Implementation of a focal plane 2D APD array for a HYPERION LIDAR system

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a Lidar device comprising: a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a transmit TX path and a two-dimensional 2D light sensor array on a receive RX path.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of a Chinese patent application filed on September 16, 2016, with application number 201680053168.6 (international application number PCT / US2016 / 052244), and invention name “Implementation scheme of focal plane 2D APD array for HYPERION LIDAR system”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 15 / 266,618, entitled “IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOCAL PLANE 2D APD ARRAY FOR HYPERION LIDAR SYSTEM,” filed on September 15, 2016, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 220,777, entitled “IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FOCAL PLANE 2D APD ARRAY FOR HYPERION LIDAR SYSTEM,” filed on September 18, 2015. The entire contents of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to electronic devices, and more particularly, to methods, apparatus, and systems for measuring the distance to an object using light. Background Art

[0005] Lidar (also LIDAR, LiDAR, or LADAR, a portmanteau of "light" and "radar") is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with laser light and analyzing the reflected light. For many mobile applications, such as indoor mapping and navigation, enhanced photography or vision processing, it is important to be able to accurately measure the distance to objects in the immediate environment.

[0006] For mobile devices, being able to quickly produce highly accurate 3D scans of objects would be an important feature.

[0007] Known approaches suffer from several drawbacks: limited range, lower accuracy, indoor operation limitations, etc. In many cases, conventional solutions cannot be accommodated by the smaller form factor of mobile devices. Summary of the invention

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a Lidar device comprising: a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a transmit (TX) path; and a two-dimensional (2D) light sensor array on a receive (RX) path.

[0009] A method for implementing a Lidar device, the method comprising: implementing a vibrating fiber optic cantilever system on a transmit (TX) path; and implementing a two-dimensional (2D) optical sensor array on a receive (RX) path.

[0010] A Lidar device includes: a vibrating optical fiber cantilever device on a transmission (TX) path; and a two-dimensional (2D) optical sensing device on a reception (RX) path.

[0011] A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement a method comprising: driving a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a transmit (TX) path of a Lidar device; and driving a two-dimensional (2D) light sensor array on a receive (RX) path of the Lidar device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 are diagrams illustrating example devices with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced.

[0013] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example vibrating fiber optic cantilever system.

[0014] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example Lidar including TX and RX paths.

[0015] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example serial architecture for acquiring data from a 2D photosensor array. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, systems, and methods for measuring distance by illuminating a target with laser light and analyzing the reflected light.

[0017] See also Figure 1, showing an example device 100 adapted for use with a Lidar. Device 100 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 105 (or may be otherwise connected as appropriate). The hardware elements may include one or more processors 110, including (but not limited to) one or more general purpose processors and / or one or more special purpose processors (e.g., digital signal processing chips, graphics acceleration processors, and / or the like); one or more input / output devices 115, including (but not limited to) a Lidar 150, a mouse, a keyboard, a speaker, a printer, and / or the like. Lidar 150 may include a hardware Lidar controller.

[0018] The device 100 may further include (and / or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 125, which may include (but are not limited to) local and / or network accessible storage devices, and / or may include (but are not limited to) disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory ("RAM") and / or read-only memory ("ROM") (which may be programmable, flash-updatable), and / or the like. These storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including (but not limited to) various file systems, database structures, and / or the like.

[0019] The device 100 may also include a communication subsystem 130, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and / or a chipset (e.g., a Bluetooth device, an 802.11 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a cellular communication facility, etc.), and / or the like. The communication subsystem 130 may permit data to be exchanged with a network, other computer systems / devices, and / or any other device described herein. In many embodiments, the device 100 will further include a working memory 135, which may include a RAM or ROM device, as described above.

[0020] The device 100 may also include software elements shown as currently located within the working memory 135, including an operating system 140, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code such as one or more application programs 145, which may include or may be designed to implement the methods and / or configuration systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more processes described with respect to the methods discussed below may be implemented as codes and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or a processor within a computer); in one aspect, these codes and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0021] The set of these instructions and / or codes may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device 125 described above. In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated into a computer device, such as device 100. In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separate from the computer device (e.g., a removable medium such as a compact disc), and / or provided in an installation package so that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer via the instructions / code stored thereon. These instructions may be in the form of executable code that can be executed by the computerized device 100, and / or may be in the form of source and / or installable code that, after being compiled on the device 100 and / or installed on the device 100 (e.g., using any of a variety of commonly available compilers, installers, compression / decompression utilities, etc.), then in the form of executable code.

