Cross-chirped interferometry system and method for light detection and ranging
US8094292B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 17, 2009 |
| Grant date | Jan 10, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 16, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S17/08
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An interferometric method and system enabling light echoes-to-spectrum mapping, applicable for laser rangefinder, biomedical imaging including surface 3D mapping and tomography, vehicle position identification, and spectrum analysis. The direct mapping into spectrum allows a time-of-flight detection without using any timing pulse modulation. The sensitivity of the detection can be as high as that of the conventional low coherence interferometry, thereby an eye-safe and low-cost solution not compromising performance. In a practical implementation, high accurate range detection can be easily achievable with the level of accuracy equivalent to the laser rangefinder using a 20 ps Full-Width-at-Half-Maximum (FWHM) timing pulse. The system and method comprise applying dispersion-unbalanced interference (referred to as ‘cross-chirp interference’) and gating a phase matched spectral component. The dispersion unbalance used to induce linear one-to-one correspondence between the relative time delay and the spectral component, the performances in terms of range and resolution of the system and method increase with the increase in dispersion unbalance.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.