Design and implementation of infrared/laser dual-mode compound detection system

Abstract

This study explored an infrared/laser dual-mode compound detection mode. To be specific, the infrared system and laser radar were combined in common path, and the target at a far distance can be recognized, tracked and located using infrared-guided laser-detection mode. The combination of the two single-mode detection techniques, namely, infrared passive imaging and laser active detection, can complement their own advantages, thereby achieving the acquisition of multi-dimensional information of the target such as the azimuth angle, the pitch angle, the velocity, and the range. To enhance the laser’s coherent detection efficiency, a piezoelectric-driven double-sided fast-steering mirror was innovatively developed, which realized emission, receiving, and registration of laser with the use of two reflection sides of a mirror. This study proposed the system indexes and overall architecture in accordance with actual application requirements, and developed an infrared/laser compound detection prototype. The pointing range, the scanning velocity of the system, the infrared target detection, and recognition as well as the range and velocity measurement performances of the linear frequency modulation (LFM) continuous wave laser were examined in depth. Finally, an outdoor scaled experiment at a range of 40 m was designed. The experimental results proved that the designed system can meet the expectations in performance.