Optical beam combiner and manufacturing method therefor, optical chip, transceiving apparatus and lidar

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an optical beam combiner of a LiDAR, a manufacturing method for the optical beam combiner, an optical chip, a transceiving apparatus and a LiDAR. The optical beam combiner comprises an optical transceiving port, an optical splitter and a reflector; the optical splitter is configured to reflect or transmit a light beam incident onto the optical splitter; the reflector and the optical splitter are configured in that: a light beam incident from the optical transceiving port is emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner after being reflected by the optical splitter and the reflector, and a light beam transmitted from the optical splitter is emitted from the optical transceiving port; or a light beam incident from the optical transceiving port is emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner after being transmitted by the optical splitter, and a light beam reflected to the optical splitter from the reflector is emitted from the optical transceiving port after being reflected by the optical splitter. The present disclosure can reduce the number of devices in LiDARs, thus simplifying the structure of LiDARs, and facilitating batch production; in addition, the present disclosure is conductive to the assembly and alignment as well as field-of-view matching of transmitters and receivers, thus improving the reliability and stability of LiDARs.

Description

Optical beam combiner and preparation method thereof, optical chip, transceiver, and laser radar Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of laser radar, and in particular to an optical combiner of a laser radar, a method for preparing an optical combiner, a transceiver, a data processing method based on the transceiver, an optical chip of a laser radar, and a laser radar. Background Art

[0002] LiDAR is a highly integrated detection device, equipped with multiple components for different functions. Its structure is complex, its assembly and adjustment are tedious, and it requires high manufacturing precision. For example, LiDAR must ensure that the transmitting and receiving fields of view are aligned so that the echo formed by the detection beam reflected by the object can be received by the detector. For these reasons, LiDAR's cost is difficult to reduce.

[0003] The transmitting device (e.g., including the light source and transmitting optical components) and receiving device (e.g., including the detector and receiving optical components) used in current LiDAR systems are often designed independently. For example, the transmitting optical components in the transmitting device and the receiving optical components in the receiving device are arranged in parallel. The light source and transmitting optical components, and the detector and receiving optical components are separately fixed and adjusted so that the transmitting optical components collimate the detection light emitted by the light source, and the receiving optical components focus the echo light reflected by obstacles.

[0004] To achieve two-dimensional scanning, one solution uses a single laser and a single detector, and deflects the detection light to different angles in the two-dimensional direction through a two-dimensional scanning mirror.

[0005] Another solution is shown in FIG1A , in which the transmitting device includes a one-dimensional array of lasers 13 and a transmitting optical assembly 15. The detection light emitted by the lasers at different positions in the one-dimensional array passes through the transmitting optical assembly 15 and is emitted at different vertical angles, thereby achieving vertical scanning. The receiving device is a corresponding one-dimensional array of detectors 17 and a receiving optical assembly 19. Detectors at different positions are suitable for receiving echo light reflected from different vertical angles. Horizontal scanning can be achieved by rotating the transmitting and receiving devices, or by reflecting the detection light through a one-dimensional scanning mirror deflected in the horizontal direction, thereby achieving two-dimensional scanning.

[0006] Another solid-state radar solution, shown in Figure 1B , uses a two-dimensional array laser 12 as the transmitter. The probe light emitted by laser 12 is shaped by a transmitting optical assembly 14 to achieve two-dimensional scanning. The receiving device is a corresponding two-dimensional array detector 16. A receiving optical assembly 18 focuses the echo light onto the corresponding detector 16 for reception and detection.

[0007] Separate transmit and receive solutions like the one described above require alignment of the transmit and receive fields of view, increasing the difficulty and complexity of LiDAR assembly and adjustment. Furthermore, LiDARs are exposed to the external environment for long periods of time, and their structures are subject to aging issues (e.g., glue creep, structural deformation, thermal expansion and contraction, etc.). Positional offset or deformation of the internal structure of the LiDAR can cause a field of view offset between the laser's transmit field of view and the detector's receive field of view, making the transmit and receive fields of view incompatible. For example, the light spot formed by the echo on the detector can deviate from the detector's receiving range, reducing the reliability and stability of the LiDAR.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure provides an optical combiner for a laser radar, comprising: an optical transceiver port; a spectrometer configured to reflect or transmit a light beam incident on the spectrometer; and a reflector configured to: a light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is reflected by the spectrometer and the reflector and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and a light beam transmitted from the spectrometer is emitted from the optical transceiver port; or a light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted by the spectrometer and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and a light beam reflected from the reflector to the spectrometer is reflected by the spectrometer and then emitted from the optical transceiver port.

[0010] Optionally, the optical combiner also includes a filter, which is arranged in the optical path between the spectrometer and the reflector, or arranged on the side opposite to the spectrometer along the optical path where the reflector is located, or arranged on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port along the optical path where the spectrometer is located.

[0011] Optionally, the optical combiner further includes a substrate, the optical transceiver port is formed on the surface of the substrate, and the optical splitter, the reflector and the filter are embedded in the substrate or formed on the surface of the substrate.

[0012] Optionally, a light-shielding layer is formed on the surface of the substrate, and the light-shielding layer is configured to expose the optical splitter, the optical transceiver port, the reflector and the optical filter.

[0013] Optionally, the optical transceiver port is provided with a wave plate, the beam splitter is a polarization beam splitter, and the wave plate is configured to adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port to control the light beam to be reflected or transmitted at the beam splitter.

[0014] Optionally, a first wedge-shaped groove is provided on the surface of the base, the first wedge-shaped groove is opposite to the optical transceiver port, and the optical splitter is formed in the first wedge-shaped groove.

[0015] Optionally, a second wedge-shaped groove is provided on the surface of the base, the reflector is formed in the second wedge-shaped groove, and the first wedge-shaped groove and the second wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side or on opposite sides of the base.

[0016] Optionally, a third wedge-shaped groove is provided on the surface of the base, the optical filter is formed in the third wedge-shaped groove, and the first wedge-shaped groove and the third wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side of the base.

[0017] Optionally, the present disclosure further includes a method for preparing an optical beam combiner, the method comprising:

[0018] S101: preparing or providing a substrate, wherein the substrate is made of a light-transmitting material;

[0019] S102: performing a local light shielding process on the substrate to form an optical transceiver port that can be used to emit and receive light beams; and

[0020] S103: forming a beam splitter and a reflector on the surface or inside of the substrate;

[0021] The reflector and the optical splitter are configured such that: the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is reflected by the optical splitter and the reflector and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and the light beam transmitted through the optical splitter is emitted from the optical transceiver port; or,

[0022] The light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted through the optical splitter and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and the light beam reflected from the reflector to the optical splitter is reflected by the optical splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port.

[0023] Optionally, the preparation method further comprises:

[0024] S104: An optical filter is arranged on the surface or inside of the substrate, and the optical filter is arranged in the optical path between the optical splitter and the reflector, or is arranged on the side opposite to the optical splitter along the optical path where the reflector is located, or is arranged on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port along the optical path where the optical splitter is located.

[0025] Optionally, the beam splitter is a polarization beam splitter, and the preparation method further includes:

[0026] A wave plate is provided at the optical transceiver port, and the wave plate is configured to adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port to control the light beam to be reflected or transmitted at the optical splitter.

[0027] Optionally, step S101 includes:

[0028] forming a plate-like matrix;

[0029] forming a first wedge-shaped groove on the surface of the base body;

[0030] The step S103 includes: placing the optical splitter in the first wedge-shaped groove.

[0031] Optionally, the step S101 includes: forming a second wedge-shaped groove on the surface of the base, wherein the first wedge-shaped groove and the second wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side or on opposite sides of the base;

[0032] The step S103 includes: placing the reflector in the second wedge-shaped groove.

[0033] Optionally, the step S101 includes: forming a third wedge-shaped groove on the surface of the base, wherein the first wedge-shaped groove and the third wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side of the base;

[0034] The manufacturing method further includes: placing the optical filter in the third wedge-shaped groove.

[0035] Optionally, the preparation method further comprises:

[0036] S105: dividing the base into a plurality of optical combiners according to the extending directions of the beam splitter and the reflector.

[0037] Optionally, the present disclosure further includes another method for preparing an optical beam combiner, the method comprising:

[0038] S201: Disposing a beam splitter on a surface of a first support member and a reflector on a surface of a second support member;

[0039] S202: placing the first support member and the second support member in a mold;

[0040] S203: injecting light-transmitting material into the mold;

[0041] S204: forming the light-transmitting material to form a base; and

[0042] S205: performing a local light-shielding process on the substrate to form an optical transceiver port that can be used to emit and receive light beams;

[0043] The reflector and the optical splitter are configured such that: the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is reflected by the optical splitter and the reflector and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and the light beam transmitted through the optical splitter is emitted from the optical transceiver port; or,

[0044] The light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted through the optical splitter and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and the light beam reflected from the reflector to the optical splitter is reflected by the optical splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port.

[0045] Optionally, the preparation method further comprises:

[0046] S206: Setting an optical filter, wherein the optical filter is set in the optical path between the optical splitter and the reflector, or set along the optical path where the reflector is located on the side opposite to the optical splitter, or set along the optical path where the optical splitter is located on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port.

[0047] Optionally, the optical filter is provided on the surface of the second support member, the beam splitter is a polarization beam splitter, and the preparation method further comprises:

[0048] A wave plate is provided at the optical transceiver port, and the wave plate is configured to adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port to control the light beam to be reflected or transmitted at the optical splitter.

[0049] Optionally, the first support member and the second support member are located on the same side or on opposite sides of the base.

[0050] Optionally, the optical filter and the first support member are located on the same side of the base.

[0051] Optionally, the first supporting member and the second supporting member are prisms, and the beam splitter, the reflector and the filter are formed on the surface of the prism by any method of adhesion, coating or etching.

[0052] Optionally, the preparation method further comprises:

[0053] S207: dividing the base into a plurality of optical combiners according to the extending directions of the beam splitter and the reflector.

[0054] Optionally, the present disclosure further includes an optical chip for a laser radar, the optical chip comprising:

[0055] an emitter configured to emit a probe beam;

[0056] a receiver configured to receive an echo formed by the probe beam passing through an object and convert the echo into an electrical signal;

[0057] As described above, the optical combiner is configured to receive the detection beam and emit the detection beam through the optical transceiver port of the optical combiner, and is also configured to receive the echo through the optical transceiver port and emit it to the receiver.

[0058] Optionally, the optical chip further includes a substrate, and the optical combiner, the transmitter and the receiver are packaged on one side of the substrate by packaging material.

[0059] Optionally, the transmitter includes a plurality of lasers, which are arranged in an array on the substrate; the receiver includes a plurality of detectors, which are arranged in an array on the substrate.

[0060] Optionally, the optical chip further includes:

[0061] an emitter driver, the emitter driver being located on the substrate and electrically connected to the emitter and the substrate;

[0062] A receiver driver is located on the substrate and is electrically connected to the receiver and the substrate.

[0063] Optionally, the transmitter driver and the receiver driver are located between the transmitter and the receiver;

[0064] Alternatively, the transmitter and the receiver are located between the transmitter driver and the receiver driver.

[0065] Optionally, the transmitter is stacked on the transmitter driver, and the receiver is stacked on the receiver driver.

[0066] Optionally, the detection light beam emitted by the transmitter is transmitted through the optical splitter into the optical combiner and emitted from the optical transceiver port; the echo enters the optical combiner from the optical transceiver port, is reflected by the optical splitter and the reflector in sequence, and then is incident on the receiver.

[0067] Optionally, the detection light beam emitted by the transmitter is reflected by the reflector to the optical combiner, and is emitted from the optical transceiver port after being reflected by the optical splitter; the echo enters the optical combiner from the optical transceiver port, is transmitted through the optical splitter, and is incident on the receiver.

[0068] Optionally, the optical chip includes a single optical combiner, which corresponds to all of the lasers and the detectors; or the optical chip includes multiple optical combiners, each of which corresponds to one laser and one detector.

[0069] Optionally, the optical chip further includes a microlens array, which is disposed on the emitter and configured to shape the detection light beam to form an image of the light-emitting surface of the emitter, and the image is located on the side of the light-emitting surface opposite to the microlens array.

[0070] Optionally, the detector includes a main detection area and an auxiliary detection area, and the energy of the echo received by the main detection area is greater than the energy of the echo received by the auxiliary detection area.

[0071] Optionally, the optical chip includes a single substrate, and the transmitter and the receiver are arranged on the single substrate; or, the optical chip includes a first substrate and a second substrate located in different planes, the transmitter is arranged on the first substrate, and the receiver is arranged on the second substrate.

[0072] Optionally, the present disclosure also includes a transceiver, which includes: a light emitting layer, the light emitting layer including at least one light emitter, the light emitter being suitable for generating and emitting emitted light; a light detection layer, the light emitting layer being stacked on the light detection layer, the light detection layer including at least one detection unit, the detection unit being configured to receive and detect incident light, and a beam combining layer, the beam combining layer being arranged on the optical path of the emitted light and the incident light, and being configured to at least partially separate the incident light from the emitted light.

[0073] Optionally, the light emitting layer includes a substrate and at least one light emitter, the first surface of the light emitting layer includes a metal layer, the metal layer is connected to the electrode of the light emitter, and wherein the metal layer includes at least one light exit hole, the light exit hole corresponding to the light exit window of at least one of the light emitters.

[0074] Optionally, the light detection layer includes a substrate and at least one detection unit, and the metal layer further includes at least one light entrance hole, and the light entrance hole corresponds to the photosensitive surface of the detection unit.

[0075] Optionally, the light exit hole has a first size, the light entrance hole has a second size, and the second size is set to be no smaller than the first size.

[0076] Optionally, the second size is larger than the first size and not larger than 1.1 times of the first size.

[0077] Optionally, the beam combining layer includes the optical beam combiner described in any one of the above items, wherein the reflector and the spectrometer are configured such that: the emission light emitted from the optical transmitter is transmitted through the spectrometer and then emitted from the optical transceiver port, and the incident light incident from the optical transceiver port is reflected from the spectrometer to the reflector and then reflected by the reflector, and then is incident on the detection unit; or the emission light emitted from the optical transmitter is reflected from the reflector to the spectrometer and then reflected by the spectrometer, and then is emitted from the optical transceiver port, and the incident light incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted through the spectrometer and then is incident on the detection unit.

[0078] Optionally, the beam splitter includes: a proportional reflector; or a reflector that partially transmits and partially reflects in space.

