High-resolution frequency modulated continuous wave LIDAR with solid-state beam steering

Abstract

A focal plane array (FPA) system for a solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system. The FPA system includes a switchable coherent pixel array (SCPA) and a lens system. The SCPA is on a LiDAR chip and includes coherent pixels (CP). Each CP is configured to emit coherent light. The lens system is positioned to direct the coherent light emitted from the SCPA into an environment as one or more light beams. And each of the one or more light beams is emitted at a specific angle, and the specific angle is based in part on the position of the CP on the LiDAR chip that generates the coherent light that forms the one or more light beams.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 957,050, filed on January 3, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 960,686, filed on January 13, 2020, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and more particularly to a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system. Background Art

[0004] Traditional LiDAR systems use mechanical moving parts and bulky optical lens elements (i.e., refractive lens systems) to steer the laser beam, and are too bulky, costly, and unreliable for many applications (e.g., automotive). Summary of the invention

[0005] A solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system is configured to determine depth information of one or more objects in an environment. A solid-state FMCW LiDAR system includes a focal plane array (FPA) system and one or more laser sources. The one or more laser sources (e.g., a tunable laser array) provide light, which the FPA system uses to generate one or more light beams and scans (e.g., in two dimensions) the one or more light beams throughout the environment. The FPA system includes a switchable coherent pixel array (SCPA) and a lens system. The SCPA is on the LiDAR chip and includes coherent pixels (CP). Each of the CPs is configured to emit coherent light. The lens system is positioned to direct the coherent light emitted from the SCPA into the environment as one or more light beams. And each of the one or more light beams is emitted at a specific angle, and the specific angle is based in part on the position of the CP on the LiDAR chip that generates the coherent light that forms the one or more light beams. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure have other advantages and features which will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims when taken in conjunction with the examples in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0007] Figure 1 An implementation of a switchable coherent pixel array on an integrated photonic LIDAR chip is illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2A-D illustrates four versions of a coherent pixel according to one or more embodiments.

[0009] Figure 3 A beam steering structure for a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system is illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0010] Figure 4A A beam steering structure for a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system including a transmission diffraction grating is depicted in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0011] Figure 4B Depicted is a beam steering structure for a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system including a reflective diffraction grating in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0012] Figure 5 Depicted by Figure 4A and 4B Examples of scan and acquisition patterns generated by a solid-state LiDAR system.

[0013] Figure 6 Two synchronization methods between coherent pixels and laser sources of a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system are shown in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0014] Figure 7 A solid-state LiDAR system including a FPA system is depicted in accordance with one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The LiDAR system determines depth information (e.g., range, velocity, acceleration of one or more objects) of the system's field of view. The LiDAR system is a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR. FMCW LiDAR directly measures the range and velocity of an object by directing a frequency modulated collimated beam at the target. The light reflected from the object, Signal, is mixed with a tapped version of the beam called a local oscillator (LO). Once corrected for Doppler shifts that require additional measurement, the frequency of the resulting radio frequency (RF) beat signal is proportional to the distance of the object from the LiDAR system. These two measurements, which may or may not be performed simultaneously, provide range and velocity information for the target.

[0016] Described herein is a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system. The solid-state LiDAR system includes a focal plane array (FPA) system and a laser source. The laser source provides coherent light to the FPA system. The FPA system can be a reciprocal system. The FPA system includes a lens system, a LIDAR chip, and may additionally include a diffraction grating. The LiDAR chip includes a solid-state two-dimensional switchable coherent pixel array (SCPA) that is placed at a focal length from an optical lens. The SCPA includes a plurality of coherent pixels (CPs). The FPA system can selectively activate the CP to emit light (received from a laser source). Each CP consists of an optical antenna and a coherent light receiver. The optical lens maps the direction of the incident light beam to the position of a focal point on the focal plane, and it maps the light emitted from the CP to different angles in the environment (e.g., the area around the solid-state FMCW LiDAR system) depending on the position of the CP on the chip. The on-chip switch routes the light to the selected CP and steers the light beam to discrete angular positions through the optical lens. The vertical and horizontal angles of the outgoing light beam are determined by the position of the optical antenna on the chip relative to the principal axis of the optical lens. Multi-channel discrete beam steering is achieved by utilizing multiple switching networks to switch several optical antennas simultaneously.