[0022] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a large number of variations can be made according to specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets, etc.), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed.

[0023] A lidar, such as the lidar 150, may be comprised of two subsystems - a beam steering element and a rangefinder. The beam steering element may direct a projected laser beam to establish a scanning pattern. And the rangefinder may convert reflected light from the scanned object into information about the distance to different parts of the object based on these measurements and / or techniques, such as pulsed time-of-flight, phase-shifted time-of-flight, or coherent detection. In one embodiment, both the beam steering element and the rangefinder subsystem may be implemented in a very small form factor.

[0024] Thus, Lidar may contain two light paths: a transmit (TX) path through which laser light travels from a laser source to the scanned object (target); and a receive (RX) path through which reflected light travels from the target to the light receiving element of the rangefinder.

[0025] In one embodiment, on the TX path, the scanning laser may be launched from a fiber optic cable, such as a single mode or multimode fiber optic cable, and passed through a series of TX optics. The laser from the rangefinder subsystem may be coupled into the fiber optic cable.

[0026] See also Figure 2, a diagram illustrating an exemplary vibrating fiber optic cantilever system 200 is shown. An optical fiber cable 210 may pass through a piezoelectric ceramic tube 220. The piezoelectric ceramic tube 220 may be fixed to the body of a device (e.g., device 100) at one end 230, and free at the other end 240. The optical fiber cable 210 may be fixed to the free end 240 of the piezoelectric ceramic tube 220, while the free end 250 of the optical fiber cable 210 may further extend from the free end 240 of the piezoelectric ceramic tube 220 to a predetermined length. Thus, a fixed-free vibrating cantilever system 200 may be created. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the length of the free optical fiber cable extending outside the piezoelectric ceramic tube 220 and other physical properties of the optical fiber cable 210 may determine the resonant frequency of the cantilever.

[0027] By applying a suitable drive signal, the piezoelectric ceramic tube 220 can be driven to vibrate at a desired frequency. When the piezoelectric ceramic tube 220 is driven to vibrate at the resonant frequency of the cantilever, the cantilever can be excited in a resonant mode. In other words, the smaller vibration at the bottom of the cantilever can be amplified and the end of the optical fiber cable 210 (e.g., the free end 250) can vibrate with a larger amplitude. In addition, the movement of the end of the optical fiber cable 210 (e.g., the free end 250) can be controlled by applying a suitable drive signal to the piezoelectric ceramic tube 220. Therefore, a desired scanning mode can be implemented.

[0028] Simple TX optics, such as a single lens assembly, may be used to collect laser light emerging from the end of the fiber optic cable 210, such as the free end 250, and condition the laser light for projection.

[0029] On the RX path, the reflected light can be collected onto the optical sensor by means of an omnidirectional lens or lens assembly. Thus, the scanned distance to the object can be determined based on the signal generated by the optical sensor, while the direction of the object can be determined based on the position of the end of the optical fiber cable 210 (e.g., the free end 250).

[0030] Thus, Lidar can generate a point cloud that includes highly accurate 3D coordinates of the portions of the scanned object. A 3D map of an environment or a 3D scan of an object can be generated from the Lidar point cloud.

[0031] Using a wider field of view (FOV) lens to collect reflected light from the scanned object onto a single light sensor may have certain disadvantages. Since the lens has a wider FOV, background interference (such as sunlight radiation or higher beams of cars, etc.) can be collected onto the light sensor. As a result, the range of the Lidar may be adversely affected.

[0032] As an alternative to a wider FOV lens on the RX path, the reflected light can be coupled back into the cantilever so that the effective FOV can be reduced. However, since the coupling efficiency may be limited, the reduction in background interference may be accompanied by a reduction in useful signal. In addition, a large leakage of laser pulses on the TX path into the RX path may sluggish the electronics on the RX path and thus reduce the performance of the Lidar.