[0079] Optionally, the light emitting layer includes a plurality of light emitters, and the plurality of light emitters are arranged in an array within the substrate of the light emitting layer; the beam combining layer includes a plurality of the optical beam combiners, and the optical beam combiners correspond one-to-one to the light emitters.

[0080] Optionally, the base material of the beam combining layer includes silicon.

[0081] Optionally, a first solder pad is provided on the first surface of the beam-combining layer; a second solder pad is provided on the second surface of the beam-combining layer, the second solder pad is configured to be electrically connected to the metal layer of the light-emitting layer, and the beam-combining layer includes a metallized through-hole to electrically connect the first solder pad and the second solder pad.

[0082] Optionally, a filter is provided on the second surface of the beam combining layer, and the filter is provided in the path of the incident light.

[0083] Optionally, the bandwidth of the optical filter is set to be compatible with the spectral width of the light emitter.

[0084] Optionally, the light detection layer includes a plurality of detection units, which are arranged in an array within the substrate of the light detection layer and correspond one-to-one to the photosynthesizers. The detection units include one or more light detectors.

[0085] Optionally, the transceiver device further includes a circuit layer, the light detection layer is stacked on the circuit layer, and the circuit layer is configured to receive the electrical signal from the detection unit.

[0086] Optionally, the light detection layer and the circuit layer are electrically connected via hybrid bonding.

[0087] The present disclosure also includes a laser radar, comprising: a transceiver of any of the foregoing items, and an optical component, wherein the optical component is arranged on the optical path of the emitted light and the incident light, the emitted light generated by the transceiver is collimated by the optical component and then emitted to the external space, and the incident light reflected by the emitted light by an obstacle is converged to the transceiver through the optical component.

[0088] The present disclosure further includes a laser radar, comprising:

[0089] The optical chip as described above; a lens, through which the detection light beam emitted by the optical chip is emitted to the outside of the laser radar, and the echo is transmitted by the lens to the optical combiner of the optical chip; and a data processor, which is coupled to the receiver of the optical chip and is configured to obtain information about the object based on the electrical signal.

[0090] Optionally, the transmitter and the receiver are located on the focal plane of the lens; or, the receiver is located on the focal plane of the lens, and the image formed by the transmitter through the microlens array is located on the focal plane of the lens.

[0091] Optionally, the laser radar further includes a scanner configured to receive and scan the detection beam from the lens to cover the field of view of the laser radar and reflect the echo to the lens.

[0092] Optionally, the scanner includes a first scanning mirror and a second scanning mirror, the light beam emitted by the lens passes through the first scanning mirror and the second scanning mirror in sequence, and the rotation axes of the first scanning mirror and the second scanning mirror are not parallel.

[0093] The present disclosure also includes a data processing method, comprising: detecting incident light using a detection unit in the optical detection layer of the transceiver device described in any one of the above items, wherein the detection unit includes multiple optical detectors; obtaining the intensity of optical signals received by one or more non-saturated optical detectors; and obtaining the intensity of incident light received by the detection unit based on the intensity of optical signals received by the one or more non-saturated optical detectors.

[0094] Optionally, based on the intensity of the light signal received by the one or more non-saturated light detectors, the intensity of the incident light received by the detection unit is acquired according to the intensity distribution of the incident light on the photosensitive surface of the detection unit.

[0095] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an optical beam combiner for a laser radar, which utilizes the cooperation of a beam splitter and a reflector so that both the outgoing and incoming light beams in the optical beam combiner pass through an optical transceiver port. The reflector can adjust the light path in the optical beam combiner so that the optical beam combiner, the laser, and the detector can cooperate with each other. The optical beam combiner in this embodiment is applied to a laser radar, and can enable both the detection beam of the laser radar and the echo formed by the reflection of the object to pass through the optical transceiver port, thereby reducing the number of components in the laser radar, simplifying the structure of the laser radar, and facilitating mass production. The optical beam combiner is also conducive to the assembly and adjustment of the transmitter and receiver and the matching of the field of view, so that the laser radar maintains the field of view alignment during long-term use, improves the reliability and stability of the laser radar, and can reduce the processing difficulty and cost of the laser radar.

[0096] The embodiments of the present disclosure also include a method for preparing an optical combiner, in which a light-shielding process is performed on a substrate to obtain a light transceiver port, and a spectrometer and a reflector are formed on the surface or inside of the substrate so that both the outgoing and incoming light beams in the optical combiner pass through the light transceiver port. This can reduce the number of devices inside the laser radar, simplify the structure of the laser radar, reduce the difficulty of assembling the laser radar, and alleviate the degree of field of view offset.

[0097] The embodiments of the present disclosure also include another method for preparing an optical combiner, which uses a first support member and a second support member to fix the position of the splitter and the reflector, and uses a transparent material to form a local shading after molding to form an optical transceiver port that can be used to emit a detection light beam and receive an echo.

[0098] The embodiments of the present disclosure also include an optical chip for a laser radar and a laser radar. The optical chip uses the aforementioned optical combiner, and the optical combiner transmits the detection light beam emitted by the transmitter through the optical transceiver port, and receives the echo through the optical transceiver port and then transmits it to the receiver. The laser radar uses the aforementioned optical chip, which can reduce the number of internal components of the laser radar, simplify the structure of the laser radar, facilitate mass production, reduce the processing difficulty of the laser radar, facilitate the matching of the field of view of the transmitter and receiver, and can also maintain the field of view alignment of the laser radar during long-term use, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the laser radar.

[0099] The embodiments of the present disclosure also include a transceiver. Compared with the prior art, the transceiver of the present disclosure can at least achieve the following advantages.

[0100] First, the present invention stacks a light-emitting layer and a light-detecting layer, using a beam-combining layer to separate the incident light from the emitted light. This allows the light emitter and detector units to be integrated into a transceiver, fixing their relative positions and eliminating the need for alignment between the transmitting and receiving fields of view, significantly simplifying installation and adjustment. Furthermore, the transceiver of the present invention maintains the relative positions of the light emitter and detector units during operation, preventing them from shifting and improving operational stability.

[0101] Secondly, when the transceiver of the present disclosure is installed in a laser radar, the transmitted light and the incident light can share optical components. As a result, the structure of the laser radar can be more compact, which is beneficial for reducing the size of the laser radar and facilitating installation.

[0102] Thirdly, a metal layer is provided on the light-emitting layer in the transceiver of the present disclosure for electrical connection of the light emitter. In some embodiments, the size of the light-entry aperture formed in the metal layer can be set to be larger than the light-exit aperture, but no larger than 1.1 times or 1.05 times the size of the light-exit aperture. This allows the lidar to receive more incident light reflected from obstacles, increasing the received light energy and thus enhancing detection capabilities, especially for long-range obstacles. Furthermore, the transceiver of the present disclosure can prevent excessive ambient light from entering the detection unit through the light-entry aperture, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0103] Fourthly, in the transceiver disclosed herein, the emission area is determined by the light-emitting aperture of the light-emitting layer and is no longer limited by the fill factor of the laser itself. As a result, the power density of the laser can be increased several times.

[0104] Fifthly, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the beam combining layer and the light emitting layer are bonded together, and the operating temperatures of the two layers can be kept consistent. The temperature of the filter on the beam combining layer can also be kept consistent with that of the light emitter in the light emitting layer. Therefore, there can be no relative temperature drift difference between the emission and incident spectral windows. In some embodiments, the filter provided on the beam combining layer can be a narrowband filter. For example, the bandwidth of the filter can be consistent with the spectral width of the light emitter (e.g., it can have a bandwidth of less than 5 nm), thereby greatly improving the filtering effect of interfering light, improving the signal-to-noise ratio, and improving the distance measurement capability.

[0105] In a sixth aspect, in the transceiver device disclosed herein, when the detection unit includes a plurality of light detectors, the dynamic response range of the detection unit can be improved, and the accuracy and precision of the detection results can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0106] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present disclosure, they are used to explain the present disclosure and do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings:

[0107] FIG1A shows a schematic diagram of a laser radar having separate transmitting and receiving devices, wherein the light source of the transmitting device and the detector of the receiving device are both one-dimensional arrays.

[0108] FIG1B shows a schematic diagram of a laser radar having separate transmitting devices and receiving devices, wherein the light source of the transmitting device and the detector of the receiving device are both two-dimensional arrays.

[0109] FIG2 shows a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary transceiver device consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0110] 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a transmission layer of an exemplary transceiver device consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0111] 4 illustrates a top view of a transmission layer of an exemplary transceiver device consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0112] 5A shows an exemplary graph of the transmittance of 905 nm and 940 nm laser light, respectively, through glass of varying thicknesses, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0113] 5B shows an exemplary graph of the transmittance of 905 nm and 940 nm laser light, respectively, through gallium arsenide of varying thicknesses, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0114] FIG6 shows a schematic structural diagram of a detector of an exemplary transceiver device consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0115] FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary laser radar transceiver and optical components consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0116] FIG8 illustrates a data processing method of an exemplary transceiver device consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0117] FIG9 shows a schematic diagram of an optical path of an exemplary transceiver device consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0118] FIG10 shows a schematic diagram of light paths of an exemplary optical combiner consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0119] FIG11 shows a schematic diagram of the optical path of an exemplary optical combiner consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0120] 12A-12C illustrate optical path schematics of exemplary optical combiners consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0121] FIG13 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for preparing an exemplary optical combiner consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0122] FIG. 14 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating an exemplary manufacturing method including a process of setting an optical filter, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0123] 15A and 15B illustrate schematic diagrams of a process for preparing an exemplary optical combiner consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0124] FIG16 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for preparing an exemplary optical combiner consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0125] FIG. 17 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating an exemplary manufacturing method including a process for setting an optical filter, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0126] FIG18 shows a schematic diagram of a process for preparing an exemplary optical combiner consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0127] 19A-19C illustrate optical path schematics of exemplary optical chips consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0128] 20A-20D illustrate schematic diagrams of packaging of exemplary optical chips consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0129] 21 illustrates a top view of an exemplary photonic chip consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0130] FIG22 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary lidar structure consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0131] FIG23 shows a schematic diagram of an optical chip arrangement of an exemplary lidar consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0132] 24 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary lidar including a scanner, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0133] 25 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary lidar including a first scanning mirror and a second scanning mirror, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0134] The following describes certain exemplary embodiments. It should be noted that the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

[0135] References in this disclosure to "an embodiment," "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "alternative embodiments," or "other embodiments" mean that a particular feature or configuration described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least some, but not necessarily all, embodiments of the present technology. The various appearances of "an embodiment," "one embodiment," or "some embodiments" do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Elements or aspects from one embodiment may be combined with elements or aspects from another embodiment.

[0136] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present disclosure. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the said features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0137] In the description of this disclosure, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, or interconnected connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they can refer to internal connectivity between two components or interactions between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this disclosure based on specific circumstances.

[0138] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features being in contact not directly but through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above", and "above" a second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below", and "below" a second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is at a lower level than the second feature.

[0139] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples for realizing different structures of the present disclosure. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present disclosure, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present disclosure provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0140] In the present disclosure, the terms "or" and "and / or" describe the association relationship between related objects and represent a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, "A and / or B" and "A or B" may include: only "A" exists, only "B" exists, and "A" and "B" exist at the same time, where "A" and "B" can be singular or plural. For another example, "A, B and / or C" and "A, B or C" may include: only "A" exists, only "B" exists, only "C" exists, "A" and "B" exist at the same time, "A" and "C" exist at the same time, "B" and "C" exist at the same time, and "A", "B" and "C" exist at the same time, where "A", "B" and "C" can be singular or plural. In addition, the symbol " / " in the present disclosure indicates that there is an "or" relationship between the related objects before and after the symbol. In the present disclosure, the term "at least one A or B" has the same meaning as the above-mentioned "A or B". The term "at least one A, B or C" has the same meaning as the above-mentioned "A, B or C".

[0141] The present disclosure provides a transceiver device comprising a light emitting layer. The light emitting layer may include at least one light emitter. The light emitter may generate and emit transmitted light. The transceiver device may further include a light detection layer. The light emitting layer may be stacked onto the light detection layer. The light detection layer may include at least one detection unit. The detection unit may receive and detect incident light. The transceiver device may further include a beam combining layer. The beam combining layer may be disposed in the optical path of the transmitted light and the incident light. The beam combining layer may at least partially separate the incident light from the transmitted light. In some embodiments, the light emitting layer and the light detection layer are stacked, and the beam combining layer separates the incident light from the transmitted light. Thus, the light emitter and the detection unit may be integrated into the transceiver device, fixing the relative positions of the light emitter and the detection unit. This eliminates the need for alignment and adjustment of the transmitting and receiving fields of view, significantly simplifying the adjustment process. Furthermore, the transceiver device according to embodiments of the present disclosure can maintain the relative positions of the light emitter and the detection unit during operation, preventing them from shifting and improving operational stability.

[0142] FIG2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary transceiver 200 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG2 , transceiver 200 may include a three-layer structure: a light emitting layer 22, a light detecting layer 23, and a beam combining layer 21. Light emitting layer 22 may include at least one light emitter 221. Light emitter 221 may generate and emit light 222.

[0143] The light emitting layer 22 may be stacked onto the light detecting layer 23. The light detecting layer 23 may include at least one detecting unit 231. The detecting unit 231 may receive and detect incident light 232.

[0144] The beam combining layer 21 may be disposed on optical paths of the emitted light 222 and the incident light 232. The beam combining layer 21 may at least partially separate the incident light 232 from the emitted light 222.

[0145] As shown in Figure 2 , emitted light (also referred to as detection light) 222 emitted from at least one light emitter 221 of the light emitting layer 22 can enter and pass through the beam combining layer 21 into the environment outside the transceiver 200. After being reflected by obstacles in the external environment, the emitted light 222 can return to the transceiver 200 as incident light 232 (also referred to as echo light). The beam combining layer 21 can separate at least a portion of the incident light 232 from the emitted light 222. As a result, at least a portion of the incident light 232 can enter the light detection layer 23 and be received by the corresponding detection unit 231.

[0146] In some embodiments, based on the analysis of the emitted light 222 and the incident light 232, the presence and / or characteristics of one or more obstacles in the environment (e.g., one or more parameters including the distance, position, speed, posture, shape, etc. of the obstacle) can be detected, thereby enabling detection, tracking and / or identification of the obstacles.

