Laser radar system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9007600-B2
Application number	US-201113640157-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2011
Priority date	May 7, 2010
Publication date	Apr 14, 2015
Grant date	Apr 14, 2015

Abstract

A laser radar system includes: a scanner for transmitting a pulse toward a target while two-dimensionally scanning a transmitting beam, and outputting scan angle information; a lens of the receiver for receiving received light; a high aspect photo detector array for converting the received light into a received signal; a transimpedance amplifier array for amplifying the received signal; an adder circuit for adding the received signal from each element of the transimpedance amplifier array; a distance detecting circuit for measuring a light round-trip time to the target of an output signal from the adder circuit; and a signal processing unit for causing the scanner to perform a two-dimensional scanning operation in association with the scan angle information, to determine distances to multiple points on the target based on the light round-trip time and a speed of light and measure a three-dimensional shape of the target.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laser radar system, comprising:
a laser light source for generating pulse laser light based on a trigger signal and outputting the pulse laser light as a transmitting pulse;
a scanner for transmitting the transmitting pulse toward a target while two-dimensionally scanning a pencil-shaped transmitting beam of the transmitting pulse in a long-side direction of a light-receiving element and in a direction orthogonal to the long-side direction of the light-receiving element, and outputting scan angle information;
a lens of the receiver for receiving received light which has arrived after the transmitting pulse has been scattered by the target;
a high aspect photo detector array for converting the received light into a received signal formed of an electrical signal domain and outputting the received signal, the high aspect photo detector array comprising long light-receiving elements arrayed in the direction orthogonal to the long-side direction of the light-receiving element;
a transimpedance amplifier array for amplifying the received signal;
an adder circuit for adding the received signal from each element of the transimpedance amplifier array;
a distance detecting circuit for measuring a light round-trip time to the target of an output signal from the adder circuit; and
a signal processing unit for causing the scanner to perform a two-dimensional scanning operation in association with the scan angle information, to thereby determine distances to multiple points on the target based on the light round-trip time and a speed of light and measure a three-dimensional shape of the target.

Assignees

• Imaki Masaharu
• Kameyama Shumpei
• Hirai Akihito
• Asaka Kimio
• Hirano Yoshihito
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Imaki Masaharu
• Kameyama Shumpei
• Hirai Akihito
• Asaka Kimio
• Hirano Yoshihito

Classifications

• G01S17/10

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) · CPC title

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S7/4816 Primary

  of receivers alone · CPC title

• G01S17/936 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic