includes a light source 516, a collimating optical device 518, a transmitting optical fiber or fiber bundle (also referred to as a shooting optical fiber or fiber bundle) 508, a collecting optical fiber or fiber bundle (also referred to as an acquisition optical fiber or fiber bundle) 524, a photodetector (or photoelectric sensor) 528, a time-of-flight measurement module 530, a distance measurement module 532 (e.g., corresponding to the sensing information processing module described above according to various embodiments), and a pulse generator 534.

[0127] In various exemplary embodiments, the light generated by the light source 516 is collimated and directed to a single strand or strand of optical fiber 508 (capture fiber or fiber bundle). The optical fiber 508 is flexible and can be directed in any desired direction. The backscattered light can be collected by a single strand or strand of optical fiber 524 (collection fiber or fiber bundle) adjacent to the capture fiber bundle 508. The collected backscattered light beam can then be directed to a photodetector 528 without the need for a collection lens. In various exemplary embodiments, the collection fiber bundle 524 can be attached to the photodetector 528 so that no collection optics are required in front of the photodetector 528. Furthermore, because the capture fiber bundle 508 and the collection fiber bundle 524 are flexible, these fiber bundles can be oriented in any desired direction.

[0128] Figure 6 Depicts an optical remote sensing system 600 based on a multi-beam fiber optic probe according to various example embodiments of the present invention (eg, as described above according to various embodiments, Figure 1A ) corresponds to the schematic diagram of the optical remote sensing system 100 of ). In particular, Figure 6 An optical remote sensing system 600 based on LiDAR with a multi-beam fiber probe is shown. In addition to the optical remote sensing system 600 including a beam steering device 612 (also referred to as a beam steering device or apparatus), the optical remote sensing system 600 can be used with Figure 5 The optical remote sensing system 500 is similar or identical to the one shown, and the beam steering device 612 can be added as an intermediate stage to the optical remote sensing system 600. Since the optical remote sensing system 600 is based on a multi-beam fiber probe, the transmitting (or shooting) fiber 508 can be in the form of a transmitting (or shooting) fiber array, and the collecting (or acquisition) fiber 524 can be in the form of a collecting (or acquisition) fiber array. Figure 6 As shown, an array of a length of transmitting optical fibers 508 can be bundled, and an array of a length of collecting optical fibers 524 can also be bundled. Figure 6 In the illustrated optical remote sensing system 600, it will be understood that Figure 5 The various modules shown (eg, time of flight measurement module 530, distance measurement module 532, and / or pulse generator 534) may be included in the optical remote sensing system 600 but are not shown in the figure for simplicity and clarity. Figure 6 Shown in.

[0129] In various exemplary embodiments, the beam steering device 612 may be based on a MEMS mirror or a phased array beam steering arrangement. In various exemplary embodiments, the beam steering device 612 may be combined with an optical device 614 that converts radial steering to linear steering, which optical device may be in the form of a single lens or a micro-lens array. For example, this may be applicable to a situation where the input end of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 is arranged or configured as a 2D array having a planar form (e.g., the input end is mounted to a transmitting channel bracket to form such a 2D array), and thus the optical device 614 may be required to convert the radial steering to a linear steering, such as Figure 6 As shown. In various example embodiments, the above-mentioned optical device 614 can be eliminated in the following cases: the input end of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 is arranged or configured as a 2D array having a curved form such as a partial sphere (for example, the input end is mounted to the transmitting channel bracket to form such a 2D array) so that the input end is radially pointed to a desired point of the beam guide device 612, such as the center of the beam guide device 612. As a result, the light beam reflected from the MEMS mirror can be directly (radially) guided to the input end of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 without the need for any optical device to convert the radial guidance into linear guidance. Similarly, because the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 and the array of collecting optical fibers 524 are flexible, these arrays (including the endpoints of these arrays) can be oriented in any desired direction.

[0130] Figure 7 Depicts an optical remote sensing system 700 based on a multi-beam fiber optic probe according to various example embodiments of the present invention (eg, as described above according to various embodiments, Figure 1A ) corresponds to the optical remote sensing system 100 of FIG. The optical remote sensing system 700 can be Figure 6 Similar or identical to the illustrated optical remote sensing system 600 , the optical remote sensing system 700 is configured to capture the entire FoV (or at least substantially the entire FoV) of the entire surrounding scene (or at least substantially the entire surrounding scene) around an observation point or object, or around one or more axes of the observation point or object, including the entire spherical surrounding scene. Figure 6 ,exist Figure 7 In the optical remote sensing system 700 shown, it will be understood that Figure 5 The various modules shown (eg, time of flight measurement module 530, distance measurement module 532, and / or pulse generator 534) may be included in the optical remote sensing system 700 but are not shown in the figure for simplicity and clarity. Figure 7 Shown in.

[0131] In various exemplary embodiments, the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 can have an input end configured as a t2D array (e.g., a planar form or a curved form as described above). In various exemplary embodiments, the input end of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 can be mounted to, for example, a transmitting channel support having a planar form or a curved form. In various exemplary embodiments, the array of collecting optical fibers 524 can have an output end configured as a 2D array to output the collected backscattered light to a photodetector 528.

[0132] In various example embodiments, such as described above according to various embodiments, the beam guide 612 can be used to scan a beam from the light source 516 to (e.g., relative to) the input ends of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508, such as continuously to each input end.

[0133] In various example embodiments, to obtain a desired FoV (e.g., an entire FoV), a plurality of sensor portions (e.g., corresponding to the plurality of sensor portions 120 as described above) may be distributed across the surface of an object, each sensor portion being configured to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to: an output end of a corresponding transmitting optical fiber in an array of transmitting optical fibers 508 (the output end being configured to transmit a light beam propagating through the corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel to the corresponding scene); and an input end of a corresponding collecting optical fiber in an array of collecting optical fibers 524 (the input end being configured to receive a backscattered light beam regarding the corresponding scene based on the light beam emitted from the output end of the corresponding transmitting optical fiber). In various example embodiments, the plurality of sensor portions may be distributed across the surface of an object such that the corresponding FoV associated with the plurality of sensor portions together provide a desired FoV regarding the object (e.g., an entire FoV) associated with the optical remote sensing system. As Figure 7 As schematically shown in FIG, for example and not limitation, if the object is spherical, a plurality of sensor portions (with the output ends of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 correspondingly connected thereto (e.g., LiDAR probe ends)) can be evenly distributed across the surface of the spherical object to obtain a full spherical FoV (or at least a substantially full spherical FoV, as some very small angles can be omitted). This can be referred to as a spherical fiber probe assembly or setup for capturing the full FoV.

[0134] For example, because the beam guide 612 can be used to continuously scan a light beam from the light source 516 to each input end of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508, the light beam can then be continuously emitted at the corresponding output end of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508, and because multiple sensor portions can be distributed across the surface of the object so that these sensor portions together provide a desired FoV, the surrounding scene with a desired FoV can be sensed by the optical remote sensing system 700 according to various example embodiments.

[0135] In various exemplary embodiments, the optical remote sensing system 700 may further include a fiber channel hub ( 524 ) located within the object and configured to pass the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 and the array of collecting optical fibers 524 through the object. Figure 7 ). In various example embodiments, before entering the Fibre Channel hub, a length of the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 can be bundled to form a transmitting optical fiber bundle, and after entering the Fibre Channel hub, the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 can be unbundled, and the transmitting optical fibers in the array of transmitting optical fibers 508 can be correspondingly distributed to multiple sensor portions for connection to multiple sensor portions. Similarly, before leaving the Fibre Channel hub, the array of collection optical fibers 524 can be unbundled, and the collection optical fibers in the array of collection optical fibers 524 can be correspondingly distributed to multiple sensor portions for connection to multiple sensor portions. After leaving the Fibre Channel hub, the array of collection optical fibers 524 can be bundled, and the output ends of the array of collection optical fibers 524 can be directed or directed to the photodetector 528.

[0136] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any desired sub-portion of a sphere may be selected as the desired FoV, and that a sphere is merely an example of a complex geometry. In various example embodiments, multiple sensor portions (e.g., including fiber optic endpoints) may be embedded (or integrated) in or attached (or fixed) to any surface of any object having any shape (e.g., any degree of shape complexity), such as, but not limited to, a vehicle or one or more components thereof (e.g., a car bumper thereof), a flying robot or one or more components thereof (e.g., a propeller protector thereof). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to application to any particular type of object and may be applied to any object requiring sensing of its surrounding scene.

[0137] Figure 8 Depicts an optical remote sensing system 800 based on a multi-beam fiber optic probe according to various example embodiments of the present invention (eg, as described above according to various embodiments, Figure 1B or Figure 1C ) corresponds to the schematic diagram of the optical remote sensing system 100 of FIG. In addition to the optical remote sensing system 800 being used to capture multiple types of attributes of the surrounding scene (including those based on active sensing and passive sensing), the optical remote sensing system 800 can also be used with Figure 7 The optical remote sensing system 800 is similar or identical to the optical remote sensing system 700 shown. Thus, the optical remote sensing system 800 can be viewed as having a hybrid active-passive probe assembly or setup capable of capturing the entire FoV. Figure 7 ,exist Figure 8 In the optical remote sensing system 800 shown, it will be understood that Figure 5The various modules shown (eg, time of flight measurement module 530, distance measurement module 532, and / or pulse generator 534) may be included in the optical remote sensing system 800 but are not shown in the figure for simplicity and clarity. Figure 8 Shown in.

[0138] In various example embodiments, various types of attributes of the surrounding scene may include: Figure 8 Three types of attributes are shown, namely, distance information (e.g., the distance of an object in a scene, such as based on active measurement at a wavelength of 905 nm or 1550 nm), color information (e.g., the color of an object in a scene, such as based on passive sensing in the visible spectrum), and temperature information (e.g., the temperature of an object or medium in a scene, such as based on passive sensing of infrared light radiated or emitted by the object). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to these numbers and / or types of attributes, and that other numbers and / or types of attributes (in addition to or in place of the aforementioned numbers and / or types of attributes) may be sensed by the optical remote sensing system 800 as desired or appropriate.

[0139] In various example embodiments, Figure 8 As shown, an array of collection fibers and corresponding photodetectors can be provided for each type of property to be detected. For example, the array of collection fibers 524 described above can be a first collection fiber array, which is used to collect backscattered light from the surrounding scene to detect distance information, the array of second collection fibers 536 can be used to collect radiated light (infrared light) from the surrounding scene to detect temperature information, and the array of third collection fibers 544 can be used to collect reflected light from the surrounding scene to detect color information. In various exemplary embodiments, the array of first collection fibers 524, the array of second collection fibers 536, and the array of third collection fibers 544 can be arranged in the same or similar manner in the optical remote sensing system 800. For example, as described above with reference to Figure 7As described above, the array of first collection optical fibers 524 can have input ends (of their first collection optical fibers 524) that are respectively connected to a plurality of sensor portions. Similarly, in the same or similar manner, the array of second collection optical fibers 536 can have input ends (of their second collection optical fibers 536) that are respectively connected to a plurality of sensor portions, and the array of third collection optical fibers 544 can have input ends (of their third collection optical fibers 544) that are respectively connected to a plurality of sensor portions. Thus, each sensor portion can be connected to the input end of the corresponding first collection optical fiber 524, the input end of the corresponding second collection optical fiber 536, and the input end of the corresponding third collection optical fiber 544. In addition, a first photodetector 528 (e.g., a LiDAR detector) for detecting backscattered light beams to sense distance information can be arranged (e.g., coupled thereto) to detect backscattered light beams collected from the array of first collection optical fibers 524, a second photodetector 540 (e.g., an infrared photodetector) for detecting reflected infrared light to sense temperature information can be arranged (e.g., coupled thereto) to detect radiated light (infrared light) collected from the array of second collection optical fibers 536, and a third photodetector 548 (e.g., a color photodetector) for detecting reflected light to sense color information can be arranged (e.g., coupled thereto) to detect reflected light collected from the array of third collection optical fibers 544.

