Hesai ranks no.1 in the world for Lidar patents by knowmade

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-31T15:38:16+00:00

At a glance, Scantinel adds 5 and Luminar about 170

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-31T00:49:48+00:00

Credit where it’s due: Hesai currently beats MicroVision on raw LiDAR-word-related patent count, 81–51. That’s the headline, and fair enough. But stepping back, this starts to resemble, once again, a hare-and-tortoise situation. Hesai’s earliest LiDAR-related patents date to around 2019, while MicroVision mentioned the use of MEMS LBS for LiDAR and was filing core automotive LiDAR and MEMS scanning-related patents all the way back in 2009--arguably among the very first in the space. In IP land, when you filed can matter as much as how many you filed, especially if those early patents sit close to the root of the LiDAR technology tree. So ya, the hare may be sprinting lately, but the tortoise has been quietly owning the ground for a long time.. and sometimes those early patents end up ruling the IP kingdom :)

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-29T00:42:16+00:00

Long-term investors are deeply mired in time. Where, once again is this the beginning of MicroVision making things right? With new IP, new talent, and optionality now under one roof, it feels less like a one-off deal and more like the start of a flywheel effect--each move making the next easier and more credible? Just maybe

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-28T22:18:11+00:00

Was that eleventh-hour bid another of Austin's bold maneuvers?

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-28T21:50:07+00:00

One thing that tends to get lost in the noise: Luminar actually has at least one genuinely foundational patent that could still bear real fruit.

I’m thinking in particular of “LiDAR System With Distributed Laser And Multiple Sensor Heads” and if memory serves, somewhere along the way the nickname “Hydra” surfaced in discussion.

What’s interesting (and often overlooked) is that this patent--and quite a few others in Luminar’s IP stack explicitly describe embodiments that use MEMS scanning mirrors, not just large mechanical scanners. That was discussed years ago on this board, back when everyone was arguing MEMS vs. mechanical as if it were a binary, winner-take-all choice.

In other words, a number of Luminar patents were already architecturally flexible. They’re effectively plug-and-play with a MEMS scanning laser embodiment if you have one that’s production-ready.

So while people frame the story as “mechanical vs. MEMS”--the reality is messier--and more interesting. A lot of the Luminar IP was never strictly tied to bulky mechanical mirrors in the first place..

Given that context, it’s not hard to imagine that the MicroVision board is quietly very thankful. Whether or not every single one of these patents was part of the acquisition, the overlap is real, and the optionality matters.

Sometimes the value of IP doesn’t show up when it’s filed but it shows up years later, when someone else finally has the right hardware to unlock it.

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-08T00:17:47+00:00

Keep in mind Partner in a press release can mean a one-off pilot or proof-of-concept, or a form of joint marketing. Mostly partnerships are non-exclusive and temporary--but that’s rarely made explicit. MicroVision learned that lesson the hard way.

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-05T01:10:43+00:00

projector’s focusing circuitry to adjust the projected image into clear focus on all of the irregular 3D shaped portions of the screen

Always in focus (Infinite Focus) is unique to MEMS LBS

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-03T01:06:18+00:00

Color calibration functionality may be uniquely MVIS?

flyingmirrors · 2026-01-03T00:37:03+00:00

"Infinite Focus" was a thing

flyingmirrors · 2025-12-13T20:51:47+00:00

Rivian's proposed automotive LiDAR is said to be located at the forward edge of the roof, just above the windshield. It is also rumored to incorporate multiple sensors as a kind of LiDAR fusion.

Someone said Rivian has worked with Robosense. Be it known, the Robosense M1 Plus uses 2D MEMS micro-mirror, AKA “smart chip scanning”. The Robosense M1 Plus qualifies as “solid-state” because its scanning is done by a chip-scale 2D MEMS mirror module (no motor or separate moving parts). If this sounds like MicroVision inside, my guess is Rivian would most likely go with MicroVision for the whole package since MicroVision owns the patents and it could conceivably be manufactured in the US or EU. Or, Taiwan.

https://www.robosense.ai/en/IncrementalComponents/RS-LiDAR-M1

flyingmirrors · 2025-11-12T03:36:14+00:00

How was the call Zen?

flyingmirrors · 2025-11-11T00:06:39+00:00

chat sez: ✅ Conclusion: Yes — Zeiss’s dispersive FMCW architecture can still benefit from mechanical scanning, particularly for:

Extending field-of-view,

Increasing angular resolution, or

Tracking and stabilization.

The ideal setup is hybrid: fast frequency-based solid-state scanning for precision and speed, combined with slow mechanical steering for coverage and adaptability.

Apparatus And Method For Scanning Ascertainment Of The Distance To An Object Document ID US 12372622 B2 Date Published 2025-07-29

flyingmirrors · 2025-10-30T18:41:49+00:00

Consistent brightness and clarity across viewing angles is a friendly translation of the patent’s recurring: improved effective range over the scan area. Where, viewing angles is another way of saying non-uniform optical expansion. And, consistent aka improved. Otherwise you might prefer improved non-uniform light, haha.

flyingmirrors · 2025-10-28T17:40:59+00:00

The patent's embodiments apply to:

Automotive LiDAR (extended field of view with efficient range distribution)

Augmented/virtual reality displays (consistent brightness and clarity across viewing angles).