[0147] In some embodiments, the light emitting layer 22 of the light emitter 221 and the light detection layer 23 including the detection unit 231 can be stacked. The beam combining layer 21 can serve as a beam combining channel for the emitted light 222 and the incident light 232. The light emitter 221 can at least partially separate the incident light 232 from the emitted light 222. This allows the incident light 232 to be received and detected by the detection unit 231, thus achieving integrated transceiver functionality. In some embodiments, the relative positions of the light emitter 221 and the detection unit 231 in the transceiver 200 can be fixed. After the transceiver 200 is fabricated, the transmitting and receiving fields of view are aligned without the need for additional adjustment, thereby improving assembly efficiency. Furthermore, during operation, the relative positions of the light emitter 221 and the detection unit 231 are less likely to shift, preventing alignment shifts in the transmitting and receiving fields of view. This significantly improves the operational reliability of the transceiver 200.

[0148] FIG3 further illustrates a cross-sectional view of the light emitting layer 22 of an exemplary transceiver device 200 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0149] 2 and 3 , illustratively, the light emitting layer 22 may include a substrate 223 and at least one light emitter 221 . The one or more light emitters 221 may be disposed in the substrate 223 .

[0150] For illustrative purposes, three light emitters 221 are shown in Figures 2 and 3. However, it should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure may include any other number of light emitters 221. The light emitters 221 may include any form of laser, such as one or more of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a distributed feedback laser (DFB), an edge-emitting laser (EEL), or a light-emitting diode (LED).

[0151] In some embodiments, the light emitter 221 includes an electrode (not shown in FIG3 ). The electrode can introduce current into the light emitter 221 to excite the light emitter 221 to generate emitted light 222 . Furthermore, the emitted light 222 is emitted outward from a light exit window of the light emitter 221 .

[0152] FIG4 illustrates a top view of the emission layer 22 of an exemplary transceiver device 200 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In conjunction with FIG2-FIG4 , illustratively, the first surface of the light emitting layer 22 (e.g., the upper surface of the light emitting layer 22 shown in FIG2 and FIG3 ) may include a metal layer 224. The metal layer 224 may be connected to an electrode of at least one light emitter 221. Thus, the light emitter 221 may be electrically connected to an external circuit (not shown in FIG4 ) via the metal layer 224. The external circuit may conduct a driving current to each light emitter 221 through the metal layer 224.

[0153] In some embodiments, the metal layer 224 may include at least one light exit hole 225 to allow the emitted light 222 to pass through. For example, the metal layer 224 may include at least one light exit hole 225. The light exit hole 225 may correspond to the light exit window of the at least one light emitter 221. Thus, the emitted light 222 can be emitted from the light exit window and then through the light exit hole 225, and then pass through the beam combining layer 21 to be emitted to the outside.

[0154] It should be noted that the correspondence between the light exit holes 225 and the light emitters 221 is not limited to the one-to-one correspondence illustrated in the drawings. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, the light exit hole 225 may correspond to multiple light emitters 221. For example, the light emitted by the multiple light emitters 221 may be emitted as a single beam of light from the light exit hole 225.

[0155] In some optical transmitters (taking VCSEL as an example), due to the presence of structures such as electrodes and current limiting layers, the filling factor of the laser (that is, the proportion of the area of ​​the output optical cavity to the total chip area) is low, and the light output power of the laser is limited, resulting in a low power density of the VCSEL chip. In the transceiver provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the emission area is determined by the light output hole of the light emitting layer and is no longer limited by the filling factor of the laser itself. As a result, the power density of the laser can be increased several times. For example, the diameter of the light output window of a typical VCSEL laser chip is 20μm, the light output energy of a single light output window is 1.2W, and the chip power density is 1200W / mm 2 By using the transceiver disclosed in this disclosure, the power density of a single light-emitting hole can reach 3800W / mm 2 .

[0156] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG2 , the light detection layer 23 may include a substrate (not shown in FIG2 ) and at least one detection unit 231. For illustrative purposes, FIG2 shows three detection units 231. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure may include any other number of detection units 231. The detection unit 231 may perform photoelectric conversion on the incident light 232 and output a corresponding electrical signal for obtaining detection information.

[0157] In some embodiments, the metal layer 224 may further include at least one light entry hole 226. The light entry hole 226 may correspond to the photosensitive surface of the detection unit 231. In this way, the incident light 232 can pass through the light entry hole 226 and reach the photosensitive surface of the detection unit 231, and be received and detected by the detection unit 231.

[0158] In some embodiments, after emitting light 222 from light exit hole 225, it can pass through beam combining layer 21 to the outside of transceiver 200. Incident light 232 can be at least partially separated from the optical path of emitted light 222 at beam combining layer 21 and guided to light entrance hole 226. After passing through light entrance hole 226, it is received by detection unit 231. Thus, transceiver 200 can transmit emitted light and receive incident light, and alignment of the transmitting and receiving fields of view is achieved through the arrangement of light exit hole 225, light entrance hole 226, and beam combining layer 21.

[0159] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the light exit hole 225 may be configured to have a first size, and the light entrance hole 226 may be configured to have a second size, which may not be smaller than the first size.

[0160] It should be noted that the first and second dimensions may be the diameter, cross-sectional area, or perimeter of the light exit aperture 225 and the light entrance aperture 226, and are not limited in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the first dimension is represented by the diameter d1 of the light exit aperture 225, and the second dimension is represented by the diameter d2 of the light entrance aperture, with d2 ≥ d1.

[0161] As shown in Figures 3 and 4 , the sizes of the light exit aperture 225 and light entrance aperture 226 provided on the metal layer 224 of the emitting layer 22 can respectively constrain the fields of view of the emitted light beam 222 and the incident light beam 232. In some embodiments, the second dimension of the light entrance aperture 226 is not less than the first dimension of the light exit aperture 225. As a result, the light entrance aperture 226 can receive more incident light 232 reflected from obstacles, increasing the received light energy and thus enhancing detection capabilities, particularly for long-distance obstacle detection.

[0162] In some embodiments, the second size of the light entrance aperture 226 can be larger than the first size of the light exit aperture 225, but no larger than 1.1 times, or no larger than 1.05 times, the first size. This can reduce or prevent excessive ambient light from passing through the light entrance aperture 226 and entering the detection unit 231, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0163] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2 , the beam combining layer 21 of the transceiver 200 may include a base (not shown in FIG2 ) and one or more beam combining components (not shown in FIG2 ) disposed within the base. For example, the beam combining component may include a beam splitter and a reflector. At least a portion of the emitted light 222 from the light emitter 221 may pass through the beam splitter. At least a portion of the incident light 232 may be reflected by the beam splitter. The reflector may reflect the incident light 232 reflected by the beam splitter back to the light entry hole 226.

[0164] In some embodiments, the light emitted by the light emitter 221 has a certain divergence angle, and the cross-section of the beam reaching the beam splitter is larger than the cross-section of the beam at the light exit hole 225. To reduce light energy loss, the cross-sectional dimensions of the beam splitter in a plane parallel to the surface of the light exit hole 225 can be set to be no smaller than the dimensions of the light exit hole 225. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional dimensions of the beam splitter in a plane parallel to the surface of the light exit hole 225 are larger than the dimensions of the light exit hole 225.

[0165] In some embodiments, using FIG. 2 as an example, the beam splitter may include a support member 216 and a beam splitting surface 211. Emitted light 222 may pass through the support member 216 and the beam splitting surface 211. The beam splitting surface 211 may reflect incident light 232. The reflector may include a support member (not shown in FIG. 2 ) and a reflective surface 212. The reflective surface 212 further reflects the incident light 232 reflected by the beam splitting surface 211, allowing the incident light 232 to enter the light entry hole 226.

[0166] In some embodiments, the supports for the beam splitter and the reflector can be made of a light-transmitting material. The material of the support for the beam splitter and the material of the support for the reflector can be the same or different. In some embodiments, at least one of the support for the beam splitter and the support for the reflector is made of a polymer material. In some embodiments, at least one of the support for the beam splitter and the support for the reflector is made of an epoxy resin.

[0167] In some embodiments, the splitting surface 211 and the reflecting surface 212 have a non-zero angle with the surface of the light emitting layer 22. In some embodiments, the emitted light 222 is emitted perpendicular to the surface of the light emitting layer 22, and the splitting surface 211 and the reflecting surface 212 each have an angle of 45° with the light emitting layer 22. Thus, the optical path of the incident light 232 after being reflected by the splitting surface 211 can be substantially parallel to the surface of the light emitting layer 22. The optical path of the incident light after being reflected by the reflecting surface 212 can be substantially perpendicular to the surface of the light emitting layer 22. After passing through the light entrance hole 226, the incident light 232 can pass through the light emitting layer 22 and be received by the photosensitive surface of the detection unit 231 in the light detection layer 23.

[0168] In some embodiments, the emitted light 222 emitted by the light emitter 221 may be linearly polarized light. In some embodiments, the beam splitter may include a polarizing beam splitter (PBS). In some embodiments, the first surface (such as the upper surface in FIG. 2 ) of the beam combining layer 21 may be provided with a quarter-wave plate 213.

[0169] In some embodiments, the linearly polarized light emitted by the light emitter 221 passes through the PBS before exiting. The emitted light 222 and the incident light 232 each pass through the quarter-wave plate 213, ensuring that the polarization states of the incident light 232 and the emitted light 222 are perpendicular. Consequently, the incident light 232 can be reflected by the PBS and separated from the emitted light 222. The incident light 232 reflected by the PBS can be reflected by the reflector's reflective surface 212 toward the light entry hole 226 and the detection unit 231.

[0170] In some embodiments, the beam splitter can use a proportional reflector or a spatially partially transmissive and partially reflective reflector to achieve light beam splitting. In this case, the light emitter 221 does not need to be configured to emit linearly polarized light. This can reduce the process difficulty.

[0171] In some embodiments, the light emitting layer 22 may include a plurality of light emitters 221. The plurality of light emitters 221 may be arranged in an array within the substrate 223 of the light emitting layer 22. The plurality of light emitters 221 may be arranged in a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0172] In some embodiments, the beam combining layer 21 may include a plurality of beam combining components. Each beam combining component may correspond to each light emitter 221 one by one, so as to separate the optical paths of the emitted light 222 emitted by each light emitter 221 from its corresponding incident light 232.

[0173] In some embodiments, a plurality of beam combining components may correspond to the light exit holes 225 one by one, respectively, to separate the optical paths of the emitted light 222 emitted by each light exit hole 225 and the corresponding incident light 232 .

[0174] In some embodiments, the matrix material of the beam-combining layer 21 can be a material that is transparent to the emitted light and the incident light. For example, the matrix of the beam-combining layer 21 can transmit the emitted light 222 and the incident light 232 while minimizing absorption. In some embodiments, the matrix material of the beam-combining layer 21 can be an inorganic material to reduce process complexity.

[0175] In some embodiments, the base material of the beam-combining layer 21 may include silicon. For example, the base material of the beam-combining layer 21 may include glass. This can reduce the material and process costs of the beam-combining layer 21. In some embodiments, the operating wavelengths of lasers that can be used for obstacle detection include 905 nm and 940 nm. Figure 5A shows a graph of the transmittance of 905 nm and 940 nm lasers in glass of different thicknesses.

[0176] As shown in FIG5A , the transmittance of light with a wavelength of 940 nm in glass is higher than the transmittance of light with a wavelength of 905 nm. In some embodiments, the operating wavelength of light emitter 221 includes 940 nm. This can increase the transmittance of emitted light 222 and incident light 232 in beam combining layer 21.

[0177] In some embodiments, the substrate material of the light emitting layer 22 includes gallium arsenide. Figure 5B shows a graph of the transmittance of 905 nm and 940 nm lasers in gallium arsenide with different thicknesses.

[0178] As shown in Figure 5B, the transmittance of light with a wavelength of 940 nm through the GaAs material is higher than that of light with a wavelength of 905 nm. As the thickness of the GaAs material increases, the transmittance of light with a wavelength of 940 nm becomes more significantly higher than that of light with a wavelength of 905 nm. For example, when the thickness of the GaAs material reaches 300 μm, the transmittance of light with a wavelength of 940 nm can still reach over 90%.

[0179] As shown in Figure 2, in some embodiments, the first surface of the beam-combining layer 21 may be provided with a first pad 217. The second surface of the beam-combining layer 21 may be provided with a second pad 218. The first surface and the second surface may be opposite to each other. For example, the second surface of the beam-combining layer 21 may be connected to the first surface of the light-emitting layer 22. The second pad 218 can be used to electrically connect to the metal layer 224 of the light-emitting layer 22. This beam-combining layer 21 may also include a metallized through-hole 219. The metallized through-hole 219 can be used to electrically connect the first pad 217 and the second pad 218. The first pad 217 can be electrically connected to an external circuit (such as a driving circuit). For example, the driving signal provided by the driving circuit can be transmitted to the corresponding light emitter 221 through the first pad 217, the metallized through-hole 219, the second pad 218, and the metal layer 224, respectively, to drive the light emitter 221 to emit light.

[0180] It should be noted that the electrodes of the multiple light emitters 221 may be connected to each other via the metal layer 224. The driving signal conducted by the metal layer 224 may drive the multiple light emitters 221 to emit light simultaneously.

[0181] In some embodiments, a plurality of metal layers 224 may be provided on the first surface of the light emitting layer 22, which are electrically connected through a plurality of second pads 218, metallized through-holes 219, and first pads 217, respectively. Each metal layer 224 may be connected to an electrode of one or more light emitters 221. The one or more light emitters 221 may constitute an emitting unit, which may generate emitted light in response to a driving signal. Different emitting units may be connected to different metal layers 224, and may then generate corresponding emitted light under the drive of driving signals of the same or different timings or different amplitudes. By configuring the driving signal, different emitting units may emit emitted light of different timings, powers, pulse widths, or pulse numbers, so that the transceiver 200 may meet different detection requirements.

[0182] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG2 , a filter 214 is provided on the second surface of the beam combining layer 21. The filter 214 can be provided in the path of the incident light 232 to allow light of the working wavelength to pass through while filtering out interference light.

[0183] In some embodiments, the optical filter 214 may be a plating or coating plated on the second surface of the beam-combining layer 21 .

