Inflight performance of a second-generation photon-counting 3D imaging lidar

John Degnan; Roman Machan; Ed Leventhal; David Lawrence; Gabriel Jodor; Christopher Field

doi:10.1117/12.784759

14 May 2008 Inflight performance of a second-generation photon-counting 3D imaging lidar

John Degnan, Roman Machan, Ed Leventhal, David Lawrence, Gabriel Jodor, Christopher Field

Proceedings Volume 6950, Laser Radar Technology and Applications XIII; 695007 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.784759
Event: SPIE Defense and Security Symposium, 2008, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Sigma Space Corporation has recently developed a compact 3D imaging and polarimetric lidar suitable for use in a small aircraft or mini-UAV. A frequency-doubled Nd:YAG microchip laser generates 6 microjoule, subnanosecond pulses at fire rates up to 22 kHz. A Diffractive Optical Element (DOE) breaks the 532 nm beam into a 10x10 array of Gaussian beamlets, each containing about 1 mW of laser power (50 nJ @ 20 kHz). The reflected radiation in each beamlet is imaged by the receive optics onto individual pixels of a high efficiency, 10x10 pixel, multistop detector. Each pixel is then input to one channel of a 100 channel, multistop timer demonstrated to have a 93 picosecond timing (1.4 cm range) resolution and an event recovery time of only 1.6 nsec. Thus, each green laser pulse produces a 100 pixel volumetric 3D image. The residual infrared energy at 1064 nm is used for polarimetry. The scan pattern and frequency of a dual wedge optical scanner, synchronized to the laser fire rate, are tailored to provide contiguous coverage of a ground scene in a single overflight. In both rooftop and preliminary flight tests, the lidar has produced high spatial resolution 3D images of terrain, buildings, tree structures, power lines, and bridges with a data acquisition rate up to 2.2 million multistop 3D pixels per second. Current tests are aimed at defining the lidar's ability to image through water columns and tree canopies.

Citation Download Citation

John Degnan, Roman Machan, Ed Leventhal, David Lawrence, Gabriel Jodor, and Christopher Field "Inflight performance of a second-generation photon-counting 3D imaging lidar", Proc. SPIE 6950, Laser Radar Technology and Applications XIII, 695007 (14 May 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.784759

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