Automotive auxiliary ladar sensor

A vehicle and collision avoidance system comprising:

• a vehicle having at least one ladar sensor assembly mounted thereto, said vehicle having a cutout in a body panel, said cutout being at the periphery of said vehicle and having a shape adapted to receive a mating retention feature on said at least one ladar sensor assembly, and said vehicle further having a first digital processor and a wiring harness, a first connector attached at a terminus of said wiring harness, said first connector adapted to mate with a connector of said at least one ladar sensor assembly, and said vehicle first digital processor receiving three dimensional data from said at least one ladar sensor assembly and a control system which controls the path and velocity of said vehicle, said first digital processor applying controls through said control system to conduct said vehicle along a preferred path;
• and said at least one ladar sensor assembly comprising
• a receiving lens,
• a laser transmitter, said laser transmitter with a modulated laser light output and a diffusing optic for illuminating a scene in a field of view of said at least one ladar sensor assembly,
• a two dimensional array of light sensitive detectors positioned at a focal plane of said receiving lens, 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,
• and a detector bias circuit connected to at least one voltage distribution grid of said array of light sensitive detectors;
• a second digital processor connected to receive data outputs from the range measuring circuits and to conduct operations on said data outputs, and to provide processed digital outputs to said first digital processor,
• and a temperature stabilized frequency reference connected to the second digital processor.