[0184] In some embodiments, the filter 214 can be disposed on a support member of the reflector. For example, the filter 214 can be disposed on a surface of the support member of the reflector facing the optical path of the incident light 232. In some embodiments, since the wavelength of the light emitter (e.g., a laser) has temperature drift (i.e., the wavelength of the light emitted by the light emitter changes with temperature), the bandwidth of the filter needs to be set to cover the temperature drift and spectral width of the laser (usually above 12 nm) to ensure that the incident light corresponding to the emitted light can pass through the filter. Such a bandwidth will allow more interfering light to pass through the filter, thereby interfering with the detection of the incident light and reducing the signal-to-noise ratio.

[0185] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the beam combining layer 21 and the light emitting layer 22 can be connected together. Thus, the operating temperatures of the two layers can be kept consistent. The temperature of the filter 214 on the beam combining layer 21 can also be kept consistent with that of the light emitter 221 in the light emitting layer 22. Therefore, there can be no relative temperature drift difference between the emission and incident spectral windows. In this case, the filter 214 provided on the beam combining layer 21 can be a narrowband filter, and its bandwidth can be adapted to the spectral width of the light emitter in the light emitting layer 22. In some embodiments, the bandwidth of the filter 214 can be consistent with the spectral width of the light emitter 231. For example, the bandwidth of the filter 214 can be below 5 nm. This can greatly improve the filtering effect of interfering light, improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and enhance the distance measurement capability.

[0186] In some embodiments, the light detection layer 23 may include multiple detection units 231. The multiple detection units 231 may be arranged in an array within the substrate of the light detection layer 23 and correspond one-to-one with the beam combining components. For example, a detection unit 231 may correspond one-to-one with a light emitter 221 and a beam combining component. The emitted light 222 emitted by the light emitter 221 may be emitted through the beam combining component. After the incident light 232 corresponding to the emitted light 222 is separated from the optical path of the emitted light 222, the incident light 232 may be reflected by the beam combining component to the detection unit 231 and received by the corresponding detection unit 231.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the beam combining layer 21 may include any optical beam combiner described in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 10 to FIG. 18 .

[0188] In some embodiments, each detection unit 231 may include one or more light detectors.

[0189] In some embodiments, each detection unit 231 may include multiple photodetectors. When the intensity of the incident light 232 is relatively high, the photodetector is prone to saturation. If the detection unit 231 only includes one photodetector, the saturated photodetector cannot detect again within the recovery time. If each detection unit 231 includes multiple photodetectors, when some photodetectors are saturated, other photodetectors can perform detection within their recovery time, thereby obtaining more accurate detection results and expanding the dynamic response range of the detection unit 231. In some embodiments, the size and photon detection efficiency (PDE) of each photodetector in the detection unit 231 can be substantially equal, and the performance of each photodetector can be substantially consistent.

[0190] In some embodiments, the detection unit 231 may include any suitable light detector, such as one or more of a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), an avalanche photodiode (APD), or a photodiode (PD).

[0191] In some embodiments, the photodetector may include a back-side illumination (BSI) SPAD. Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a photodetector of an exemplary transceiver device consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0192] It should be noted that Figure 6 only shows a partial structure of the photodetector for illustration. Figure 6 shows an exemplary BSI SPAD. The BSI SPAD includes a substrate 2314 and a pn junction 2315. The pn junction 2315 is prepared in the substrate and can perform photoelectric conversion. The BSI SPAD also includes a deep trench isolation (DTI) structure 2313, which can be used for photoelectric isolation between different BSI SPADs. The back side of the substrate of the BSI SPAD can be used as a light incident surface 2311. The incident light 232 enters the SPAD through the light incident surface 2311 and is absorbed by the substrate 2314 of the SPAD. A metal layer 2312 is provided on the substrate surface of the BSI SPAD. The metal layer 2312 can be electrically connected to the electrodes and readout circuit of the BSI SPAD to output the BSI SPAD electrical signal to the readout circuit.

[0193] 2 again, the transceiver 200 further includes a circuit layer 24. The optical detection layer 23 is stacked on the circuit layer 24. The circuit layer 24 is capable of receiving electrical signals from the detection units 231 within the optical detection layer 23.

[0194] In some embodiments, the circuit layer 24 may include a readout circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc., which can read the electrical signal output by the detection unit 231 and perform data processing.

[0195] In some embodiments, the beam-combining layer 21 and the light-emitting layer 22, the light-emitting layer 22 and the light-detecting layer 23, and the light-detecting layer 23 and the circuit layer 24 can be fixedly connected. For example, the light-emitting layer 22 can be a laser chip. The light-detecting layer 23 can be a detector chip. The circuit layer 24 can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip. In some embodiments, the beam-combining layer 21 and the light-emitting layer 22, and the light-emitting layer 22 and the light-detecting layer 23 can be connected by a transparent material 26. In some embodiments, the beam-combining layer 21 and the light-emitting layer 22, or the light-emitting layer 22 and the light-detecting layer 23 can be connected by a transparent resin.

[0196] As shown in Figures 2 and 6 , the surface of the light detection layer 23 opposite the circuit layer 24 can be provided with a metal layer for electrical connection to the circuit layer 24. In some embodiments, the light detection layer 23 and the circuit layer 24 can be electrically connected via hybrid bonding. The electrical signals of the detection unit 231 included in the light detection layer 23, as well as each photodetector included in the detection unit 231, can be read by the circuitry in the circuit layer 24. For example, the circuitry in the circuit layer 24 can sample the electrical signals from the detection unit 231 at a sampling period in the nanoseconds or hundreds of picoseconds to improve signal processing speed and detection accuracy.

[0197] The present disclosure further provides a laser radar. The laser radar includes a transceiver and an optical assembly. The transceiver can emit transmitted light and receive incident light resulting from the reflected light from an obstacle. The optical assembly can be disposed in the optical path of the transmitted and incident light. The transmitted light generated by the transceiver can be collimated by the optical assembly and then emitted to the outside world. Incident light resulting from the reflected light from an obstacle can be converged by the optical assembly to the transceiver.

[0198] FIG7 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary laser radar transceiver 200 and an optical assembly 25 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0199] Referring to Figure 7 , in conjunction with Figures 2-6 , the laser radar includes a transceiver 200. For example, the transceiver 200 may be the same as or similar to the transceiver 200 described in Figures 2-6 , and a detailed description thereof will not be repeated here. The laser radar also includes an optical assembly 25 . The optical assembly 25 is disposed in the optical path of the transmitted light and the incident light. The transmitted light generated by the transceiver 200 is collimated by the optical assembly 25 and then emitted to the outside world. The incident light, which is the result of the transmitted light being reflected by an obstacle, is converged by the optical assembly 25 and then returned to the transceiver 200.

[0200] In some embodiments, the optical assembly 25 may include a lens or a lens group. In some embodiments, the optical assembly 25 may further include a scanning mirror (such as a galvanometer mirror, a swing mirror, or a rotating mirror).

[0201] In some embodiments, the transceiver 200 may include a light emitting layer and a light detecting layer. A beam combining layer separates the optical paths of the transmitted and incident light. This allows alignment of the transmitting and receiving fields of view through the transceiver 200, significantly simplifying assembly and adjustment. Furthermore, the transceiver 200 maintains the relative position of the light emitter and detector unit during operation, preventing them from shifting and improving the stability of the LiDAR's performance. Furthermore, the transmitted and incident light beams can share the same optical assembly 25, making the LiDAR's structure more compact and facilitating installation. The overlapping transmitting and receiving fields of view of the LiDAR not only reduces assembly and adjustment but also improves the efficiency of receiving incident light, enhancing the LiDAR's detection capabilities.

[0202] The present disclosure further provides a data processing method. Figure 8 shows an exemplary data processing method 80 of an exemplary transceiver device 200 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 8 , the data processing method 80 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure includes the following steps.

[0203] In step 802, a detection unit receives detection light. For example, the detection unit can be combined with the detection unit 231 in the light detection layer 23 of the transceiver 200 described in Figures 2-7. The structure of the detection unit can be referred to above and will not be repeated here. In some embodiments, the detection unit may include multiple light detectors.

[0204] In step 804 , the intensity of the optical signal received by one or more non-saturated optical detectors in the detection unit 231 is obtained.

[0205] In step 806 , the intensity of the incident light received by the detection unit 231 is obtained based on the intensity of the light signal received by one or more non-saturated light detectors.

[0206] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of an optical path of an exemplary transceiver 200 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In Figure 9, the same reference numerals are used to illustrate the components corresponding to the preferred embodiment of the transceiver 200 described above, and no further description is given here.

[0207] The detection unit 231 shown in FIG9 may include a plurality of light detectors in some embodiments. For example, a cross-sectional view of three light detectors is shown in dotted lines in FIG9 . As an example, distribution diagram 27 shows the intensity distribution of the incident light received by the surface of the detection unit 231. As can be seen from the light intensity 27, the intensity distribution of the incident light incident from the light input hole on the surfaces of the multiple light detectors of the detection unit 231 is not uniform. The light detectors near the center area can detect a higher intensity of incident light, while the light detectors near the edge area can detect a weaker intensity of incident light.

[0208] In some embodiments, when the obstacle is close to the laser radar or has a high reflectivity, the intensity of the incident light reflected by it is high, and the light detectors near the center area are easily saturated. The light detectors near the edge area are relatively less likely to be saturated. At this time, the signals detected by these light detectors for the incident light can be used as detection data to obtain more accurate detection results. When the obstacle is far away from the laser radar or has a low reflectivity, the intensity of the incident light reflected by it is low. The light signal received by the light detectors near the edge area is very weak, and it is difficult to obtain effective detection results. At this time, the signals detected by the light detectors near the center area for the incident light can be used as detection data to improve the accuracy of the detection results. Accordingly, when the detection unit 231 includes multiple light detectors, the dynamic response range of the detection unit can be improved, and the accuracy and precision of the detection results can be improved.

[0209] In some embodiments, as shown in distribution diagram 27 in FIG. 9 , the intensity of the optical signal received from the light entrance hole has a certain distribution characteristic, and the intensity of the incident light can be obtained based on the distribution characteristic.

[0210] In some embodiments, the relationship between the light intensities received by light detectors at different locations can be determined based on the intensity distribution of the incident light on the detection unit 231. Furthermore, based on the light signal intensities received by one or more non-saturated light detectors and the proportion of the light intensities received by the one or more non-saturated light detectors in the total light intensity on the detection unit 231, the total light intensity received by the detection unit 231 can be obtained.

[0211] An exemplary optical combiner consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure is described below in conjunction with Figures 10-18.

[0212] In Figure 10, by way of example, the optical beam combiner 1 of the laser radar includes an optical transceiver port 10, a beam splitter 20, and a reflective element 30. The beam splitter 20 can reflect or transmit a light beam incident on the beam splitter 20. The beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30 can cooperate with each other so that the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port 10 is reflected by the beam splitter 20 and reflected by the reflector 30 before being emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner 1. The light beam transmitted from the beam splitter 20 can be emitted from the optical transceiver port 10.

[0213] In some embodiments, the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port 10 can be emitted to the outside of the optical combiner 1 after being transmitted through the optical splitter 20. The light beam reflected from the reflector 30 to the optical splitter 20 can be emitted from the optical transceiver port 10 after being reflected by the optical splitter 20.

[0214] In some embodiments, the optical beam combiner 1 can be used in a laser radar. This allows both the laser radar's detection beam and the echo reflected by an object to pass through the optical transceiver port 10, reducing the number of components in the laser radar, simplifying the laser radar structure, and facilitating mass production. Furthermore, the optical beam combiner 1 facilitates the alignment and field-of-view matching of the transmitter and receiver, allowing the laser radar to maintain field-of-view alignment during long-term use, improving its reliability and stability, and reducing its manufacturing difficulty and cost.

[0215] 10 and 11 illustrate the structure of an exemplary optical combiner 1 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0216] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, illustratively, the optical combiner 1 includes an optical transceiver port 10, a beam splitter 20 and a reflector 30. For example, the optical combiner 1 also includes a base 40. The optical transceiver port 10, the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30 can be fixed at a preset position on the base 40. The optical transceiver port 10 is formed on the surface of the base 40. The beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30 can be embedded in the base 40, or arranged on the surface of the base 40. For example, the base 40 can be manufactured by molding a light-transmitting material. During or after the molding process, after shading, cutting and other processes, the light-transmitting material can form the optical transceiver port 10, and the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30 can be embedded or arranged at a preset position. The preparation method of the optical combiner 1 is described in detail in the subsequent embodiments.

[0217] In some embodiments, the beam splitter 20 can cause an incident light beam to reflect or transmit. For example, the beam splitter 20 can be a beam splitter. A light beam incident from one side of the beam splitter can be reflected by the beam splitter. A light beam incident from the other side of the beam splitter can be transmitted by the beam splitter. For another example, the beam splitter 20 can include a reflective region and a transmissive region. The incident light incident on the reflective region can be reflected by the beam splitter 20. The incident light incident on the transmissive region can pass through the beam splitter 20 and be transmitted. In some embodiments, the beam splitter 20 can be a polarization beam splitter or any optical element capable of performing beam splitting.

[0218] In some embodiments, the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30 can cooperate with each other. As shown in Figure 10, the light beam represented by the dotted line enters the optical combiner 1 from the optical transceiver port 10, is reflected on a side surface of the beam splitter 20, and is reflected again by the reflector 30 before exiting the optical combiner 1. The light beam represented by the solid line can be incident on the beam splitter 20 (for example, on the side surface opposite the reflective surface of the beam splitter 20). The light beam represented by the solid line can be transmitted through the beam splitter 20 and then exit from the optical transceiver port 10 after passing through the beam splitter 20.

[0219] In some embodiments, the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30 may cooperate with each other. As shown in FIG11 , the light beam represented by the dotted line enters the optical combiner 1 from the optical transceiver port 10, transmits through the transmission area on one side of the beam splitter 20, and exits the optical combiner 1 after passing through the beam splitter 20. The light beam represented by the solid line enters the optical combiner 1 from the reflector 30, is reflected at the reflector 30, enters the beam splitter 20, and is reflected at the reflection area on one side of the beam splitter 20. After being reflected by the beam splitter 20, it exits the optical transceiver port 10.

[0220] In some embodiments, the optical beam combiner 1 can be used in a laser radar. The light beams shown in Figures 10 and 11 can include a detection beam emitted by a laser radar, or an echo formed when the detection beam is reflected by an object.

