Abstract
A silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) LiDAR with photon threshold detection can achieve high dynamic performance. However, the number fluctuations of echo signal photons lead to the range walk error (RWE) in SiPM LIDARs. This paper derives the RWE model of SiPM LiDAR by using the LiDAR equation and statistical property of SiPM’s response. Based on the LiDAR system parameters and the echo signal intensity, which is obtained through the SiPM’s photon-number-resolving capability, the RWE is calculated through the proposed model. After that, we carry out experiments to verify its effectiveness. The result shows that the method reduces the RWE in TOF measurements using photon threshold detection from 36.57 cm to the mean deviation of 1.95 cm, with the number of detected photons fluctuating from 1.3 to 46.5.
Highlights
A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) has been widely used in remote laser ranging systems due to its single-photon detection sensitivity and high time resolution [1,2,3]
A SPAD LiDAR system encounters the problem of a high false alarm rate, which becomes prominent when the background light is strong
In the proposed range walk error (RWE) model using the photon threshold method, we derive the relationship between RWE and the number of detected photons, which can be obtained via either analog silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) or digital SiPM
Summary
A single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) has been widely used in remote laser ranging systems due to its single-photon detection sensitivity and high time resolution [1,2,3]. A SPAD LiDAR system encounters the problem of a high false alarm rate, which becomes prominent when the background light is strong To solve this problem, References [5,6,7] utilize the time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) technique to calculate the flight time by counting the trigger time distribution. In addition to this, setting the photon threshold helps suppress the ranging uncertainty caused by the pulse width of the laser These advantages help the SiPM LiDAR system achieve a better dynamic range. An RWE correction method of an SiPM LiDAR system with threshold detection is proposed. In the proposed RWE model using the photon threshold method, we derive the relationship between RWE and the number of detected photons, which can be obtained via either analog SiPM or digital SiPM. Where ηT is the transmission of the transmitter; ηR is the transmission of the receiver optic; ηA is the one-way transmission of the atmosphere; ρ is the reflectivity of the target; AR is the area of the aperture of the receiver; h is the Plank constant; and v is the frequency of the laser
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