阅读说明：本技术 光接收模块 (Light receiving module ) 是由 金荣信 曹圣恩 金庆麟 金元谦 于 2019-06-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：光接收模块,可以包括：光发射体,被配置为发射光；光入射部分,光通过该光入射部分入射到光发射体中；以及多个反射器,多个反射器被配置为多次反射从光入射部分入射的光,使得光朝向光接收器单元入射。根据本发明,由于不需要在LiDAR中安装用于弯曲光路的反射镜,所以可以减少包括在LiDAR中的部件的数量。(A light receiving module, which may include: a light emitter configured to emit light; a light incident portion through which light is incident into the light emitter; and a plurality of reflectors configured to reflect the light incident from the light incident portion a plurality of times such that the light is incident toward the light receiver unit. According to the present invention, the number of components included in a LiDAR may be reduced because there is no need to mount a mirror for bending an optical path in the LiDAR.)

1. A light receiving module comprising:

a light emitter configured to emit light;

a light incident portion through which light is incident into the light emitter; and

a plurality of reflectors configured to reflect the light incident from the light incident portion a plurality of times such that the light is incident toward a light receiver unit.

2. The light receiving module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of reflectors comprise:

a first reflector configured to reflect light incident from the light incident portion; and

a second reflector configured to reflect the light reflected by the first reflector such that the light is incident toward the light receiver unit.

3. The light receiving module according to claim 2, wherein the light incident portion has an antireflection layer provided thereon to prevent light reflection.

4. The light receiving module according to claim 2, wherein the first reflector is formed in a curved shape.

5. The light receiving module according to claim 4, wherein the second reflector is formed in a planar shape.

6. The light receiving module according to claim 5, wherein the light incident portion is formed in a planar shape, and

the second reflector is inclined toward the first reflector from a plane extending from the light incident portion, and reflects light in a direction opposite to an incident direction of the light incident portion.

7. The light receiving module according to claim 5, wherein the light incident portion is formed in a planar shape, and

the second reflector is inclined from a plane extending from the light incident portion toward an opposite side of the first reflector, and reflects light in the same direction as an incident direction of the light incident portion.

8. The light receiving module according to claim 4, wherein the second reflector is formed in a curved shape.

9. The light receiving module according to claim 8, wherein the second reflector is formed on a light incident side of the other side of the light emitter so as to reflect the light in the same direction as the incident direction of the light incident portion.

10. The light receiving module of claim 8, wherein the second reflector is formed on the opposite side of the light incident side on the other side of the light emitter so as to reflect the light in a direction opposite to the incident direction of the light incident portion.

11. The light receiving module of claim 2, further comprising an interference filter mounted on the light emitter such that light reflected by the second reflector transmits the interference filter.

12. The light receiving module of claim 1, wherein the light emitter is filled with an optical medium.

13. The light receiving module of claim 1, wherein the light emitter has a hollow interior.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a light receiving module, and more particularly, to a light receiving module capable of reducing the number of components, thereby being capable of reducing the size thereof.

Background

With the development of vehicle technology, various functions such as automatic driving and automatic parking are required. To perform such functions, the demand for LiDAR (light detection and ranging sensor) is increasing.

LiDAR is mounted on the bumper of a vehicle and detects objects or structures by sensing the area in front of and behind the vehicle. LiDAR is mounted on glass or in vehicle body structures. LiDAR uses light to detect a target.

LiDAR includes a transmitter for emitting light and a receiver for receiving incident light. The receiver includes a receiving lens and a mirror. Light incident on the receiving lens is reflected by the mirror and incident on the detector.

However, conventional LiDAR has a focal length at which, when light is reflected by a mirror, the light that has passed through the receive lens is received by a detector. In addition, the number of components may increase as the mirrors used to rotate the optical path are mounted to reduce the size of the LiDAR.

Therefore, a device capable of solving this problem is required.

A related art of the present invention is disclosed in korean patent registration No. 1814135, which was registered at 26.12.2017 and entitled "LiDAR system".

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a light receiving module that can reduce the number of components and thus can reduce the size thereof.

In one embodiment, the light receiving module may include: a light emitter configured to emit light; a light incident portion through which light is incident into the light emitter; and a plurality of reflectors configured to reflect the light incident from the light incident portion a plurality of times such that the light is incident toward the light receiver unit.

The plurality of reflectors may include: a first reflector configured to reflect light incident from the light incident portion; and a second reflector configured to reflect the light reflected by the first reflector such that the light is incident toward the light receiver unit.

The light incident portion may have an anti-reflection layer disposed thereon to prevent reflection of light.

The first reflector may be formed in a curved shape.

The second reflector may be formed in a planar shape.

The light incident portion may be formed in a planar shape, and the second reflector may be inclined from a plane extending from the light incident portion toward the first reflector and reflect light in a direction opposite to an incident direction of the light incident portion.

The light incident portion may be formed in a planar shape, and the second reflector may be inclined from a plane extending from the light incident portion toward an opposite side of the first reflector and reflect light in the same direction as an incident direction of the light incident portion.

The second reflector may be formed in a curved shape.

The second reflector may be formed at a light incident side of the other side of the light emitter so as to reflect the light in the same direction as the incident direction of the light incident portion.

The second reflector may be formed on the opposite side of the light incident side on the other side of the light emitter so as to reflect the light in a direction opposite to the incident direction of the light incident portion.

The light receiving module may further include an interference filter mounted on the light emitter such that the light reflected by the second reflector transmits the interference filter.

The light emitters may be filled with an optical medium.

The light emitter may have a hollow interior.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of reflectors may reflect the light incident from the light incident portion a plurality of times so that the light is incident on the light receiver unit. Thus, the number of components included in a LiDAR may be reduced because mirrors used to bend the light path need not be installed in the LiDAR.

Further, since light incident through the light incident portion is reflected multiple times in the light emitting body, the size of the light receiving module can be reduced even if the optical path is increased

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a light receiving module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a side view showing a propagation path of light in the light receiving module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, a light receiving module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are not to precise scale and may be exaggerated in thickness of lines or size of components merely for descriptive convenience and clarity. Further, terms used herein are defined by considering functions of the present invention, and may be changed according to custom or intention of a user or an operator. Accordingly, the definition of terms should be made in accordance with the general disclosure set forth herein.

First, a light receiving module according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a light receiving module according to a first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 3 is a side view showing a propagation path of light in the light receiving module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, the light receiving module according to the first embodiment of the present invention may include a light emitter 10, a light incident portion 20, and a plurality of reflectors 30. The light receiving module may be applied to the light receiving unit 50 of the LiDAR.

The light emitter 10 may be made of a crystal or a transparent synthetic resin capable of emitting light.

The light emitter 10 may be filled with an optical medium. Thus, light incident on the light emitter 10 may propagate through the same optical medium until the light is emitted from the light emitter 10.

The light emitter 10 may have a hollow interior. At this time, since the light emitter 10 is formed of a different material from the internal medium, light may propagate through the different medium.

Through the light incident portion 20, light may be incident into the inside of the light emitter 10. The light incident portion 20 may be formed in a planar shape such that the incident angle of light is not changed or curved.

The light incident portion 20 may have an anti-reflection layer 21 disposed thereon to prevent light reflection. Since the antireflection layer 21 prevents reflection of light, light can be prevented from being scattered in the light incident portion 20. The anti-reflection layer 21 may be formed by an anti-reflection (AR) coating.

The plurality of reflectors 30 may reflect the light incident from the light incident portion 20 a plurality of times so that the light is incident on the light receiver unit 50. Thus, the number of components in a LiDAR may be reduced because mirrors do not need to be installed in the LiDAR to bend the light path. Further, since the light incident through the light incident portion 20 is reflected multiple times in the light emitter 10, the size of the light receiving module can be reduced even if the optical path is increased.