[0140] Therefore, the optical remote sensing system 800 having the above-described configuration according to various example embodiments is capable of simultaneously capturing multiple wavelengths (i.e., multiple types of wavelengths) via different photodetectors (e.g., 528, 540, 548), and more specifically, capturing different types of properties (e.g., distance information, temperature information, and color information).

[0141] In various exemplary embodiments, a single collection fiber array can be provided to collect the aforementioned multiple wavelengths, i.e., backscattered light for sensing distance information, radiated light for sensing temperature information, and reflected light for sensing color information. These different types of collected light can then be separated into different optical paths toward corresponding photodetectors, for example, using a dichroic beam splitter. In various exemplary embodiments, if active sensing of multiple properties is desired, multiple wavelengths can be combined in the light source. In various exemplary embodiments, the returned light can then be split and filtered for use with the corresponding different photodetectors.

[0142] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that additional wavelengths (and thus additional types of properties of a scene) may be detected in the same or similar manner based on the optical remote sensing system 800 based on active and / or passive remote sensing techniques.

[0143] Figure 9Depicted is an optical remote sensing system 900 according to various example embodiments of the present invention (eg, as described above according to various embodiments (eg, Figure 1A 、 Figure 1B ,as well as Figure 1C The optical remote sensing system 900 may be a schematic diagram of an optical remote sensing system 100 corresponding to any one of the above. Figure 7 and Figure 8 Optical remote sensing system 700 and optical remote sensing system 800 are shown as being similar or identical, but having example configurations for purposes of illustration only and not limitation. Figure 7 ,exist Figure 9 In the optical remote sensing system 900 shown, it will be understood that Figure 5 The various modules shown (eg, time of flight measurement module 530, distance measurement module 532, and / or pulse generator 534) may be included in the optical remote sensing system 900 but are not shown in the figure for simplicity and clarity. Figure 9 Shown in.

[0144] The optical remote sensing system 900 includes one or more light sources (or transmitters) 901. The light source 901 can be used to generate a light beam 902 (e.g., a laser beam) having one or more desired wavelengths. For example, the number of wavelengths can be determined based on the number of property types desired to be measured based on active sensing, and the wavelength used can be selected based on the type of property desired to be measured based on active sensing (e.g., for active sensing of distance information, a wavelength of 905 nm or 1550 nm can be selected). The light beam 902 can include light pulses having different wavelengths (e.g., for different types of measured properties) and different pulse widths. The optical remote sensing system 900 can also include a beam steering device 903 for directing the transmitted light beam 902 toward different transmitting fiber channels 906. By way of example only, and not limitation, the beam steering device 904 can be a one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) MEMS mirror. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to MEMS mirrors for beam steering, and that other types of beam steering devices known in the art (preferably, motorless beam steering devices) may be used instead without exceeding the scope of the present invention. The guided light beam 904 has the same content as the light beam 902, but has been guided to the desired emission fiber channel 906 by the light beam steering device 904. The optical remote sensing system 900 may further include an emission channel bracket 905, which serves as a bracket for the emission fiber channel 906. In particular, the emission channel bracket 905 is mounted with the input end of the emission fiber channel (emission fiber channel array) 906. Therefore, the emission channel bracket 905 may include a plurality of holes or entrances for respectively accommodating the input ends of the emission fiber channels 906. In addition, the above-mentioned multiple holes may each be oriented so that the central axis of the hole is oriented toward the desired point (e.g., the center point) of the light beam steering device 903. As described above, the emission channel bracket 903 may have a planar form or configuration, or a curved form or configuration. By way of example only, in Figure 9 In FIG, the emission channel support 903 has a curved form, such as a cut-out portion of a thick sphere.

[0145] Each of the multiple transmitting fiber channels (transmitting fiber channel array) 906 may include one or more optical fiber lines, each optical fiber line including one or more optical fiber strands. The light beam received in the transmitting fiber channel 906 may propagate in the transmitting fiber channel 906 and may be directed to the corresponding sensor portion (which may also be referred to as a mounting group) 910. In various example embodiments, the transmitting fiber channel 906 is selected or configured to have a smaller numerical aperture (NA). In this case, the exact number of NA may depend on the closest readable distance and the longest readable distance of the LiDAR design. For example, but not by way of limitation, the NA of the transmitting fiber channel may be 0.22 or less.

[0146] In various example embodiments, a length of the transmit fiber channel array 906 can be bundled to form a transmit fiber channel bundle 907. A cross-sectional view of the transmit fiber channel bundle 907 is shown at 908. In various example embodiments, the fiber strands of different transmit fiber channels in the transmit fiber channel bundle 907 do not mix, that is, the fiber strands belonging to one transmit fiber channel remain together within the transmit fiber channel and do not mix with the fiber strands belonging to other transmit fiber channels. For example, by not mixing the fiber strands, this helps to ensure that light from the light source is ultimately emitted from one transmit fiber channel at a time, which helps to scan the transmit fiber channels one by one (rather than scanning multiple channels simultaneously). For example, because each transmit fiber channel can be dedicated to sensing the distance toward a specific direction in space, scanning the transmit fiber channels one by one can determine the direction being scanned each time, while eliminating or at least mitigating interference that may be caused by reading multiple channels simultaneously.

[0147] The transmitting fiber channel bundle 907 can extend to a fiber channel hub 909. In various exemplary embodiments, the fiber channel hub 909 can be within or part of a sensor probe head or an object whose surrounding scene is desired to be sensed, such a sensor probe head or such an object having the aforementioned sensor portions (or mounting groups) 910 distributed on its surface. For example, but not by way of limitation, Figure 9 A sensor probe head is shown, which is desired to sense the surrounding scene, and on the surface of which the sensor probe head has the above-mentioned sensor parts (or mounting groups) 910 distributed. For example, but not limited to, the sensor probe head can have a spherical configuration. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, depending on the type of object, the object whose surrounding scene is desired to be sensed can have any shape and / or configuration, such as a simple shape (e.g., a disk) or a complex shape (e.g., a car bumper or an entire flying robot chassis). Figure 9As shown, after being received by the entrance of the fiber channel hub 909, the transmission fiber channels from the transmission fiber channel bundle 907 can then be distributed or directed to the corresponding sensor portion 910 to connect to the corresponding sensor portion 910. The fiber channel hub 909 can have any shape or configuration suitable for enabling the fiber channels to pass through and distribute the fiber channels to the sensor portion 910, such as but not limited to Figure 9 The tapered shape shown.

[0148] Each sensor portion 910 can be configured to be exposed to a corresponding scene (e.g., disposed at a specific location on the surface of an object and oriented or directed in a desired direction) and connected to an input end 911 (e.g., an emission channel tip) of a corresponding emission fiber channel 906 and an output end 912 (e.g., a collection channel tip) of a corresponding collection fiber channel 915. At each sensor portion 910, the emission channel tip 911 can typically be the central channel of the illumination beam 904. In various exemplary embodiments, one emission fiber channel 906 per sensor portion 910 is sufficient to provide multiple wavelengths. In various exemplary embodiments, each sensor portion 910 can have multiple emission fiber channels to respectively provide multiple wavelengths. Each sensor portion 910 can also be respectively connected to one or more collection channel tips 912 in one or more collection fiber channel arrays. For example, but not limitation, in Figure 9 Three example configurations of the sensor portion 910 are shown in FIG. 1 , namely, a sensor portion having one emission channel tip and one collection channel tip connected thereto, a sensor portion having one emission channel tip and two collection channel tips connected thereto, and a sensor portion having one emission channel tip and four collection channel tips connected thereto. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to Figure 9 The example configurations shown are for reference only, and other configurations may be implemented as needed or appropriate, eg, depending on the number of emission and collection channels, which may vary with the application.

[0149] The emission channel tip 911 may be the tip of the emission fiber channel 906, which ultimately irradiates the light beam to the corresponding scene (eg, at the target object). In various exemplary embodiments, the emission channel tip 911 may be pointed or lensed for light collimation.

[0150] The collection channel tip 912 may be the tip of the collection fiber channel 915, which captures backscattered light or light reflected or radiated from a corresponding scene (e.g., from a target object). In various exemplary embodiments, the collection channel tip 912 may be tip-shaped or tip-lensed to capture a wider FoV (e.g., to capture backscattered light from a target object) or a narrower FoV (e.g., to capture visible light to determine the color of a desired point on a target object).

[0151] In various exemplary embodiments, sensor section 910 may be a multi-collector sensor section, such as shown at 913 and 914 . According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, multiple arrays of collection fiber channels may be provided. According to various exemplary embodiments, multiple arrays of collection fiber channels may be provided to capture more backscattered light or reflected or radiated light. According to various exemplary embodiments, multiple arrays of collection fiber channels may be provided to maintain symmetry in sensor readings. According to various exemplary embodiments, multiple arrays of collection fiber channels may be provided to respectively transmit different types of collected light to different photosensors, where each photosensor is used or dedicated to sensing a specific wavelength or wavelength range, for example, transmitting backscattered light and reflected or radiated light to two separate photosensors. This may help avoid the use of expensive optics to transmit or direct light to different photosensors, for example. In various exemplary embodiments, each collection fiber channel may have a different tip shape than other collection fiber channels in the same sensor section. For example, one collection fiber channel may have a tip shape for a wider Field of View (FoV), while another collection fiber channel may have a tip shape to capture a narrower FoV. In various example embodiments, different collection fiber channels in the same sensor section can be configured or optimized to accept or receive a specific wavelength or a specific wavelength range. For example, this eliminates the need to use a dedicated filter for each photosensor. If different collection fiber channels (of different or multiple collection fiber channel arrays) are used to collect different wavelengths, collection fiber channels from different sensor sections belonging to the same group (i.e., the same array) can be bundled together (e.g., before being output from the outlet of the fiber channel hub 909) to form corresponding collection fiber channel bundles 916.

