A Progress Review on Solid‐State LiDAR and Nanophotonics‐Based LiDAR Sensors

Abstract

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors enable precision sensing of an object in 3D. LiDAR technology is widely used in metrology, environment monitoring, archaeology, and robotics. It also shows high potential to be applied in autonomous driving. In traditional LiDAR sensors, mechanical rotator is used for optical beam scanning, which brings about limitations on their reliability, size, and cost. These limitations can be overcome by a more compact solid‐state solution. Solid‐state LiDAR sensors are commonly categorized into the following three types: flash‐based LiDAR, microelectromechanical system (MEMS)‐based LiDAR, and optical phased array (OPA)‐based LiDAR. Furthermore, advanced optics technology enables novel nanophotonics‐based devices with high potential and superior advantages to be utilized in a LiDAR sensor. In this review, LiDAR sensor principles are introduced, including three commonly used sensing schemes: pulsed time of flight (TOF), amplitude‐modulated continuous wave TOF, and frequency‐modulated continuous wave. Recent advances in conventional solid‐state LiDAR sensors are summarized and presented, including flash‐based LiDAR, MEMS‐based LiDAR, and OPA‐based LiDAR. The recent progress on emerging nanophotonics‐based LiDAR sensors is also covered. A summary is made and the future outlook on advanced LiDAR sensors is provided.

Aboveground biomass estimates from UAV LiDAR improved via contextual learning in a Norway spruce forest

“…This lack of standardization results in AGB and trait-mapping products with different degrees of agreement, making it particularly relevant to compare data-acquisition methods [8] and validation procedures [7,9] of the AGB products [10,11]. In this scenario, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) & Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) monitoring systems are regarded as particularly versatile [12], accurate and cost-effective [13] tools to be bridged to regional scale maps seamlessly [6] Current RS-driven biomass research focuses on algorithmic developments for the detection and segmentation of single trees, in order to enable more precise estimates of structural tree traits [14,15,16]. Also, recent reference work analyzing forest structure exploits the use of laser sensors to develop methods for volume reconstruction from point cloud data (PCD) [17,18].…”

“…Furthermore, large-scale AGB mapping initiatives pursue characterizing scale-independent LiDAR-derived predictors to develop LiDAR-to-AGB models across scales [10,19]. More specifically, in relation to recent advances in forest monitoring using close-range LiDAR technologies the development of versatile, practical and new cost-effective sensors [13] and platforms [20] has seen a rapid growth, widening the applicability of the emerging LiDAR systems [12,21]. Their emergence has triggered discussions and investigations related to sensor accuracy, sensor types [22] and purpose-adapted surveying methods [23].…”

Modeling for Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes: State-of-the-Art and Research Challenges

“…However, the timing performance of SPADs is susceptible to false detection events caused by dark counts. Therefore, the measurement of SPADs’ and SPAD arrays’ temporal response is usually based on a statistical method by measuring a certain number of repetitive output pulses to generate a histogram [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. This method is also known as the time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) technique.…”

Programmable Optical Vernier‐Sampled Coherent Ranging

“…[1,2] Owing to its advantages, coherent ranging technology has been widely used in applications requiring measurements from several millimeters to tens of meters. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Currently, the strong demand for fast-scanning, long-range, and high-resolution measurements has imposed various requirements on coherent ranging technologies. [9][10][11][12][13][14] However, these DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202200739 high-performance features infer an ultra-high optical interference frequency in coherent ranging technology.…”