Optical phased array assembly, laser emission system, laser radar and vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses an optical phased array assembly, a laser emission system, a laser radar and a vehicle. Wherein after multiple laser beams emitted by the optical phase control assembly are subjected to far-field interference superposition, multiple scanning light beams with included angles are constructed in a first direction view field of the optical phase control assembly. When the target area is scanned, scanning can be completed by controlling the multiple scanning light beams to deflect in the second direction, scanning in the first direction is not needed, and therefore the scanning speed can be increased.

Description

Optical phased array components, laser emission systems, lidar and vehicles Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of laser radar technology, and in particular to an optical phased array component, a laser emission system, a laser radar, and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] LiDAR is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, velocity, and other characteristic parameters of a target. The laser emitting system of a LiDAR emits a laser beam toward the target. The laser beam is diffusely reflected upon encountering the target and is received by the LiDAR's laser receiving system.

[0003] Currently, lidar can be an optical phased array radar based on a multi-beam array. The beams emitted by the optical phased array radar interfere in the far field to form a light spot with high light intensity. By controlling the light spot to scan point by point within the field of view, the target area can be scanned.

[0004] However, existing lidars have the problem of low scanning speed.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide an optical phased array assembly, a laser emission system, a laser radar, and a vehicle, which can realize multi-line scanning and improve the scanning speed of the laser radar.

[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides an optical phased array assembly comprising a supporting portion, a beam splitter portion, a phase shifter portion, and at least two transmitting portions fixedly mounted on the supporting portion. The input end of the beam splitter portion is coupled to the output end of a laser, and the output end of the beam splitter portion is coupled to the at least two transmitting portions via the phase shifter portion. The beam splitter portion is configured to split a received laser beam into multiple laser beams. The at least two transmitting portions are spaced apart along a first direction, each of the transmitting portions having a plurality of transmitting ends spaced apart and arranged side by side along a second direction. Each transmitting portion has the same number of transmitting ends, and each transmitting end is configured to emit a laser beam along a third direction. The first, second, and third directions are mutually perpendicular. The multiple transmitting ends of one of two adjacent transmitting portions are aligned one-to-one with the multiple transmitting ends of the other transmitting portion in the first direction. In two adjacent transmitting portions, the spacing between two opposing transmitting ends in the first direction is greater than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the transmitting ends. The spacing between two adjacent transmitting ends of each transmitting portion in the second direction is less than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the transmitting ends. The phase shifter is used to adjust the phase of the laser beam emitted by each of the emitting ends.

[0008] During operation of the optical phased array assembly of the present embodiment, the beam splitter splits a received laser beam into multiple laser beams. These multiple laser beams pass through the phase shifter and enter the transmitter. Finally, they are emitted from the transmitter end of the transmitter along a third direction into free space. When the phases of all laser beams emitted by the optical phased array assembly are aligned, they interfere and superimpose in the far field, forming multiple lobes spaced apart in the first direction and a single lobe in the second direction. Therefore, within the field of view in the far field, there are multiple light spots spaced apart and arranged side by side along the first direction. In other words, the optical phased array assembly can construct multiple scanning beams in the far field, each with an angled relationship within the first direction of the optical phased array assembly's field of view. By adjusting the phase of each laser beam through the phase shifter, the multiple scanning beams can be deflected in the second direction. This means that multiple light spots in the first direction can be shifted along the second direction, enabling multi-line scanning of the target area and improving scanning speed. Furthermore, by generating multiple grating lobes only in the first direction, the scanning beam energy can be more concentrated in the second direction, thereby improving the detection range of the lidar. In addition, since there is no need to scan in the first direction, there is no need to use a wavelength-tunable laser to control the wavelength of the laser beam, which can reduce the cost of the laser.

[0009] In one possible implementation, each emitting end of one of two adjacent emitting units is aligned with a corresponding emitting end of the other emitting unit in the first direction. Alternatively, a portion of each emitting end of one of two adjacent emitting units is aligned with a portion of a corresponding emitting end of the other emitting unit in the first direction. This arrangement ensures the angular resolution and consistency of the multiple scanning beams generated by far-field interference.

[0010] In one possible embodiment, when there are two transmitting sections, the phase shifter and the beam splitter are located within a gap between the two transmitting sections in the first direction, or the phase shifter and the beam splitter are located within a gap between the two transmitting sections in the first direction. When there are more than two transmitting sections, the multiple transmitting sections have at least two gaps in the first direction, and at least one of the at least two gaps has a portion of the beam splitter and a portion of the phase shifter disposed therein. Alternatively, a portion of the beam splitter and a portion of the phase shifter are disposed within a gap between two adjacent transmitting sections in the first direction.

[0011] In one possible embodiment, the carrier portion includes a substrate, and the phase shifter, beam splitter, and at least two transmitters are located on the same side of the substrate and are fixedly connected to the substrate. This arrangement allows the phase shifter, beam splitter, and transmitter to share a common substrate, helping to reduce the cost of the optical phased array assembly.

[0012] In a possible embodiment, the bearing portion includes a first connecting member and at least two first base members. The at least two first base members are located on the same surface of the first connecting member and are detachably connected to the first connecting member, respectively, and the at least two first base members are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the first direction. Each of the first base members has an emitting portion, a portion of the beam splitting portion, and a portion of the phase shifting portion fixedly mounted on the surface side facing away from the first connecting member. Since the number of scanning beams is positively correlated with the spacing between the emitting ends of two adjacent emitting portions in the first direction, the number of scanning beams can be controlled by changing the spacing between two adjacent first base members in the first direction. In addition, the use of a bearing portion with such a structure also helps to reduce the difficulty of maintaining the phased array assembly.

[0013] In one possible embodiment, the bearing portion includes at least one second connecting member and at least two second base members. The at least one second connecting member and the at least two second base members are stacked along the first direction, a second connecting member is provided between two adjacent second base members, and each second connecting member is fixedly connected to the second base members on both sides. An emitting portion, a portion of the phase shifting portion and a portion of the beam splitting portion are provided on the surface of each second base member that is perpendicular to the first direction. With such a configuration, the emitting portions can be stacked so that the laser beam can be directly emitted from the emitting waveguide of the emitting portion, the structure of the emitting portion can be reduced, and it helps to reduce the cost of the optical phased array assembly. In addition, the spacing between the emitting ends of two adjacent emitting portions in the first direction can be adjusted by the thickness of the second connecting member in the first direction.

[0014] In one possible implementation, each transmitting unit includes multiple transmitting antennas and multiple transmitting waveguides. The multiple transmitting waveguides correspond one-to-one to the multiple transmitting antennas and are fixedly mounted on the same side of the supporting portion. The multiple transmitting waveguides are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the second direction, and the multiple transmitting antennas are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the second direction. Each transmitting antenna is coupled to the phase shifter via the corresponding transmitting waveguide, and the transmitting antenna is configured to emit a laser beam along the third direction.