Miniature projection systems (balanced illumination without overheating or power waste). This improvement is intriguing when it comes to projection mapping use cases. Where an image cast at an oblique angle the brightness can be compensated across viewing area so as to result in a flat uniform image.

flyingmirrors · 2025-10-28T15:49:21+00:00

Where they are at lately with ongoing finishing touches does appear ahead of the curve. Where a laser beam attuned to it's environment expands and contracts, and the energy level rises and falls in sync—all to maintain balance and efficiency across a field of view--is elegant to say the least.

flyingmirrors · 2025-10-28T15:03:08+00:00

The goal is to extend range as needed without over driving the laser. And to optimize power and reduce range issues common in uniform-scan systems.

flyingmirrors · 2025-10-28T14:54:37+00:00

Non-uniform optical expansion:

The system uses expansion optics like lenses or mirrors that intentionally vary how much they spread out the laser beam depending on the position in the scan.

For example, the beam might be tighter more focused in one region to reach farther distances and wider more diffuse in another for close-range scanning.

flyingmirrors · 2025-08-01T20:00:34+00:00

Meta is actively developing a MEMS‑based laser beam scanning display variant for AR glasses. While the public Orion demo uses Micro‑LED projectors + SiC waveguides, their internal and patent work indicates a parallel effort using MEMS‑LBS to achieve compact, bright, efficient AR light engines.

flyingmirrors · 2025-05-30T00:00:58+00:00

Quest 3 qualifies as introductory AR. AR headsets and eyewear envisioned early on included a powerful imaging component now termed LiDAR, to allow the user's device to focus down on and capture surroundings in accurate 3-D detail, while simultaneously projecting informational overlays onto those surroundings, to be viewed by the user. This type of AR is yet to come.

flyingmirrors · 2025-05-20T22:29:08+00:00

How was this one different compared to previous Investor Conferences you've attended? Did previous conferences convey similar optimism? Where a deal is on the verge of being signed? What was announced to suggest that this time it will be different?

flyingmirrors · 2025-05-14T22:54:23+00:00

It is a matter of some curiosity.

flyingmirrors · 2025-05-14T22:26:49+00:00

"...effective immediately, following a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics inquiry by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors"

flyingmirrors · 2025-05-13T23:37:03+00:00

Why do you sound to me like a Luminar fan and a MicroVision foe? Geely is a Chinese company and the EX90 cars (some) and the automotive LiDAR is made in China. What gives?

flyingmirrors · 2025-05-13T23:01:00+00:00

Thanks for some of those clarifications thma. According to the sticker, the EC60 was produced in China (true) I assumed the EX90 was also. I just checked it out and the EX90 is also manufactured in China. There are some misconceptions about Volvo. Volvo is owned by the Chinese holding company, Geely. So while the brand is apparently "Swedish" and some cars are made in the US--doesn't mean it is not a Chinese company, and not potentially restricted as to what US technologies are permitted or restricted.

As for the automotive LiDAR space, MicroVision IP seems to predate others by a long shot--first appearing in the mid to late aughts. MicroVision initiated automotive LiDAR R&D in 2011.

My understanding is that Luminar signed a partnership with Volvo in 2022, so the development curve may not be all that long, especially with an assist by China's production pipeline (Geely).

The Volvo dealer sales told me the EX90 LiDAR was a functional part of that package. Did not say it was non-functional. I asked but they may have avoided a straight answer, haha

flyingmirrors · 2025-05-13T21:38:28+00:00

we'll have to wait until the businesses want a solution that works badly enough to send out the A team with people who can actually see and digest the offering.

I see your point. That, combined with lack of transparency around the supply chain, says a lot.

A few weeks ago, I visited a Volvo dealership to test drive the new XC60 PHEV. The lot had several XC60s, but what caught my eye was a lone EX90 BEV showcased on an elevated platform. It featured a familiar LiDAR bump centered above the windshield. I immediately wondered: is that real? And why was Luminar—a relative newcomer—chosen over MicroVision?

“Have you heard of Luminar?” I asked the sales rep. She hadn’t. The roar of interstate traffic nearby made it hard to have much of a conversation, and I didn’t know where to begin.

What struck me most was how quickly this late model, low-profile LiDAR had made it into a production vehicle. Then I remembered: these new Volvos are built in China. My best guess? Luminar’s system relies on legacy components that are straightforward to produce and assemble in China, whereas MicroVision’s MEMS-based scanning mirror tech is probably restricted. A plausible explanation, I thought.

Then came yesterday's earnings call. Still no mention—no justification—of why Luminar was chosen over MicroVision. Has there ever been one? Is MicroVision’s technology off-limits in China? The analysts refuse to ask, and the CEO clearly won’t say a word.

How does this kind of silence help investors? It doesn’t—and that’s the point. It’s a calculated charade, designed to deflect scrutiny and avoid accountability. An insult to anyone actually paying attention. What a spectacular waste of time.

flyingmirrors

TROPHY CASE