[0033] See also Figure 3 , shows a diagram illustrating an example Lidar 300 including TX and RX paths. On the TX path 310, a vibrating fiber cantilever 315 can be used to project a scanning laser onto a target through a TX optic 320. In one embodiment, the free end of the fiber optic cable can be driven in a spiral pattern by a suitable drive signal. The scanning pattern used is not limited to the present disclosure and other scanning patterns can also be utilized. The laser emitting element can emit laser pulses at regular intervals. Figure 3 Each point 325 in the RX path 330 may correspond to a single laser pulse. On the RX path 330, the reflected light and the interference are collected by the RX optics 335 onto a two-dimensional (2D) light sensor array 340 including a plurality of light sensors. In other words, the 2D light sensor array 340 may be positioned at the focal plane of the RX optics 335. The type of light sensor used is not limited to the present disclosure. For example, the 2D light sensor array 340 may include an avalanche photodiode (APD) or a PIN photodiode as a light sensor. Figure 3 A 4×4 2D light sensor array is shown in FIG; however, the configuration of the 2D light sensor array is not limited to the present disclosure. In addition, it should be understood that although Figure 3 Only a single lens is shown for the RX optics 335, but more complex RX optics may also be utilized.

[0034] Since the FOV of each individual light sensor in the 2D light sensor array 340 is only a portion of the combined FOV of the overall system, the background interference collected on each light sensor is reduced proportionally, but the reflected light suitable for Lidar is not reduced. Therefore, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) value of Lidar can be improved, increasing the range and improving the accuracy of the measurement value. In addition, Lidar can perform more robustly in the presence of interference.

[0035] In one embodiment described above, a pulse time-of-flight (ToF) method can be used to measure the distance to the scanned object. To use the method, it is necessary to measure the time at which the reflected light is recorded by a specific one or more light sensors in the 2D light sensor array 340 with respect to the time at which the corresponding laser pulse is projected into the environment. In different embodiments, a time-to-digital converter (TDC) or an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) can be used to perform the measurement.

[0036] With TDC, a set of predefined thresholds can be used to trigger the start and stop of a counter, so when the voltage from the light sensor exceeds a certain value, the counter can be started. TDC has a simple architecture and is easy to implement. However, because TDC is only able to capture timing information, other data applicable to Lidar (such as the power of reflected light) may not be accurately captured or may be lost. In addition, when multiple objects (such as branches, raindrops, etc.) are present in the light path, TDC may not be able to correctly represent the data available in the light sensor signal.

[0037] On the other hand, the ADC may be better able to acquire data from the light sensor signal in a comprehensive and accurate manner. For use with Lidar, a high-efficiency ADC may be required, such as an ADC running at approximately 10 GHz. In some embodiments, the ADC performance requirements may be relaxed with a smaller ADC word length (e.g., 8 bits).

[0038] The signals from the 2D light sensor array may be processed via a parallel architecture or a serial architecture. With a parallel architecture, each light sensor in the 2D light sensor array has and is connected to a dedicated time measurement converter (TDC or ADC). Therefore, the outputs of all light sensors in the 2D light sensor array can be processed by the time measurement converter at once.

[0039] In one embodiment, since the direction in which each laser pulse is sent is known as a result of the TX path architecture, the specific one or more photosensors in the 2D photosensor array that will receive the corresponding reflected light are also known. With such an architecture, the accuracy of the Lidar measurements is defined by the scan resolution on the TX path, while the RX path architecture improves the SNR of the measurements. In other words, only the timing information is unknown and needs to be measured, because the output from the photosensors in the 2D photosensor array that will not receive the reflected light does not contain useful information.

[0040] See also Figure 4, shows a diagram illustrating an exemplary serial architecture 400 for acquiring data from a 2D light sensor array. All outputs from individual light sensors in a 2D light sensor array 410 may be routed through a dynamic switch 420. Depending on the direction of a projected laser pulse available from the TX path, the dynamic switch 420 may route outputs from one or more specific light sensors expected to receive reflected light to a time measurement converter 430. Depending on different implementations, the number of time measurement converters 430 may vary. In one embodiment, a single time measurement converter 430 may be used. The number of time measurement converters 430 limits the number of light sensors that process signals for initiating each laser pulse. After each new laser pulse is initiated on the TX path, the dynamic switch 420 may route outputs from a new specific set of one or more light sensors to the time measurement converter 430 accordingly. Therefore, by using a dynamic switch 420, fewer time measurement converters 430 may be required than the number of light sensors. In one embodiment, only a single time measurement converter 430 is required and used.

[0041] The 2D light sensor array can also be used to assist in the calibration / recalibration process of the TX path. When the reflected light is not received by the expected one or more light sensors in the 2D light sensor array, the TX path may not project the laser pulse in the correct direction. By associating a clear projected direction with the light sensor that received the reflected light, the calibration / recalibration process of the TX path can be performed and the tuning parameters updated.

