Multi-target compressive laser ranging

Abstract

Compressive laser ranging (CLR) is a method that exploits the sparsity available in the range domain using compressive sensing methods to directly obtain range domain information. Conventional ranging methods are marred by requirements of high bandwidth analog detection which includes severe SNR fall off with bandwidth in analog-to-digital conversion (ADC). Compressive laser ranging solves this problem by obtaining sub-centimeter resolution while using low bandwidth detection. High rate digital pulse pattern generators and off the shelf photonic devices are used to modulate the transmitted and received light from a superluminescent diode. CLR detection is demonstrated using low bandwidth, high dynamic range detectors along with photon counting techniques. The use of an incoherent source eliminates speckle issues and enables simplified CLR methods to get multi-target range profiles with 1-3cm resolution. Using compressive sensing methods CLR allows direct range measurements in the sub-Nyquist regime while reducing system resources, in particular the need for high bandwidth ADC.