The plurality of reflectors 30 may include a first reflector 31 and a second reflector 32.

The first reflector 31 may reflect light incident from the light incident portion 20. The second reflector 32 may reflect the light reflected by the first reflector 31 such that the light is incident on the light receiver unit 50. Therefore, since the light incident on the light incident portion 20 forms an optical path through which the light is reflected from the first reflector 31 and the second reflector 32 and then incident on the light receiver unit 50, the focal length can be reduced.

At this time, the light reflected by the first reflector 31 may be condensed on the second reflector 32, and the light reflected by the second reflector 32 may be condensed on the light receiver unit 50, thereby forming a focal point in the light receiver unit 50. Therefore, the optical receiver unit 50 can detect the detection target.

The first reflector 31 may be formed in a curved shape. The first reflector 31 may be disposed on one side of the light emitter 10. The first reflector 31 may be inclined from one side of the light incident portion 20 toward the other side of the light emitter 10. The first reflector 31 may be opposite to the emission side of the light incident portion 20 such that the light passing through the light incident portion 20 is totally reflected.

The curvature of the first reflector 31 may be appropriately designed in consideration of the length and size of the light emitter 10 and the condensing angle of the reflected light.

The second reflector 32 may be formed in a planar shape. At this time, the light incident portion 20 may be formed in a planar shape, and the second reflector 32 may be inclined toward the first reflector 31 from a plane extending from the light incident portion 20. Therefore, the light reflected from the second reflector 32 may be emitted in a direction (downward direction in fig. 3) opposite to the incident direction (upward direction in fig. 3) in the light incident portion 20.

The light receiver module may further include an interference filter 40, and the interference filter 40 is mounted on the light emitter 10 such that the light reflected by the second reflector 32 transmits the interference filter 40. The interference filter 40 may filter out light of a specific wavelength by interference.

Next, a light receiving module according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the second embodiment basically has the same structure as the first embodiment except for the shape of the second reflector, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 4 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 4, the light receiving module according to the second embodiment of the present invention may have a structure in which the first reflector 31 is formed in a curved shape and the second reflector 32 is formed in a planar shape.

The light incident portion 20 may be formed in a planar shape, and the second reflector 32 may be inclined toward the opposite side of the first reflector 31 from a plane extending from the light incident portion 20. Therefore, the light reflected from the second reflector 32 can be emitted in the same direction (upward direction in fig. 4) as the incident direction (upward direction in fig. 4) in the light incident portion 20.

At this time, the light receiver unit 50 may be positioned on top of the light emitter 10 such that the focal point of the light reflected by the second reflector 32 is focused.

Next, a light receiving module according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the third embodiment basically has the same structure as the first embodiment except for the shape of the second reflector, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 5 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 5, the light receiving module according to the third embodiment of the present invention may have a structure in which the first reflector 31 is formed in a curved shape and the second reflector 32a is formed in a curved shape.

The second reflector 32a may be formed on a light incident side (bottom side in fig. 5) of the other side (right side in fig. 5) of the light emitter 10 so as to reflect light in the same direction as the incident direction in the light incident portion 20. At this time, the light receiver unit 50 may be disposed at a light incident side of the other side of the light emitter 10.

Next, a light receiving module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the fourth embodiment basically has the same structure as the first embodiment except for the second reflector, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Fig. 6 is a side view showing a light receiving module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 6, the light receiving module according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention may have a structure in which the first reflector 31 is formed in a curved shape and the second reflector 32a is formed in a curved shape.

The second reflector 32a may be formed at the opposite side (the top side in fig. 6) of the light incident side on the other side (the right side in fig. 6) of the light emitter 10 so as to reflect light in the opposite direction to the incident direction in the light incident portion 20. At this time, the light receiver unit 50 may be disposed on the opposite side of the light incident side on the other side of the light emitter 10.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.