PFI-TT: Laser ranging system with tunable optical elements

PFI-TT：具有可调谐光学元件的激光测距系统

• 批准号: 1919148
• 负责人: Juliet Gopinath
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-07-15 至 2023-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1919148&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; TT; Laser; ranging; system

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation-Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is a new modality for light detection and ranging (LIDAR), an optical technique that generates high-resolution images of an object. LIDAR is commonly used in applications such as mapping, agriculture, energy and environmental studies, and more recently, for autonomous navigation and collision avoidance for self-driving cars, drones, and satellites. These applications are all crucial to societal function today. For example, surveying the snow pack can be important for hydroelectric power and drinking water estimates. Other important applications include mapping coastlines, as well as determining the health of agricultural crops and trees to predict yields as well as fire risks. However, the mechanical-based LIDAR scanners currently used have a limited lifetime, are large, and power hungry. This can cause significant constraints; for example, a drone can only carry a very limited and small system, or battery life will be impacted. Nonmechanical scanning methods can offer a solution. The research will demonstrate an innovative technique for nonmechanical scanning applied to LIDAR systems.The proposed project focuses on an incoherent light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system, using nonmechanical beam steering with adaptive optical elements. The system is compact, versatile, and ultra-low power. It will enable a new generation of systems that are able to adapt with agility to changing conditions and targets. Unlike conventional LIDAR systems which often use beam steering based on prisms or gimbals that rely on mechanically moving parts, which can be heavy, power hungry, and have a limited lifetime, the proposed LIDAR design has operational lifetime orders of magnitude longer due to nonmechanical components. The proposed work will enable new LIDAR technology with enhanced capabilities (ability to adapt to changing conditions) and steer the technology in a direction for eventual commercialization.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该创新技术转化伙伴关系（PFI-TT）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是光探测和测距（LIDAR）的新模式，这是一种生成物体高分辨率图像的光学技术。 激光雷达通常用于测绘、农业、能源和环境研究等应用，最近还用于自动驾驶汽车、无人机和卫星的自主导航和防撞。 这些应用对今天的社会功能都至关重要。 例如，调查积雪对水力发电和饮用水的估计很重要。 其他重要的应用包括绘制海岸线，以及确定农作物和树木的健康状况，以预测产量和火灾风险。 然而，目前使用的基于机械的LIDAR扫描仪具有有限的寿命，体积大，耗电量大。 这可能会造成重大限制;例如，无人机只能携带非常有限和小的系统，否则电池寿命将受到影响。 非机械扫描方法可以提供解决方案。 该研究将展示一种创新的非机械扫描技术应用于LIDAR系统。拟议的项目集中在非相干光探测和测距（LIDAR）系统，使用非机械光束转向与自适应光学元件。 该系统结构紧凑、功能齐全、功耗极低。 它将使新一代系统能够灵活地适应不断变化的条件和目标。 与通常使用基于棱镜或万向节的光束转向的常规LIDAR系统不同，所述棱镜或万向节依赖于机械移动部件，其可能是重的、耗电的并且具有有限的寿命，所提出的LIDAR设计由于非机械部件而具有更长数量级的操作寿命。拟议的工作将使新的激光雷达技术具有增强的能力（适应不断变化的条件的能力），并引导该技术朝着最终商业化的方向发展。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Two-dimensional Individually Addressible Electrowetting Micro-Lens Array

二维单独可寻址电润湿微透镜阵列

• DOI: 10.1109/ipc53466.2022.9975536
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: 2022 IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC
• 作者: Gilinsky, Samuel D.;Zohrabi, Mo;Supekar, Omkar D.;Lim, Wei Yang;Bright, Victor M.;Gopinath, Juliet T.
• 通讯作者: Gopinath, Juliet T.

Electrowetting adaptive optical devices for LIDAR

用于激光雷达的电润湿自适应光学器件

• DOI: 10.1364/aio.2019.t2a.4
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Applied Industrial Optics
• 作者: Gopinath, Juliet T.;Zohrabi, Mo;Supekar, Omkar D.;Lim, Wei Yang;Ozbay, Baris N.;Futia, Gregory L.;Restrepo, Diego;Gibson, Emily A.;Bright, Victor M.
• 通讯作者: Bright, Victor M.

High extinction ratio, low insertion loss, optical switch based on an electrowetting prism

高消光比、低插入损耗、基于电润湿棱镜的光开关

• DOI: 10.1364/oe.381565
• 发表时间: 2020
• 期刊: Optics Express
• 影响因子: 3.8
• 作者: Zohrabi, Mo;Yang Lim, Wei;Bright, Victor M.;Gopinath, Juliet T.
• 通讯作者: Gopinath, Juliet T.

Suppression of External Vibrations using an Electrowetting Lens

使用电润湿透镜抑制外部振动

• DOI: 10.1109/ipc53466.2022.9975495
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: 2022 IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC
• 作者: Miscles, Eduardo J.;Lim, Wei Yang;Supekar, Omkar D.;Zohrabi, Mo;Gopinath, Juliet T.;Bright, Victor M.
• 通讯作者: Bright, Victor M.