Improving the ranging performance of chaos LiDAR

Abstract

Chaos lidar has gained significant attention due to its high spatial resolution, natural anti-interference capability, and confidentiality. However, constrained by the power of the chaos laser, the sensitivity of the linear detector, and the hardware bandwidth, chaos lidar is greatly restricted in the application of long-distance target detection and imaging. To overcome these constraints, we propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, chaos lidar based on Geiger mode avalanched photodetectors (GM-APDs) in a previous study called chaos single-photon (CSP) lidar. In this paper, we compare the CSP lidar with the linear mode chaos lidars by combining with lidar equation. Regarding the ranging principle, the CSP lidar is fully digital and breaks through the constraints of a detector’s bandwidth and ADC’s sampling rate. The simulation results indicate that the detection range of the CSP lidar is approximately 35 times and 8 times greater than that of a continuous-wave chaos lidar and pulsed chaos lidar, respectively. Although the detection accuracy of the CSP lidar is only at the centimeter level and is lower than the linear mode chaos lidars, its consumption of storage resources and power is greatly reduced due to 1-bit quantization in the GM-APD. Additionally, we investigate the impact of GM-APD parameters on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the CSP lidar system and demonstrate that the dead time difference between GM-APDs has a negligible effect. In conclusion, we present and demonstrate a new chaos lidar system with a large detection range, high SNR, low storage resources and power consumption, and on-chip capability.

Recent Advances in Light Detection and Ranging: Optical Modulation Solutions and Novel Nanotechnologies

“…Nonlinear dynamics in semiconductor lasers, achieved through optical injection and feedback, can generate optical chaos, eliminating the need for costly high-speed signal generators or external modulators. [43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] Although the viability of continuous wave (CW) chaos LiDAR was demonstrated in 2004, it experienced a low SNR and limited detection capabilities, especially when operating at reduced average output power levels to meet eye safety requirements. To enhance SNR and enable practical applications of chaos LiDAR systems using pulsed mode, researchers have devised designs that produce chaos-modulated pulses through gain switching and time gating.…”