Geiger-mode avalanche photodetector camera technology at Ball Aerospace

Kondratko, Piotr Konrad; Irwin, Ronda; Strevey, Amber; Medbery, Jim; Earhart, R. Patrick

doi:10.1117/12.2522619

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“…Asynchronous GmAPDs have circuitry to reset individual elements after each detection; however, there is still a non-zero recovery time, during which the element would be insensitive. Such asynchronous GmAPD FPAs are currently commercially available from Ball Aerospace (Kondratko et al 2019), but to date, all GmAPD lidar systems known to the authors have used the synchronous FPAs. The phenomenon that occurs in GmAPD detectors when an FPA element becomes insensitive to additional photons after an initial detection event is termed blocking loss.…”

Section: Figuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coincidence processing of photon-sensitive mapping lidar data

Marchant¹,

Kirkpatrick²,

Ober³

2020

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Photon-sensitive mapping lidar systems are able to image at greater collection area rates and ranges than linear-mode systems. However, these systems also experience greater noise levels due to shot noise, image blur, and dark current, which must be filtered out before the imagery can be exploited. Described in this report is a synthetic test data set of imagery from a notional airborne Geiger-mode lidar. Also described is the Bridge Sign algorithm, which uses a least-squares technique for noise filtering. The algorithm's performance was validated using synthetic test imagery of both a toy scene and of a realistic scene, which were generated using the parameters of a notional airborne Geiger-mode system. Analysis of the results shows the technique effectively removes noise and preserves fine details with good fidelity. DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising, publication, or promotional purposes. Citation of trade names does not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial products. All product names and trademarks cited are the property of their respective owners. The findings of this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other authorized documents.

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Section: Figuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coincidence processing of photon-sensitive mapping lidar data

Marchant¹,

Kirkpatrick²,

Ober³

2020

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Coherent sensing performance comparison of framed and asynchronous GMAPD arrays

2021

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Single photon counting Geiger mode avalanche photodiode (GMAPD) arrays are typically used for high-resolution 3D ranging. These high-gain, high-bandwidth detectors are also feasible for coherent sensing. GMAPD arrays have two different readout architectures: asynchronous and synchronous (or framed). The individual pixels in asynchronous GMAPD arrays operate independently, reducing the loss due to blocking during the reset time. In contrast, framed GMAPD arrays are prone to saturation as they reset the entire array of pixels simultaneously. This study presents a performance comparison of asynchronous and framed GMAPD arrays for coherent sensing as a function of common system parameters. Expressions for the arm probability and blocking loss are defined to contrast the mechanisms of missed detection opportunities for both types of GMAPD detectors.

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Object recognition using sparse, reduced-dimension point cloud data

Watson

2023

Appl. Opt.

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It has been shown that point separations as a feature derived from point clouds can be used to discriminate between two objects of similar class. Here we show that the same feature derived from sparse point clouds can maintain significant discrimination capability. Using the point-separation feature, templates created from random realizations of a point cloud are developed for several vehicles. The templates are then used in two-class discrimination tests. The point-separation feature is shown to produce reliable discrimination using a log-likelihood ratio between two objects.

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Geiger-mode avalanche photodetector camera technology at Ball Aerospace

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Coincidence processing of photon-sensitive mapping lidar data

Coincidence processing of photon-sensitive mapping lidar data

Coherent sensing performance comparison of framed and asynchronous GMAPD arrays

Object recognition using sparse, reduced-dimension point cloud data

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