Wide-angle MEMS-based imaging lidar by decoupled scan axes

We present an optical architecture for a scanning lidar in which a digital micromirror device (DMD) is placed at an intermediate image plane in a receiver to decouple the trade-offs between scan angle, scan speed, and aperture size of the lidar’s transmitter and receiver. In the architecture, the transmitter with a galvo mirror and the receiver with a DMD scan the horizontal and vertical fields of view, respectively, to enable an increased field of view of 50°, centimeter transmitter beam diameter, and video frame rate range finding captures. We present our optimized system and discuss the adjustable parameter trade-offs.