Methods and Apparatus for Increased Precision and Improved Range in a Multiple Detector LiDAR Array

A light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) system for acquiring information about objects in a scene, the LiDAR system comprising:

• an array of detectors configured to receive retroreflected radiation within a defined frequency range for a field of view of the scene;
• circuitry operably coupled to the array of detectors including analog-to-digital (A/D) converters to generate digital data and sampling circuitry to generate a sampling time reference signal;
• a set of frame buffers operably coupled to the array of detectors and the circuitry to sample and configured to store digital data from each detector in response to the sampling time reference signal as sampled data;
• a plurality of emitters to generate incident radiation within the defined frequency range throughout the field of view, the incident radiation being generated at two frequencies with overlapping fields of view within the scene, the difference between the frequencies being designated as Δf;
• a processing system configured to perform a frequency analysis on the sampled data to determine sampling times at which Δf waveforms are detected and generate at least one parameter based on the frequency analysis.

A method for detecting and identifying an object within a field of view of a scene comprising:

• providing a LiDAR system, the LiDAR system including an emitter and a detector array;
• activating the emitter to emit a series of N successive pulses over a field of view for the scene, wherein each successive pulse has a same amplitude and duration and a different relative time shift in relation to a sampling time reference signal;
• sampling a portion of reflected energy from the emitted light pulses utilizing the detector array at a frequency that is N times the sampling time reference signal and storing the sampled data in a set of frame buffers;
• using a processing system to construct a sampled waveform representing the field of view based on the data in the set of frame buffers, and analyze sampled waveform to identify and detect an object within the field of view.