[0042] Therefore, an embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a Lidar, which includes a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a TX path and a 2D light sensor array on an RX path. The vibrating fiber cantilever system may further include a piezoelectric ceramic tube and a fiber optic cable. The free end of the fiber optic cable may extend outside the free end of the piezoelectric ceramic tube to a predetermined length. The piezoelectric ceramic tube may be driven by a suitable signal to vibrate at the resonant frequency of the cantilever system so that the vibration is amplified at the free end of the fiber optic cable. The movement of the free end of the fiber optic cable may follow a predetermined scanning pattern, and the laser emitting element may emit laser pulses at regular intervals. The laser pulses may be emitted from the free end of the fiber optic cable and projected onto the scanned target through the TX optical element. The light reflected back from the scanned target may be collected by the RX optical element onto the 2D light sensor array. Depending on the direction of the laser pulse projection, the dynamic switch may route the output of one or more specific light sensors in the 2D light sensor array that are expected to receive reflected light to one or more time measurement converters, wherein the time measurement converter may be a TDC or an ADC. In one embodiment, only one time measurement converter may be used.

[0043] Lidar can process data captured by the time measurement converter and generate a point cloud, which can be constructed from an accurate 3D map of the environment or a 3D scan of an object. Therefore, the accuracy of the lidar measurement is limited by the scan clarity on the TX path, while the RX path architecture improves the SNR of the measurement. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, lidar can have a longer range and better signal accuracy, and can perform more robustly in the presence of possible interference.

[0044] Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for implementing a Lidar device, the method comprising: implementing a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a transmit (TX) path; and implementing a two-dimensional (2D) light sensor array on a receive (RX) path.

[0045] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement a method comprising: driving a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a transmit (TX) path of a Lidar device; and driving a two-dimensional (2D) optical sensor array on a receive (RX) path of the Lidar device.

[0046] The example methods, apparatuses, or articles presented herein may be implemented in whole or in part for use in or in conjunction with a mobile communication device. As used herein, "mobile device," "mobile communication device," "handheld device," "tablet," or the like, or various forms of these terms, may be used interchangeably and may refer to any type of dedicated computing platform or device that is capable of communicating by wirelessly transmitting or receiving information via a suitable communication network according to one or more communication protocols and may have a changed location or position from time to time. As an illustration, a dedicated mobile communication device may include, for example, a cellular phone, a satellite phone, a smart phone, a heat map or radio map generation tool or device, an observation signal parameter generation tool or device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a personal entertainment system, an e-book reader, a tablet personal computer (PC), a personal audio or video device, a personal navigation unit, a wearable device, or the like. However, it should be understood that these are merely illustrative examples related to mobile devices that can be used to facilitate or support one or more processes or operations described herein.

[0047] Depending on the specific application, the methods described herein may be implemented in different ways and in different configurations. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, and / or a combination thereof together with software. For example, in a hardware implementation, the processing unit may be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other device units designed to perform the functions described herein, and / or combinations thereof.

[0048] The storage media described herein may include primary, secondary, and / or tertiary storage media. Primary storage media may include memory, such as random access memory and / or read-only memory. Secondary storage media may include mass storage devices, such as magnetic or solid-state hard drives. Tertiary storage media may include removable storage media, such as magnetic or optical disks, tapes, solid-state storage devices, etc. In certain embodiments, the storage media or portions thereof may be operatively received or otherwise configured to be coupled to other components of a computing platform, such as a processor.

[0049] In at least some embodiments, one or more portions of the storage media described herein may store signals representing data and / or information expressed by a particular state of the storage media. For example, electronic signals representing data and / or information may be "stored" in a portion of a storage medium (e.g., memory) by affecting or changing the state of these portions of the storage media to represent the data and / or information as binary information (e.g., ones and zeros). Thus, in particular embodiments, this change in the state of the portion of the storage medium used to store signals representing data and / or information constitutes a transformation of the storage medium to a different state or content.

[0050] In the foregoing detailed description, numerous specific details have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the claimed subject matter can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, methods and devices known to those skilled in the art have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the claimed subject matter.

