Ladar enabled impact mitigation system

A proactive vehicle suspension system comprising:

• a ladar sensor having a ladar sensor output and being mountable to a vehicle;
• a visible light video camera having a video output and being mountable to the vehicle;
• a digital suspension control processor connected to said ladar sensor output and said video output and adapted to develop scene data therefrom and to produce a suspension control signal;
• and
• an active suspension component attachable to a suspension arm of a wheel of the vehicle and a chassis of the vehicle, and said active suspension component connected to said digital suspension control processor and adapted to actively raise or lower the wheel in response to the suspension control signal;
• said ladar sensor comprising
• a receiving lens assembly,
• a laser transmitter with a modulated laser light output and a diffusing optic for illuminating a scene in the field of view,
• a two-dimensional array of light sensitive detectors positioned at a focal plane of said receiving lens assembly, each of said light sensitive detectors with an output producing an electrical response signal from a reflected portion of said modulated laser light output,
• a readout integrated circuit with a plurality of unit cell electrical circuits, each of said unit cell electrical circuits having an input connected to one of said light sensitive detector outputs, each said unit cell electrical circuit having an electrical response signal demodulator and a range measuring circuit connected to an output of said electrical response signal demodulator, said range measuring circuit further connected to a reference signal providing a zero range reference for the said range measuring circuit,
• a detector bias circuit connected to at least one voltage distribution grid of said array of light sensitive detectors, and
• a temperature stabilized frequency reference connected to said readout integrated circuit.

A proactive occupant restraint system for a vehicle, comprising:

• a ladar sensor having a ladar sensor output and being mountable to the vehicle;
• a visible light video camera having a video output and being mountable to the vehicle;
• a digital occupant restraint control processor connected to said ladar sensor output and said video output and adapted to develop scene data therefrom and to produce at least one occupant restraint control signal through an occupant restraint control output;
• an occupant restraint subsystem having a plurality of occupant restraint devices, each having an occupant restraint control input connected to the occupant restraint control output of said digital occupant restraint control processor and adapted to deploy upon said occupant restraint control signal;
• said ladar sensor comprising
• a laser transmitter and said laser transmitter with a modulated laser light output and a diffusing optic for illuminating a scene in a field of view,
• a receiving lens assembly,
• a two-dimensional array of light sensitive detectors positioned at a focal plane of said receiving lens assembly, each of said light sensitive detectors with an output producing an electrical response signal from a reflected portion of said modulated laser light output,
• a readout integrated circuit with a plurality of unit cell electrical circuits, each of said unit cell electrical circuits having an input connected to one of said light sensitive detector outputs, each said unit cell electrical circuit having an electrical response signal demodulator and a range measuring circuit connected to an output of said electrical response signal demodulator, said range measuring circuit further connected to a reference signal providing a zero range reference for the said range measuring circuit,
• a detector bias circuit connected to at least one voltage distribution grid of said array of light sensitive detectors, and
• a temperature stabilized frequency reference connected to said readout integrated circuit.