[0152] In various exemplary embodiments, each collection fiber channel 916 can include one or more optical fiber lines, each optical fiber line including one or more optical fiber strands. Each collection fiber channel 916 can collect backscattered light, reflected light, or radiated light from a corresponding scene (e.g., a target object therein) and direct the backscattered light, reflected light, or radiated light to a photodetector 919. In various exemplary embodiments, each collection fiber channel bundle 916 (including an array of collection fiber channels) can include all collection fiber channels 915 from all sensor sections 910 that belong to the same group (i.e., the same array). In various exemplary embodiments, within each collection fiber channel bundle 916, the optical fiber strands of the collection fiber channels can be gathered together (can be collected or held together) in no particular order, forming a disordered bundle of collection fiber channels (or optical fiber strands). In other words, within each collection fiber channel bundle 916, the optical fiber strands of the collection fiber channels can be intermixed, i.e., the optical fiber strands belonging to one collection fiber channel can be not held together (not separately grouped) within that collection fiber channel and can therefore be intermixed with the optical fiber strands belonging to other collection fiber channels. In various example embodiments, such optical fiber strands in the collecting fiber channel bundle 916 may be intermixed in no particular order (ie, disordered).

[0153] In various exemplary embodiments, the output ends of the collection fiber channels in the collection fiber channel bundle 916 may be collectively referred to as the output end of the collection fiber channel bundle 916 or the collection bundle tip 917. In other words, the collection bundle tip 917 is formed by the output ends of the collection fiber channels belonging to the same group (i.e., the same array). Figure 9 As shown, the optical fiber strands in the collection fiber channel bundle 916 can be mixed at its output end (collection bundle tip) 917. The optical fiber strands in the collection fiber channel bundle 916 do not have to follow any particular order, pattern, or configuration at the collection bundle tip 917, although in various example embodiments, random ordering, uniform ordering, or some other specific ordering pattern of the optical fiber strands can enhance reading.

[0154] In various example embodiments, if the size of the collection bundle tip 917 is larger than the surface of the photosensor 919, the fiber taper 918 may be used to account for or correct the size mismatch.

[0155] In various example embodiments, with respect to the photosensor 919, a single unit of the photosensor may be used to sense the collected light directly or indirectly from the collection beam tip 917 (e.g., from the fiber taper 918 in the case where the fiber taper 918 is used to correct for dimensional mismatch as described above). In various example embodiments, the photosensor 917 may be used or dedicated to sensing at a specific wavelength or a specific wavelength range. According to various example embodiments, although an array of sensor units (1D or 2D) may be used, a single unit may be used for better results and lower cost. As described above, according to various example embodiments, when multiple attributes are configured or required to be sensed, multiple photosensors each for a different wavelength may be used.

[0156] Those skilled in the art will understand that according to various embodiments or example embodiments of the present invention, after collecting and detecting light beams (e.g., backscattered light beams, reflected light beams, and / or radiation light beams) as described above, various techniques for processing one or more of the collected and detected light beams to determine one or more corresponding properties about a corresponding scene associated with the sensor portion are known in the art and therefore need not be described herein for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

[0157] In various example embodiments, a light detection and ranging system (or optical remote sensing system) is provided, comprising: a light guide for receiving light from a light source; a capture fiber bundle comprising an array of transmission fibers, each transmission fiber having a proximal end for receiving light from the light guide and a distal end (which may be a lensed tip) for emitting light toward an object; and a collection fiber bundle comprising an array of receiving fibers, each receiving fiber having a proximal end for receiving backscattered light from an object and a distal end for coupling the scattered light to a photodetector.

[0158] In various example embodiments, a method of light detection and ranging (e.g., corresponding to a method of optical remote sensing) is provided, comprising: directing light from a light source to a light guiding device; controlling the light guiding device to direct the light to an array of transmission fibers of a capture fiber bundle, wherein the light is directed to one fiber channel within the capture fiber at a time; emitting light toward an object through a capture fiber probe tip; receiving backscattered light from the object using a collection fiber probe tip; merging the collection fiber tip at the distal end with other collection fibers into a disordered bundle; and coupling the backscattered light from the collection fiber bundle to a detector (an adapter fiber taper may be used to adjust for size mismatch).

[0159] In various example embodiments, the capture fiber and collection fiber probe tips are used to launch light to and collect light from any desired portion within the entire FoV.

[0160] In various example embodiments, the capture and collection fiber optic probe tips that enable the entire FoV may be distributed across the surface of an object (eg, the body of a motion platform).

[0161] In various example embodiments, the light source comprises a laser light source.

[0162] In various exemplary embodiments, the light guide comprises a motorless beam steering device, such as a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) mirror.

[0163] In various example embodiments, a fiber taper adapter may be used to couple between a collection fiber bundle and a corresponding detector to accommodate size mismatch.

[0164] In various example embodiments, a light detection and ranging system (eg, corresponding to an optical remote sensing system) corresponding to the light detection and ranging method described above is provided.

[0165] In various example embodiments, a light detection and ranging system is adapted for or used to measure a distance between a sensor and an object.

[0166] In various example embodiments, the light detection and ranging system is also adapted or used to measure multiple properties (ie, multiple types of properties) of an object, such as color, roughness, and temperature, using multiple wavelengths emitted by the light source for measurement.

[0167] The optical remote sensing system according to various example embodiments advantageously overcomes various disadvantages associated with conventional optical remote sensing systems, such as Figure 4 Many of the disadvantages are shown, all of which are overcome in various exemplary embodiments.