[0017] In some embodiments, a diffraction grating (transmissive or reflective) is used to provide fine scanning capabilities. The diffraction grating is positioned to diffract one or more light beams emitted from the lens system into the environment. A diffraction grating is a periodic structure that splits and refracts or reflects light into multiple directions or diffraction orders. The angle of the outgoing light beam depends on the period of the grating, the wavelength of the light beam, and the angle of incidence. Those skilled in the art are able to design the diffraction grating and the angle of incidence so that the light is mainly directed in only one direction (e.g., a blazed grating), which is typically first order. In some embodiments, the solid-state FMCW LiDAR system includes a laser source as a tunable light source, so that the FPA system can output a light beam within a wavelength range. Therefore, by changing the wavelength of the light source, the solid-state FMCW LiDAR system is able to steer the outgoing light beam between two discrete steering positions set by the SCPA. Thereby providing a finer scanning resolution than the scanning resolution associated with selectively activating different CPs.

[0018] Note that conventional FMCW LiDAR systems implemented using optical fibers and discrete optical components, such as optical interferometers, optical delay lines, and optical circulators, are bulky, costly, and unreliable for many applications such as automotive and robotics. In contrast, the solid-state LiDAR systems described above overcome these issues by integrating the above optical components as well as optoelectronic components, such as photodiodes and optical phase shifters, on a single semiconductor chip. In addition, solid-state LiDAR systems can further reduce cost and form factor and improve reliability by implementing beam steering functions on the chip and eliminating mechanical moving parts in the system.

[0019] Figure 1 An implementation of a switchable coherent pixel array on an integrated photonic LIDAR chip (111) according to one or more embodiments is shown. The LiDAR chip is a photonic integrated circuit. The chip can include multiple basic functional subarrays 100. Each subarray 100 includes an optical input / output (I / O) port 102 and an optional 1 to K splitter 103 (where K is an integer) and one or more SCPA 101. The 1 to K splitter 103 can be passive or active. Each of the optical I / Os is fed by a frequency modulated light source provided by an off-chip or on-chip laser (e.g., a laser source). Optical power can be distributed on the chip through an optional 1 to K splitter to reduce the number of optical I / Os. In the illustrated embodiment, the corresponding outputs of the 1 to K splitter 103 feed the corresponding SPCA 101. In the illustrated embodiment, each SCPA 101 includes M coherent pixels 105 and an optical switch network 104, where M is an integer. Note that in some cases, one or more optical switch networks 104, optional 1 to K optical splitters 103, or some combination thereof, may be referred to simply as an optical switch. The optical switch is configured to switchably couple the input port 102 to an optical antenna within a coherent pixel, thereby forming an optical path between the input port and the optical antenna. The optical switch may include a plurality of active optical splitters. In some embodiments, the optical switch optically couples the frequency modulated laser signal to each optical antenna one at a time during a scan cycle of the FMCW transceiver.

[0020] The optical switch network 104 selects one or more of the M coherent pixels to send and receive frequency modulated (FM) light for ranging and detection. The coherent pixels can be physically arranged on the chip in a one-dimensional (e.g., linear array) or a two-dimensional array (e.g., rectangular, regular (e.g., non-random arrangement such as a grid)). In some embodiments, the selected coherent pixels can transmit light to free space, receive the returning light signal, perform coherent detection and convert the light signal directly into an electrical signal for digital signal processing. Note that the received light signal is not propagated through the switching network again in order to be detected, but the output is routed separately (not shown in the illustrated embodiment), which reduces losses and therefore improves signal quality.

[0021] Figure 2A -D shows four versions of CP according to one or more embodiments. Figure 2A and 2B, light from the optical switch network is provided to the optical input port 203 of the CP. An optical splitter 212 splits the light into two output ports, which are referred to as the TX signal (215) and the local oscillator (LO) 214. The TX signal 215 is sent directly from the chip to the environment using a polarization-splitting optical antenna 210 with one polarization (e.g., TM). The polarization-splitting optical antenna 210 collects the light beam reflected from the object under measurement in the environment, couples the orthogonal polarization (e.g., TE) into the waveguide 213, and sends it directly to the optical mixer 201. In this case, the optical signal received by the polarization-splitting optical antenna 210 is not further divided by any additional optical splitters or "pseudo-circulators". The signals received from port 213 and LO 214 are mixed by the optical mixer 201 for coherent detection, which can be as shown in FIG. Figure 2A The balanced 2x2 optical combiner 201 in Figure 2B Finally, Figure 2A A pair of photodiodes (PD) 207 and Figure 2B The four PDs in the chip convert the optical signal into an electrical signal for beat tone detection. This design realizes an efficient integrated circulator for each single coherent pixel and realizes an on-chip monostatic FMCW LiDAR with ultra-high sensitivity. Figure 2C and 2D As depicted, the TX signal 215 and LO 214 can also be individually fed into the CP to allow for greater flexibility. For example, the TX signal or the local oscillator can be routed to the CP through two separate switch networks.

[0022] Figure 3 The beam steering structure for a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system according to one or more embodiments is illustrated. The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system includes a LIDAR chip 111 and a lens system 300. In the illustrated embodiment, the CP 105 of the SCPA on the LIDAR chip 111 is placed at the focal length of the lens system 300. The lens system 300 includes one or more optical elements (e.g., a positive lens, a free-form lens, a Fresnel lens, etc.) that map the physical position of each CP 105 to a unique direction. The lens system 300 is configured to project a transmit signal emitted from each of a plurality of antennas to a corresponding portion of a field of view (e.g., an area of ​​an environment) and provide a reflection of the transmit signal to the antenna. Each optical antenna transmits and receives light from a different angle. Therefore, by switching to different antennas, discrete beam scanning is achieved. The horizontal angle (θ) of the laser beam (301) is set by the position of the CP containing the optical antenna relative to the main axis of the lens system 300. h ) and the vertical angle (θ vSCPA can have the same or different step sizes in scanning in different directions. For example, limited by the total number of CPs on the LIDAR chip (111), SCPA-enabled discrete beam scanning can have fine angular steps in one dimension and coarse angular steps in another dimension.

[0023] Figure 4A A beam steering structure for a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system including a transmission diffraction grating 400 according to one or more embodiments is depicted. The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system includes a LIDAR chip 111, a lens system 300, and a transmission diffraction grating 400. The LIDAR chip 111 and the lens system 300 are as described above with respect to Figure 3 The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system 300 operates as described to produce outgoing light beams 400 and 401 into the environment. The transmission diffraction grating 400 modifies the direction of the outgoing light beams 400, 401 from the lens system 300. The diffraction angle is changed by adjusting the wavelength of light from the input light source of the LIDAR chip 111, thereby allowing continuous steering between coarse discrete steering positions output from the lens system 300 (e.g., based on the position of the CP emitting light). For example, λ1, λ2, λ3 represent 3 different wavelengths of light, and as shown, the transmission diffraction grating diffracts light of different wavelengths to different positions. Therefore, the solid-state FMCW LiDAR system can emit light from different CPs to place the beam in a specific area of ​​the environment (i.e., coarse optical steering), and adjust the wavelength of the emitted beam (e.g., from λ min to λ max ) for finer optical steering of the light beam. The grating can be a one-dimensional grating or a two-dimensional grating. In some embodiments, the grating is a blazed grating designed to concentrate most of the power in a single order. In some embodiments, the grating is a custom 2D grating designed, for example, to suppress energy leaking into unwanted higher orders, compensate for angular distortion of color linear scanning that may occur with a one-dimensional grating, or some combination thereof.

[0024] Figure 4B A beam steering structure for a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system including a reflective diffraction grating 410 is depicted in accordance with one or more embodiments. Figure 4B The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system is basically based on Figure 4A The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system operates in the same way.

[0025] therefore, Figure 4A and 4BThe grating is positioned to diffract one or more light beams emitted from the lens system 300 into the environment, and the amount of diffraction is based in part on the wavelength of the one or more light beams. The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system can adjust the wavelength of the one or more light beams over a range of wavelengths so that the amount of diffraction changes to provide a second scanning resolution (i.e., the scanning resolution of the grating) that is finer than the first scanning resolution (i.e., based in part on the selective activation of different CPs of the SCPA).

