Adaptive control of ladar system camera using spatial index of prior ladar return data

A ladar system comprising:

• a ladar transmitter configured to transmit a plurality of ladar pulse shots into a coordinate space toward a plurality of range points;
• a camera configured to generate images of a field of view that encompasses the coordinate space;
• a memory configured to spatially index ladar return data for prior ladar pulse shots by location in the coordinate space;
• and
• a processor configured to define a control setting for the camera based on a look up and analysis of spatially indexed ladar return data stored in the memory for locations in the coordinate space that are within a defined vicinity around a targeted location in the coordinate space, wherein the defined vicinity is an adjustable value;
• and
• wherein the camera is further configured to generate new images of the field of view based on the defined control setting.

A method for adaptively controlling a ladar system that interrogates a coordinate space with a plurality of ladar pulse shots, the method comprising:

• spatially indexing ladar return data for a plurality of prior ladar pulse shots by location in the coordinate space to create a tree structure having a root node, a plurality of branches, and a plurality of leaf nodes, wherein the leaf nodes associate the ladar return data with corresponding locations in the coordinate space;
• transmitting a plurality of ladar pulse shots into the coordinate space toward a plurality of range points;
• a camera generating images of a field of view that encompasses the coordinate space;
• traversing the tree structure based on an identified range point location in the coordinate space to identify leaf nodes in the tree structure that include ladar return data associated with locations within a defined vicinity around the identified range point location;
• extracting ladar return data from the identified leaf nodes;
• defining a control setting for the camera based on an analysis of the extracted ladar return data;
• and
• the camera generating new images of the field of view based on the defined control setting.

A method for adaptively controlling a ladar system that interrogates a coordinate space with a plurality of ladar pulse shots, the method comprising:

• spatially indexing ladar return data for a plurality of prior ladar pulse shots by location in the coordinate space;
• transmitting a plurality of ladar pulse shots into the coordinate space toward a plurality of range points;
• a camera generating images of a field of view that encompasses the coordinate space;
• defining a control setting for the camera based on a look up and analysis of spatially indexed ladar return data stored for locations in the coordinate space that are within a defined vicinity around a targeted location in the coordinate space;
• the camera generating new images of the field of view based on the defined control setting;
• adjusting the defined vicinity;
• and
• repeating the transmitting step, the defining step, and the generating new images step for a new ladar pulse shot using the adjusted defined vicinity.