Lidar Spectrally Decoded Phase Encoding

The patent replaces the mechanical time-based pulse waiting system with an optical phase-based measurement system. Instead of waiting for light pulses to return and measuring time delays, the system uses phase delays of encoded light signals to characterize distances simultaneously with object information, eliminating the sequential limitation and improving both accuracy and productivity.

The patent changes the measurement parameter from time delay to phase delay. By encoding light signals with phase information and using spectrally decimated encodings that are invariant under phase shifts, the system can extract distance and object information simultaneously from the phase characteristics of returned light, rather than waiting for complete pulse returns.

The patent segments the frequency domain into spectrally decimated bins, where non-zero components are distributed throughout the spectral range but organized in a structured manner. This segmentation allows complete spectral coverage while enabling efficient storage and computation by processing discrete frequency bins rather than continuous spectra.

The patent uses spectrally decimated encodings that have non-zero components distributed throughout the spectral range, which provides more than enough spectral information for accurate distance and object characterization. This excessive spectral coverage ensures robust measurements while the decimation structure keeps the data manageable for processing.