[0015] In one possible embodiment, the optical phased array assembly further includes at least two reflectors, and the at least two reflectors correspond one-to-one to the at least two transmitting parts. Each of the transmitting parts includes a plurality of transmitting waveguides, which are arranged side by side and at intervals along the second direction and are respectively fixedly connected to the supporting part. One end of each transmitting waveguide is coupled to the phase shifting part, and the other end of each transmitting waveguide is used to emit a laser beam along the first direction. The other end of each transmitting waveguide of each transmitting part is close to the reflector corresponding to the transmitting part, and the reflector is used to reflect the laser beam emitted by the corresponding transmitting waveguide in the third direction. By reflecting the laser beam into free space through the reflector, the processing difficulty of the optical phased array assembly can be reduced.

[0016] In one possible embodiment, each of the emitting parts includes a plurality of emitting waveguides, and each of the emitting waveguides is used to emit a laser beam along the third direction. The bearing part includes at least one second connecting member and at least two second base members. The at least one second connecting member and the at least two second base members are stacked along the first direction, and a second connecting member is provided between two adjacent second base members, and each second connecting member is fixedly connected to the two second base members on both sides of the second connecting member. A portion of the beam splitting part, a portion of the phase shifting part and a plurality of the emitting waveguides are fixedly mounted on the surface side of each second base member facing or facing away from the second connecting member. With such a bearing part, the laser beam can be emitted from the emitting waveguide, the emitting antenna can be removed, and the cost of the optical phased control component can be reduced. In addition, the spacing between the emitting ends of two adjacent emitting parts in the first direction can be adjusted by controlling the thickness of the second connecting member in the first direction.

[0017] In one possible embodiment, the phase shifting section includes at least two phase shifting groups, each of which includes a plurality of phase shifters. The at least two phase shifting groups correspond one-to-one to the at least two transmitting sections, and the number of phase shifters in each phase shifting group is equal to the number of transmitting ends of the corresponding transmitting section. Each phase shifter is fixedly connected to the supporting section, and each phase shifter is used to control the phase of the laser beam emitted by the corresponding transmitting end. Each transmitting section is coupled to the output end of the beam splitting section through the corresponding phase shifting group. With a phase shifting section of such a structure, the phase of the laser beam emitted by each transmitting end can be controlled, so that the scanning beam is offset in the second direction.

[0018] In one possible embodiment, the beam splitting unit includes at least two beam splitter groups. The number of beam splitter groups is equal to the number of emitting units. Each beam splitter group is fixedly connected to the carrier unit. The input end of each beam splitter group is coupled to the same output end of the laser. The output end of each beam splitter group is coupled to the input end of the emitting unit corresponding to the beam splitter group via the phase shifter. Each beam splitter group is used to split a laser beam into at least two laser beams. This configuration ensures that each emitting end of the emitting unit emits a laser beam into free space.

[0019] In one possible implementation, each beam splitter group includes multiple first beam splitters. The number of first beam splitters in each beam splitter group is one less than the number of emitting ends of the emitting portion corresponding to that beam splitter group. The multiple first beam splitters are cascaded, with each first beam splitter being configured to split a single laser beam into two laser beams. This allows each emitting end to emit a single laser beam into free space.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the beam splitting unit further includes a second beam splitter, wherein an input end of the second beam splitter is coupled to an output end of the laser, and multiple output ends of the second beam splitter are respectively coupled to input ends of the at least two beam splitter groups. The second beam splitter is configured to split a single laser beam into at least two laser beams, thereby ensuring that the laser beam emitted by the laser enters all beam splitter groups.

[0021] In a possible implementation manner, the carrying portion is further configured to be fixedly connected to the second beam splitter, thereby helping to improve the compactness of the optical phased array assembly.

[0022] In one possible embodiment, the optical phased array assembly further includes a coupling portion, the coupling portion being fixedly connected to the supporting portion, and the beam splitting portion being coupled to the laser via the coupling portion. With this arrangement, a laser beam emitted by the laser can be directed into the beam splitting portion.

[0023] A second aspect of the present application provides a laser emission system, which includes a laser and an optical phased array assembly as described in any one of the first aspects, wherein the laser is used to be coupled to a beam splitter of the optical phased array assembly.

[0024] A third aspect of the present application provides a laser radar, which includes a laser receiving system and a laser emitting system as described in the second aspect.

[0025] The fourth aspect of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes a main body and a laser radar as described in the third aspect, wherein the laser radar is installed on the main body.

[0026] The fifth aspect of the present application provides a vehicle, which includes a vehicle body and a laser radar as described in the third aspect, and the laser radar is installed on the vehicle body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a laser radar is applied to a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a laser emission system of an optical phased array radar in the related art;

[0029] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a laser radar provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a first laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the optical phased array assembly emitting a laser beam according to the embodiment shown in FIG4 ;

[0032] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of multiple scanning light beams constructed by the optical phased array assembly of the embodiment shown in FIG4 in the far field;

[0033] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of a second laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a third laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a fourth laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a fifth laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG11 is a front view of the carrying portion of the embodiment shown in FIG10 ;

[0038] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a sixth laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the second base member and the phase shifter, beam splitter, and emitting unit of the embodiment shown in FIG12 ;

[0040] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a load-bearing portion having two second connecting members provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG15 is a schematic structural diagram of a seventh laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the optical phased array assembly emitting a laser beam according to the embodiment shown in FIG15 ;

[0043] FIG17 is a schematic structural diagram of an eighth laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] FIG18 is a diagram showing the illumination intensity of multiple scanning light beams in the second direction according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0045] FIG19 is a diagram showing the illumination intensity of multiple scanning light beams in a first direction according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG20 is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional spot distribution after far-field interference of multiple scanning beams according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG21 is a partial enlarged view of FIG20;

[0048] FIG22 is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional spot distribution when the multiple scanning light beams in FIG20 are deflected to a position of 5° in the second direction;

[0049] FIG23 is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional spot distribution when the multiple scanning beams in FIG20 are deflected to a position of −45° in the second direction;

[0050] FIG24 is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional spot distribution when the multiple scanning beams in FIG20 are deflected to a position of +45° in the second direction;

[0051] FIG25 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional spot distribution after far-field interference of multiple scanning beams in the second embodiment.

[0052] 100. Vehicle; 110. Vehicle body;

[0053] 200, LiDAR;

[0054] 300. Laser launch system;

[0055] 310. Laser;

[0056] 320, optical phased array components;

[0057] 10. Carrying part; 11. Substrate; 12. First connecting member; 13. First base member; 14. Second connecting member; 15. Second base member;

[0058] 20. Beam splitter; 21. Beam splitter group; 211. First beam splitter; 22. Second beam splitter;

[0059] 30. Phase shift unit; 31. Phase shift group; 311. Phase shifter;

[0060] 40. Transmitting unit; 41. Transmitting antenna; 42. Transmitting waveguide; 43. Transmitting end;

[0061] 50. Coupling part;

[0062] 60. Reflector;

[0063] 400. Laser receiving system;

[0064] 410, array detector; 420, receiving mirror assembly;

[0065] X, first direction;

[0066] Y, second direction;

[0067] Z. Third direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The terms used in the implementation section of this application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0069] To facilitate understanding, the relevant technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are first explained and illustrated.

[0070] An optical phased array (OPA) consists of multiple optical antennas, each of which transmits or receives light with a specific amplitude and phase.

