New Apple patents reveal work on next-gen LiDAR using VCSELs for 3D sensing systems

“Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to improving depth cameras and more specifically to opto-electronic devices, and particularly to light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.
“Earlier this year a company by the name of TriLumina developed lower costs for reliable LiDAR systems with VCSELs that could be used in mixed reality headsets, 3D sensing applications, gesture recognition systems, gaming, robotics and automotive,” Purcher reports. “The combination of LiDAR and VCSEL technologies, as noted by TriLumina, is the subject of two new Apple patents published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”
“Apple’s invention is focused on improving LiDAR sensors and methods of their use,” Purcher reports. “Apple’s patent applications 20180341009 and 20180341009 that are both titled ‘Multi-range time of flight sensing,’ were filed back in Q2, 2017… One of the inventors is from Apple’s PrimeSense team out of Israel that was behind Apple’s TrueDepth camera used for Face ID along with Animoji and Memoji applications.”
Read more, and see Apple’s patent application illustrations, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: More info about TriLumina: