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SamsungGranted patentCameras & imagingInterest 4/10

Samsung patents light scanner that moves faster over empty spaces

Samsung describes a device that uses an array of light beams to scan a physical area by shifting the direction of the light. The system adjusts how far the light moves between steps, moving in larger jumps when scanning areas that do not contain important objects.

Why it mattersThis approach could help sensors scan environments more efficiently by spending less time looking at unimportant parts of a scene.

In the filing’s own words

A beam scanning device includes a light modulation array and a processor. The light modulation array is configured to scan an external space based on phase modulating a plurality of light beams and, in a state in which the plurality of light beams are arranged in a first direction, sequentially steering the plurality of light beams in a second direction different from the first direction. The processor is configured to control the light modulation array to cause a degree of steering shift of the light modulation array to vary depending on whether a region of interest is located in the external space.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A beam scanning device, comprising: a light modulation array configured to scan an external space based on phase modulating a plurality of light beams and, in a state in which the plurality of light beams are arranged in a first direction, sequentially steering the plurality of light beams in a second direction different from the first direction; and a processor configured to control the light modulation array to cause a degree of steering shift of the light modulation array to vary depending on whether a region of interest is determined to be located in the external space, wherein, the processor is further configured to, based on the light modulation array scanning the region of interest in the external space, control the light modulation array to perform the steering with a first degree of steering shift, and the processor is further configured to, based on the light modulation array scanning a region of non-interest that is a region in the external space other than the region of interest, control the light modulation array to perform the steering with a second degree of steering shift that is greater than the first degree of steering shift.

Facts

Company
Samsung (Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)
Official title
Beam scanning device and scanning method thereof
Patent number
US12742996B2
Application number
18583161
Filed
Feb 21, 2024
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
18

Classified under

G02F 1/31 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.