Compact laser radar and three-dimensional camera

A novel three-dimensional (3D) camera is capable of providing high-precision 3D images in real time. The camera uses a diode laser to illuminate the scene, a shuttered solid-state charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, and a simple phase detection technique based on the sensor shutter. The amplitude of the reflected signal carries the luminance information, while the phase of the signal carries range information. The system output is coded as a video signal. This camera offers significant advantages over existing technology. The precision in range is dependent only on phase shift and laser power and theoretically is far superior to existing time-of-flight laser radar systems. Other advantages are reduced size and simplicity and compact and inexpensive construction. We built a prototype that produced high-resolution images in range the (z) and x-y.     

Underwater three-dimensional imaging with an amplitude-modulated laser radar at a 405 nm wavelength

We report the results of underwater imaging with an amplitude-modulated single-mode laser beam and miniaturized piezoactuator-based scanning system. The basic elements of the device are a diode laser source at 405 nm with digital amplitude modulation and a microscanning system realized with a small-aperture aspheric lens mounted on a pair of piezoelectric translators driven by sawtooth waveforms. The system has been designed to be a low-weight and rugged imaging device suitable to operate at medium range (approximately 10 m) in clear seawater as also demonstrated by computer simulation of layout performance. In the controlled laboratory conditions a submillimeter range accuracy has been obtained at a laser amplitude modulation frequency of 36.7 MHz.     

Gated viewing and high-accuracy three-dimensional laser radar

We have developed a fast and high-accuracy three-dimensional (3-D) imaging laser radar that can achieve better than 1-mm range accuracy for half a million pixels in less than 1 s. Our technique is based on range-gating segmentation. We combine the advantages of gated viewing with our new fast technique of 3-D imaging. The system uses a picosecond Q-switched Nd:Yag laser at 532 nm with a 32-kHz pulse repetition frequency (PRF), which triggers an ultrafast camera with a highly sensitive CCD with 582 x 752 pixels. The high range accuracy is achieved with narrow laser pulse widths of approximately 200 ps, a high PRF of 32 kHz, and a high-speed camera with gate times down to 200 ps and delay steps down to 100 ps. The electronics and the software also allow for gated viewing with automatic gain control versus range, whereby foreground backscatter can be suppressed. We describe our technique for the rapid production of high-accuracy 3-D images, derive performance characteristics, and outline future improvements.     

Photon-counting compressive sensing laser radar for 3D imaging

We experimentally demonstrate a photon-counting, single-pixel, laser radar camera for 3D imaging where transverse spatial resolution is obtained through compressive sensing without scanning. We use this technique to image through partially obscuring objects, such as camouflage netting. Our implementation improves upon pixel-array based designs with a compact, resource-efficient design and highly scalable resolution.     

Nonlinear formation of holographic images of obscurations in laser beams

Computer models are used to simulate the nonlinear formation of images of obscurations in laser beams. The predictions of the model are found to be in good agreement with measurements conducted in the nonlinear regime corresponding to a typical solid-state laser operation. In this regime, peak-to-mean fluence ratios large enough to induce damage in optical components are observed. The amplitude of the images and their location along the propagation axis are accurately predicted by the simulations. This indicates that the model is a reliable design tool for specifying component staging and optical specifications to avoid optical damage by this mechanism.     

Three-dimensional imaging laser radar with a photon-counting avalanche photodiode array and microchip laser

We have developed a threedimensional imaging laser radar featuring 3-cm range resolution and single-photon sensitivity. This prototype direct-detection laser radar employs compact, all-solid-state technology for the laser and detector array. The source is a Nd:YAG microchip laser that is diode pumped, passively Q-switched, and frequency doubled. The detector is a gated, passively quenched, two-dimensional array of silicon avalanche photodiodes operating in Geigermode. After describing the system in detail, we present a three-dimensional image, derive performance characteristics, and discuss our plans for future imaging three-dimensional laser radars.     

Synthetic-aperture imaging laser radar: laboratory demonstration and signal processing

The spatial resolution of a conventional imaging laser radar system is constrained by the diffraction limit of the telescope's aperture. We investigate a technique known as synthetic-aperture imaging laser radar (SAIL), which employs aperture synthesis with coherent laser radar to overcome the diffraction limit and achieve fine-resolution, long-range, two-dimensional imaging with modest aperture diameters. We detail our laboratory-scale SAIL testbed, digital signal-processing techniques, and image results. In particular, we report what we believe to be the first optical synthetic-aperture image of a fixed, diffusely scattering target with a moving aperture. A number of fine-resolution, well-focused SAIL images are shown, including both retroreflecting and diffuse scattering targets, with a comparison of resolution between real-aperture imaging and synthetic-aperture imaging. A general digital signal-processing solution to the laser waveform instability problem is described and demonstrated, involving both new algorithms and hardware elements. These algorithms are primarily data driven, without a priori knowledge of waveform and sensor position, representing a crucial step in developing a robust imaging system.     

