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.

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.

The present disclosure describes methods and systems for measuring crosswind speed by optical measurement of laser scintillation. One method includes projecting radiation into a medium, receiving, over time, with a photodetector receiver, a plurality of scintillation patterns of scattered radiation, comparing cumulative a radiation intensity for each received scintillation pattern of the received plurality of scintillation patterns, and measuring a cumulative weighted average cross-movement within the medium using the compared cumulative radiation intensities.

A distance image acquisition device includes a distance measurement sensor that detects a measurement light by transferring charges generated in a charge generation region in response to incidence of a measurement light reflected by a target object, to a charge accumulation region by using a transfer gate electrode. The charge generation region includes an avalanche multiplication region that causes avalanche multiplication. The control unit divides an entire distance range of a measurement target into the plurality of sections, controls the distance measurement sensor so as to perform measurements about a plurality of sections while varying a time difference between an emission timing of the measurement light by the light source and a transferring timing of the charges by the transfer gate electrode among the plurality of sections, and generates a distance image of the entire distance range based on the results of the measurements about the plurality of sections.

A distance image acquisition device includes a distance measurement sensor that detects a measurement light by transferring charges generated in a charge generation region in response to incidence of a measurement light reflected by a target object, to a charge accumulation region by using a transfer gate electrode. The charge generation region includes an avalanche multiplication region that causes avalanche multiplication. The control unit divides an entire distance range of a measurement target into the plurality of sections, controls the distance measurement sensor so as to perform measurements about a plurality of sections while varying a time difference between an emission timing of the measurement light by the light source and a transferring timing of the charges by the transfer gate electrode among the plurality of sections, and generates a distance image of the entire distance range based on the results of the measurements about the plurality of sections.

A LIDAR system includes a transmitting device for light; a receiving device for light, including a first and a second photon detector; and an evaluation device that is configured for determining a time period between the emission of light with the aid of the transmitting device and the incidence at the receiving device of the light reflected on an object. The transmitting device is configured for emitting a superimposition of horizontally and vertically polarized light; the first photon detector is configured for detecting only horizontally polarized light, and the second photon detector is configured for detecting only vertically polarized light; in addition, the evaluation device is configured for determining the time period, based on light that is incident on both photon detectors within a predetermined interval.

A LIDAR system includes a transmitting device for light; a receiving device for light, including a first and a second photon detector; and an evaluation device that is configured for determining a time period between the emission of light with the aid of the transmitting device and the incidence at the receiving device of the light reflected on an object. The transmitting device is configured for emitting a superimposition of horizontally and vertically polarized light; the first photon detector is configured for detecting only horizontally polarized light, and the second photon detector is configured for detecting only vertically polarized light; in addition, the evaluation device is configured for determining the time period, based on light that is incident on both photon detectors within a predetermined interval.

A method for detecting lost image information via a lighting device and an optical sensor. The lighting device and the optical sensor are controlled so as to be chronologically aligned with each other. A visible spacing region in an observation region of the optical sensor is determined from the chronological alignment of the control of the lighting device and the optical sensor. A recording of the observation region with the optical sensor is generated via the aligned control. Image information is identified in the recording in regions outside of the spacing region visible in the image, so as to make the identified image information accessible.

An optical sensing device includes a light source, which emits one or more beams of light pulses toward a target scene at respective angles about a transmit axis of the light source. A first array of single-photon detectors output electrical pulses in response to photons that are incident thereon. A second array of counters count the electrical pulses output during respective count periods by respective sets of one or more of the single-photon detectors. Light collection optics form an image of the target scene on the first array along a receive axis, which is offset transversely relative to the transmit axis, thereby giving rise to a parallax shift as a function of distance between the target scene and the device. Control circuitry sets the respective count periods of the counters, responsively to the parallax shift, to cover different, respective time intervals following each of the light pulses.

A time of flight based depth detection system is disclosed that includes a projector configured to sequentially emit multiple complementary illumination patterns. A sensor of the depth detection system is configured to capture the light from the illumination patterns reflecting off objects within the sensor's field of view. The data captured by the sensor can be used to filter out erroneous readings caused by light reflecting off multiple surfaces prior to returning to the sensor.