Improvement of range precision in laser detection and ranging system by using two Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes

Kim, Tae Hoon; Kong, Hong Jin; Jo, Sung Eun; Jeon, Byoung Goo; Oh, Min Seok; Heo, Ayoung; Park, Dong Jo

doi:10.1063/1.4811459

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 7 publications

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“…Laser radar (LADAR) is commonly used to measure the distance between a target and a system and is well suited [13]. However, repeating measurements under the same condition many times (typically 10 4 -10 6 ) is time-consuming [14,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High range precision laser radar system using a Pockels cell and a quadrant photodiode

Jo¹,

Kong²,

Bang³

et al. 2016

Appl. Phys. B

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for various applications. The system measures the range of scenes of interest and generates three-dimensional data. With such data, LADAR systems can be used for topographic mapping, automatic target recognition, autonomous safe landing and so on [1][2][3]. To complete these kinds of missions, range precision is the most important parameter of LADAR systems.Various techniques are employed to obtain optical distance measurements including interferometry, time of flight (TOF) and triangulation [4]. For long-range measurements and working outdoors, TOF methods are employed in many LADAR systems [5]. The conventional TOF LADAR system transmits a laser pulse (start signal), triggering the time to digital converter (TDC). The transmitted laser pulse reflects off a target. The laser-return pulse (stop signal) is detected by an avalanche photodiode (APD). The APD generates an electrical signal to stop the TDC. The time interval between the start signal and the stop signal is converted into distance. Range precision is determined by the closeness of such measurements to independent range results acquired under identical environmental circumstances [6].The range precision of the LADAR system depends on a number of factors including the laser pulse width, the timing resolution of the APD, the timing resolution of the TDC, shot noise and the timing jitters generated by electronics [7,8]. Because of these factors, range precision has a limit. Generally, the range precision of the conventional LADAR system is several centimeters [9, 10]. A commercial LADAR system has several millimeters in range precision [11]. To obtain better range precision, a shorter laser pulse width is needed. However, short laser pulses require a high-bandwidth APD and a high timing resolution TDC [12]. This limitation can be overcome by averaging with the improvement proportional to 1/√(the number of results averaged), as compared to a single measurement result Abstract We have proposed and demonstrated a novel technique to measure distance with high range precision. To meet the stringent requirements of a variety of applications, range precision is an important specification for laser radar systems. Range precision in conventional laser radar systems is limited by several factors, namely laser pulse width, the bandwidth of a detector, the timing resolution of the time to digital converter, shot noise and timing jitters generated by electronics. The proposed laser radar system adopts a Pockels cell and a quadrant photodiode and only measures the energy of a laser pulse to obtain range so that the effect of those factors is reduced in comparison to conventional systems. In the proposed system, the measured range precision was 5.7 mm with 100 laser pulses. The proposed method is expected to be an alternative method for laser radar system requiring high range precision in many applications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High range precision laser radar system using a Pockels cell and a quadrant photodiode

Jo¹,

Kong²,

Bang³

et al. 2016

Appl. Phys. B

Self Cite

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Pixel multiplexing technique for real-time three-dimensional-imaging laser detection and ranging system using four linear-mode avalanche photodiodes

Wang

2016

Review of Scientific Instruments

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The avalanche-photodiode-array (APD-array) laser detection and ranging (LADAR) system has been continually developed owing to its superiority of nonscanning, large field of view, high sensitivity, and high precision. However, how to achieve higher-efficient detection and better integration of the LADAR system for real-time three-dimensional (3D) imaging continues to be a problem. In this study, a novel LADAR system using four linear mode APDs (LmAPDs) is developed for high-efficient detection by adopting a modulation and multiplexing technique. Furthermore, an automatic control system for the array LADAR system is proposed and designed by applying the virtual instrumentation technique. The control system aims to achieve four functions: synchronization of laser emission and rotating platform, multi-channel synchronous data acquisition, real-time Ethernet upper monitoring, and real-time signal processing and 3D visualization. The structure and principle of the complete system are described in the paper. The experimental results demonstrate that the LADAR system is capable of achieving real-time 3D imaging on an omnidirectional rotating platform under the control of the virtual instrumentation system. The automatic imaging LADAR system utilized only 4 LmAPDs to achieve 256-pixel-per-frame detection with by employing 64-bit demodulator. Moreover, the lateral resolution is ∼15 cm and range accuracy is ∼4 cm root-mean-square error at a distance of ∼40 m.

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A total station spatial positioning method based on rotary laser scanning and ultrasonic ranging

Zhu

Zhou

et al. 2016

Review of Scientific Instruments

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Total station spatial coordinator measuring technology is extensively applied in the large-scale measurement of industrial assembly and manufacturing for its flexibility and adaptability. The existing total station technology has some principal limits such as poor efficiency and single tasking; in order to achieve the total station spatial coordinator measuring technology with the advantages of multi-task, real-time measurement, and high accuracy, this paper presents a novel total station measurement method by using multi-laser plane constraints established through rotating planar planes and distance information obtained with an ultrasonic ranging method. With the spatial divergence angles of the optoelectronic scanning and ultrasonic arrays, this method can measure the spatial coordinates in multi-task and real-time with a single station and a portable target bar. Experimental results show that the proposed method is feasible and valid with satisfactory accuracy. The maximum distance measurement error is less than 0.2 mm in a volume that is 5 m far away from the station.

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Improvement of range precision in laser detection and ranging system by using two Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes

Cited by 7 publications

References 7 publications

High range precision laser radar system using a Pockels cell and a quadrant photodiode

High range precision laser radar system using a Pockels cell and a quadrant photodiode

Pixel multiplexing technique for real-time three-dimensional-imaging laser detection and ranging system using four linear-mode avalanche photodiodes

A total station spatial positioning method based on rotary laser scanning and ultrasonic ranging

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