A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a light transmitting unit including a plurality of laser transmission channels for transmitting laser light for detecting an external object in an allocated transmission time slot; a light receiving unit including a plurality of laser reception channels for receiving the laser light reflected by the external object in a reception time slot allocated to correspond to the transmission time slot, N laser reception channels (N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2) being allocated to each of the reception time slots; and a signal amplification unit configured to sequentially amplify the laser light received by the light receiving unit according to the order of the reception time slots, and having N channels allocated in one-to-one correspondence with the N laser reception channels for each of the reception time slots.

A time-of-flight light detection system includes: a plurality of circuits arranged sequentially along a signal path that comprises a plurality of signal channels, the plurality of circuits including a first circuit and a second circuit arranged downstream from the first circuit; a reference signal source configured to generate a plurality of reference signals, where each of the plurality of signal channels at the first circuit receives at least one of the plurality of reference signals; and an evaluation circuit coupled to the plurality of signal channels to receive a processed reference signal from the signal path, the evaluation circuit further configured to compare the processed reference signal to a first expected result to generate a first comparison result.

Example aspects are directed to operating a SPAD receiver such as may be used in a light detection and ranging (Lidar) system. In one example, the SPAD receiver has SPAD circuitry for multiple photon detections using a single-channel TDC (time-to-digital converter), and such photon detection is quenched after detection so as to establish an effective pre-defined OFF period. In response, the SPAD circuitry is recharged for a subsequent ON period during which the SPAD circuitry is unquenched (or armed) for further photon detection and processing.

Example aspects are directed to operating a SPAD receiver such as may be used in a light detection and ranging (Lidar) system. In one example, the SPAD receiver has SPAD circuitry for multiple photon detections using a single-channel TDC (time-to-digital converter), and such photon detection is quenched after detection so as to establish an effective pre-defined OFF period. In response, the SPAD circuitry is recharged for a subsequent ON period during which the SPAD circuitry is unquenched (or armed) for further photon detection and processing.

The present invention relates to a lidar (1000) comprising an emitter (1100) and a receiver (1200), wherein the receiver (1200) comprises a discrete amplification photon detector (1210), wherein the receiver (1200) comprises a discriminator (1220), wherein the discriminator (1220) has an input connected to an output signal of the discrete amplification photon detector (1210), and wherein the discriminator (1220) is configured to output a signal indicating that the output signal of the discrete amplification photon detector (1210) is higher than a predetermined threshold.

A method of time of flight sensing. The method comprises using an emitter to emit pulses of radiation and using an array of photo-detectors to detect radiation reflected from an object. For a given group of photo-detectors of the array, the method determines based upon measured times of flight of the radiation, whether to use a first mode of operation in which outputs from individual photo-detectors of the group are combined together or to use a second mode of operation in which outputs from individual photo-detectors are processed separately. The array of photo-detectors comprises a plurality of groups of photo-detectors. One or more groups of photo-detectors operate in the first mode whilst in parallel one or more groups of photo-detectors operate in the second mode.

A method of time of flight sensing. The method comprises using an emitter to emit pulses of radiation and using an array of photo-detectors to detect radiation reflected from an object. For a given group of photo-detectors of the array, the method determines based upon measured times of flight of the radiation, whether to use a first mode of operation in which outputs from individual photo-detectors of the group are combined together or to use a second mode of operation in which outputs from individual photo-detectors are processed separately. The array of photo-detectors comprises a plurality of groups of photo-detectors. One or more groups of photo-detectors operate in the first mode whilst in parallel one or more groups of photo-detectors operate in the second mode.

A rangefinder includes a light emitting part, a light receiving part, a calculating part that calculates the distance from a reflective object, and a control part. The calculating part has a received light intensity determining part, a peak detecting part, and a distance calculating part, and a distance determining part. The control part controls at least one of the intensity of the pulsed light, the sensitivity of the light receiving part to received light, and a position of the region of interest so that a first received light intensity is obtained as the received light intensity of each of the plurality of times of flight at least once, and a second received light intensity having a higher S/N ratio is obtained as the received light intensity of each of the plurality of times of flight at least once. The distance determining part determines the measurement target distance by using the first distance based on the first received light intensity and the second distance based on the second received light intensity.

The present invention relates to a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system. The LiDAR system may include a transceiver configured to generate pieces of light having different wavelengths and receive pieces of reflected light having different wavelengths reflected from a target, a beam splitter configured to divide the pieces of light having the different wavelengths into long-wavelength light having a relatively long wavelength and short-wavelength light having a relatively short wavelength, and a scan mirror configured to transmit the long-wavelength light and the short-wavelength light, which are divided by the beam splitter, to an outside and allow reflected light of the long-wavelength light and reflected light of the short-wavelength light to be incident on the transceiver through the beam splitter.

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor system includes a dual-polarization optical antenna, a single-polarization optical antenna, a first receiver, and a second receiver. The dual-polarization optical antenna is configured to (i) emit a transmit beam with a first polarization orientation and (ii) and detect a return beam having a second polarization orientation. The single-polarization optical antenna is configured to detect the return beam having the second polarization orientation.