Integrated lighting and LIDAR system

• US 10,338,220 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2018
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera SLD Laser Incorporated (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Soraa Laser Diode, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Raring, James W., McLaurin, Melvin, Rudy, Paul, Novotny, Vlad
• Primary Examiner(s): Hansen, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US16/002,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20190179015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/085 due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/64 using wavelength conversion means distinct or spaced from the light-generating element, e.g. a remote phosphor layer
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 29/70 characterised by passive heat-dissipating elements, e.g. heat-sinks
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/487 Extracting wanted echo signals , e.g. pulse detection
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0085 for modulating the output, i.e. the laser beam is modulated outside the laser cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0087 for illuminating phosphorescent or fluorescent materials, e.g. using optical arrangements specifically adapted for guiding or shaping laser beams illuminating these materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0215 Bonding to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02212 Can-type, e.g. TO-CAN housings with emission along or parallel to symmetry axis
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02251 using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02255 using beam deflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02325 Mechanically integrated components on mount members or optical micro-benches
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02345 Wire-bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02375 Positioning of the laser chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02469 Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0287 : Facet reflectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/22 : having a ridge or stripe structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34333 : with a well layer based on Ga(In)N or Ga(In)P, e.g. blue laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4012 : Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4031 : Edge-emitting structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4087 : emitting more than one wavelength

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a mobile machine including a laser diode based lighting system having an integrated package holding at least a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode and a wavelength conversion member. The gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode is configured to emit a first laser beam with a first peak wavelength. The wavelength conversion member is configured to receive at least partially the first laser beam with the first peak wavelength to excite an emission with a second peak wavelength that is longer than the first peak wavelength and to generate the white light mixed with the second peak wavelength and the first peak wavelength. The mobile machine further includes a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system configured to generate a second laser beam and manipulate the second laser beam to sense a spatial map of target objects in a remote distance.

Claims

1. A LIDAR system comprising:

a power source;

a processor coupled to the power source and configured to supply power and generate a driving current;

a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode configured to be driven by the driving current to emit a first light with a first peak wavelength;

a wavelength conversion member configured to receive at least partially the first light to reemit a second light with a second peak wavelength that is longer than the first peak wavelength and to combine a portion of the first light with the second light to produce a white light;

a beam shaper coupled to the wavelength conversion member to receive the white light to generate an illumination source;

the LIDAR system further comprising a first sensing light signal based on the first peak wavelength;

at least a first beam projector coupled to the beam shaper and configured to direct at least partially the white light to illuminate one or more target objects or areas and to transmit respectively the first sensing light signal for mapping a remote area including the one or more target objects or areas and their surroundings; and

a detector configured to detect reflected signals of the first sensing light signal to generate a first image of the one or more target objects or areas.

2. The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode yields the first light as a blue laser light with first peak wavelength ranging in about 420 nm to about 485 nm.

3. The LIDAR system of claim 1, further comprising a beam steering element configured to process a beam of the white light to create a spatially dynamic illumination for the one or more target objects.

4. The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the sensing light signal comprises some light pulses in certain modulation scheme determined by a control signal from the processor.

5. The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the beam projector comprises at least one of a MEMS scanning mirror configured to dynamically scan a beam of the sensing light signal across the one or more target objects or a microdisplay module for digitally processing a plurality of pixels of the sensing light signal for sensing the one or more target objects.

6. The LIDAR system of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises at least one of a photodiode, a photoresistor, a CCD camera, an antenna, a scanning mirror, a microdisplay coupled to a photodiode to convert the reflected signals to electrical signals, or a detector array for simultaneously detecting the reflected signals at different locations across a single plane, and the LIDAR system further comprises:

a filter configured to filter wavelengths outside a band that is substantially centered around the first peak wavelength so that at least a majority of the reflected signals detected by the detector are within the band.

7. The LIDAR system of claim 2, wherein the blue laser light is characterized by high power levels in one range selected from 1 mW to 10 mW, 10 mW to 100 mW, 100 mW to 1 W, 1 W to 10 W, and greater than 10 W capable of sensing and mapping the one or more target objects under damp condition with relative humidity level in each of following ranges of greater than 25%, greater than 50%, greater than 75%, and greater than 100%.

8. A LIDAR system comprising:

a power source;

a processor coupled to the power source and configured to supply power and generate a driving current;

a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode configured to be driven by the driving current to emit a first light with a first peak wavelength;

a wavelength conversion member configured to receive at least partially the first light to reemit a second light with a second peak wavelength that is longer than the first peak wavelength and to combine a portion of the first light with the second light to produce a white light;

a beam shaper coupled to the wavelength conversion member to receive the white light to generate an illumination source;

the LIDAR system further comprising a first sensing light signal based on the first peak wavelength and a second sensing light signal based on the second peak wavelength;

at least a first beam projector coupled to the beam shaper and configured to direct at least partially the white light to illuminate one or more target objects or areas and to transmit respectively the first sensing light signal and the second sensing light signal for mapping a remote area including the one or more target objects or areas and their surroundings; and

a detector configured to detect reflected signals of the first sensing light signal to generate a first image of the one or more target objects or areas and detect some additional reflected signals of the second sensing light signal to generate a second image of the one or more target objects or areas.

9. The LIDAR system of claim 8, wherein the first beam projector comprises:

one or more transmitter components to transmit the first sensing light signal centered with the first peak wavelength and the second sensing light signal centered with the second peak wavelength in some pulses with a modulation scheme; and

one or more optical elements for directing the first sensing light signal and the second sensing light signal to map the remote area including one or more target objects and their surroundings.