[0168] For example, optical remote sensing systems according to various example embodiments may be superior to conventional optical remote sensing systems in one or more of the following aspects:

[0169] Capturing any desired sub-portion of the entire FoV (including the entire FoV);

[0170] Capture the entire depth of field (up to the sensor's measurement range);

[0171] Ability to perform uniform 3D scans across all directions;

[0172] Distortion-free equidistant readings;

[0173] Combine depth, color, temperature, and other desired parameters without calibration;

[0174] Insensitive to vibration;

[0175] Will not cause vibration;

[0176] The life of the probe is not affected by moisture or sunlight;

[0177] High scan rate;

[0178] Since the price of optical fiber is negligible and the light source and transmitter are combined to scan the entire FoV, it is very cost-effective;

[0179] Very high resolution, because fiber diameters are multiples of 100 microns, many fibers can be installed, and therefore, many points can be captured in a complete scan;

[0180] It should be understood that the optical remote sensing system disclosed according to various embodiments of the present invention has various applications, such as but not limited to smart mobility, mobile robots, ariel robots, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, and laptops), aerospace, detecting the presence of objects and people without invading privacy, unmanned and driver-assisted autonomous cars, automatic detection and recognition of objects, and automatic recognition of places.

[0181] In recent years, the rise of smart mobility has created a huge market for LiDAR systems. However, existing LiDAR systems are not specifically designed for smart mobility. Therefore, because existing LiDAR systems are based on projecting and collecting light beams at a centralized point, they face significant shortcomings in this specific application. In this context, according to various exemplary embodiments, a cross-surface distributed LiDAR is provided to address the shortcomings of existing LiDAR systems. For example, the distributed LiDAR according to various exemplary embodiments can be applied to any mobility or mobile device that needs to know the distance to surrounding objects, such as but not limited to smart mobility.

[0182] According to various example embodiments, it is noted that existing LiDAR technology is limited by the FoV. Therefore, in various example embodiments, an optical remote sensing system based on a fiber optic probe is provided, which is capable of capturing the entire FoV, for example. Having the entire FoV for visual perception is advantageous, for example, as disclosed in Singapore Patent Application No. 10201900929R (the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference), one application is to combine the entire point cloud, and such a case study is described in Mihankhah et al., "Identification of Zones and Snapshots Through Sequence Analysis," 14th International Conference on Control, Automation, Robotics and Vision (ICARCV), 2016, pp. 1-6, (the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference). Figure 10 A table comparing various LiDAR technologies and highlighting the limitations of FoV is shown.

[0183] For example, existing LiDAR technology is blocked by the main body of the mobile platform. To alleviate this situation, in existing LiDAR technology, such as Figure 11 As shown, the sensor probe can be mounted high on the top of the vehicle, however the sensor suite used is obscured by the body of the mobile platform, which may not be the desired result. This problem is not unique to traditional "LiDAR over fiber" technology. In general, existing LiDAR sensors that cover the entire azimuth axis face the same limitation. This means that any device mounted on the mobile platform may be a source of occlusion for the LiDAR sensor unless it is hidden outside the sensor's FoV. To alleviate this problem, as Figure 12 As shown, it is possible to install multiple sensors around the mobile platform, which is expensive, bulky, has a poor visual experience, and leads to calibration difficulties.

[0184] Although LiDAR via a single fiber probe can extend to the entire FoV, if this LiDAR is mounted on such a platform, like other sensors, the main body of the moving object will still be an occluded object from the sensor's perspective.

[0185] According to various exemplary embodiments, an optical remote sensing system based on the "LiDAR over fiber" technology described above (e.g., corresponding to the optical remote sensing system 100 described above according to various exemplary embodiments) is provided to distribute sensing endpoints (e.g., corresponding to the plurality of sensor portions 120 described above according to various exemplary embodiments) across the body of a mobile platform (e.g., an unmanned vehicle, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an industrial robot, etc.). In various exemplary embodiments, the sensing endpoints can be positioned such that a majority of the body of the mobile platform is covered by the LiDAR sensing endpoints (probes). In this way, the entire perimeter of the mobile platform can be covered by the LiDAR sensing endpoints.

[0186] According to various example embodiments, the sensor portions (sensing endpoints or probes) may be distributed across the surface of the mobile platform. Assuming a predetermined point inside the vehicle as the origin of the axis, according to various example embodiments, the direction of each sensor portion on the surface of the mobile platform may be configured to be outward and along a sphere radius centered at the predetermined point. For example, as described above with reference to Figure 7 or Figure 8 The same or similar manner as described above, for example Figure 13 As schematically shown in , the sensor portions can be distributed across the surface of the mobile platform so that the optical remote sensing system is not obscured by the mobile platform body. Therefore, the optical remote sensing system according to various example embodiments can have extremely high resolution and can also have uniform resolution across the entire surface.

[0187] Therefore, the optical remote sensing system according to various example embodiments may also be applied to various types of objects to cover the entire FoV of the object, such as, but not limited to, the base of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), an industrial robot arm, a mobile robot, etc.

[0188] Thus, the optical remote sensing system (based on distributed LiDAR) according to various example embodiments advantageously addresses various issues associated with a single centralized LiDAR, which may be obscured by the body of the mobile platform, in one or more of the following aspects, for example:

[0189] Capture the entire FoV;

[0190] Will not be blocked by the main body of the mobile platform;

[0191] Uniform or adjusted scanning across all directions;

[0192] Insensitive to vibration;

[0193] Will not cause vibration;

[0194] Since the price of optical fiber is negligible, it is very cost-effective;

[0195] Highly eye-safe at all distances; and

[0196] Very high resolution, because fiber diameters are multiples of 100 microns, many fibers can be installed, and therefore, many points can be captured in a complete scan;

[0197] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that distributed LiDAR through optical fiber is one practical example of distributing LiDAR across the surface of a mobile platform, and that other LiDAR technologies may also be implemented as desired or appropriate without exceeding the scope of the present invention.