[0071] Interference: The phenomenon in which the intensity of light beams with the same frequency, the same polarization and a fixed phase difference interact and superimpose to form a strong and weak distribution.

[0072] Diffraction: A physical phenomenon in which light waves deviate from their original straight line when encountering an obstacle during propagation, resulting in an uneven distribution of light intensity.

[0073] Waveguide grating: A periodic groove structure introduced into a waveguide that uses the Bragg diffraction conditions of the grating to output the optical signal in the waveguide into free space.

[0074] Main lobe / grating lobe: When the OPA beam is emitted in phase, multiple light lobes will be formed after far-field superposition. The center is the main lobe, and the other lobes are grating lobes.

[0075] LiDAR (LiDAR) is a radar system that uses laser beams to detect the position, velocity, and other characteristics of a target. The laser beam's emitting system emits laser light toward the target. The laser beam is diffusely reflected from the target and received by the laser receiving system.

[0076] The application areas of LiDAR are very broad, including but not limited to: vehicles, intelligent driving vehicles, intelligent driving aircraft, 3D printing, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), robotics and other fields. When the LiDAR provided in the embodiments of the present application is applied to electronic devices such as drones, intelligent furniture devices or intelligent manufacturing equipment, the LiDAR can be installed on the body of the electronic device. When the LiDAR provided in the embodiments of the present application is applied to a vehicle, the LiDAR can be used to detect surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, etc.

[0077] In the embodiment of the present application, a detailed description is given by taking the application of the laser radar 200 to the vehicle 100 as an example.

[0078] Among them, the vehicle 100 can be an electric vehicle / electric vehicle (EV) or an electric food delivery vehicle, or it can also be an electric courier delivery vehicle, or it can also be a pure electric vehicle (Pure Electric Vehicle / Battery Electric Vehicle, PEV / BEV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a range extended electric vehicle (REEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), a new energy vehicle (New Energy Vehicle), etc.

[0079] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a scenario in which a laser radar 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied to a vehicle 100. Referring to Figure 1, the vehicle 100 includes a vehicle body 110 and at least one laser radar 200. For example, in Figure 1, three laser radars 200 are provided on the vehicle body 110. The laser radar 200 can be installed on the roof, headlights, front windshield, bumper and other parts of the vehicle body 110, which are not described in detail here. For example, in Figure 1, two laser radars 200 are provided on the front bumper of the vehicle body 110, and one laser radar 200 is provided on the rear bumper of the vehicle body 110. It should be noted that the number of laser radars 200 includes but is not limited to 3.

[0080] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a laser emission system for an optical phased array radar in the related art. In the related art, the laser radar is an optical phased array radar. As shown in Figure 2, the laser emission system for the optical phased array radar includes a wavelength-tunable laser 10 and a one-dimensional optical waveguide array (OPA) array 20. As shown in Figure 2, the one-dimensional OPA array 20 includes a substrate 21, multiple phase shifters 23, multiple beam splitters 22, and multiple waveguide grating antennas 24 integrated on the substrate 21. The multiple beam splitters 22 are connected in a cascade manner, allowing the laser 10 to be coupled to the multiple phase shifters 23 via the multiple beam splitters 22. The output ends of the multiple phase shifters 23 are respectively coupled to the multiple waveguide grating antennas 24. The multiple waveguide grating antennas 24 are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the X direction in Figure 2. The spacing between two adjacent waveguide grating antennas 24 in the X direction in Figure 2 is less than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the waveguide grating antennas 24. The multiple laser beams emitted by the one-dimensional OPA array 20 form a main lobe beam after superposition in the far field. The main lobe beam appears as a light spot with a relatively strong light intensity within the field of view of the far field. By adjusting the phase of each phase shifter 23, the main lobe beam can be deflected in the X direction in Figure 2. By changing the wavelength of the laser beam, the main lobe beam can be deflected in the Y direction in Figure 2. Therefore, the one-dimensional OPA array 20 obtains two-dimensional beam deflection in space through one-dimensional phase control and one-dimensional wavelength scanning.

[0081] Since one-dimensional wavelength scanning requires a wavelength-tunable laser 10, and the cost of a wavelength-tunable laser 10 is relatively high, this will increase the cost of the lidar. In addition, due to the limitation of the wavelength of the laser beam, the one-dimensional OPA array 20 has problems with the beam deflection angle range and low resolution in the wavelength scanning dimension. In addition, since the target area is scanned point by point by controlling a light spot (main lobe) with a higher light intensity, the scanning time is too long, and thus the existing optical phased array radar has the problem of low scanning speed. In addition, since the one-dimensional OPA array 20 scans the target area by adjusting the wavelength and phase of the laser beam, there is a problem of high difficulty in controlling the scanning.

[0082] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical phased array assembly 320, a laser emission system 300, and a laser radar 200. The laser beams emitted by the optical phased array assembly 320, after far-field interference superposition, construct multiple scanning beams with angles within the first direction field of view of the optical phased array assembly 320. In other words, there are multiple light spots in the first direction of the far field. By controlling the deflection of the multiple scanning beams in the second direction, multi-line scanning of the target area can be performed, thereby increasing the scanning speed. Since there are multiple light spots in the first direction after far-field interference, the resolution and beam deflection angle range in the first direction can be improved. In addition, since there are multiple scanning beams with angles in the first direction field of view, there is no need to scan in the first direction, so there is no need to use a wavelength-tunable laser 310 to achieve wavelength scanning in the first direction, thereby reducing the cost of the laser 310 and helping to reduce the cost of the laser radar 200.

[0083] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a laser radar provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the laser radar 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application may include a laser emitting system 300 and a laser receiving system 400. The laser emitting system 300 is used to construct multiple scanning beams to scan the target area, achieving multi-line scanning. The laser receiving system 400 is used to receive the echo signal reflected by the target object and obtain at least one of the target object's characteristic quantities, such as distance, direction, altitude, and speed, based on the echo signal.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, the structure of the laser receiving system 400 is not specifically limited. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG3 , the laser receiving system 400 may include an array detector 410 and a receiving mirror assembly 420. The receiving mirror assembly 420 reflects the echo signal onto the detection surface of the array detector 410. The array detector 410 can obtain information such as the distance, direction, altitude, and speed of the target object based on the echo signal.

[0085] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the laser emission system 300 provided in an embodiment of the present application may include a laser 310 and an optical phased array assembly 320. The output end of the laser 310 is coupled to the input end of the optical phased array assembly 320. The laser 310 is used to transmit a laser beam to the optical phased array assembly 320.

[0086] The laser 310 may include but is not limited to an edge emitting laser (EEL) and a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL).

[0087] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, coupling refers to coupling laser light from one component to another. For example, laser light from laser 310 enters optical phased array assembly 320. Furthermore, coupling can be achieved through couplers, coupling gratings, waveguides, mode field adapters, and other methods, without limitation.