Neural-network laser radar

A laser radar whose resolution is greater than 1 μm is reported. We present the radar results when they are used for such purposes as determining the size of a void inside a silicon wafer, profiling a cross-sectional pattern of an optical fiber, studying the birefringence of a lithium-niobate crystal, or finding a fault in an optical guide in an optical integrated-circuit wafer. Neural-network theory was used in processing the radar signal. Radar processing based on neural-network theory gave significantly superior resolution compared with Fourier-transform-based processing.     

Linear terrestrial laser scanning using array avalanche photodiodes as detectors for rapid three-dimensional imaging

As an active remote sensor technology, the terrestrial laser scanner is widely used for direct generation of a three-dimensional (3D) image of an object in the fields of geodesy, surveying, and photogrammetry. In this article, a new laser scanner using array avalanche photodiodes, as designed by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is introduced for rapid collection of 3D data. The system structure of the new laser scanner is first presented, and a mathematical model is further derived to transform the original data to the 3D coordinates of the object in a user-defined coordinate system. The performance of the new laser scanner is tested through a comprehensive experiment. The result shows that the new laser scanner can scan a scene with a field view of 30° × 30° in 0.2 s and that, with respect to the point clouds obtained on the wall and ground floor surfaces, the root mean square errors for fitting the two planes are 0.21 and 0.01 cm, respectively. The primary advantages of the developed laser scanner include: (i) with a line scanning mode, the new scanner achieves simultaneously the 3D coordinates of 24 points per single laser pulse, which enables it to scan faster than traditional scanners with a point scanning mode and (ii) the new scanner makes use of two galvanometric mirrors to deflect the laser beam in both the horizontal and the vertical directions. This capability makes the instrument smaller and lighter, which is more acceptable for users.     

A compressive sensing algorithm using truncated SVD for three-dimensional laser imaging of space-continuous targets

For traditional array 3-D laser radars, the resolution of the intensity image and range profile is limited by the number and accuracy of sensors. Moreover, for a space-continuous target, peak detection in the pulsed time of flight is no longer suitable for super-resolution reconstruction algorithms. Hence, a compressive sensing algorithm for 3-D laser imaging is proposed. A range observation matrix composed of time interval basis vectors is constructed to acquire the range information regarding a target. However, the range observation matrix is generally ill-posed owing to the spatial continuity of the target. To address this shortage, truncated singular value decomposition is utilized to extract the peak values of echo pulses for image reconstruction. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed algorithm.     

Simple three-dimensional laser angle sensor for three-dimensional small-angle measurement

A simple three-dimensional (3D) laser angle sensor for 3D measurement of small angles based on the diffraction theorem and on ray optics analysis is presented. The possibility of using position-sensitive detectors and a reflective diffraction grating to develop a 3D angle sensor was investigated and a prototype 3D laser angle sensor was designed and built. The system is composed of a laser diode, two position-sensitive detectors, and a reflective diffraction grating. The diffraction grating, mounted upon the rotational center of a 3D rotational stage, divides an incident laser beam into several diffracted rays, and two position-sensitive detectors are set up for detecting the positions of +/-1st-order diffracted rays. According to the optical path relationship between the three angular motions and the output coordinates of the two position-sensitive detectors, the 3D angles can be obtained through kinematic analysis. The experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed 3D laser angular sensor. Use of this system as an instrument for high-resolution measurement of small-angle rotation is proposed.     

Feasibility study of synthetic aperture infrared laser radar techniques for imaging of static and moving objects

Techniques for two types of 10-mum band synthetic aperture infrared laser radar using a hypothetical reference point target (RPT) are presented. One is for imaging static objects with a single two-dimensional scanning aperture. Through the simple manipulation of a reference wave phase, a desired image can be obtained merely by the two-dimensional Fourier transformation of the correlator output between the intermediate frequency signals of the reference and object waves. The other, with a one-dimensional aperture array, is for moving objects that pass across the array direction without attitude change. We performed imaging by using a two-dimensional RPT correlation method. We demonstrate the capability of these methods for imaging and evaluate the necessary conditions for signal-to-noise ratio and random phase errors in signal reception through numerical simulations in terms of feasibility.     