[0026] Figure 5 Depicted by Figure 4A and 4B Examples of scanning and acquisition patterns generated by a solid-state LiDAR system. min to λ max In the color scan, each coherent pixel can generate a continuous line interval (hereinafter referred to as a scan line) in the free space, and different coherent pixels (such as CP1, CP2) are mapped to different scan lines projected into the environment.

[0027] FMCW LiDAR receives a continuous signal for each scan line, which is typically much longer (e.g., 10-100 times longer) than the time window (e.g., a few microseconds) required to perform a complete range and velocity measurement and generate a single LiDAR point. The range and velocity measurements of FMCW LiDAR are based on information extracted from the Fourier transform, which is typically in the form of a fast Fourier transform (FFT). For each scan line, an FFT can be performed on consecutive and non-overlapping segments of the continuous time domain signal. For example, when the required time window is 10μs long and the scan line is 1ms long, 100 FFTs are typically performed, generating approximately 100 LiDAR points. Compared to a conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT), a sliding discrete Fourier transform (SDFT) can achieve much higher resolution by interpolating the angular position from consecutive scans within each pixel group. The SDFT allows the measurement interval (angle step) to be a fraction of the required time window. For example, when the time window is 10μs long and the scan line is 1ms long, if the measurement interval is set to 5μs, 200 SDFTs can be performed, generating approximately 200 LiDAR points. The number of LiDAR points is doubled compared to the non-overlapping FFT case. With a smaller measurement interval, the number of points can be further increased for a fixed scan line. The optional spatial overlap between the scan lines of two adjacent subframes ensures that the SDFT window has enough space to slide through. Therefore, the solid-state FMCW LiDAR system can project one or more beams into the environment. The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system includes an SCPA, which includes multiple CP groups. Each CP group corresponds to a different area of ​​the environment. Portions of one or more beams are reflected back from objects in the environment and are detected by at least two CP groups. The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system can use SDFT to interpolate the angular position of the object from the detected portions of the one or more beams.

[0028] The FMCW laser source generates a frequency chirp that is synchronized with the LIDAR pixels in the time domain. For each pixel, an increasing slope and a decreasing slope in the frequency response of the FMCW LIDAR can be used to simultaneously calculate velocity and range based on the Doppler effect.

[0029] Figure 6 Two synchronization methods between the CP and the laser source of a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system according to one or more embodiments are shown.The solid-state FMCW LiDAR system may be any embodiment described herein. Figure 6Two methods (A and B) of chirping the laser source of a solid-state FMCW LiDAR system are illustrated. The horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is frequency. In method A, the light is chirped so that the frequency response is a triangular waveform with the same period as the pixel time of the SDFT. A solid-state FMCW LiDAR system scans a light beam into an environment and measures the frequency of light reflected from objects in the environment as it scans. Each measurement requires a finite time. Two measurements, one when the laser frequency increases linearly (up ramp) and the other when the laser frequency decreases linearly (down ramp), are used for single-point measurements. Pixel time refers to a continuous pair of up ramps and down ramps.

[0030] In method B, the laser source (or sources) is chirped so that there are two complementary triangular chirp signals (labeled Chirp 1 and Chirp 2). These complementary chirp signals can be applied to the same beam or to two single beams. For example, in the case of a dual beam, the first laser source is chirped to have a Chirp 1 frequency response, and the second laser source is simultaneously chirped to have a Chirp 2 frequency response. Thus, the laser sources are simultaneously chirped in a complementary manner (i.e., with the same pattern but 180 degrees out of phase) and provide both rising slope and falling slope measurements within a single pixel time. In an embodiment with a single laser source, the solid-state FMCW LiDAR system chirps the laser source (e.g., Chirp 1) and performs rising slope measurements on the object while scanning. Then, the solid-state FMCW LiDAR system chirps the beam in a complementary manner (e.g., Chirp 2) and performs falling slope measurements (for the same location on the object). In this case, the period of the two chirp signals does not need to be the same as the time window required to perform a single Fourier transform. This relaxes the chirp bandwidth requirement of the FMCW source. Both methods guarantee that each SDFT window always sees the same frequency ramp up and ramp down durations. Using a CP that generates complex signals (such as I / Q in an optical mixer), FMCW measurements (speed and distance calculations) can be done unambiguously. Note that local frequency modulation can be added on top of a slower varying wavelength scan that can be used for color scanning.