[0088] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the optical phased array component 320 emitting a laser beam according to the embodiment shown in FIG4 , and FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the multiple scanning beams constructed by the optical phased array component 320 in the far field according to the embodiment shown in FIG4 . In an embodiment of the present application, the function of the optical phased array component 320 is to convert a received laser beam into multiple laser beams emitted into free space (as shown in FIG5 ). Multiple laser beams are superimposed in the far field to construct multiple scanning beams having an angle within the first direction field of view of the optical phased array component 320 (as shown in FIG6 ) to achieve multi-line scanning. In addition, the optical phased array component 320 can adjust the phase of each laser beam emitted by the optical phased array component 320 into the free space, so that the multiple scanning beams can be deflected in the second direction to achieve scanning of the target area.

[0089] As shown in Figure 4, the optical phased array assembly 320 may include a carrier 10, a beam splitter 20, a phase shifter 30, and two transmitters 40. The beam splitter 20, the phase shifter 30, and the two transmitters 40 are all fixedly mounted on the carrier 10. The input end of the beam splitter 20 is coupled to the output end of the laser 310. The input ends of the two transmitters 40 are respectively coupled to the output ends of the beam splitter 20 through the phase shifter 30. The beam splitter 20 is used to split a received laser beam into multiple laser beams. The phase shifter 30 is used to adjust the phase of each laser beam emitted by the transmitter 40 into free space.

[0090] As shown in FIG4 , two emitting units 40 are spaced apart along a first direction (such as the X direction in FIG4 ). Each emitting unit 40 has eight emitting ends 43 arranged side by side and spaced apart along a second direction (such as the Y direction in FIG4 ), and the two emitting units 40 have the same number of emitting ends 43. Each emitting end 43 is used to emit a laser beam into free space along a third direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other. The spacing in the second direction (dy in FIG4 ) between two adjacent emitting ends 43 of the multiple emitting ends 43 of each emitting unit 40 is less than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the emitting end 43. The multiple emitting ends 43 of one of the two emitting units 40 are opposite to the multiple emitting ends 43 of the other emitting unit 40 in the first direction. In the two emitting units 40, the spacing in the first direction (dx in FIG4 ) between two emitting ends 43 opposite to each other in the first direction is greater than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the emitting end 43.

[0091] Here, dy refers to the distance between the centers of two adjacent emitting ends 43 of each emitting portion 40 , and dx refers to the distance between the centers of the emitting ends 43 of two emitting portions 40 .

[0092] It should be noted that, the multiple transmitting ends 43 of one of the two adjacent transmitting parts 40 and the multiple transmitting ends 43 of the other transmitting part 40 being opposite to each other in the first direction means that: the multiple transmitting ends 43 of one of the two transmitting parts 40 correspond to the multiple transmitting ends 43 of the other transmitting part 40 one by one, and each transmitting end 43 of one of the transmitting parts 40 is at least partially aligned with the corresponding transmitting end 43 on the other transmitting part 40 in the first direction.

[0093] When the spacing in the second direction between two adjacent emitting ends 43 of each emitting unit 40 among the multiple emitting ends 43 is less than the wavelength of the laser beam, and the spacing in the first direction between two emitting ends 43 facing each other is greater than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the emitting ends 43, and the phases of each laser beam are the same, all laser beams emitted by the optical phased array assembly 320, after far-field interference superposition, form multiple grating lobes in the first direction and no grating lobes in the second direction. This can improve the concentration of beam energy and increase the detection range. In other words, in the far field, multiple scanning beams with angles are distributed within the first-direction field of view of the optical phased array assembly 320, and the multiple scanning beams do not overlap at long distances.

[0094] The number of scanning beams after far-field interference is positively correlated with the distance in the first direction between the emitting ends 43 of the two emitting units 40. The greater the distance in the first direction between the emitting ends 43 of the two emitting units 40, the greater the number of scanning beams in the first direction after far-field interference. A greater number of scanning beams results in a higher resolution in the first direction.

[0095] When the phases of all laser beams emitted by the optical phased array assembly 320 are the same, the far-field interference is distributed with multiple lobes spaced apart in the first direction, and the far-field interference has only one lobe in the second direction. In other words, multiple light spots spaced apart are generated in the first direction, while in the second direction, multiple light spots overlap. Therefore, there is no need to scan in the first direction, and it is only necessary to distinguish the multiple light spots in the first direction. In the second direction, phase control can be performed by the phase shifter 30, so that the multiple scanning light beams are deflected in the second direction to achieve scanning of the target area. Among them, phase control refers to controlling the phase of the laser beam emitted by the transmitting end 43 by the phase shifter 30, so that the phase difference between two adjacent laser beams in the multiple laser beams emitted by each transmitting unit 40 is the angle required for deflection, so that the multiple scanning light beams are deflected in the second direction.

[0096] When the target area is scanned by the multiple scanning light beams, the multiple scanning light beams are deflected once in the second direction, and multiple echo signals can be obtained, thereby reducing the scanning time and increasing the scanning speed.

[0097] It should be noted that, in addition to eight transmitting terminals 43 of each transmitting unit 40, the number of transmitting terminals 43 of each transmitting unit 40 can also be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, etc. Therefore, the number of transmitting terminals 43 of each transmitting unit 40 is at least two.

[0098] It should be noted that, in addition to two, the number of the transmitting units 40 may also be 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc. Therefore, the number of the transmitting units 40 is at least two.

[0099] When there are two or more emitting units 40, the multiple emitting ends 43 of one of two adjacent emitting units 40 are aligned one-to-one with the multiple emitting ends 43 of the other emitting unit 40 in the first direction. In two adjacent emitting units 40, the spacing between the two emitting ends 43 facing each other in the first direction is greater than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by each emitting end 43. This arrangement ensures that multiple scanning beams are generated in the far field.

[0100] In some possible implementations, as shown in FIG4 , in the second direction, each emitting end 43 of one of the two emitting units 40 is aligned in the first direction with the corresponding emitting end 43 of the other emitting unit 40. This helps to further ensure the angular resolution and consistency of the multiple scanning beams generated by far-field interference.

[0101] Of course, in addition to aligning the emitting ends 43 of the two emitting units 40 in the first direction, the emitting ends 43 of the two emitting units 40 may also be partially aligned in the first direction. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second laser emitting system provided in an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 7, a portion of each emitting end 43 of one of the two emitting units 40 is aligned with a corresponding portion of the emitting end 43 of the other emitting unit 40 in the first direction.

[0102] It should be noted that, when the number of the transmitting parts 40 is more than two, the two aligned transmitting ends 43 in FIG. 4 are the transmitting ends 43 on two adjacent transmitting parts 40 .

[0103] In some possible implementations, as shown in FIG4 , the carrier 10 may include a substrate 11. The phase shifter 30, beam splitter 20, and two transmitters 40 are located on the same side of the substrate 11 and are fixedly connected to the substrate 11. Thus, the phase shifter 30, beam splitter 20, and transmitters 40 can share the same substrate 11, reducing the cost of the optical phased array assembly 320.

[0104] The specific structure of substrate 11 is not limited herein. For example, in some embodiments, substrate 11 may be a substrate including an optical waveguide, thereby enabling coupling connection using the optical waveguide of substrate 11. Of course, in some embodiments, substrate 11 may also be a substrate not including an optical waveguide.

