Patent attributes
In one embodiment, a LIDAR device of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) includes an array of light emitters to emit a number of light beams to sense a physical range associated with a target. The LIDAR device further includes a prism-shaped mirror assembly having a plurality of joining faces acting as reflective surfaces and a bottom base face. The rotatable platform is configured to rotate with respect to a vertical axis perpendicular to the bottom base face. The light emitters are configured to project the light beams onto the reflective surfaces of the mirror assembly, which are deflected towards the target. The mirror assembly rotates along with the rotatable platform while the array of light emitters remains steady. The LIDAR device further includes one or more light detectors to receive at least a portion of the light beams reflected from the target.