[0031] Figure 7 A solid-state LiDAR system including an FPA system according to one or more embodiments is depicted. The FPA system may be a reciprocal system. The FPA system includes an optical diffraction grating 705, a lens system 300, and a LIDAR chip 111. The diffraction grating may be as described above with respect to Figure 4A and 4BThe transmission diffraction grating or reflection diffraction grating discussed. The CP in the LiDAR chip 111 is part of one or more SPCAs 101 controlled by the FPA driver 710. One or more individual CPs in the LiDAR chip 111 can be activated to emit and receive light. The light emitted by the LiDAR chip 111 is generated by a Q-channel laser array 715. The Q-channel laser array 715 is a laser array with Q parallel channels, where Q is an integer. The Q-channel laser array 715 can be directly integrated with the LiDAR chip 111, or it can be a separate module packaged with the LiDAR chip 111. The Q-channel laser array 715 is controlled by a laser controller 720. In some embodiments, the Q-channel laser array 715 is tunable over a wavelength range.

[0032] The laser controller 720 receives control signals from the LiDAR processing engine 725 via a digital-to-analog converter 730. The process also controls the FPA driver 710 and sends and receives data with respect to the LiDAR chip 111.

[0033] The LiDAR processing engine 725 includes a microcomputer 735. The microcomputer 735 processes data from the FPA system and sends control signals to the FPA system via the FPA driver 710 and the laser controller 720. The LiDAR processing engine 725 also includes an N-channel receiver 740. The signal is received by the N-channel receiver 740 and digitized using an M-channel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 745 set.

[0034] Additional configuration information

[0035] The drawings and the foregoing description relate to the preferred embodiments by way of illustration only. It should be noted that, from the foregoing discussion, alternative embodiments of the structures and methods disclosed herein will be readily recognized as viable alternatives that may be employed without departing from the principles claimed.

[0036] Although the detailed description contains many details, these should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention, but only as illustrating different examples. It should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure includes other embodiments not discussed in detail above. Various other modifications, changes and variations that are obvious to those skilled in the art can be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and devices disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

[0037] Alternative embodiments are implemented in computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or a combination thereof. The embodiments can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device for execution by a programmable processor, and the method steps can be performed by the programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. The embodiments can advantageously be implemented in one or more computer programs executable on a programmable system comprising: at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from a data storage system and to send data and instructions to a data storage system; at least one input device; and at least one output device. Each computer program can be implemented in a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language, or in assembly or machine language if desired; and in any case, the language can be a compiled or interpreted language. For example, suitable processors include general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors. Typically, the processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory and / or a random access memory. In general, a computer will include one or more mass storage devices for storing data files; such devices include: disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and optical disks. Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including, for example: semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM disks. Any of the above can be supplemented or incorporated by ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) and other forms of hardware.

Claims

1. A focal plane array (FPA) system for a solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system, the FPA system comprising: a switchable coherent pixel array SCPA on the LiDAR chip, the SCPA comprising coherent pixels CP, each of the CPs being configured to emit coherent light; as well as a lens system positioned to direct the coherent light emitted from the SCPA into an environment as one or more light beams, and each of the one or more light beams is emitted at a specific angle, and the specific angle is based in part on a position of the CP on the LiDAR chip that generates the coherent light forming the one or more light beams.

2. The FPA system according to claim 1, wherein: The FPA system is configured to scan the one or more light beams in two dimensions across the environment at a first scanning resolution based in part on selective activation of different CPs of the SCPA.

3. The FPA system according to claim 2, further comprising: a diffraction grating positioned to diffract one or more light beams emitted from the lens system into the environment, and the amount of diffraction is based in part on the wavelength of the one or more light beams, wherein the wavelength of the one or more light beams is tuned over a range of wavelengths such that an amount of diffraction by the diffraction grating is varied to provide a second scanning resolution finer than the first scanning resolution.