[0051] Some parts of the foregoing specific embodiments are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on binary digital electronic signals stored in the memory of a specific device or a dedicated computing device or platform. In the context of this specific specification, the term "specific device" or its analogs include general-purpose computers (once it is programmed to perform specific functions according to instructions from program software). Algorithmic descriptions or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by ordinary technicians in signal processing or related fields to convey the essence of their work to other technicians in the field. Here, algorithms are generally regarded as self-consistent sequences of operations or similar signal processing that produce desired results. In this context, operations or processing involve physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, but not necessarily, these quantities can be in the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transmitted, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated as electronic signals representing information. It has been proven that it is often convenient to refer to these signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numbers, information or the like, mainly for reasons of common use. However, it should be understood that all of these or similar terms should be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are only convenient labels.

[0052] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as will be apparent from the following discussion, it should be understood that throughout this specification, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "identifying," "determining," "establishing," "obtaining," and / or similar terms refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus such as a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, which are typically represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities within a memory, register, or other information storage device, transmitting device, or display device of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this particular patent application, the term "specific apparatus" may include a general purpose computer once it has been programmed to perform specific functions according to instructions from program software.

[0053] References throughout this specification to "one example," "an example," "some examples," or "exemplary embodiments" mean that the particular features, structures, or characteristics described with respect to a feature and / or example may be included in at least one feature and / or example of the claimed subject matter. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one example," "an example," "in some examples," or "in some embodiments," or other similar phrases, in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same feature, example, and / or limitation. In addition, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more examples and / or features.

[0054] While what are presently considered to be example features have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other modifications may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the claimed subject matter. Additionally, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the teachings of the claimed subject matter without departing from the central concept described herein. Therefore, it is intended that the claimed subject matter not be limited to the specific examples disclosed, but that the claimed subject matter may also include all aspects within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A Lidar device, comprising: a vibrating fiber cantilever system located in a transmit TX path, the vibrating fiber cantilever system transmitting laser pulses onto a target, wherein a free end of the fiber cantilever system is configured to travel in a helical pattern; a two-dimensional (2D) light sensor array located on a receive RX path, the 2D light sensor array receiving light reflected from the target and collected by an omnidirectional lens or lens assembly, wherein the 2D light sensor array comprises a plurality of light sensors, wherein each light sensor of the plurality of light sensors is configured to receive a portion of a field of view (FOV); and A dynamic switch that routes outputs from one or more light sensors in the 2D light sensor array that are expected to receive reflected light to one or more time measurement converters based on the direction in which the vibrating fiber cantilever system projects laser pulses on the TX path.

2. The Lidar device according to claim 1, wherein the vibrating fiber optic cantilever system further comprises a piezoelectric ceramic tube and an optical fiber cable, and a free end of the optical fiber cable extends outside the free end of the piezoelectric ceramic tube to a predetermined length, and wherein the piezoelectric ceramic tube is driven by a signal to vibrate at a resonant frequency of the vibrating fiber optic cantilever system, so that the vibration is amplified at the free end of the optical fiber cable.

3. The Lidar device of claim 2, wherein the movement of the free end of the fiber optic cable follows a predetermined scanning pattern. 4 . The Lidar device according to claim 3 , further comprising a laser emitting element that emits laser pulses at regular intervals.

5. The Lidar device of claim 4, further comprising a TX optic, wherein laser pulses are emitted from the free end of the fiber optic cable and projected onto a target through the TX optic. 6 . The Lidar device of claim 5 , further comprising an RX optic, wherein light reflected back from the target is collected by the RX optic onto the 2D light sensor array.

7. The Lidar device of claim 6, further comprising the one or more time measurement transducers. 8 . The Lidar device according to claim 1 , wherein the time measurement converter is a time-to-digital converter (TDC) or an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). 9 . The Lidar device of claim 1 , wherein the 2D light sensor array comprises an avalanche photodiode (APD) or a PIN photodiode.