[0105] In some possible implementations, as shown in FIG4 , each transmitting unit 40 includes multiple transmitting antennas 41 and multiple transmitting waveguides 42. The multiple transmitting waveguides 42 correspond one-to-one to the multiple transmitting antennas 41 and are fixedly mounted on the same side of the carrier 10. The multiple transmitting waveguides 42 are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the second direction, and the multiple transmitting antennas 41 are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the second direction. Each transmitting antenna 41 is coupled to the phase shifter 30 via the corresponding transmitting waveguide 42. The transmitting antenna 41 is configured to emit a laser beam into free space along the third direction.

[0106] It can be understood that the transmitting antenna 41 is equivalent to the transmitting end 43 of the transmitting unit 40 , and therefore, the number of the transmitting antennas 41 is the same as the number of the transmitting ends 43 .

[0107] There is no limitation on the specific structure of the transmitting antenna 41. For example, in some embodiments, the transmitting antenna 41 may be a waveguide grating antenna.

[0108] In some possible implementations, as shown in FIG4 , the phase shifter 30 may include two phase shifter groups 31, each phase shifter group 31 including a plurality of phase shifters 311. The two phase shifter groups 31 correspond one-to-one to the two transmitting units 40. The number of phase shifters 311 in each phase shifter group 31 is equal to the number of transmitting ends 43 of the corresponding transmitting unit 40. Each transmitting unit 40 is coupled to the output end of the beam splitter 20 through the corresponding phase shifter group 31. Each phase shifter 311 is fixedly mounted on the carrier 10, and each phase shifter 311 is used to control the phase of the laser beam emitted by the corresponding transmitting end 43, so that the phase of each laser beam emitted by the optical phased array assembly 320 can be adjusted, thereby achieving phase control.

[0109] Since the number of phase shift groups 31 is equal to the number of transmitting units 40, when the number of transmitting units 40 is two or more, the number of phase shift groups 31 is also two or more. For example, when the number of transmitting units 40 is three, the number of phase shift groups 31 is also three accordingly.

[0110] It should be noted that the principle of the phase shifter 311 modulating the phase of the laser beam may be based on any one of the electro-optic effect, the thermo-optic effect and the elastic-optic effect, which is not limited here.

[0111] In some possible implementations, as shown in FIG4 , the beam splitter 20 may include two beam splitter groups 21. Each beam splitter group 21 is fixedly connected to the carrier 10. The input end of each beam splitter group 21 is coupled to the same output end of the laser 310, and the output end of each beam splitter group 21 is coupled to the input end of the emitting unit 40 corresponding to the beam splitter group 21 via the phase shifter 30. Each beam splitter group 21 is used to split a laser beam into at least two laser beams, ensuring that each emitting end 43 of the emitting unit 40 can emit a laser beam into free space.

[0112] It should be noted that the number of laser beams that each beam splitter group 21 splits into is the same as the number of emitting ends 43 of each emitting unit 40. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the number of emitting ends 43 of each emitting unit 40 is 8, so each beam splitter group 21 splits one laser beam into eight laser beams.

[0113] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , each beam splitter group 21 may include a plurality of first beam splitters 211. The number of first beam splitters 211 in each beam splitter group 21 is one less than the number of emitting ends 43 of the emitting unit 40 corresponding to the beam splitter group 21. The plurality of first beam splitters 211 are cascaded, with each first beam splitter 211 being configured to split a laser beam into two laser beams, so that each emitting end 43 of the emitting unit 40 corresponding to each beam splitter group 21 emits a laser beam.

[0114] The cascade connection refers to coupling and connecting one input end of each first beam splitter 211 with the output end of one first beam splitter 211 , thereby forming a connection relationship as shown in FIG. 4 .

[0115] Since the number of first beam splitters 211 in each beam splitter group 21 is determined by the number of transmitting terminals 43 of the transmitting unit 40, no limitation is imposed herein. For example, as shown in FIG4 , the number of transmitting terminals 43 of each transmitting unit 40 is eight, and accordingly, each beam splitter group 21 includes seven first beam splitters 211.

[0116] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the first beam splitter 211 can also split a laser beam into at least three laser beams. In this case, the number of first beam splitters 211 no longer meets the requirement: the number of first beam splitters 211 in each beam splitter group 21 is one less than the number of transmitting ends 43 of the transmitting part 40 corresponding to the beam splitter group 21.

[0117] In one possible embodiment, the beam splitting unit 20 may further include a second beam splitter 22. The input end of the second beam splitter 22 is coupled to the output end of the laser 310, and the multiple output ends of the second beam splitter 22 are respectively coupled to the input ends of the two beam splitter groups 21. The second beam splitter 22 is used to split a single laser beam into two laser beams, thereby ensuring that the single laser beam emitted by the laser 310 can be split into two laser beams and enter the two beam splitter groups 21 respectively.

[0118] It can be understood that the second beam splitter 22 can ensure that the laser beams entering all beam splitter groups 21 are the same.

[0119] The number of laser beams that the second beam splitter 22 splits the received laser beam into can be determined by the number of beam splitter groups 21, which is not limited herein. For example, in some embodiments, the number of beam splitter groups 21 is three, and the second beam splitter 22 splits the received laser beam into three laser beams.

[0120] Continuing to refer to Figure 4, the second beam splitter 22 can be fixedly connected to the carrier part 10, that is, the second beam splitter 22 is installed on the carrier part 10, thereby reducing the difficulty of connecting the beam splitter 20 and the laser 310, and improving the connection efficiency of the beam splitter 20 and the laser 310.

[0121] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The difference between FIG8 and FIG4 is that the optical phased array assembly 320 can also include a coupling portion 50. The coupling portion 50 is fixedly connected to the carrier portion 10. The input end of the beam splitter 20 is coupled to the output end of the coupling portion 50, and the input end of the coupling portion 50 is coupled to the laser 310. The coupling portion 50 can realize the coupling connection between the laser 310 and the beam splitter 20, and can guide a laser beam emitted by the laser 310 into the beam splitter 20.

[0122] The coupling portion 50 may include but is not limited to an edge coupler based on an adiabatic gradient waveguide, an edge coupler array based on an adiabatic gradient waveguide, a waveguide diffraction grating coupler, and a slab waveguide.

[0123] In the above content, the phase shifter 30 and the beam splitter 20 are located outside the gap between the two emitting parts 40 in the first direction (for example, as shown in Figure 4 or Figure 8), and the phase shifter 30 and the beam splitter 20 are distributed on two sides of the two emitting parts 40 that are opposite to each other. However, the phase shifter 30 and the beam splitter 20 can also be located in the gap between the two emitting parts 40 in the first direction, as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9 is a structural schematic diagram of the fourth laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 9, the phase shifter 30 and the beam splitter 20 are arranged in the gap between the two emitting parts 40 in the first direction. On the premise of increasing the spacing between the emitting ends 43 of the two emitting parts 40 in the first direction, the length of the optical phased array assembly 320 in the first direction can be reduced.

