METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A FAULT-TOLERANT LIDAR SENSOR

According to one aspect, a lidar system is a lidar system which includes one set of mechanical, e.g., optical, components, and two or more sets of electrical and/or software components. The beams which are provided by the optical components are effectively alternated between a first and second sets of electrical and/or software components. The redundancy provided by the first and second sets of electrical and/or software components allows the lidar system to remain operational in the event that one set of electrical and/or software components becomes non-operational.