A method for analyzing backscatter histogram data in an optical pulse runtime method, including the steps of receiving backscatter histogram data; and analyzing the received backscatter histogram data.

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 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.

Described herein are systems and methods that detect an electromagnetic signal in a constant interference environment. In one embodiment, the electromagnetic signal is a light signal. A constant interference detector may detect false signal “hits” generated by constant interference, such as bright light saturation, from valid signals. The constant interference detector determines if there is constant interference for a time period that is greater than a time period of the valid signal. In one embodiment, if a received signal exceeds a programmable threshold value for a programmable period of time, when compared to previously stored ambient light, a control signal is generated to inform the next higher network layer of a sudden change in ambient light. This control signal can be used to either discard the present return or process the signal in a different way. A constant interference detector may be a component of a LIDAR system.

Various implementations disclosed herein include a method for operating a LIDAR sensor, comprising repeatedly performing measurements in a respective measurement time window (M), at the beginning of which at least one measurement light pulse (A) having at least one predefined wavelength is emitted by the LIDAR sensor, and determining whether a light pulse (A′) having the at least one predefined wavelength is detected by the LIDAR sensor within the measurement time window (M), wherein a time interval (D1, D2, D3) between two consecutive measurement time windows (M) is varied.

The light wave distance meter is disclosed, including: a distance measuring light-emitting unit; a light-receiving signal generating unit; and a control arithmetic unit. A light-receiving signal includes a first intermittent light-receiving signal corresponding to a first distance measuring light, a second intermittent light-receiving signal corresponding to a second distance measuring light, a third intermittent light-receiving signal corresponding to a third distance measuring light, and a fourth intermittent light-receiving signal corresponding to a fourth distance measuring light. The control arithmetic unit executes an error determination control to acquire a shift signal generated by shifting at least a phase of any one of the first to fourth intermittent light-receiving signals by 2π.Math.n−π/2 or 2π.Math.n+π/2, and compares the phase of the shift signal and the phase of the intermittent light-receiving signal at least between either the first frequencies or between the second frequencies.

A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system may include a laser and a array of single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) that are triggered by laser light that reflects off a target scene. The LiDAR system may use the array of SPADs to assemble a raw histogram data. A histogram valid peak detector can be used to filter the raw histogram data to extract only valid histogram peak signals exceeding a threshold value. The histogram valid peak detector may include a raw histogram sum counter, a non-zero bins counter, a background noise floor generator, summing circuits, comparators, and a gating circuit, all controlled by a sequencing circuit. By filtering out noise signals in the raw histogram while only transferring the valid peak signals, data transfer rate requirements between different chips in the overall LiDAR system can be dramatically reduced.

An optoelectronic sensor, in particular a laser scanner, for detecting an object in a monitored zone is provided having a light transmitter for transmitting a light beam into the monitored zone; a light receiver for generating a received signal from the light beam remitted by the object; a moving deflection unit for a periodic deflection of the light beam to scan the monitored zone in the course of the movement; and having a control and evaluation unit that is configured to determine the time of flight between the transmission and reception of the light beam and to determine the distance from the object therefrom, wherein the sensor has a correction of the signal dynamics, i.e. of the relative reception power in dependence on the distance of the scanned object, The control and evaluation unit is here configured to correct the signal dynamics by adapting the sensitivity of the sensor.

A plurality of photodetectors form a light receiving group, and a plurality of the light receiving groups form one pixel. A light receiving array is provided with one or more of such pixels. The photodetectors each output a pulse signal in response to irradiation of a photon. A measuring unit is provided for each of the plurality of light receiving groups. The measuring unit generates time information representing an elapsed time from an irradiation timing input from outside and light quantity information acquired at each of one or more timings identified from the time information, in accordance with the pulse signal output from the light receiving group. The number of the photodetectors outputting the pulse signal among the plurality of photodetectors belonging to the light receiving group is used as the light quantity information.

A LIDAR system that identifies, from a channel output, a false positive return and/or suppressing a corresponding false positive detection caused, in some cases, a strong reflection by a highly reflective surface that caused light to leak from a first channel to a second channel. The LIDAR system described herein may identify, as a false return, a return detected in the second channel that has an intensity that is much less than a return in the first channel and indicates a distance that is the same or very close to a distance indicated the return in the first channel. Based at least in part on identifying a return as a false return, the LIDAR system may suppress a false detection associated with the false return by modifying a detection threshold.