[0221] As shown in Figures 10 and 11, by way of example, the solid line may represent a probe beam emitted by a transmitter in the laser radar, which is transmitted through the optical splitter 20, or reflected by the reflector 30 and the optical splitter 20, and then emitted from the optical transceiver port 10. The dotted line may represent an echo, which is incident on the optical transceiver port 10, reflected by the optical splitter 20 and the reflector 30, and then emitted from the optical beam combiner 1, or transmitted by the optical splitter 20, and received by the receiver in the laser radar.

[0222] In some embodiments of the present invention, the optical splitter 20 can cause the detection beam and echo to reflect and transmit. The optical splitter 20 and the reflector 30 can cooperate with each other to change the optical path direction of the detection beam or echo. In this way, the optical combiner 1 can cooperate with the transmitter and receiver in the laser radar to simplify the structure of the laser radar and facilitate the setting of the transmitter and receiver. For example, by adjusting the position of the optical splitter 20 and the reflector 30 in the optical combiner 1, the transmitter and receiver can be located on the same side of the optical combiner 1 or set on the same circuit board. This can reduce the number of components in the laser radar, facilitate mass production, and facilitate the assembly and adjustment of the laser radar, which can reduce the processing difficulty and cost of the laser radar.

[0223] In some embodiments of the present invention, the detection beam can be emitted from the optical transceiver port 10, and the echo can be incident on the optical transceiver port 10. A set of lenses can be provided in the laser radar for sharing by the detection beam and the echo. During the application of the laser radar, in order to address the problems of lens aging deformation, thermal expansion and contraction, etc., the optical beam combiner 1 provided in the present disclosure can achieve high integration, so that the deformation of the transmitting field of view and the receiving field of view are close. As a result, the laser radar can maintain the field of view alignment during long-term use, reduce the field of view offset, and improve the stability and reliability of the laser radar.

[0224] In some embodiments, the receiver of the laser radar may include a detector array. For example, the detector may include a SPAD (single photon avalanche diode) or a SiPM (silicon photomultiplier). The SPAD array can be arranged in a two-dimensional array. For example, the SPAD array can be arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions to form a two-dimensional array. Any area in the two-dimensional array can be controlled and activated individually. For example, each pixel of the SPAD array can be activated individually. A pixel may include 2*2 or 3*3 SPADs. Each pixel may correspond to a receiving field of view. The present disclosure does not limit the number of SPADs in a pixel, and it can be adjusted according to the needs of the laser radar and the design of the SPAD. In some embodiments, the SiPM array can be set to a one-dimensional array. For example, the SiPM array may include multiple SiPMs arranged in the vertical direction. Each SiPM may correspond to a receiving field of view.

[0225] To address the issue of field of view offset between the transmitting and receiving fields of view, lidars can use SPAD arrays. Pixels in any area of ​​the SPAD array can be activated. For example, a SPAD array can have a dynamic aperture function. When field of view offset occurs, the transmitting and receiving fields of view can be realigned by activating pixels in the corresponding area of ​​the SPAD array where the receiving field of view has shifted. In contrast, SiPM arrays cannot individually select any area. To address the field of view offset issue, lidars with SiPM arrays can include redundant areas in the detector. For example, increasing the size of the SiPM can increase the receiving field of view (for example, the receiving field of view is twice the transmitting field of view). In this case, when field of view offset occurs, the laser's transmitting field of view and the detector's receiving field of view remain aligned, and the echo's light spot on the detector remains within the SiPM's photosensitive surface. However, increasing the size of the SiPM not only increases the cost of the lidar but also hinders its size reduction. The application of SiPM in lidar is limited by field of view offset and cost.

[0226] In the disclosed embodiment, the optical beam combiner 1 can overcome or alleviate the problem of field-of-view offset between the transmitting and receiving fields of view, and is suitable for use with a SiPM array. This technical solution can reduce the number of components in a LiDAR, simplify its structure, lower its production cost, and improve its range-finding capability and dynamic range.

[0227] Of course, the optical beam combiner 1 in this embodiment can also be used in conjunction with a SPAD array. The detection beam and the echo share a set of lenses, which can reduce the number of components in the laser radar and simplify the structure of the laser radar.

[0228] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the optical combiner 1 further includes an optical filter 50. The optical filter 50 can be disposed in the optical path between the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30, or disposed on the side opposite to the beam splitter 20 along the optical path where the reflector 30 is located, or disposed on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port 10 along the optical path where the beam splitter 20 is located. When the optical combiner 1 includes a base 40, the optical filter 50 can be embedded in the base 40 or disposed on the surface of the base 40.

[0229] In some embodiments, the optical combiner 1 can correspond to the transmitter and receiver of the laser radar. For example, the transmitter transmits a probe beam, and the receiver receives an echo. The probe beam and the echo are combined by the optical combiner 1. Providing an optical filter 50 can reduce the impact of stray light on the receiver and improve the detection accuracy of the laser radar.

[0230] In some embodiments, the optical filter 50 may be disposed in the optical path of the echo. In some embodiments, the optical filter 50 may be disposed at a different position (eg, before the echo enters the receiver).

[0231] As shown in Figure 10, the optical filter 50 is disposed in the optical path between the optical splitter 20 and the reflector 30. A light beam incident from the optical transceiver port 10 (for example, when used in a laser radar, this light beam is an echo) is reflected by the optical splitter 20, filtered by the optical filter 50 to remove stray light, and then incident on the reflector 30. After being reflected by the reflector 30, it is emitted from the optical combiner 1.

[0232] As shown in FIG11 , the optical filter 50 can also be disposed along the optical path of the optical splitter 20, on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port 10. The optical splitter 20 can be a sheet-like structure and disposed along the optical path of the optical splitter 20. The optical transceiver port 10 can be located on one side of the optical splitter 20, and the optical filter 50 can be located on the other side of the optical splitter 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG11 , a light beam (e.g., an echo) incident from the optical transceiver port 10 can be transmitted through the optical splitter 20 and then emitted from the optical combiner 1 after passing through the optical filter 50.

[0233] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 12A-12C , the optical filter 50 can also be disposed on the opposite side of the optical path of the reflector 30 from the optical splitter 20. In Figures 12A-12C , along the direction of the optical path (e.g., the echo optical path) where the reflector 30 is located, the optical splitter 20 is located on one side of the reflector 30, and the optical filter 50 is located on the other side. For example, along the direction of the optical path (e.g., the echo optical path), the optical splitter 20 can be disposed on the upstream side of the reflector 30, and the optical filter 50 can be disposed on the downstream side of the reflector 30. As shown in Figures 12A-12C , the light beam (e.g., the echo) incident from the optical transceiver port 10, after being reflected by the optical splitter 20, can be incident on the reflector 30. After being reflected by the reflector 30 and having stray light filtered by the optical filter 50, it can be emitted from the optical combiner 1.

[0234] In some embodiments, the optical combiner 1 may include a substrate 40. A light shielding layer (not shown in Figures 12A-12C) may be formed on the surface of the substrate 40. The light shielding layer may expose the optical transceiver port 10, the beam splitter 20, the reflector 30, and the optical filter 50. Thus, the light shielding layer may not block the light beam from passing through the optical transceiver port 10, the beam splitter 20, the reflector 30, and the optical filter 50, and may prevent the light beam from being emitted from the interior of the substrate 40 and leaking light. In some embodiments, the light shielding layer may be a coating formed on the surface of the substrate 40 using a light-absorbing material, or may be a light shielding structure formed using an opaque material.

[0235] In some embodiments, the optical transceiver port 10 may be provided with a wave plate 11 (e.g., a quarter-wave plate). The beam splitter 20 may be a polarization beam splitter. The wave plate 11 can adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port 10 to control the light beam to be reflected or transmitted at the beam splitter 20.

[0236] In some embodiments, the wave plate 11 and the beam splitter 20 can cooperate with each other to control the reflection or transmission of the light beam at the polarizing reflector. The principle of the polarizing reflector is to split the incident light according to the polarization direction of the incident light, so that the incident light with a certain polarization direction is transmitted and the incident light with another polarization direction is reflected.

[0237] In some embodiments, the polarization direction of the echo incident from the optical transceiver port 10 can be changed by passing through the wave plate 11. The polarized echo can then be reflected by the polarization beam splitter, allowing the echo to be received by the receiver along a predetermined optical path. The wave plate 11 can also change the polarization direction of the outgoing light from the optical transceiver port 10. For example, the probe beam emitted by a laser radar transmitter can be polarized light. The probe beam can be transmitted through or reflected by the polarization beam splitter, and its polarization direction can be changed after passing through the wave plate 11.

[0238] 10 to 12C , illustratively, the optical combiner 1 can have different structures. The base 40 can have a preset structure to set the optical transceiver port 10, the optical splitter 20, the reflector 30, and the filter 50 on the surface or at a specific position of the base 40.

[0239] In some embodiments, a first wedge-shaped groove 41 may be provided on the surface of the base 40. As shown in Figures 10 to 12C, the positions of the first wedge-shaped groove 41 and the optical transceiver port 10 may be opposite. The optical splitter 20 may be provided at the first wedge-shaped groove 41. For example, the first wedge-shaped groove 41 may be recessed toward the interior of the base 40 to protect the optical splitter 20. The first wedge-shaped groove 41 may be formed when the light-transmitting material is molded, or may be formed by cutting after the light-transmitting material is molded. The first wedge-shaped groove 41 may improve the stability of the optical combiner 1 and avoid deviation of the optical path due to misalignment of the optical splitter 20.

[0240] In some embodiments, the first wedge-shaped groove 41 may have at least one inclined surface. This inclined surface can secure the beam splitter 20. In some embodiments, a film can be applied to the surface of this inclined surface to form the beam splitter 20. The inclined surface in the first wedge-shaped groove 41 can have a predetermined angle so that the reflected and transmitted light paths of the beam splitter 20 conform to predetermined optical path directions. Due to the difference in refractive index between the substrate 40 material and air, the laser radar detection beam can be emitted vertically from the optical transceiver port 10.

[0241] As shown in FIG. 11 , in some embodiments, the first wedge-shaped groove 41 may also be a cavity to fix the optical filter 50 .

[0242] In some embodiments, a second wedge-shaped groove 42 may be further provided on the base 40. The reflector 30 may be formed in the second wedge-shaped groove 42. For example, the first wedge-shaped groove 41 and the second wedge-shaped groove 42 may be provided on the same side of the base 40 (as shown in Figures 10 and 11), or on opposite sides of the base 40 (as shown in Figure 12A).

[0243] In some embodiments, the dashed lines in Figures 10-12C may be the return optical path, and the solid lines may be the probe beam optical path. It should be understood that the dashed lines in Figures 10-12C may be the probe beam optical path, and the solid lines may be the return optical path.

[0244] Referring to FIG10 , illustratively, the second wedge-shaped groove 42 is arranged on the same side of the first wedge-shaped groove 41. After the echo is incident from the optical transceiver port 10 and reflected by the beam splitter 20, the angle of the first wedge-shaped groove 41 can make the echo reflected by the beam splitter 20 incident on the reflector 30. The angle of the second wedge-shaped groove 42 can make the echo reflected by the reflector 30 parallel to the optical axis of the detection beam. When the optical combiner 1 cooperates with the transmitter and receiver, the transmitter and receiver can be arranged on the same side of the optical combiner 1. This is conducive to the transmitter and receiver being arranged on the same circuit board, which can reduce the number of components in the laser radar, simplify the structure of the laser radar, and facilitate mass production.

[0245] As shown in FIG10 , in some embodiments, a filter 50 may be further provided at the second wedge-shaped groove 42. The filter 50 may be provided on the second wedge-shaped groove 42. For example, the echo may be incident perpendicularly on the filter 50. This avoids changing the optical path direction of the echo due to refraction.

[0246] As shown in FIG12A , a second wedge-shaped groove 42 can also be provided on a side of the base 40 opposite the first wedge-shaped groove 41. The angles of the first wedge-shaped groove 41 and the second wedge-shaped groove 42 can be adjusted to change the direction of the echo. For example, the adjustment can be made so that the optical axis of the echo emitted from the optical beam combiner 1 is parallel to the optical axis of the probe beam. The filter 50 can be provided on the surface of the base 40.

[0247] 12B , in some embodiments, a third wedge-shaped groove 43 is further provided on the surface of the base 40. The optical filter 50 may be provided on the third wedge-shaped groove 43. The first wedge-shaped groove 41 and the third wedge-shaped groove 43 may be located on the same side of the base 40.

[0248] In some embodiments, a filter 50 can be provided in the third wedge-shaped groove 43. The direction of the optical path can be adjusted by adjusting the angle of the filter 50. In the echo optical path shown in FIG12B , the filter 50 is provided downstream of the reflector 30. After the echo passes through the filter 50, it is refracted at the interface between the optical combiner 1 and the air due to the different refractive indices. By setting the angle of the third wedge-shaped groove 43, the incident angle of the echo on the filter 50 can be adjusted so that the optical axis of the outgoing light beam passing through the filter 50 is parallel to the optical axis of the detection beam of the laser radar. This is conducive to setting the transmitter and receiver of the laser radar on the same circuit board.

[0249] As shown in FIG12C , in some embodiments, the surface of the substrate 40 may further be provided with a first wedge-shaped groove 41, a second wedge-shaped groove 42, and a third wedge-shaped groove 43. The beam splitter 20 may be formed in the first wedge-shaped groove 41. The reflector 30 may be disposed in the second wedge-shaped groove 42. The filter 50 may be disposed in the third wedge-shaped groove 43. By providing different structures and configurations, the optical combiner 1 may be adjusted to obtain a preset optical path. The present disclosure does not limit the positions and angles of the beam splitter 20, the reflector 30, and the filter 50.

[0250] FIG13 shows an exemplary preparation method S100 of an optical beam combiner in some embodiments. Preparation method S100 may include preparing an optical beam combiner. The optical beam combiner can be used in a laser radar. The optical beam combiner may include an optical transceiver port, a beam splitter, and a reflector. The reflector and the beam splitter may cooperate with each other so that the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port, after being reflected by the beam splitter and the reflector, is emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner, and the light beam transmitted from the beam splitter is emitted from the optical transceiver port. In some embodiments, the reflector and the beam splitter may enable the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port to be emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner after being transmitted by the beam splitter, and the light beam reflected from the reflector to the beam splitter is emitted from the optical transceiver port after being reflected by the beam splitter. Preparation method S100 can prepare the optical beam combiner 1 described in the aforementioned multiple embodiments.

