The SciPhAI CPSI architecture supports two independent operating modes on identical hardware: TDE — Temporal Direction Encoding — the primary mode, where propagation delay encodes direction, requiring only direct detection — and CFSRP — Continuous Frequency-Shifting Radiating Pulse — the secondary mode, adding velocity measurement and longer range via coherent detection.
HIGH FREQUENCY (BLUE) → → → → → LOW FREQUENCY (RED) — one pulse, one fiber, all directions
The animation below simulates a single optical pulse traveling through a nonlinear waveguide coil. The pulse enters at the left end with a high carrier frequency (blue). As it propagates, nonlinear effects (soliton self-frequency shift via stimulated Raman scattering) cause the carrier frequency to continuously decrease — shifting through cyan, green, amber, and into red. At each aperture along the coil, light radiates outward into a specific direction, carrying the frequency the pulse has reached at that exact position.
A sub-picosecond to ~10 picosecond laser pulse is launched into a specialty optical fiber with engineered nonlinear dispersion properties. The pulse enters with a well-defined carrier frequency ν₀. At this moment it is an ordinary optical pulse — what happens next depends on the fiber's nonlinear coefficient γ and dispersion β₂.
The pulse's high peak intensity excites stimulated Raman scattering. Photons transfer energy to molecular vibrations in the glass, generating new photons at lower frequencies in the trailing edge. The carrier frequency decreases monotonically as the pulse travels. This is the soliton self-frequency shift (SSFS) — a continuous, passive, physics-driven process.
Apertures along the fiber (V-grooves, oblique gratings, exposed cladding) radiate light outward at the frequency the pulse has reached at that position. Aperture #1 radiates blue (high ν). Aperture #12 radiates red (low ν). Each direction carries a unique spectral fingerprint — encoded by position, readable by frequency.
Return pulses are measured by a coherent receiver using a local oscillator. The beat frequency identifies which aperture caused the return — and therefore which direction. No time-multiplexing, no channel selection electronics. Direction is read from spectral analysis alone at a single detector.
Range from time of flight. Direction from return frequency. Velocity from Doppler shift of the return relative to the expected aperture frequency. All three quantities from a single coherent measurement at one detector. This is the complete CFSRP information chain.
The left simulation shows conventional multichannel LiDAR: N independent laser sources, each with its own driver, its own detector, its own signal chain — all firing simultaneously. The right simulation shows the CFSRP architecture: one pulse, one fiber, all directions encoded in frequency.
Both modes operate on identical CPSI hardware. The operating mode is selected by pulse duration, fiber operating regime (linear vs. nonlinear), and receiver architecture. A single SciPhAI platform can switch between modes or combine them depending on the application.
| Property | ⏱ TDE — Temporal Direction Encoding · Primary Mode | 〜 CFSRP — Continuous Frequency-Shifting Radiating Pulse · Secondary Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Direction encoding principle | Propagation delay — t_fire(i) = t₀ + zᵢ/v_fiber | Carrier frequency — ν(z) = ν₀ − α·z |
| Fiber operating regime | Linear — no nonlinear effects required | Nonlinear — Raman/soliton shift required |
| Pulse duration | Nanoseconds — relaxed constraint | 1–10 ps — tighter, Fourier-limited |
| Detection hardware | Direct detection — simple photodetector + timer | Coherent detection — local oscillator + balanced receiver |
| Receiver complexity | Very low — timing circuit only | Higher — coherent receiver + DSP |
| Per-point velocity | Not directly — separate measurement needed | Yes — Doppler shift of frequency fingerprint |
| Hardware cost | Lower — direct detection is simpler | Moderate — coherent receiver adds cost |
| Timing jitter | Zero — from propagation physics (both modes) | Zero — from propagation physics (both modes) |
| Single detector for full FOV | Yes — one detector regardless of resolution | Yes — one detector regardless of resolution |
| No moving parts | Yes — propagation physics drives steering | Yes — propagation physics drives steering |
| Wavelength flexibility | Broad — any wavelength the fiber supports | Constrained by Raman shift spectral range |
| Atmospheric robustness | High — direct detection insensitive to phase noise | Good — coherent detection has some phase sensitivity |
| Best application fit | All deployments — TDE is the default operating mode. Simpler hardware, lower cost, direct detection, broadest IP claim. | Long range, dense traffic, velocity measurement needed |
| IP claim basis | Core CPSI architecture — broadest claim | CFSRP modality — unique, zero competitors |
The TDE (Temporal Direction Encoding) mode establishes the broadest independent claim: direction identification from propagation delay in a CPSI system requires neither nonlinear fiber nor coherent detection. Any competitor building CPSI-based illumination encounters this claim before reaching CFSRP. The two modes together create a layered IP structure — a foundational claim (TDE) with a uniquely novel enhancement on top (CFSRP).
This simulation illustrates the CFSRP operating principle using physically motivated parameters. The frequency shift rate, fiber length, aperture positions, and pulse envelope are scaled for visual clarity. In a real CFSRP system, the soliton self-frequency shift rate depends on the fiber's nonlinear coefficient γ, the group-velocity dispersion β₂, the Raman response time T_R, and the pulse peak power P. Typical parameters: γ ≈ 10 W⁻¹km⁻¹ for highly nonlinear fiber, |β₂| ≈ 1 ps²/m, T_R ≈ 3 fs, P ≈ 1–10 kW peak. The total frequency shift across a practical fiber coil of 1–10 m can reach 10–50 THz — sufficient to resolve many hundreds of independent angular positions using wavelength-selective detection. The simulation color-encodes frequency using a continuous spectrum from violet-blue (high ν, short λ) through green to deep red (low ν, long λ), corresponding to the actual spectral shift direction of stimulated Raman scattering in silica fiber.
Source: US 2026/0056318 A1 ¶[0035], ¶[0057], ¶[0209]–[0216] · Inventor: Hamid Hatami-Hanza · Priority: October 17, 2024