[0198] The aforementioned applications (e.g., automobiles, self-driving cars, UAVs, etc.) are only typical use cases. Those skilled in the art will understand that the optical remote sensing system can be applied to, for example, any mobile subject or platform or mobile device (e.g., smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) that requires a visual perception system.

[0199] As described above, the fiber optic probe can be used to capture various types of attributes (or properties) of the surrounding scene (e.g., environment), such as color, temperature, texture, etc. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that according to various example embodiments, for example, with reference to FIG or Figure 9 The above-described optical remote sensing system (based on distributed LiDAR) can also be used to sense various types of attributes in the same or similar manner as described above.

[0200] Therefore, the optical remote sensing system according to various exemplary embodiments has the following advantages:

[0201] Flexible light guidance through fiber-optic LiDAR;

[0202] Non-mechanical LiDAR (e.g., no motors) that captures the entire FoV in real time;

[0203] Calibration-free readings of multiple visual attributes;

[0204] separation of sensing probes, which may be distributed across the surface of a body or platform; and

[0205] The processing unit can be safely installed inside the main body or platform.

[0206] Advantageously, therefore, the optical remote sensing system is able to handle harsh environments (eg, high vibrations), particularly with respect to mobile platforms.

[0207] According to various example embodiments, real-time sensing is performed at a sensing rate close to the acceptable range for the human eye to perceive a discrete observation sequence as continuous. The clarity of the visual continuous sequence depends on the speed of change (frame rate). For example, a typical rate might be 24 Hz. For the human eye, any rate faster than 10 Hz can still be considered continuous. Therefore, in various example embodiments, real-time sensing refers to a sensing or update rate higher than 10 Hz.

[0208] Thus, various example embodiments provide an optical remote sensing system capable of capturing multiple optical properties of a surrounding scene (e.g., an object or a medium therein) with respect to an observation point (e.g., an object) in real time across the entire FoV or across any desired portion of the entire FoV through active sensing techniques and passive sensing techniques. For example, the optical remote sensing system can be used to generate multi-dimensional (3D position, color, temperature, etc.) dense point cloud data through point-by-point scanning techniques without the need for incorporating a motorized mechanism, and using only one emitter and one photosensor unit for each wavelength (corresponding to each type of property) that needs to be measured.

[0209] While the embodiments of the present invention have been particularly shown and described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the invention is therefore indicated by the appended claims and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. An optical remote sensing system comprising: A transmitting channel bracket, on which the input end of the transmitting optical fiber channel array is installed; a beam steering device for scanning a beam from a light source to the input end of the transmit fiber channel array mounted to the transmit channel bracket; A plurality of sensor sections, each sensor section being adapted to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to: an output end of a corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel in the transmitting optical fiber channel array, the output end being used to transmit the light beam propagating through the corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel to the corresponding scene; as well as an input end of a corresponding first collection fiber channel in a first collection fiber channel array, the input end being configured to receive a backscattered light beam about the corresponding scene based on the light beam emitted from the output end of the corresponding emission fiber channel; a first photodetector configured to detect the backscattered light beam propagating through the first array of collecting fiber channels to sense properties about the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions; as well as a fiber channel hub for providing access to the transmitting fiber channel array and the first collecting fiber channel array; A length of the first collection fiber channel array between the fiber channel hub and the first photodetector is bundled to form a first collection fiber channel bundle.

2. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 1, wherein: A length of the transmit fiber channel array located between the transmit channel support and the fiber channel hub is bundled to form a transmit fiber channel bundle.

3. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of sensor portions are distributed across a surface of an object such that corresponding fields of view associated with the plurality of sensor portions together provide a desired field of view associated with the optical remote sensing system with respect to the object.

4. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 3, wherein: The desired field of view is the field of view of part or the entire surrounding scene around the axis of the object.

5. The optical remote sensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The beam steering device is used to continuously scan the light beam from the light source to each of the input ends of the transmitting fiber optic channel.

6. The optical remote sensing system of claim 5, further comprising the light source for emitting the light beam having a wavelength suitable for sensing the property about the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions.

7. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 6, wherein: The attributes include distance information, physical attribute information, or status information.

8. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 5 further includes the light source, which is configured to emit the light beam, the light beam having a plurality of wavelengths suitable for sensing a plurality of properties about the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor parts, each wavelength of the light beam being suitable for sensing a corresponding property among the plurality of properties about the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor parts.

9. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of attributes are selected from distance information, physical attribute information, and status information.

10. The optical remote sensing system of claim 6, further comprising one or more third collection fiber channel arrays, each third collection fiber channel array being configured to receive reflected or radiated light beams to sense corresponding additional properties of the corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions, wherein Each sensor portion of the plurality of sensor portions is also connected to an input end of a corresponding third collection fiber optic channel in each array of third collection fiber optic channels.

11. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 10, wherein: The additional attributes include color information or temperature information.

12. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 10 further includes a third photodetector for each of the third collection fiber channel arrays, each third photodetector being configured to detect the reflected or radiated light beam propagating through the corresponding third collection fiber channel array to sense the corresponding additional attributes of the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts.

13. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 10, wherein: Each third collection fiber channel array is used to pass through the fiber channel hub, and for each third collection fiber channel array, a length of the third collection fiber channel array located between the fiber channel hub and the corresponding third photodetector is bundled to form a third collection fiber channel bundle.

14. The optical remote sensing system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The fiber channel hub includes a transmitting fiber channel inlet for receiving the transmitting fiber channel bundle and a first collecting fiber channel outlet for outputting the first collecting fiber channel bundle. The transmitting fiber channel array is in an unbundled state after being received in the fiber channel hub through the transmitting fiber channel entrance, and the transmitting fiber channels in the transmitting fiber channel array are correspondingly allocated to the plurality of sensor parts to be connected to the plurality of sensor parts, and The first collection fiber channel array is in an unbundled state before being output from the fiber channel hub through the first collection fiber channel outlet, and the first collection fiber channels in the first collection fiber channel array are correspondingly allocated to the multiple sensor parts to be connected to the multiple sensor parts.

15. The optical remote sensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The transmit channel support includes an at least partially spherical housing, and the input end of the transmit fiber channel array is mounted through the housing to be exposed from an inner side of the housing.

16. The optical remote sensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: Each transmit fiber channel in the array of transmit fiber channels includes a fiber optic line, and each first collection fiber channel in the array of first collection fiber channels includes a fiber optic line.

17. The optical remote sensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The light beam from the light source is a laser beam.

18. The optical remote sensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The beam steering device is a motorless beam steering device.

19. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 7, wherein: The attributes include the distance information, and the optical remote sensing system further includes a sensing information processing module for generating point cloud data based on the distance information about the corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor parts detected by the first photodetector.

20. The optical remote sensing system according to claim 11, wherein: The attribute includes distance information, and the optical remote sensing system further includes a sensing information processing module, which is used to generate point cloud data based on the distance information about the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts detected by the first photodetector, and associate each data point in the point cloud data with the corresponding additional attribute, wherein the corresponding additional attribute corresponds to the data point about the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts detected by the third photodetector used for each third collection fiber channel array.

21. An optical remote sensing method, using the optical remote sensing system according to any one of claims 1 to 20, the method comprising: The beam steering device scans the light beam from the light source to the input end of the transmit fiber channel array mounted to the transmit channel bracket; emitting the light beams propagating through the emitting optical fiber channel array from the output ends of the emitting optical fiber channel array to the corresponding scenes respectively; receiving, via the input end of the first collecting optical fiber channel, backscattered optical beams related to the corresponding scene based on the optical beams respectively emitted from the output ends of the emitting optical fiber channel array; as well as The first photodetector detects the backscattered light beams propagating through the first collection fiber channel array to sense properties about the corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions.

22. The optical remote sensing method according to claim 21, wherein: Scanning the light beam includes sequentially scanning the light beam from the light source to each of the input ends of the transmitting fiber channel array.

23. The optical remote sensing method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein: The light beam emitted from the light source has a wavelength suitable for sensing the attribute about the corresponding scene, the attribute including distance information, physical property information, or status information.

24. The optical remote sensing method according to claim 23, wherein: The attributes include the distance information, and the method further includes generating point cloud data based on the distance information detected by the first photodetector regarding the corresponding scenes associated with the plurality of sensor portions.

25. An optical remote sensing method, using the optical remote sensing system according to claim 12 or 13, the method comprising: The beam steering device scans the light beam from the light source to the input end of the transmit fiber channel array mounted to the transmit channel bracket; emitting the light beams propagating through the emitting optical fiber channel array from the output ends of the emitting optical fiber channel array to the corresponding scenes respectively; receiving, via the input end of the first collecting fiber channel array, backscattered light beams about the corresponding scene based on the light beams respectively emitted from the output end of the transmitting fiber channel array; the first photodetector detecting the backscattered light beam propagating through the first collection fiber channel array to sense properties about the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions; receiving, via the input end of each third collection fiber channel array, a light beam reflected or radiated from the corresponding scene; as well as The third photodetector detects the reflected or radiated light beams propagating through the corresponding array of the third collection fiber channels to sense corresponding additional properties about the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions.

26. The optical remote sensing method according to claim 25, wherein: Scanning the light beam includes sequentially scanning the light beam from the light source to each of the input ends of the transmitting fiber channel array.

27. The optical remote sensing method according to claim 25 or 26, wherein: The light beam emitted from the light source has a wavelength suitable for sensing the attribute about the corresponding scene, the attribute including distance information, physical property information, or state information, and The additional attributes include color information or temperature information.

28. The optical remote sensing method according to claim 27, wherein: The attribute includes the distance information, and the method further includes generating point cloud data based on the distance information about the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts detected by the first photodetector, and associating each data point in the point cloud data with the corresponding additional attribute, wherein the corresponding additional attribute corresponds to the data point about the corresponding scene associated with the multiple sensor parts detected by the third photodetector for each third collection fiber channel array.

29. A method of forming an optical remote sensing system, the method comprising: Providing an emission channel bracket, wherein the emission channel bracket is equipped with an input end of the emission fiber channel array; providing a beam steering device for scanning a beam from a light source to the input end of the transmit fiber channel array mounted to the transmit channel bracket; A plurality of sensor sections are provided, each sensor section being adapted to be exposed to a corresponding scene and connected to: an output end of a corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel in the transmitting optical fiber channel array, the output end being used to transmit the light beam propagating through the corresponding transmitting optical fiber channel to the corresponding scene; as well as an input end of a corresponding first collection fiber channel in a first collection fiber channel array, the input end being configured to receive a backscattered light beam about the corresponding scene based on the light beam emitted from the output end of the corresponding emission fiber channel; providing a first photodetector configured to detect the backscattered light beam propagating through the first collection fiber channel array to sense properties about the corresponding scene associated with the plurality of sensor portions; as well as providing a fiber channel hub, the fiber channel hub being used for the transmission fiber channel array and the first collection fiber channel array to pass through, A length of the first collection fiber channel array between the fiber channel hub and the first photodetector is bundled to form a first collection fiber channel bundle.

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