[0251] As shown in Figure 13, illustratively, the preparation method S100 includes steps S101-S103. In step S101, a substrate can be prepared or provided. The substrate can be made of a light-transmitting material. In some embodiments, the substrate can be formed into a preset shape using a mold. As shown in Figure 15A, the light-transmitting material can be formed into a preset shape as a substrate. For example, the preset shape can include a plurality of wedge-shaped grooves to set a spectrometer and a reflector. For another example, as shown in Figure 15B, a light-transmitting material of a standard shape (such as a plate-shaped light-transmitting material) can be used to obtain a substrate with a preset shape through any method such as cutting or etching.

[0252] In step S102, a partial light-shielding treatment may be performed on the substrate to form an optical transceiver port for emitting and receiving light beams. For example, a light-absorbing material may be coated on the substrate surface, or an opaque film layer may be provided on the substrate surface. In some embodiments, partial areas may not be light-shielded to form an optical transceiver port for emitting a light beam (e.g., a laser radar detection beam) or receiving a light beam (e.g., an echo of the detection beam after being reflected by an object).

[0253] In some embodiments, a wave plate may be provided at the optical transceiver port to adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port. The beam splitter may be a polarization filter. The beam splitter and the wave plate may cooperate to control the reflection or transmission of the light beam incident on the beam splitter.

[0254] In step S103, a beam splitter and a reflector may be formed on the surface or inside the substrate. For example, the beam splitter and the reflector may cause a light beam incident from the optical transceiver port to be reflected by the beam splitter and the reflector and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and cause a light beam transmitted through the beam splitter to be emitted from the optical transceiver port. In some embodiments, the reflector and the beam splitter may cause a light beam incident from the optical transceiver port to be transmitted through the beam splitter and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and a light beam reflected from the reflector to the beam splitter to be reflected by the beam splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port.

[0255] In some embodiments, a plurality of wedge-shaped grooves may be formed on the substrate, and a beam splitter and a reflector may be arranged or formed on the surface of the wedge-shaped groove. For example, the beam splitter may be a polarization beam splitter, and the reflector may be a mirror. The beam splitter and the reflector may be attached to the surface of the wedge-shaped groove according to the angle of the wedge-shaped groove. In some embodiments, after obtaining a substrate having a preset shape, a beam splitter and a reflector may be formed on the surface of the wedge-shaped groove. For example, a beam splitter film and a reflective film may be formed by coating. A first wedge-shaped groove and a second wedge-shaped groove may be provided on the substrate (for example, the substrate 40 shown in Figures 10-12A). The beam splitter may be provided in the first wedge-shaped groove. The reflector may be provided in the second wedge-shaped groove. It should be noted that the first wedge-shaped groove and the second wedge-shaped groove may be provided at an appropriate angle according to the direction of the light path in the optical combiner.

[0256] In some embodiments, the substrate can also be machined into a through-hole or countersunk hole with a predetermined shape. The beam splitter and reflector can be embedded in the through-hole or countersunk hole. For example, the substrate can be plate-shaped. Mounting locations can be cut or etched into the substrate, and the beam splitter and reflector can be embedded in the mounting locations.

[0257] It should be noted that step S102 and step S103 are not limited to the order shown in FIG. 13 , and may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0258] FIG14 shows some embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiment shown in FIG13 , this embodiment includes setting an optical filter, and other steps are basically the same as those of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0259] In step S104, an optical filter may be provided on the surface or inside the substrate. For example, the optical filter may be provided in the optical path between the optical splitter and the reflector. For example, along the optical path where the optical splitter is located, the optical filter may be provided on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port. For another example, along the optical path where the reflector is located, the optical filter may be provided on the side opposite to the optical splitter. The optical filter may filter the echo incident on the receiver. In some embodiments, the position of the optical filter may be determined based on the echo optical path in the optical combiner (e.g., as shown in FIG. 10-FIG . 12C ), see the position of the optical filter described in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0260] In some embodiments, the filter can be formed on the surface of the substrate or embedded in the substrate by any method such as pasting, coating, etc. The filter is fixed in a preset position so that the echo can pass through the filter, filtering out stray light and improving the detection accuracy of the laser radar.

[0261] In some embodiments, a first wedge-shaped groove and a third wedge-shaped groove may be provided on the substrate (for example, forming the substrate 40 shown in FIG12B ), a beam splitter may be provided in the first wedge-shaped groove, and an optical filter may be provided in the third wedge-shaped groove.

[0262] As shown in FIG12C , illustratively, a first wedge-shaped groove, a second wedge-shaped groove, and a third wedge-shaped groove may be provided on the substrate. A spectrometer may be provided in the first wedge-shaped groove. A reflector may be provided in the second wedge-shaped groove. An optical filter may be provided in the third wedge-shaped groove. The first wedge-shaped groove and the third wedge-shaped groove may be provided on the same side of the substrate. The first wedge-shaped groove and the second wedge-shaped groove may be located on the same side of the substrate or on opposite sides. Adjusting the position and angle of the first wedge-shaped groove, the second wedge-shaped groove, and the third wedge-shaped groove may form a preset optical path, so that the transmitter and receiver that cooperate with the optical combiner are located on one side of the optical combiner, and the optical axes of the detection beam and the echo are parallel to each other. This can simplify the internal structure of the lidar.

[0263] It should be noted that step S104 and step S102 and step S103 in the aforementioned embodiment may be performed in any order or simultaneously.

[0264] As shown in Figure 14, the method S100 for preparing an optical beam combiner further includes step S105. In step S105, the base body may be divided into a plurality of optical beam combiners.

[0265] As shown in Figures 15A and 15B , the optical combiner is exemplarily plate-shaped. After the beam splitter and reflector (and filter) are formed at predetermined positions in the substrate, the structure of the substrate within a cross-section (such as the paper surface in Figures 10-12B) can be substantially the same. In this case, the substrate can be divided to obtain multiple optical combiners, and the multiple optical combiners have the same structure.

[0266] In some embodiments, the transmitter in the laser radar includes multiple lasers, and the receiver includes multiple detectors. A single optical beam combiner can correspond to multiple lasers and multiple detectors, or it can correspond to one laser and one detector. A large-sized optical beam combiner can be obtained in a single processing step and then cut in step S105 to obtain multiple small-sized optical beam combiners. Based on the requirements for the use of the optical beam combiner in the laser radar, the sizes of the multiple small-sized optical beam combiners obtained by cutting can be the same or different.

[0267] FIG16 shows an exemplary method S200 for preparing an optical beam combiner in another embodiment, and FIG18 shows the preparation process of the optical beam combiner. The optical beam combiner prepared using the preparation method S200 can be used in a laser radar. The optical beam combiner may include an optical transceiver port, a beam splitter, and a reflector. The reflector and the beam splitter may allow a light beam incident from the optical transceiver port to be reflected by the beam splitter and the reflector and then emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner, and a light beam transmitted from the beam splitter to be emitted from the optical transceiver port. In some embodiments, the reflector and the beam splitter may allow a light beam incident from the optical transceiver port to be transmitted by the beam splitter and then emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner, and a light beam reflected from the reflector to the beam splitter to be reflected by the beam splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port. The preparation method S200 in this embodiment can be used to prepare the optical beam combiner 1 described in the aforementioned multiple embodiments. The preparation method S200 of the optical beam combiner will be described below with reference to FIG16 and FIG18.

[0268] As shown in Figure 16, in step S201, a beam splitter is set on the surface of the first support member, and a reflector is set on the surface of the second support member. The first support member and the second support member can fix the beam splitter and the reflector at a preset tilt angle, respectively. For example, the first support member and the second support member can be optical prisms. The optical prism can be processed into a preset angle. The beam splitter and the reflector can be set on the surface of the optical prism. The relative positions of the first support member and the second support member can be fixed by a structure. For example, the first support member and the second support member can be fixed in a mold. A connector can also be set between the first support member and the second support member. The beam splitter and the reflector can be formed on the surface of the prism by any method such as pasting, coating, etching, etc.

[0269] In step S202, a first support member and a second support member are placed in a mold. As shown in FIG18 , the mold can be a closed box (e.g., an injection-molded box). The first support member and the second support member are fixed inside the mold. A fixing structure can be provided within the mold to fix the first support member and the second support member in predetermined positions, thereby maintaining a predetermined angle between the beam splitter and the reflector and maintaining a fixed relative position between the beam splitter and the reflector.

[0270] In some embodiments, the first support member and the second support member can be disposed on the same side or opposite sides of the substrate. During the preparation of the optical beam combiner using preparation method S200, when the first support member and the second support member are located on opposite sides of the substrate, a fixing structure can be provided to secure the first and second support members. This prevents displacement or deformation of the first and second support members during the molding process. In some embodiments, the first and second support members are located on the same side of the substrate, which can reduce processing difficulty.

[0271] In step S203, a light-transmitting material is injected into the mold. In step S204, the light-transmitting material is molded to form a substrate. In some embodiments, the light-transmitting material can be a polymer capable of injection molding (e.g., PC, PET, PMMA, resin, etc.). The molding method can be thermal curing, light curing, etc. During the light-transmitting material molding process, appropriate materials and curing methods can be selected to prevent deformation or displacement of the first support member and the second support member.

[0272] In step S205, a partial light-shielding treatment is performed on the formed substrate to form an optical transceiver port that can be used to emit and receive light beams. The partial light-shielding treatment process can be substantially the same as the preparation method S100 in the aforementioned embodiment. For example, a light-shielding layer can be formed by coating a light-absorbing material or providing an opaque film layer on the surface of the substrate. During the light-shielding treatment, some areas of the substrate are not shielded to form the optical transceiver port.

[0273] As shown in FIG17 , in some embodiments, method S200 further includes step S206 of providing an optical filter. The optical filter can be provided in the optical path between the optical splitter and the reflector. The optical filter can also be provided along the optical path where the optical splitter is located, on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port. The optical filter can also be provided along the optical path where the reflector is located, on the side opposite to the optical splitter. The optical filter can be used to filter stray light. For example, the optical filter can be provided upstream of the receiver in the return optical path.

[0274] In some embodiments, the filter can be disposed in various ways. For example, the filter can be disposed on a surface of the second support member other than the surface where the reflector is located. For example, when the second support member is a prism, the filter can be formed on the surface of the prism by any of adhesion, coating, and etching.

[0275] In some embodiments, a third support member may also be provided and fixed at a preset position in the mold before the substrate is formed. The filter can be set on the third support member. After the light-transmitting material is formed, the filter can be fixed at a preset position in the substrate. The third support member can fix the filter in the mold and maintain a certain angle. After the light-transmitting material is cured, the filter in the optical combiner can filter stray light. In some embodiments, after the light-transmitting material is formed, wedge-shaped grooves, through holes or countersunk holes and other structures can be processed at the preset position of the substrate to fix the filter.

[0276] In some embodiments, the beam splitter can be a polarization beam splitter. In preparation method S200, a wave plate is provided at the optical transceiver port, and the wave plate is capable of adjusting the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port, thereby controlling the light beam's reflection or transmission at the beam splitter. The wave plate and the polarization beam splitter can cooperate with each other, and the wave plate changes the polarization direction of the light beam, causing the light beam incident on the beam splitter to be reflected or transmitted.

[0277] As shown in Figures 17 and 18, in some embodiments, method S200 further includes step S207. In step S207, the substrate is divided into a plurality of optical beam combiners. In some embodiments, this step is substantially the same as step S105 in the preparation method S100 described in the aforementioned embodiments.

[0278] 19A and 19B show an optical chip 100 for a laser radar.

[0279] Exemplarily, the optical chip 100 includes a transmitter 110, a receiver 120 and an optical combiner 1 (for example, the optical combiner 1 described in conjunction with FIG2-18). The transmitter 110 is capable of emitting a detection light beam. The transmitter 110 can be a single laser, or an array of multiple lasers, or a surface light source with multiple light-emitting points. The receiver 120 is capable of receiving an echo formed by the reflection of the detection light beam from an object and converting the echo into an electrical signal. The receiver 120 can be a single detector, or an array of multiple detectors, or a two-dimensional array single-photon detector having multiple pixels and any area of ​​which can be activated.

[0280] The transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 can be arranged on the substrate 130. For example, the substrate 130 is a circuit board and integrates the control circuit and signal processing circuit of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120. The transmitter 110 may include multiple lasers. Multiple lasers can be arranged in an array on the substrate 130 (such as a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array). The receiver 120 may include multiple detectors. Multiple detectors can be arranged in an array on the substrate 130 (such as a one-dimensional array or a two-dimensional array). The lasers and detectors can correspond one to one. For example, the detection beam emitted by a laser can be irradiated on an object after passing through the optical combiner 1. The generated echo can be acquired by the detector corresponding to the laser. When the transmitter 110 includes multiple lasers, each laser can be distinguished by controlling each laser to emit a detection beam in time. For example, the lasers and detectors can also be one to multiple, multiple to multiple, or multiple to one.

[0281] In some embodiments, the optical combiner 1 can receive a probe beam emitted by the transmitter 110 and emit the probe beam through the optical transceiver port 10 of the optical combiner 1. The optical combiner 1 can also receive an echo through the optical transceiver port 10 and emit the echo to the receiver 120.

[0282] In some embodiments, the optical combiner 1 can be coupled with the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 in the same manner as the optical path of the optical combiner 1 in the embodiment described in conjunction with FIG. 2-19B . In some embodiments, the probe light beam emitted by the transmitter 110 (as represented by the solid line in FIG. 10 ) can enter the optical combiner 1 after passing through the beam splitter 20 and be emitted from the optical transceiver port 10. The echo formed by the reflection of the probe light beam by the object (as represented by the dotted line in FIG. 10 ) can enter the optical combiner 1 from the optical transceiver port 10, be reflected by the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30, and then be incident on the receiver 120.

[0283] In some embodiments, the probe light beam emitted by the transmitter 110 (as represented by the solid line in FIG11 ) can be reflected by the reflector 30 and then enter the optical beam combiner 1. After being reflected by the beam splitter 20, it can be emitted from the optical transceiver port 10. The echo formed by the reflection of the probe light beam by the object (as represented by the dotted line in FIG11 ) can enter the optical beam combiner 1 from the optical transceiver port 10, pass through the beam splitter 20, and then be incident on the receiver 120.

[0284] The optical beam combiner 1 can also be configured in other forms (e.g., the structures shown in Figures 12A-12C). The positions of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 can be adjusted according to the positions of the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30. In some embodiments, the structure of the optical beam combiner 1 is also adjusted according to the positions of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 in the laser radar.

[0285] In some embodiments, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 may be located on one side of the optical combiner 1, and the optical transceiver port 10 may be located on the other side of the optical combiner 1. This may simplify the structure of the optical chip 100.

[0286] In some embodiments, the optical combiner 1 can enable the detection beam and the echo to exit and enter the optical combiner 1. The detection beam and the echo can share a set of lenses. In addition, the optical combiner 1 can be integrated with the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120. This can alleviate the field of view offset caused by factors such as aging deformation, thermal expansion and contraction of the laser radar, reduce the cost of the laser radar, and improve the range-finding capability of the laser radar. The optical combiner 1 can also reduce the number of optical components and simplify the internal structure of the laser radar.

[0287] In some embodiments, the optical combiner 1, the transmitter 110, and the receiver 120 can be encapsulated on one side of the substrate 130 using an encapsulation material. For example, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 can be disposed on the substrate 130. The position where the probe beam is received in the optical combiner 1 can correspond to the transmitter 110, and the position where the outgoing echo is emitted can correspond to the receiver 120. The optical chip 100 can be formed by fixing it with the encapsulation material. For example, the encapsulation material can be a curing material or a fixed structure. After the optical combiner 1 is maintained in a preset position, the optical combiner 1 can be fixed with the encapsulation material.

[0288] As shown in Figure 19A , the optical chip 100 exemplarily includes a single substrate 131. The transmitter 110 and receiver 120 can be provided on the same substrate 131. This allows the transmitter 110 and receiver 120 to share a common board, enabling the LiDAR to perform both transmission and detection functions using a single substrate. This simplifies the LiDAR's internal structure, reducing the number of components and the difficulty of assembly.

[0289] 19B , the optical chip 100 exemplarily includes a first substrate 132 and a second substrate 133 located in different planes. In some embodiments, the transmitter 110 may be disposed on the first substrate 132 , and the receiver 120 may be disposed on the second substrate 133 .

[0290] The detection beam emitted from the optical combiner 1 and the echo incident into the optical combiner 1 can share the same set of lenses to simplify the internal structure of the laser radar. However, the optical path lengths of the detection beam and the echo in the optical combiner 1 may be different. For example, as shown in FIG19B , after the echo represented by the dotted line is reflected by the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30, the convergence position of the echo (such as the focal position of the lens) is close to the optical combiner 1. The detection beam represented by the solid line is emitted from the beam splitter 20, and the focal position of the lens is relatively far away from the optical combiner 1. The transmitter 110 can be arranged on the first substrate 132, and the receiver 120 can be arranged on the second substrate 133. In this way, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 can both be arranged at the focal position of the lens, thereby reducing the size of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120.

[0291] As shown in FIG19C , the optical chip 100 further includes a microlens array 140. The microlens array 140 can be disposed on the emitter 110 (e.g., integrated at the light-emitting surface of the laser). The microlens array 140 can shape the probe beam. In some embodiments, the microlens array 140 can form an image 110′ (e.g., a reduced virtual image) of the light-emitting surface of the emitter 110. In some embodiments, the image 110′ of the light-emitting surface can be located on one side of the light-emitting surface opposite to the microlens array 140.

[0292] Referring to FIG. 19C , illustratively, the probe beam emitted by emitter 110, after being shaped by microlens array 140, may enter optical beam combiner 1. The reverse extension of the beam emitted by microlens array 140 may converge at a point. For example, the emitted beam may form an image 110' of the light-emitting surface of emitter 110. The position of image 110' of the light-emitting surface may be located at the focal point of the lens.

[0293] In some embodiments, the microlens array 140 can be used to adjust the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 to the same plane (such as the focal plane of the lens) and to be arranged on the same substrate 130. This can reduce the number of components in the laser radar, simplify the structure of the laser radar, and help reduce the size of the transmitter 110. The image 110' of the light-emitting surface of the transmitter 110 is a reduced virtual image. Compared with the actual light-emitting surface size, the light-emitting surface size of the reduced virtual image is smaller. When the transmission power remains unchanged, the power density of the transmitter 110 can be increased, which can improve the ranging capability of the laser radar. On the other hand, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 are arranged on the same substrate 130, which is also beneficial to the assembly and adjustment of the optical chip and the alignment of the field of view, reducing the difficulty of mass production and improving production efficiency.

[0294] 20A-20D illustrate the structure of an exemplary optical chip 100 consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The optical chip 100 further includes a transmitter driver 150 and a receiver driver 160. The transmitter driver 150 and the receiver driver 160 are disposed on a substrate 130.

[0295] In some embodiments, the transmitter driver 150 is electrically connected to the transmitter 110 and the substrate 130, and the receiver driver 160 is electrically connected to the receiver 120 and the substrate 130. The transmitter driver 150 can control the transmitter 110 to emit a probe beam. For example, the transmitter 110 can be driven to emit a probe beam at a preset power and repetition rate. The transmitter driver 150 can be connected to the substrate 130 (e.g., powered by the substrate 130). In some embodiments, peripheral circuitry integrated on the substrate 130 can control the transmitter driver 150 to control the transmitter 110 to emit a probe beam.

[0296] In some embodiments, the receiver driver 160 is electrically connected to the receiver 120 and the substrate 130. The receiver driver 160 can control the receiver 120 to start up to receive the echo.

[0297] In some embodiments, there can be a one-to-one correspondence between the lasers in the transmitter 110 and the transmitter driver 150. There can also be a one-to-one correspondence between the detectors in the receiver 120 and the receiver driver 160. For example, one transmitter driver 150 can correspond to one laser, and one receiver driver 160 can correspond to one detector. For another example, the transmitter driver 150 can simultaneously control multiple lasers or multiple transmitters 110. The receiver driver 160 can also simultaneously control multiple detectors or multiple receivers 120.

[0298] In some embodiments, the transmitter driver 150 and the receiver driver 160 can be integrated with the transmitter 110, the receiver 120, the substrate 130, and the optical combiner 1 through packaging materials to form an optical chip 100. The optical chip 100 can be directly applied in a laser radar.

[0299] In some embodiments, the locations of the transmitter 110, the receiver 120, the transmitter driver 150, and the receiver driver 160 can be adjusted according to the internal structure of the lidar.

[0300] As shown in FIG20A , for example, the transmitter driver 150 and the receiver driver 160 may be disposed between the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120. The transmitter 110, the receiver 120, the transmitter driver 150, and the receiver driver 160 may be disposed on a substrate 130 and electrically connected via connecting wires or connecting circuits on the substrate 130. The optical combiner 1 corresponds to the positions of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120. In FIG20A , the optical combiner 1 may cover the transmitter 110, the receiver 120, the transmitter driver 150, and the receiver driver 160. The optical combiner 1 may be configured such that the position of the optical splitter 20 corresponds to the transmitter 110, and the position of the reflector 30 corresponds to the receiver 120.

[0301] 20B , illustratively, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 are disposed between the transmitter driver 150 and the receiver driver 160. The optical combiner 1 may correspond to the positions of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120. In FIG20B , the optical combiner 1 may cover the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120.

[0302] In some embodiments, the positions of the transmitter 110, receiver 120, transmitter driver 150, and receiver driver 160 can be arbitrarily set. For example, the optical combiner 1 can be adjusted to correspond to the positions of the transmitter 110 and receiver 120 by adjusting the overall size and the positions of the beam splitter 20 and the reflector 30.

[0303] As shown in FIG20C , in some embodiments, the transmitter 110 may be stacked on the transmitter driver 150, and the receiver 120 may be stacked on the receiver driver 160. The optical combiner 1 may correspond to the positions of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 and be integrated above the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 (in the direction shown in FIG20C ).

[0304] In some embodiments, the receiver 120 and the receiver driver 160 may also be integrated together. As shown in Figure 20D, for example, the receiver 120 may include a two-dimensional array SPAD. The receiver driver 160 may include an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The two-dimensional array SPAD can be integrated with the ASIC by bump welding or hybrid bonding. The height difference between the two-dimensional array SPAD and the laser light emitting surface can be fine-tuned by the optical combiner 1 so that the transmitter 110, the receiver 120, the transmitter driver 150 and the receiver driver 160 can be integrated on the same substrate 130.

[0305] In some embodiments, the transmitter 110 , the receiver 120 , the transmitter driver 150 , and the receiver driver 160 may be arranged side by side on the substrate 130 , or stacked on the substrate 130 , or may be combined in any form.

[0306] In some embodiments, the optical chip 100 may include multiple optical combiners 1. Each optical combiner 1 may correspond to one laser and one detector. The optical chip 100 may also include one optical combiner 1. This optical combiner 1 may correspond to all lasers and detectors. For example, as shown in FIG21 , the optical combiner 1 covers multiple lasers and multiple detectors arranged in a one-dimensional array.

[0307] In some embodiments, the optical combiner 1 is conducive to the alignment of the transmitting field of view and the receiving field of view, alleviates the field of view offset, and can improve the ranging capability and dynamic range of the laser radar. In some embodiments, the detector may include a main detection area and an auxiliary detection area, which is conducive to improving the dynamic range of the laser radar. For example, a larger SiPM can be provided. According to the energy distribution of the light spot irradiated on the SiPM by the echo (such as a Gaussian distribution), the SiPM can be divided into a main detection area and an auxiliary detection area. The energy of the echo received by the main detection area can be greater than the energy of the echo received by the auxiliary detection area. The energy of the echo received by the main detection area can be greater than 80% (for example, 90%). The energy of the echo received by the auxiliary detection area is less than 20% (for example, 10%).

[0308] As shown in Figures 22 and 23, this embodiment also includes a laser radar 1000. In some embodiments, the laser radar 1000 may include the optical chip 100, lens 1100, and data processor 1200 as described in the previous embodiments. The lens 1100 may correspond to the position of the optical beam combiner 1 in the optical chip 100. The probe beam emitted from the optical beam combiner 1 may be emitted to the outside of the laser radar 1000 through the lens 1100 and the scanner 1300. The echo formed by the reflection of the probe beam by the object may be transmitted to the optical chip 100 through the scanner 1300 and the lens 1100.

[0309] In some embodiments, the position of the lens 1100 may correspond to the optical transceiver port 10 in the optical combiner 1. For example, the lens 1100 may include multiple lenses to collimate the detection beam and converge the echo. In some embodiments, the laser radar 1000 may include multiple optical chips 100. There may also be multiple lenses 1100. The multiple lenses 1100 may correspond one-to-one to the multiple optical chips 100. In some embodiments, the laser radar 1000 may include one lens 1100. One lens 1100 may correspond to multiple optical chips 100. Multiple detection beams emitted from multiple optical chips 100 may be emitted after passing through the same lens 1100. Multiple echoes formed after the multiple detection beams are reflected by an object may be incident on the corresponding optical chip 100 through the lens 1100.

[0310] In some embodiments, the receiver 120 may be a SiPM array. For example, the laser radar 1000 may include multiple (e.g., 128) detection channels. Each optical chip 100 may include multiple (e.g., 16) detection channels. Each optical chip 100 may be independent of each other. The laser radar 1000 may include 8 optical chips 100. As shown in Figure 23, two columns of optical chips 100 are staggered along the column direction, which can prevent gaps in the point cloud formed by the laser radar along the column direction. In some embodiments, the number of detection channels in the multiple optical chips 100 may also be different. In some embodiments, the multiple optical chips 100 may be arranged vertically into multiple columns, and may also be arranged horizontally into multiple rows.

[0311] In some embodiments, the position of each optical chip 100 can be individually configured. For example, based on the application scenario of the laser radar 1000, the field of view of the laser radar 1000 can be divided into an area of ​​interest and an area of ​​non-interest. The angular resolution of the area of ​​interest can be smaller than that of the area of ​​non-interest. For example, the central long strip area in the field of view of an on-board laser radar can be set as the area of ​​interest. The density of optical chips 100 corresponding to the area of ​​interest can be greater than the density of optical chips 100 corresponding to the area of ​​non-interest.

[0312] In some embodiments, the data processor 1200 can be coupled to the receiver 120 in the optical chip 100. The data processor 1200 can obtain object information (e.g., the distance, azimuth, and reflectivity of the object) based on the electrical signal converted from the echo by the receiver 120. In some embodiments, the data processor 1200 can be integrated on the substrate 130 in the optical chip 100.

[0313] In some embodiments, the transmitters 110 and receivers 120 in the optical chip 100 may be arranged on the focal plane of the lens 1100. This can prevent interference between multiple transmitters 110 and multiple receivers 120.

[0314] In some embodiments, the optical path lengths of the probe beam and the echo in the optical beam combiner 1 are different. For example, the receiver 120 can be disposed on the focal plane of the lens 1100. The image 110' formed by the transmitter 110 through the microlens array 140 can be located on the focal plane of the lens 1100, enabling the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 to be disposed on the same substrate 130.

[0315] As shown in FIG24 , the laser radar 1000 further includes a scanner 1300. For example, the scanner 1300 can rotate 360 ​​degrees in a single direction (e.g., 360 degrees in the horizontal direction) to scan the probe beam in the horizontal direction and receive the probe beam emitted by the lens 1100. This allows the direction of the probe beam after being scanned by the scanner 1300 to cover the laser radar's field of view, and the echo generated by the probe beam reflected by the object is reflected by the scanner 1300 to the lens 1100, and the echo is received by the receiver 120.

[0316] As shown in Figure 25 , the scanner 1300 illustratively includes a first scanning mirror 1301 and a second scanning mirror 1302. The light beam emitted by the lens 1100 can pass through the first scanning mirror 1301 and the second scanning mirror 1302. The rotation axes of the first scanning mirror 1301 and the second scanning mirror 1302 can be non-parallel. For example, the rotation axes of the first scanning mirror 1301 and the second scanning mirror 1302 can be perpendicular to each other, scanning the probe beam in two directions to change the azimuth angle of the probe beam. The provision of two scanning mirrors can reduce the size of the laser radar 1000 and reduce the number of lasers and detectors. For example, the first scanning mirror 1301 in the laser radar 1000 can scan the probe beam horizontally, while the second scanning mirror 1302 can scan the probe beam vertically. This reduces the number of lasers and detectors installed in the vertical direction of the laser radar 1000, reducing the height and cost of the laser radar 1000, thereby achieving miniaturization without changing the field of view of the laser radar 1000.

[0317] In some embodiments, the first scanning mirror 1301 and the second scanning mirror 1302 can be any one of a unidirectional rotating mirror with multiple reflective surfaces, a MEMS mirror, a galvanometer mirror, a pendulum mirror, and a galvanometer mirror. The first scanning mirror 1301 and the second scanning mirror 1302 can be the same or different.