4. The FPA system according to claim 3, wherein: The diffraction grating is a blazed grating that emits light primarily in the first diffraction order.

5. The FPA system according to claim 3, wherein: The diffraction grating is a reflective diffraction grating.

6. The FPA system according to claim 3, wherein: The diffraction grating is a transmission diffraction grating.

7. The FPA system according to claim 3, wherein: The first CP set of the SCPA enables coherent light emitted from each CP of the first CP set to be mapped to a corresponding interval of a first continuous line in the environment, and the second CP set of the SCPA enables coherent light emitted from each CP of the second CP set to be mapped to a corresponding interval of a second continuous line in the environment different from the first continuous line.

8. The FPA system according to claim 1, wherein: Portions of the one or more light beams are reflected from objects in the environment and detected by at least two CP groups of the SCPA, and each CP group corresponds to a different area in the environment, and a sliding discrete Fourier transform (SDFT) is used to interpolate the angular position of the object from the detected portions of the one or more light beams.

9. The FPA system according to claim 8, wherein: The frequency response of the coherent light emitted by the FMCW source providing the coherent light to the FPA system is a triangular waveform and has the same period as the pixel time of the SDFT.

10. The FPA system according to claim 8, wherein: The first FMCW source and the second FMCW source are configured to provide coherent light to the FPA system, and the first FMCW source is configured to emit coherent light having a first frequency response as a triangular waveform in a first phase, and the second FMCW source is configured to emit coherent light having a second frequency response as a triangular waveform in a second phase, wherein the second phase is 180 degrees different from the first phase.

11. A solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging LiDAR system, the solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging LiDAR system comprising: a laser source configured to emit coherent light; a switchable coherent pixel array SCPA on a LiDAR chip, the SCPA being configured to selectively emit coherent light via one or more coherent pixels CP using at least the coherent light from the laser source; as well as a lens system positioned to direct the coherent light emitted from the SCPA into an environment as one or more light beams, and each of the one or more light beams is emitted at a specific angle, and the specific angle is based in part on the position of the CP on the LiDAR chip that generates the coherent light forming the one or more light beams.

12. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system of claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to instruct the LiDAR chip to scan the one or more light beams in two dimensions across the environment at a first scanning resolution based in part on the selective activation of different CPs of the SCPA.

13. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging LiDAR system according to claim 12, further comprising: a diffraction grating positioned to diffract the one or more light beams emitted from the lens system into the environment, and the amount of diffraction is based in part on the wavelength of the one or more light beams, The wavelength of the one or more light beams is tuned over a wavelength range so that the diffraction amount of the diffraction grating changes to provide a second scanning resolution finer than the first scanning resolution.

14. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system according to claim 13, wherein: The diffraction grating is a blazed grating that emits light primarily in the first diffraction order.

15. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system according to claim 13, wherein: The diffraction grating is a reflective diffraction grating.

16. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system according to claim 13, wherein: The diffraction grating is a transmission diffraction grating.

17. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system according to claim 13, wherein: The first CP set of the SCPA enables coherent light emitted from each CP of the first CP set to be mapped to a corresponding interval of a first continuous line in the environment, and the second CP set of the SCPA enables coherent light emitted from each CP of the second CP set to be mapped to a corresponding interval of a second continuous line in the environment different from the first continuous line.

18. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system according to claim 11, wherein: Portions of the one or more light beams are reflected from objects in the environment and detected by at least two CP groups of the SCPA, and each CP group corresponds to a different area in the environment, and a sliding discrete Fourier transform (SDFT) is used to interpolate the angular position of the object from the detected portions of the one or more light beams.

19. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system according to claim 18, wherein: The frequency response of the coherent light is a triangular waveform and has the same period as the pixel time of the SDFT.

20. The solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system according to claim 18, wherein: The coherent light emitted from the laser source has a first frequency response as a triangular waveform in a first phase, and the solid-state frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system further comprises: a second laser source configured to emit coherent light having a second frequency response as a triangular waveform in a second phase, wherein the second phase is 180 degrees different from the first phase, and The coherent light emitted from the SCPA includes coherent light emitted from both the laser source and the second laser source.

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