Monolithic Coherent Lidar Optics for Vibration Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Coherent lidar systems are susceptible to environmental disturbances such as vibration, air turbulence, and temperature fluctuations, leading to inaccuracies in distance sensing and operational instability in vehicle applications.
Innovation Solution
A monolithic interference device is integrated into the lidar configuration, comprising beam splitting, polarization plates, and optical compensators in a unified structure to maintain mechanical stability and minimize the impact of environmental disturbances, ensuring accurate Doppler effect measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional coherent lidar system uses separate optical components for beam splitting, polarization control, and optical path compensation, then the system can perform distance and velocity measurements, but the system becomes highly susceptible to environmental disturbances such as vibration, air turbulence, and temperature fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines beam splitting, polarization control, and optical path compensation functions into a single monolithic interference device. This integration ensures that all critical optical paths remain fixed relative to each other, eliminating sensitivity to environmental disturbances while maintaining measurement capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The monolithic interference device performs multiple functions simultaneously: beam splitting, polarization plate orientation, and optical path compensation. This multi-functionality in a single component reduces the number of separate elements that could be affected by environmental factors.
2Ease of operation
If separate optical components are used in the coherent lidar system, then the system can be adjusted and configured, but the mechanical stability and alignment between components are compromised under environmental disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
By merging all optical functions into one monolithic device, the patent eliminates the need for separate adjustable components. The device is configured during manufacturing to provide the required optical paths and polarization orientations, ensuring both stability and operational capability.
3Reliability
If a monolithic interference device is integrated into the lidar system, then environmental disturbance impact is minimized and optical path stability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple optical functions into a single monolithic interference device, which improves optical path stability by eliminating relative movements between components. While manufacturing complexity increases, the integrated design ensures consistent performance under environmental disturbances.
4Measurement precision
If traditional heterodyne detection apparatus is used, then Doppler effects can be measured, but the system becomes highly susceptible to vibration and air turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The monolithic interference device maintains fixed optical paths for heterodyne detection, enabling accurate Doppler effect measurements while eliminating susceptibility to vibration and air turbulence that plagues traditional separate-component systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The monolithic design stabilizes optical path differences, enhancing the accuracy and stability of coherent lidar systems in disturbed environments, enabling precise distance and velocity determination of target objects.
Implementation Method 1
coherent lidar, or heterodyne detection, may be based on interferometric detection
Implementation Method 2
Coherent lidar relies on Doppler effects to measure velocity and distance of a target object
Data Source
AI summary
A light detection and ranging (lidar) system for providing coherent lidar in environments and situations where disturbances are experienced without compromising quality of the coherent lidar data. The lidar system includes a light source that directs a linearly polarized beam to a polarization beam splitter where s-polarized and p-polarized components are separated with one traveling on to reflect off a target. A second component serves as a reference and reflects off the beam splitter along a separate axis. By passing through a quarter-wave plate upon exiting the beam splitter and upon returning through the quarter-wave plate, the polarization of each component is changed such that the beams combine along the second axis and proceed to an analyzer. The beam splitter and quarter-wave plates are monolithic to provide system stability during environmental disturbances.