Abstract
The ability to measure and record high-resolution depth images at long stand-off distances is important for a wide range of applications, including connected and automotive vehicles, defense and security, and agriculture and mining. In LIDAR (light detection and ranging) applications, single-photon sensitive detection is an emerging approach, offering high sensitivity to light and picosecond temporal resolution, and consequently excellent surface-to-surface resolution. The use of large format CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) single-photon detector arrays provides high spatial resolution and allows the timing information to be acquired simultaneously across many pixels. In this work, we combine state-of-the-art single-photon detector array technology with non-local data fusion to generate high resolution three-dimensional depth information of long-range targets. The system is based on a visible pulsed illumination system at a wavelength of 670 nm and a 240 × 320 array sensor, achieving sub-centimeter precision in all three spatial dimensions at a distance of 150 meters. The non-local data fusion combines information from an optical image with sparse sampling of the single-photon array data, providing accurate depth information at low signature regions of the target.
Highlights
Imaging technology capable of measuring high resolution three-dimensional depth information has developed significantly in recent years
LIDAR is a commonly used method for determining the distance of an object based on the time of flight of the optical signal returned from the target[14,15,16]
If full three-dimensional imaging is required, the source is scanned over the object and the depth information is built up pixel by pixel
Summary
Imaging technology capable of measuring high resolution three-dimensional depth information has developed significantly in recent years. LIDAR (light detection and ranging) is a commonly used method for determining the distance of an object based on the time of flight of the optical signal returned from the target[14,15,16]. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors have shown good performance in LIDAR and depth profiling applications[19,22], their low operating temperatures SPAD arrays consist of large number of pixels that provide high spatial resolution while maintaining single-photon sensitivity and picosecond timing resolution[47]. They are ideal candidates for three-dimensional ranging and imaging due to their high-spatial resolution and temporal characteristics[11]
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