[0318] It should be noted that the above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Although the present disclosure provides detailed descriptions of multiple embodiments, the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be replaced by equivalents. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure shall be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An optical beam combiner for a laser radar, comprising: Optical transceiver port; A beam splitter configured to reflect or transmit a light beam incident on the beam splitter; and Reflector, configured as: The light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is reflected by the beam splitter and the reflector and then emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner, and the light beam transmitted from the beam splitter is emitted from the optical transceiver port; or The light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted through the beam splitter and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and the light beam reflected from the reflector to the beam splitter is reflected by the beam splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port.

2. The optical combiner according to claim 1 further includes a filter, which is arranged in the optical path between the beam splitter and the reflector, or is arranged on the side opposite to the beam splitter along the optical path where the reflector is located, or is arranged on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port along the optical path where the beam splitter is located.

3. The optical combiner according to claim 2 further includes a substrate, the optical transceiver port is formed on the surface of the substrate, and the splitter, the reflector and the filter are embedded in the substrate or formed on the surface of the substrate. 4 . The optical combiner according to claim 3 , wherein a light-shielding layer is formed on the surface of the substrate, and the light-shielding layer is configured to expose the beam splitter, the optical transceiver port, the reflector and the filter.

5. According to the optical combiner according to any one of claims 1-4, the optical transceiver port is provided with a wave plate, the beam splitter is a polarization beam splitter, and the wave plate is configured to adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port to control the light beam to be reflected or transmitted at the beam splitter. 6 . The optical combiner according to claim 4 , wherein a first wedge-shaped groove is provided on the surface of the base, the first wedge-shaped groove is opposite to the optical transceiver port, and the optical splitter is formed in the first wedge-shaped groove.

7. According to the optical combiner of claim 6, a second wedge-shaped groove is provided on the surface of the base, the reflector is formed in the second wedge-shaped groove, and the first wedge-shaped groove and the second wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side or on opposite sides of the base.

8. The optical combiner according to claim 6, wherein a third wedge-shaped groove is provided on the surface of the base, the filter is formed in the third wedge-shaped groove, and the first wedge-shaped groove and the third wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side of the base.

9. A method for preparing an optical beam combiner, comprising: S101: preparing or providing a substrate, wherein the substrate is made of a light-transmitting material; S102: performing a local light shielding process on the substrate to form an optical transceiver port that can be used to emit and receive light beams; and S103: forming a beam splitter and a reflector on the surface or inside of the substrate; The reflector and the beam splitter are configured such that: the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner after being reflected by the beam splitter and the reflector, and the light beam transmitted from the beam splitter is emitted from the optical transceiver port; or, The light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted through the beam splitter and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and the light beam reflected from the reflector to the beam splitter is reflected by the beam splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port.

10. The preparation method according to claim 9, further comprising: S104: An optical filter is disposed on the surface or inside of the substrate, wherein the optical filter is disposed in the optical path between the optical splitter and the reflector, or is disposed on the side opposite to the optical splitter along the optical path where the reflector is located, or is disposed on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port along the optical path where the optical splitter is located.

11. The preparation method according to claim 9, wherein the beam splitter is a polarization beam splitter, and the preparation method further comprises: A wave plate is arranged at the optical transceiver port, and the wave plate is configured to adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port to control the light beam to be reflected or transmitted at the beam splitter.

12. The preparation method according to claim 9, wherein step S101 comprises: forming a plate-like matrix; forming a first wedge-shaped groove on the surface of the substrate; The step S103 includes: placing the beam splitter in the first wedge-shaped groove.

13. The preparation method according to claim 12, wherein step S101 comprises: forming a second wedge-shaped groove on the surface of the base, wherein the first wedge-shaped groove and the second wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side or on opposite sides of the base; The step S103 includes: placing the reflector in the second wedge-shaped groove.

14. The preparation method according to claim 12, wherein step S101 comprises: forming a third wedge-shaped groove on the surface of the base, wherein the first wedge-shaped groove and the third wedge-shaped groove are located on the same side of the base; The manufacturing method further includes: disposing the optical filter in the third wedge-shaped groove.

15. The preparation method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, further comprising: S105: dividing the base into a plurality of optical beam combiners according to the extension directions of the beam splitter and the reflector.

16. A method for preparing an optical beam combiner, comprising: S201: disposing a beam splitter on a surface of a first support member, and disposing a reflector on a surface of a second support member; S202: placing the first support member and the second support member in a mold; S203: injecting a light-transmitting material into the mold; S204: molding the light-transmitting material to form a substrate; and S205: performing a local light shielding process on the substrate to form an optical transceiver port that can be used to emit and receive light beams; The reflector and the beam splitter are configured such that: the light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is emitted to the outside of the optical beam combiner after being reflected by the beam splitter and the reflector, and the light beam transmitted from the beam splitter is emitted from the optical transceiver port; or, The light beam incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted through the beam splitter and then emitted to the outside of the optical combiner, and the light beam reflected from the reflector to the beam splitter is reflected by the beam splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port.

17. The preparation method according to claim 16, further comprising: S206: Setting an optical filter, wherein the optical filter is set in the optical path between the optical splitter and the reflector, or set on the side opposite to the optical splitter along the optical path where the reflector is located, or set on the side opposite to the optical transceiver port along the optical path where the optical splitter is located.

18. The preparation method according to claim 17, wherein the filter is disposed on the surface of the second support member, the beam splitter is a polarization beam splitter, and the preparation method further comprises: A wave plate is arranged at the optical transceiver port, and the wave plate is configured to adjust the polarization direction of the light beam passing through the optical transceiver port to control the light beam to be reflected or transmitted at the beam splitter. 19 . The manufacturing method according to claim 17 , wherein the first support member and the second support member are located on the same side or on opposite sides of the substrate.

20. The manufacturing method according to claim 19, wherein the optical filter and the first support member are located on the same side of the substrate.

21. The preparation method according to claim 17, wherein the first support member and the second support member are prisms, and the beam splitter, the reflector and the filter are formed on the surface of the prism by any method of adhesion, coating or etching.

22. The preparation method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, further comprising: S207: Divide the base into a plurality of optical beam combiners according to the extension directions of the beam splitter and the reflector.

23. An optical chip for a laser radar, comprising: an emitter configured to emit a probe beam; a receiver configured to receive an echo formed by the detection beam passing through an object and convert the echo into an electrical signal; The optical beam combiner as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein the optical beam combiner is configured to receive the detection beam and emit the detection beam through the optical transceiver port of the optical beam combiner, and is configured to receive the echo through the optical transceiver port and emit it to the receiver. 24 . The optical chip according to claim 23 , further comprising a substrate, wherein the optical combiner, the transmitter and the receiver are packaged on one side of the substrate by a packaging material.

25. The optical chip according to claim 24, wherein the transmitter comprises a plurality of lasers, and the plurality of lasers are arranged in an array on the substrate; and the receiver comprises a plurality of detectors, and the plurality of detectors are arranged in an array on the substrate.

26. The optical chip according to claim 24, further comprising: An emitter driver, the emitter driver is located on the substrate and is electrically connected to the emitter and the substrate; A receiver driver is located on the substrate and is electrically connected to the receiver and the substrate.

27. The optical chip of claim 26, wherein the transmitter driver and the receiver driver are located between the transmitter and the receiver; Alternatively, the transmitter and the receiver are located between the transmitter driver and the receiver driver.

28. The optical chip according to claim 26, wherein the transmitter is stacked on the transmitter driver, and the receiver is stacked on the receiver driver.

29. According to the optical chip of claim 23, the detection light beam emitted by the transmitter is transmitted through the beam splitter into the optical combiner and emitted from the optical transceiver port; the echo enters the optical combiner from the optical transceiver port, is reflected by the beam splitter and the reflector in sequence, and then is incident on the receiver.

30. According to the optical chip of claim 23, the detection light beam emitted by the transmitter is reflected by the reflector to the optical combiner, and is emitted from the optical transceiver port after being reflected by the optical splitter; the echo enters the optical combiner from the optical transceiver port, and is incident on the receiver after being transmitted through the optical splitter.

31. The optical chip according to claim 25, wherein the optical chip comprises a single optical beam combiner, and the optical beam combiner corresponds to all of the lasers and the detectors; or the optical chip comprises a plurality of optical beam combiners, and each of the optical beam combiners corresponds to one laser and one detector.

32. The optical chip according to claim 23 further includes a microlens array, which is disposed on the emitter, and the microlens array is configured to shape the detection light beam to form an image of the light-emitting surface of the emitter, and the image is located on the side of the light-emitting surface opposite to the microlens array. 33 . The optical chip according to claim 25 , wherein the detector comprises a main detection area and an auxiliary detection area, and the energy of the echo received by the main detection area is greater than the energy of the echo received by the auxiliary detection area.

34. The optical chip according to claim 24, comprises a single substrate, and the transmitter and the receiver are arranged on the single substrate; or, the optical chip comprises a first substrate and a second substrate located in different planes, the transmitter is arranged on the first substrate, and the receiver is arranged on the second substrate.

35. A transceiver device, comprising: a light emitting layer, the light emitting layer comprising at least one light emitter, the light emitter being adapted to generate and emit emission light; a light detection layer, the light emitting layer being stacked on the light detection layer, the light detection layer comprising at least one detection unit, the detection unit being configured to receive and detect incident light, and A beam combining layer is disposed on optical paths of the emitted light and the incident light and is configured to at least partially separate the incident light from the emitted light.

36. The transceiver device according to claim 35, wherein: The light emitting layer comprises a substrate and at least one light emitter, The first surface of the light emitting layer includes a metal layer, the metal layer is connected to the electrode of the light emitter, and Wherein, the metal layer comprises at least one light exit hole, and the light exit hole corresponds to a light exit window of at least one of the light emitters.

37. The transceiver device according to claim 36, wherein: The light detection layer comprises a substrate and at least one detection unit, The metal layer further comprises at least one light entrance hole, and the light entrance hole corresponds to the photosensitive surface of the detection unit.

38. The transceiver device according to claim 37, wherein: The light exit hole has a first size, the light entrance hole has a second size, and the second size is set to be not smaller than the first size.

39. The transceiver device according to claim 38, wherein: The second size is larger than the first size and is not larger than 1.1 times of the first size.

40. The transceiver device according to claim 35, wherein: The beam combining layer comprises an optical beam combiner as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, Wherein, the reflector and the beam splitter are configured as follows: The emission light emitted from the optical transmitter is transmitted through the optical splitter and then emitted from the optical transceiver port, and the incident light incident from the optical transceiver port is reflected by the optical splitter to the reflector and then reflected by the reflector and then incident to the detection unit; or, The emission light emitted from the optical transmitter is reflected by the reflector to the spectrometer and then emitted from the optical transceiver port after being reflected by the spectrometer. The incident light incident from the optical transceiver port is transmitted by the spectrometer and then incident on the detection unit.

41. The transceiver device according to claim 40, wherein: The optical splitter comprises: proportional reflector; or A mirror that partially transmits and partially reflects in space.

42. The transceiver device according to claim 40, wherein: The light emitting layer comprises a plurality of light emitters, and the plurality of light emitters are arranged in an array within a substrate of the light emitting layer; The beam combining layer includes a plurality of the optical beam combiners, and the optical beam combiners correspond one to one to the light emitters.

43. The transceiver device according to claim 40, wherein: The base material of the beam combining layer includes silicon.

44. The transceiver device as claimed in claim 36, wherein: A first welding pad is provided on the first surface of the beam combining layer; The second surface of the beam combining layer is provided with a second pad, and the second pad is configured to be electrically connected to the metal layer of the light emitting layer, and The beam combining layer includes a metallized through hole to electrically connect the first pad and the second pad.

45. The transceiver device according to claim 35, wherein: The second surface of the beam combining layer is provided with an optical filter, and the optical filter is arranged in the path of the incident light.

46. ​​The transceiver device according to claim 45, wherein: The bandwidth of the optical filter is arranged to be adapted to the spectral width of the optical emitter.

47. The transceiver device according to claim 40, wherein: The light detection layer includes a plurality of detection units, which are arranged in an array within the substrate of the light detection layer and correspond one-to-one to the photosynthesizers. The detection unit includes one or more light detectors.

48. The transceiver device of claim 35, further comprising a circuit layer, the light detection layer being stacked on the circuit layer, and the circuit layer being configured to receive the electrical signal from the detection unit.

49. The transceiver device as claimed in claim 48, wherein: The light detection layer is electrically connected to the circuit layer through hybrid bonding.

50. A laser radar, comprising: The transceiver device according to any one of claims 35 to 49, and An optical component is arranged on the optical path of the emitted light and the incident light. The emitted light generated by the transceiver is collimated by the optical component and then emitted to the external space. The incident light reflected by the obstacle is converged to the transceiver through the optical component.

51. A laser radar, comprising: The optical chip as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 34; A lens, through which the detection light beam emitted by the optical chip is emitted to the outside of the laser radar, and the echo is transmitted by the lens to the optical beam combiner of the optical chip; and A data processor is coupled to the receiver of the optical chip and is configured to obtain information about the object according to the electrical signal.

52. According to the laser radar according to claim 51, the transmitter and the receiver are located on the focal plane of the lens; or, the receiver is located on the focal plane of the lens, and the image formed by the transmitter through the microlens array is located on the focal plane of the lens.

53. The laser radar according to claim 51 or 52 further includes a scanner, which is configured to receive and scan the detection beam from the lens to cover the field of view of the laser radar and reflect the echo to the lens.

54. According to the laser radar of claim 53, the scanner includes a first scanning mirror and a second scanning mirror, the light beam emitted by the lens passes through the first scanning mirror and the second scanning mirror in sequence, and the rotation axes of the first scanning mirror and the second scanning mirror are not parallel.

55. A data processing method, comprising: Detecting incident light using a detection unit in the optical detection layer of the transceiver device according to any one of claims 35 to 49, wherein the detection unit comprises a plurality of optical detectors; Obtaining the intensity of light signals received by one or more non-saturated light detectors; The intensity of incident light received by the detection unit is acquired based on the intensity of the light signals received by the one or more non-saturated light detectors.

56. The data processing method according to claim 55, wherein: Based on the intensity of the light signal received by the one or more non-saturated light detectors, the intensity of the incident light received by the detection unit is acquired according to the intensity distribution of the incident light on the photosensitive surface of the detection unit.

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