[0124] It should be noted that when the number of transmitting sections is greater than two, the multiple transmitting sections 40 have at least two gaps in the first direction, and at least one of the at least two gaps is provided with a portion of the beam splitter 20 and a portion of the phase shifter 30. For example, in some embodiments, there are three transmitting sections 40, and one of the two gaps between the three transmitting sections 40 is provided with a portion of the beam splitter 20 and a portion of the phase shifter 30, while the other gap is not provided with a portion of the beam splitter 20 and a portion of the phase shifter 30.

[0125] In the above content, the phase shifter 30, the beam splitter 20 and the emitting part 40 all share the substrate part 11. However, the phase shifter 30, the beam splitter 20 and the emitting part 40 may not share the substrate part 11. Figure 10 is a structural schematic diagram of the fifth laser emitting system provided in an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 11 is a front view of the bearing part 10 of the embodiment shown in Figure 10. The difference between Figures 10 and 11 and Figure 4 is that the bearing part 10 may include a first connecting member 12 and two first base members 13. The two first base members 13 are located on the same surface of the first connecting member 12 and are respectively fixedly connected to the first connecting member 12, and the two first base members 13 are spaced apart along the first direction. Each first base member 13 has an emitting part 40, a part of the beam splitter 20 and a part of the phase shifter 30 fixedly mounted on the surface side facing away from the first connecting member 12. By controlling the position of the first base member 13 on the first connecting member 12, the spacing between the two first base members 13 in the first direction is adjusted, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the spacing between the emitting ends 43 of the two adjacent emitting parts 40 in the first direction.

[0126] When the first connecting member 12 and the first base member 13 are fixedly connected to the first connecting member 12 by threaded connection, clamping, bonding, etc., the difficulty of maintaining the optical phased array assembly 320 can be reduced.

[0127] It should be noted that each first base member 13 and the emitting unit 40, portion of the phase shifter 30, and portion of the beam splitter 20 located thereon can be integrated into a single structure, similar to an optical phased array unit. In other words, the optical phased array assembly 320 can include a first connector 12 and multiple optical phased array units, which are mounted on the first connector 12. If a single optical phased array unit is damaged, it can be replaced without replacing the entire optical phased array assembly 320, thereby reducing operating costs.

[0128] It is understood that the number of first base members 13 is equal to the number of emitting units 40. Furthermore, when there are two or more emitting units 40, all first base members 13 are located on the same surface of the first connecting member 12 and are fixedly connected to the first connecting member 12. For example, in some embodiments, if there are three emitting units 40, then the number of first base members 13 is also three.

[0129] It should be noted that the first base member 13 may be a base including an optical waveguide or a base not including an optical waveguide, which is not limited here.

[0130] In the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the specific structure of the first connecting member 12. For example, in some embodiments, the first connecting member 12 may be a plate-shaped structure.

[0131] 10 , the phase shifter 30 and the beam splitter 20 are located outside the gap in the first direction between the two emitting parts 40. However, in some embodiments, the phase shifter 30 and the beam splitter 20 may also be located inside the gap in the first direction between the two emitting parts 40 (e.g., as shown in FIG9 ).

[0132] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of the sixth laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application, and Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the second base member 15 of the embodiment shown in Figure 12 cooperating with the phase shifter 30, the beam splitter 20, and the emission member 40. The difference between Figures 12 and 13 and Figure 4 is that the emission member 40 may include a plurality of emission waveguides 42, each emission waveguide 42 being used to emit a laser beam along a third direction. The plurality of emission waveguides 42 of each emission member 40 are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the second direction. One end of each emission waveguide 42 is coupled to the output end of the phase shifter 30. The supporting portion 10 may include a second connecting member 14 and two second base members 15. The second connecting member 14 and the two second base members 15 are stacked along the first direction, the second connecting member 14 is located between the two second base members 15, and the second connecting member 14 is fixedly connected to the two second base members 15 on both sides of the second connecting member 14. Part of the beam splitter 20 , part of the phase shifter 30 , and a plurality of launch waveguides 42 are fixedly mounted on the surface of each second base member 15 facing away from the second connecting member 14 .

[0133] Because the two emitting units 40 are stacked along the first direction, the laser beam can be emitted from the other end of the emitting waveguide 42 into free space. This eliminates the need for the transmitting antenna 41, reducing the technical complexity and cost of the optical phased array assembly 320. Furthermore, the efficiency of laser beam emission can be improved. Furthermore, the spacing between the emitting ends 43 of the two emitting units 40 in the first direction can be adjusted by controlling the thickness of the second connector 14 in the first direction.

[0134] It is understood that each second base member 15 is provided with an emitting portion 40 , and the specific number of emitting waveguides 42 of each emitting portion 40 is not limited here. For example, as shown in FIG13 , each emitting portion 40 includes 8 emitting waveguides 42 .

[0135] It should also be noted that, in addition to being located on the surface of the second base member 15 facing away from the second connector 14 , the emitting portion 40 , portions of the phase shifter 30 , and portions of the beam splitter 20 may also be located on the surface of the second base member 15 facing the second connector 14 in some embodiments.

[0136] In the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the specific structure of the second connecting member 14. In addition, the second connecting member 14 can be fixedly connected to the second base member 15 by welding, clamping, threading, etc.

[0137] In the embodiment of the present application, the second substrate 15 may be a substrate including an optical waveguide or a substrate not including an optical waveguide.

[0138] It can be understood that the transmitting waveguide 42 is used as the transmitting end 43 of the transmitting portion 40 .

[0139] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, the beam splitter 20 may include two beam splitter groups 21, each of which includes a plurality of first beam splitters 211. The number of beam splitter groups 21 is equal to the number of second base members 15. Each second base member 15 is provided with a beam splitter group 21, and the first beam splitter 211 of each beam splitter group 21 is fixedly connected to the corresponding second base member 15. It is understood that when there are two or more second base members 15, the number of beam splitter groups 21 is also the same as the number of second base members 15.

[0140] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG12 , the beam splitter 20 may further include a second beam splitter 22 . The second beam splitter 22 is not mounted on the carrier 10 . The two beam splitter groups 21 are coupled to the same output end of the laser 310 via the second beam splitter 22 .

[0141] As shown in FIG12 , the second beam splitter 22 is not mounted on the carrier 10 . However, in some embodiments, the second beam splitter 22 may be fixedly mounted on the carrier 10 .

[0142] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG13 , the phase shifting section 30 may include two phase shifting groups 31. Each second substrate 15 is provided with one phase shifting group 31. Each phase shifting group 31 includes a plurality of phase shifters 311. The number of phase shifters 311 in each phase shifting group 31 is the same as the number of transmitting waveguides 42 in the transmitting section 40. One end of each transmitting waveguide 42 is coupled to the output end of the beam splitter group 21 via a corresponding phase shifter 311.

[0143] It should be noted that when there are two or more emitting units 40, the number of second connecting members 14 is one less than the number of second base members 15, and all second connecting members 14 and all second base members 15 are arranged alternately and stacked along the first direction. Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a carrier portion 10 having two second connecting members 14, provided in an embodiment of the present application. For example, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 14, there are three second base members 15, and the number of second connecting members 14 is two. The two second connecting members 14 and the three second base members 15 are arranged alternately along the first direction, and one second connecting member 14 is provided between two adjacent second base members 15.

