Compact economical lidar system
AssigneeAret? Associates
InventorsAndrew Griffis, Gregory Fetzer, Brian Redman, David Sitter, Asher Gelbart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lidar pulse is time resolved in ways that avoid costly, fragile, bulky, high-voltage vacuum devices—and also costly, awkward optical remappers or pushbroom layouts—to provide preferably 3D volumetric imaging from a single pulse, or full-3D volumetric movies. Delay lines or programmed circuits generate time-resolution sweep signals, ideally digital. Preferably, discrete 2D photodiode and transimpedance-amplifier arrays replace a continuous 1D streak-tube cathode. For each pixel a memory-element array forms range bins. An intermediate optical buffer with low, well-controlled capacitance avoids corruption of input signal by these memories.
Claims16
A lidar system comprising:
- means for generating a measurement signal that is at least one-dimensional, corresponding to a received at-least-one-dimensional lidar-beam pulse;
- said generating means comprising a detector, receiving said lidar-beam pulse and in response emitting the measurement signal, said detector having at least one transverse dimension on the order of 100 microns or smaller;
- means for time-resolving the measurement signal, said resolving means comprising:
- multiple memory elements for receiving and holding successive portions of the measurement signal respectively,
- digital means for forming a digital sweep signal defining multiple digital states corresponding to the respective memory elements, and
- means for applying the digital sweep signal to control distribution of the successive measurement-signal portions into the respective memory elements;
- and
- means for reading the measurement-signal portions from the memory elements.
4-17. (canceled)
19-33. (canceled)
A lidar system comprising:
- means for generating an at-least-one-dimensional measurement signal corresponding to an at-least-one-dimensional received lidar-beam pulse;
- said generating means comprising a detector receiving said lidar-beam pulse and in response emitting the measurement signal, said detector having at least one transverse dimension on the order of 100 microns or smaller;
- means for time-resolving the measurement signal;
- multiple memory elements, comprising a dynamic RAM or other capacitive array, respectively receiving and holding time-resolved measurement-signal portions substantially directly from the resolving means;
- and
- means for reading the held measurement-signal portions from the memory elements.
35-36. (canceled)
A lidar system comprising:
- means for generating a measurement signal corresponding to a received lidar-beam pulse;
- a delay line that accepts successive portions of the measurement signal;
- means, within the delay line, for advancing successively accepted signal portions farther into the delay line;
- and
- means for reading multiple measurement-signal portions substantially simultaneously from multiple positions along the delay line.
38-46. (canceled)
A method for making three-dimensional images of a volume and features therein, using a two-dimensional array of multiple discrete photosensitive detectors and electronic circuitry connected with said detectors;
- said method comprising the steps of:
- directing a two-dimensional lidar pulse, reflected from the volume and features, to the array of multiple discrete photosensitive detectors;
- generation of a corresponding two-dimensional array of multiple discrete electronic signals by the detectors;
- passing the entire resulting array of signals from the photosensitive detectors to the electronic circuitry;
- and
- operating the electronic circuitry to time-resolve the entire array of signals, generating a three-dimensional electronic image of the features.
48-51. (canceled)
A system for forming a three-dimensional image of a volume and features therein;
- said system comprising:
- a two-dimensional array of multiple discrete photodetectors receiving a two-dimensional lidar pulse reflected from such volume and features, and in response generating a two-dimensional array of corresponding discrete electronic signals;
- and
- a two-dimensional array of multiple discrete electronic circuits connected to receive the array of signals from the detector array;
- wherein the circuits comprise means for time-resolving the entire array of signals, to generate from said pulse a three-dimensional electronic image of the features.
53-65. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.