Automatic range corrected flash ladar camera

A flash laser radar having a field of view, the flash laser radar comprising:

• a pulsed laser transmitter having an optical axis and a pulsed laser light output, and a diffusing optic adapted to illuminate a scene in the field of view with a pattern of light intensity;
• the pulsed laser transmitter comprising a solid state gain media interposed between two mirrors, and coupled to a Q-switch, and said solid state gain media optically pumped by at least one laser diode, and said at least one laser diode electrically driven by an electrical current issuing from a laser controller,
• a zero time reference generator generating a time zero output and signal which indicates the emission of pulsed laser light output, and the time zero output terminating the electrical current issuing from said laser controller;
• receive optics boresighted along the optical axis, the receive optics adapted to collect and condition an incident optical signal of pulsed laser light reflected from the scene in the field of view;
• an optical receiver with a light detecting focal plane array having a plurality of light detecting pixels, the light detecting focal plane array disposed to intercept said collected and conditioned incident optical signal from the receive optics;
• and
• wherein each individual pixel in the light detecting focal plane array receives a pixellated portion of the incident optical signal of pulsed laser light reflected from the scene in the field of view;
• and
• each individual pixel is adapted to convert incident pulsed laser light into an opto-electric pulse signal;
• a system controller having a laser pulse initiation output connected to the laser controller of said pulsed laser transmitter, and said laser pulse initiation output generating a signal which initiates the electrical current issuing from said laser controller, and said system controller also adapted to control the operations of the optical receiver;
• a readout integrated circuit having a plurality of unit cell electrical circuits, each unit cell electrical circuit connected to an individual pixel of the light detecting focal plane array;
• and
• each unit cell electrical circuit adapted to detect an opto-electric pulse and having a detected pulse output;
• a plurality of timing circuits, and each timing circuit connected to the time zero output and adapted to initiate timing upon a transition of the time zero output, and each timing circuit also connected to a detected pulse output of a unit cell electrical circuit, and each timing circuit adapted to stop timing upon a transition of the detected pulse output, and said timing circuit adapted to produce a timing output value proportional to the elapsed time between the zero time reference and a detected pulse output;
• and said readout integrated circuit adapted to output the timing output values, and
• an optical sampler positioned in the output path of the pulsed laser transmitter, the optical sampler adapted to collect a portion of the aforesaid pulsed laser light output;
• wherein the optical sampler is connected via an optical pathway to at least one reference pixel of the light detecting focal plane array, and the zero time reference generator connected to said reference pixel, and adapted to produce the time zero output.