[0144] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the seventh laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application, and FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the optical phased array assembly 320 emitting a laser beam according to the embodiment shown in FIG15 . The difference between FIG15 and FIG16 and FIG4 is that the optical phased array assembly 320 can also include two reflectors 60. The two reflectors 60 correspond one-to-one with the two emission sections 40. The two reflectors 60 are located on the same side of the support section 10 and are respectively fixedly connected to the support section 10. The two reflectors 60 are located between the two reflectors. Each emission section 40 can include multiple emission waveguides 42. The multiple emission waveguides 42 are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the second direction and are respectively fixedly connected to the support section 10. One end of each emission waveguide 42 is coupled to the phase shifter 30, and the other end of each emission waveguide 42 is used to emit a laser beam along the first direction. The other end of each emission waveguide 42 of each emission section 40 is adjacent to the corresponding reflector 60 of the emission section 40. The reflector 60 is used to reflect the laser beam emitted by the corresponding transmitting waveguide 42 in a third direction (e.g., as shown in FIG16 ). By reflecting the laser beam into free space through the reflector 60, vertical emission can be achieved, thereby eliminating the transmitting antenna 41, helping to reduce the device complexity of the optical phased array assembly 320 and improving the laser beam emission efficiency. Furthermore, compared to stacking the transmitting units 40 along the first direction, the manufacturing difficulty of the optical phased array assembly 320 can be reduced.

[0145] The specific structure of the reflector 60 is not limited herein. For example, in some embodiments, the reflector 60 may be a prism. In addition, in some embodiments, the reflector 60 may be coated with a reflective film to ensure that the optical path of the laser beam is deflected from the first direction to the third direction.

[0146] The reflector 60 can be fixedly connected to the supporting portion 10 by bonding, clamping, threading, etc., which is not limited here.

[0147] It can be understood that the other end of the transmitting waveguide 42 is used as the transmitting end 43 of the transmitting portion 40 .

[0148] It should be noted that the structure of the carrying portion 10 can be the carrying portion 10 in FIG. 4 or the carrying portion 10 in FIG. 10 , and is not limited here.

[0149] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the eighth laser emission system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 differs from Figure 4 in that a portion of the phase shifter 30 and a portion of the beam splitter 20 are located within the gap between the two emission sections 40 in the first direction, while another portion of the phase shifter 30 and another portion of the beam splitter 20 are located outside the gap between the two emission sections 40 in the first direction.

[0150] When there are two or more emitting sections 40, a partial beam splitter 20 and a partial phase shifter 30 are provided in the gap between two adjacent emitting sections 40 in the first direction. In other words, a partial beam splitter 20 and a partial phase shifter 30 are provided in each of at least two gaps in the first direction between the emitting sections 40.

[0151] It should be noted that the specific orientations of the first and second directions are not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. These orientations may be determined based on the installation method of the optical phased array assembly 320. For example, when the optical phased array assembly 320 is installed vertically, the first direction corresponds to the vertical (pitch) direction, and the second direction corresponds to the horizontal (azimuth) direction. When the optical phased array assembly 320 is installed horizontally, the first direction corresponds to the horizontal (azimuth) direction, and the second direction corresponds to the vertical (pitch) direction.

[0152] In the embodiment of the present application, the far-field distribution of the optical phased array assembly 320 is formed by the interference and diffraction superposition of multiple laser beams in the far field, which can be expressed as follows:

[0153]

[0154]

[0155]

[0156] Where x represents the first direction, y represents the second direction, is the phase difference between two adjacent emitting ends 43 of each emitting section 40, θy is the far-field diffraction angle of a single laser beam in the y direction, θsy is the beam deflection angle in the y direction in the far field, dy is the distance between two adjacent emitting ends 43 of each emitting section 40 in the second direction, dx is the distance between the emitting ends 43 of two adjacent emitting sections 40 in the first direction, N is the number of emitting ends 43 of a single emitting section 40, and a x is the aperture size of each transmitter in the x direction, a y is the aperture size of each transmitting end in the y direction, I0 represents the intensity of a single laser beam at the center of the far field, and I represents the intensity distribution of the optical phased array assembly 320 in the far field.

[0157] The following describes the technical effects of the optical phased array assembly 320 provided in the embodiments of the present application with reference to specific embodiments.

[0158] Example 1

[0159] In this embodiment, the optical phased array assembly 320 is installed vertically. The number of the transmitting ends 43 of each transmitting unit 40 is 1024, dy is 1 μm, dx is 1 mm, and a x is 500nm, a y is 500nm.

[0160] When the phases of all laser beams emitted into free space by the optical phased array assembly 320 of this embodiment are aligned, the far-field interference has only one lobe in the second direction (horizontal azimuth direction) and multiple lobes in the first direction (vertical direction), as shown in Figures 18 and 19. Figure 18 is a diagram of the illumination intensity of the multiple scanning beams in the second direction according to the first embodiment of the present application, and Figure 19 is a diagram of the illumination intensity of the multiple scanning beams in the first direction according to the first embodiment of the present application.

[0161] It can be seen from Figures 18 and 19 that the multiple laser beams emitted by the optical phased array assembly 320 can form a series of scanning beams in the pitch angle (first direction), and only one scanning beam in the azimuth angle (second direction), so that the laser radar provided in the embodiment of the present application is similar to a laser radar with a multi-line structure.

[0162] When scanning a target area using multiple scanning beams, no scanning is performed in the elevation angle (first direction), and discrimination is performed using multiple lobes. In the azimuth angle (second direction), the multiple scanning beams emitted by the optical phased array assembly 320 are deflected in the azimuth angle by phase control of the phase shifter 30 of the optical phased array assembly 320, thereby achieving scanning of the target area.

[0163] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional spot distribution after far-field interference of multiple scanning beams in Example 1 of the present application, and Figure 21 is a partial enlarged view of Figure 20. As shown in Figures 20 and 21, a column of light spots is generated in the vertical direction (first direction). Among them, the horizontal divergence angle of each light spot is 0.17°, the vertical divergence angle is 0.09°, and the minimum spacing is 0.09°. There are approximately 279 scanning beams within the pitch angle range of 25° (±12.5°), which can be scanned simultaneously.

[0164] The specific method of controlling the deflection of the multiple scanning beams in the second direction is to control the phase difference between two adjacent laser beams in the multiple laser beams emitted by each emitting unit 40. In some embodiments, the control can be performed according to the following formula:

[0165]

[0166] Here, δ refers to the phase difference caused by the deflection angle of the scanning beam.

[0167] For example, the deflection angle? ？？y =5°, the phase shifter 30 applies a phase delay to each laser beam of the optical phased array assembly 320, so that the phase difference between two adjacent laser beams in the second direction is:

[0168]

[0169] Figure 22 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional spot distribution when the multiple scanning beams in Figure 20 are deflected to a position of 5° in the second direction. As shown in Figure 22, at this time, in the far-field interference pattern, the multiple scanning beams have been deflected to a horizontal position of 5°.

