Methods and apparatus for three-dimensional (3D) imaging

A method of generating a representation of a scene, the method comprising:

• A) illuminating a first portion of the scene with at least one first light pulse;
• B) acquiring at least one first raw point cloud from photons reflected or scattered from the first portion of the scene using a focal plane array, a first data point in the at least one first raw point cloud representing a first distance between the focal plane array and a first scene point in the first portion of the scene;
• C) removing, with a first processor, at least one of a first noise data point or a first redundant data point from the at least one first raw point cloud so as to generate a first processed point cloud having fewer data points than the at least one first raw point cloud;
• D) conveying the first processed point cloud to a second processor;
• E) illuminating a second portion of the scene with a second light pulse;
• F) acquiring a second raw point cloud from photons reflected or scattered from the second portion of the scene using the focal plan array, a second data point in the second raw point cloud representing a second distance between the focal plane array and a second scene point in the second portion of the scene;
• G) removing, with the first processor, at least one of a second noise data point or a second redundant data point from the second raw point cloud so as to generate a second processed point cloud having fewer data points than the second raw point cloud;
• H) conveying the second processed point cloud to the second processor;
• and
• I) generating, using the second processor, a three-dimensional image of the scene based at least in part on the first processed point cloud and the second processed point cloud.