10. The LIDAR system of claim 9, wherein the one or more optical elements comprises at least one of:

a first optical steering element selected from a MEMS scanning mirror, a digital-light processing (DLP) chip, or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) chip for dynamically scanning the first sensing light signal and the second sensing light signal over the one or more target objects to respectively create a first 3D map characterized by the first peak wavelength and a second 3D map characterized by the second peak wavelength, or

a second optical steering element for scanning the first sensing light signal to illuminate at least part of the one or more target objects.

11. A LIDAR system comprising:

a power source;

a processor coupled to the power source and configured to supply power and generate driving currents;

a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode configured to be driven by a driving current from the processor to emit a first light with a first peak wavelength;

a wavelength conversion member configured to receive at least partially the first light to reemit a second light with a second peak wavelength that is longer than the first peak wavelength and to combine a portion of the first light with the second light to produce a white light;

a beam shaper coupled to the wavelength conversion member to receive the white light to generate an illumination source further comprising a sensing light signal based on one of the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength;

a beam projector coupled to the beam shaper and configured to direct at least partially the white light to illuminate one or more target objects and to transmit the sensing light signal for mapping a remote area including the one or more target objects and their surroundings; and

a detector configured to detect reflected signals of the sensing light signal to generate a first image of the one or more target objects and their surroundings.

12. The LIDAR system of claim 11, wherein the gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode is configured to generate the first light with the first peak wavelength in violet or blue color range and the wavelength conversion member comprises a yellow phosphor configured to generate the second light with the second peak wavelength in yellow color range.

13. The LIDAR system of claim 11, further comprising a collimator configured to focus the first light with a first peak wavelength to the wavelength conversion member within a spot size of 50 μ

m to 1000 μ

m.

14. The LIDAR system of claim 11, further comprising a second beam projector coupled to the beam shaper and configured to direct at least partially the white light for illuminating the one or more target objects.

15. The LIDAR system of claim 11, wherein the beam shaper comprises one or more optical elements to split the white light partially for generating a first beam of an illuminate light signal with a combination of the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength and partially for generating a second beam of the sensing light signal centered with one of the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength.

16. The LIDAR system of claim 15, wherein the beam projector comprises:

a transmitter component to transmit the sensing light signal centered with one of the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength in some modulated pulses, and

one or more optical elements for directing the first beam of the illumination light signal and the second beam of the sensing light signal in some modulated pulses to the remote area including the one or more target objects and their surroundings.

17. The LIDAR system of claim 16, wherein the one or more optical elements comprises at least one of:

a first optical steering element selected from a MEMS scanning mirror, a digital-light processing (DLP) chip, or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) chip for dynamically scanning the second beam over the target objects to create a 3D map characterized by one of the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength, or

a second optical element for scanning the first beam of the illumination light signal to illuminate at least part of the one or more target objects.

18. The LIDAR system of claim 15, wherein the beam projector comprises a hybrid collimator configured as a center beam collimator separated from an outer beam collimator, the center beam collimator being configured to collimate the second beam of the sensing light signal to less than 1 or 2 degrees for LIDAR sensing and the outer beam collimator being configured to collimate the first beam of the illumination light signal to less than 15 degrees for illumination.

19. The LIDAR system of claim 11, wherein the processor comprises a modulator configured to provide a modulation signal with a first rate to drive the gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode to emit the first light with a first peak wavelength which is interrupted with a second rate, wherein the second rate is substantially synchronized with a delayed modulation rate of the second light.

20. The LIDAR system of claim 11, wherein the detector comprises a first signal receiver configured to detect reflected signals of the sensing light signal to generate a first image of the one or more target objects and their surroundings.

21. The LIDAR system of claim 11, further comprising a second laser diode configured to be driven by a driving current from the processor to generate a third light with a third peak wavelength, the third light bypassing the wavelength conversion member.

22. The LIDAR system of claim 21, wherein:

the beam shaper is configured to receive the third light with the third peak wavelength and to generate a second sensing light signal;

the beam projector is configured to project a third beam of the second sensing light signal to scan over the remote area including the one or more target objects and their surroundings for mapping using the third peak wavelength; and

the detector comprises a first signal receiver configured to detect reflected signals of the sensing light signal to generate a first image of the one or more target objects characterized by the one of the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength, and a second signal receiver configured to detect reflected signals of the second sensing light signal to generate a second image of the one or more target objects characterized by the third peak wavelength, wherein the first image is synchronized with the second image to obtain a color-differential image of the one or more target objects.

23. A LIDAR system comprising:

a power source;

a processor coupled to the power source and configured to supply power and generate a driving current and a control signal;

a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode configured to be driven by the driving current to emit a first light with a first peak wavelength;

a beam splitter splitting the first light to a first portion and a second portion;

a wavelength conversion member configured to receive the first portion of the first light with the first peak wavelength to generate a second light with a second peak wavelength that is longer than the first peak wavelength;

wherein the first light is combined with the second light to produce a white light;

a beam shaping element to shape the white light as an illumination source;

a beam projector configured to receive the second portion of the first light driven by power source and the control signal from the processor to form a sensing light signal and transmit the sensing light signal to a remote target object including its surroundings; and

a detector configured to detect reflected light signals of the sensing light signal from the remote target object, thereby deducing a substantial 3D information of the target object based on the reflected light signals.