[0170] Therefore, by performing phase control according to the formula for δ described above, scanning at other angles in the second direction can be achieved. For example, as shown in Figures 23 and 24, a deflection of ±45° can be achieved. Figure 23 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional spot distribution of the multiple scanning beams in Figure 20 deflected to a position of -45° in the second direction, and Figure 24 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional spot distribution of the multiple scanning beams in Figure 20 deflected to a position of +45° in the second direction.

[0171] Example 2

[0172] The difference between Example 1 and Example 2 is that the optical phased array assembly 320 is mounted horizontally. Therefore, as shown in Figure 25 , a column of light spots is generated in the horizontal direction (first direction). Figure 25 is a schematic diagram of the two-dimensional spot distribution after far-field interference of multiple scanning beams in Example 2.

[0173] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An optical phased array assembly, characterized in that: It includes a carrying part, and a beam splitter, a phase shifter, and at least two emitting parts fixedly mounted on the carrying part; The input end of the beam splitter is used to be coupled to the output end of the laser, and the output end of the beam splitter is coupled to the at least two emitting parts respectively through the phase shifter. The beam splitter is used to split the received laser beam into multiple laser beams. The at least two emitting portions are spaced apart along a first direction, each emitting portion has a plurality of emitting ends spaced apart and arranged side by side along a second direction, each emitting portion has the same number of emitting ends, and each emitting end is configured to emit a laser beam along a third direction; wherein the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other; The multiple emitting ends of one of the two adjacent emitting parts are opposite to the multiple emitting ends of the other emitting part in a one-to-one relationship in the first direction; in the two adjacent emitting parts, the distance between the two emitting ends facing each other in the first direction is greater than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the emitting ends; and the distance between the two adjacent emitting ends of each emitting part in the second direction is less than the wavelength of the laser beam emitted by the emitting end; The phase shifter is used to adjust the phase of the laser beam emitted by each of the emitting ends.

2. The optical phased array assembly according to claim 1, wherein: Each transmitting end of one of the two adjacent transmitting parts is aligned with the corresponding transmitting end of the other transmitting part in the first direction; or, A portion of each transmitting end of one of the two adjacent transmitting portions is aligned with a portion of the corresponding transmitting end of the other transmitting portion in the first direction.

3. The optical phased array assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: When the number of the emitting parts is two, the phase shifter and the beam splitter are located in a gap between the two emitting parts in the first direction, or the phase shifter and the beam splitter are located in a gap between the two emitting parts in the first direction; when the number of the emitting parts is greater than two, the plurality of emitting parts have at least two gaps in the first direction, and a portion of the beam splitter and a portion of the phase shifter are provided in at least one of the at least two gaps; or A portion of the beam splitter and a portion of the phase shifter are provided in a gap between two adjacent emitting portions in the first direction.

4. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The carrier portion includes a substrate member; The phase shifting portion, the beam splitting portion and the at least two emitting portions are located on the same side of the substrate and are respectively fixedly connected to the substrate.

5. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The bearing portion includes a first connecting member and at least two first base members; The at least two first base members are located on the same surface of the first connecting member and are respectively fixedly connected to the first connecting member, and the at least two first base members are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the first direction; The emitting portion, a portion of the beam splitting portion, and a portion of the phase shifting portion are fixedly mounted on a surface side of each of the first base members facing away from the first connecting member.

6. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: Each of the transmitting units includes a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of transmitting waveguides; The multiple transmitting waveguides correspond to the multiple transmitting antennas one by one, the multiple transmitting waveguides and the multiple transmitting antennas are fixedly mounted on the same side of the carrying portion, the multiple transmitting waveguides are arranged side by side and at intervals along the second direction, and the multiple transmitting antennas are arranged side by side and at intervals along the second direction; Each of the transmitting antennas is coupled to the phase shifter via the corresponding transmitting waveguide, and the transmitting antenna is used to emit a laser beam along the third direction.

7. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The optical phased array assembly further includes at least two reflectors, and the at least two reflectors correspond one-to-one to the at least two transmitting parts; Each of the emitting parts includes a plurality of emitting waveguides, which are arranged side by side and spaced apart along the second direction and are respectively fixedly connected to the carrying part, one end of each of the emitting waveguides is coupled to the phase shifting part, and the other end of each of the emitting waveguides is used to emit a laser beam along the first direction; The other end of each emitting waveguide of each emitting portion is close to the corresponding reflector of the emitting portion, and the reflector is used to reflect the laser beam emitted by the corresponding emitting waveguide in the third direction.

8. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: Each of the emitting parts includes a plurality of emitting waveguides, each of the emitting waveguides is used to emit a laser beam along the third direction; The bearing portion includes at least one second connecting member and at least two second base members; The at least one second connecting member and the at least two second base members are stacked along the first direction, a second connecting member is provided between two adjacent second base members, and each second connecting member is fixedly connected to the two second base members on both sides of the second connecting member; A portion of the beam splitter, a portion of the phase shifter, and a plurality of the launch waveguides are fixedly mounted on a surface side of each second base member facing toward or away from the second connecting member.

9. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The phase shifting unit includes at least two phase shifting groups, each of which includes a plurality of phase shifters; The at least two phase shifting groups correspond one-to-one to the at least two emitting parts, the number of phase shifters in each phase shifting group is equal to the number of emitting ends of the corresponding emitting part, each phase shifter is fixedly connected to the supporting part, and each phase shifter is used to control the phase of the laser beam emitted by the corresponding emitting end; Each of the transmitting parts is coupled to the output end of the beam splitting part through the corresponding phase shift group.

10. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The beam splitting section includes at least two beam splitter groups; The number of the beam splitter groups is equal to the number of the emitting parts, each of the beam splitter groups is fixedly connected to the supporting part, the input end of each beam splitter group is coupled to the same output end of the laser, the output end of each beam splitter group is coupled to the input end of the emitting part corresponding to the beam splitter group through the phase shifter, and each beam splitter group is used to split a laser beam into at least two laser beams.

11. The optical phased array assembly according to claim 10, wherein: Each of the beam splitter groups includes a plurality of first beam splitters; The number of the first beam splitters in each beam splitter group is one less than the number of the emitting ends of the emitting portion corresponding to the beam splitter group; The plurality of first beam splitters are connected in cascade, and each of the first beam splitters is used for splitting one laser beam into two laser beams.

12. The optical phased array assembly according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The beam splitting section also includes a second beam splitter, the input end of the second beam splitter is coupled to the output end of the laser, and the multiple output ends of the second beam splitter are respectively coupled to the input ends of the at least two beam splitter groups. The second beam splitter is used to split a laser beam into at least two laser beams.

13. The optical phased array assembly according to claim 12, wherein: The bearing portion is further used to be fixedly connected to the second beam splitter.

14. The optical phased array assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The optical phased array assembly further includes a coupling portion, which is fixedly connected to the carrying portion, and the beam splitting portion is coupled to the laser via the coupling portion.

15. A laser emission system, characterized in that: The optical phased array device comprises a laser and the optical phased array component according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the laser is used for coupling with the optical phased array component.

16. A laser radar, characterized in that: It comprises a laser receiving system and the laser emitting system as claimed in claim 15.

17. A vehicle, characterized in that: It comprises a vehicle body and the laser radar as claimed in claim 16, wherein the laser radar is installed on the vehicle body.

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