10. A method for implementing a Lidar device, comprising: implementing a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a transmit TX path, the vibrating fiber cantilever system transmitting laser pulses onto a target, wherein a free end of the fiber cantilever system is configured to travel in a helical pattern; implementing a two-dimensional (2D) light sensor array on a receive RX path, the 2D light sensor array receiving light reflected from the target, wherein the 2D light sensor array comprises a plurality of light sensors, wherein each light sensor of the plurality of light sensors is configured to receive a portion of a field of view (FOV); as well as A dynamic switch is implemented wherein the dynamic switch routes outputs from one or more light sensors in the 2D light sensor array that are expected to receive reflected light to one or more time measurement converters based on the direction in which the vibrating fiber cantilever system projects laser pulses on the TX path.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vibrating fiber optic cantilever system further comprises a piezoelectric ceramic tube and a fiber optic cable, and a free end of the fiber optic cable extends outside the free end of the piezoelectric ceramic tube to a predetermined length, and wherein the piezoelectric ceramic tube is driven by a signal to vibrate at a resonant frequency of the vibrating fiber optic cantilever system such that the vibration is amplified at the free end of the fiber optic cable.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the movement of the free end of the fiber optic cable follows a predetermined scanning pattern.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising implementing a laser emitting element that emits laser pulses at regular intervals.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising implementing TX optics, wherein laser pulses are emitted from the free end of the fiber optic cable and projected onto a target through the TX optics.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising implementing RX optics, wherein light reflected back from the target is collected by the RX optics onto the 2D light sensor array.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising implementing the one or more time measurement converters.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the time measurement converter is a time-to-digital converter (TDC) or an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the 2D photosensor array comprises avalanche photodiodes (APDs) or PIN photodiodes.

19. A Lidar device, comprising: a vibrating fiber cantilever device located in a transmit TX path, the vibrating fiber cantilever device transmitting laser pulses onto a target, wherein a free end of the fiber cantilever device is configured to travel in a helical pattern; a two-dimensional (2D) light sensing device located on a receive RX path, the 2D light sensing device receiving light reflected from the target, wherein the 2D light sensing device comprises a plurality of light sensors, wherein each light sensor of the plurality of light sensors is configured to receive a portion of a field of view (FOV); and A dynamic switch device, wherein based on the direction in which the vibrating fiber cantilever device projects laser pulses on the TX path, the dynamic switch device routes the output from one or more light sensors in the 2D light sensing device that are expected to receive reflected light to one or more time measurement converters.

20. The Lidar device of claim 19, wherein the vibrating fiber optic cantilever device further comprises a piezoelectric ceramic tube and a fiber optic cable, and a free end of the fiber optic cable extends outside the free end of the piezoelectric ceramic tube to a predetermined length, and wherein the piezoelectric ceramic tube is driven by a signal to vibrate at a resonant frequency of the vibrating fiber optic cantilever device such that the vibration is amplified at the free end of the fiber optic cable.

21. The Lidar device of claim 20, wherein the movement of the free end of the fiber optic cable follows a predetermined scanning pattern.

22. The Lidar device according to claim 21, further comprising a laser emitting device for emitting laser pulses at regular intervals.

23. The Lidar device of claim 22, further comprising a TX optics device, wherein laser pulses are emitted from the free end of the fiber optic cable and projected onto a target through the TX optics device.

24. The Lidar device of claim 23, further comprising an RX optics device, wherein light reflected back from the target is collected by the RX optics device onto the 2D light sensor array.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the following method, the method comprising: driving a vibrating fiber cantilever system on a transmit TX path of a Lidar device, the vibrating fiber cantilever system transmitting laser pulses onto a target, wherein a free end of the fiber cantilever system is configured to travel along a spiral pattern; driving a two-dimensional (2D) light sensor array on a receive (RX) path of the Lidar device, the 2D light sensor array receiving light reflected from the target, wherein the 2D light sensor array comprises a plurality of light sensors, wherein each light sensor of the plurality of light sensors is configured to receive a portion of a field of view (FOV); as well as A dynamic switch is driven to route outputs from one or more light sensors in the 2D light sensor array that are expected to receive reflected light to one or more time measurement transducers based on the direction in which the vibrating fiber cantilever system projects laser pulses on the TX path.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the vibrating fiber cantilever system further comprises a piezoelectric ceramic tube and a fiber optic cable, and a free end of the fiber optic cable extends beyond the free end of the piezoelectric ceramic tube to a predetermined length, and wherein the piezoelectric ceramic tube is driven by a signal to vibrate at a resonant frequency of the vibrating fiber cantilever system such that the vibration is amplified at the free end of the fiber optic cable.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the movement of the free end of the fiber optic cable follows a predetermined scanning pattern.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, further comprising code for driving a laser emitting element to emit laser pulses at regular intervals.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 28, further comprising code for driving a TX optic, wherein laser pulses are emitted from the free end of the fiber optic cable and projected through the TX optic onto a target.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, further comprising code for driving an RX optic, wherein light reflected back from the target is collected by the RX optic onto the 2D light sensor array.

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