Reciprocal path-scattering effects for a ground-based, monostatic laser radar tracking a space target through turbulence

A phenomenological model is developed for the strength and spatial width of the coherent intensity peak of backscatter produced by reciprocal path scattering through atmospheric turbulence. The model is applied to a ground-based, monostatic laser radar tracking a space target under the condition of optical atmospheric turbulence saturation.     

Image coding for three-dimensional range-gated imaging

In the present paper we discuss the method of image coding by multiple exposure of range-gated images. This method enlarges the depth mapping range of range-gated imaging systems exponentially with the number of utilized images. We developed a theoretical model to give a precise prediction of the number of permutations that can be used for image coding. For what we believe is the first time, we realized an image coding sequence for three range-gated images to enlarge the depth mapping range by a factor of 12. We demonstrate three-dimensional imaging in a range of 460 to 1000 m using a laser pulse width of 300 ns. Because of the impact of noise, a critical linking error occurs during the encoding of the intensity images. It is possible to reduce this error by the application of effective noise reduction strategies and the use of a threshold value to the tolerance drift of intensity levels.     

Exploring three-dimensional matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry data: three-dimensional spatial segmentation of mouse kidney

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging has a significant impact on many challenges of life sciences. Three-dimensional matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) is an emerging label-free bioanalytical technique capturing the spatial distribution of hundreds of molecular compounds in 3D by providing a MALDI mass spectrum for each spatial point of a 3D sample. Currently, 3D MALDI-IMS cannot tap its full potential due to the lack efficient computational methods for constructing, processing, and visualizing large and complex 3D MALDI-IMS data. We present a new pipeline of efficient computational methods, which enables analysis and interpretation of a 3D MALDI-IMS data set. Construction of a MALDI-IMS data set was done according to the state-of-the-art protocols and involved sample preparation, spectra acquisition, spectra preprocessing, and registration of serial sections. For analysis and interpretation of 3D MALDI-IMS data, we applied the spatial segmentation approach which is well-accepted in analysis of two-dimensional (2D) MALDI-IMS data. In line with 2D data analysis, we used edge-preserving 3D image denoising prior to segmentation to reduce strong and chaotic spectrum-to-spectrum variation. For segmentation, we used an efficient clustering method, called bisecting k-means, which is optimized for hierarchical clustering of a large 3D MALDI-IMS data set. Using the proposed pipeline, we analyzed a central part of a mouse kidney using 33 serial sections of 3.5 μm thickness after the PAXgene tissue fixation and paraffin embedding. For each serial section, a 2D MALDI-IMS data set was acquired following the standard protocols with the high spatial resolution of 50 μm. Altogether, 512?495 mass spectra were acquired that corresponds to approximately 50 gigabytes of data. After registration of serial sections into a 3D data set, our computational pipeline allowed us to reveal the 3D kidney anatomical structure based on mass spectrometry data only. Finally, automated analysis discovered molecular masses colocalized with major anatomical regions. In the same way, the proposed pipeline can be used for analysis and interpretation of any 3D MALDI-IMS data set in particular of pathological cases.     

Off the line-of-sight laser radar

The results of field and laboratory experiments of a novel laser radar (ladar) are presented. This ladar was designed to detect objects off the line of sight by deploying a fiber-optic relay between the launch and probe sites by monitoring the retroreflected signals. The apparatus incorporates a pulsed diode laser emitting at 1.55 mum, a wavelength that is ideal for eye safety and bears minimum loss in silica fibers. With its immediate application in transportation safety, the system issues a warning within a millisecond of detecting an obstacle in the path of a vehicle. The results of the field experiments yield signal-to-noise ratios high enough to trigger reliably an alarm with a probability of greater than 0.999 for detecting an obstacle and less than 10(-12) probability of false alarms.     

Capacitive system for three-dimensional imaging of fluidized-beddensity

The U.S. Department of Energy's Morgantown Energy Technology Center has been developing a capacitance imaging system (CIS) to support its fluidized-bed research programs. A second-generation system for capacitively imaging a cold, laboratory-scale, 15.24-cm diameter fluidized bed is described. The CIS acquires interelectrode, bed-crossing displacement current data to provide 193-pixel density values at four 2.54-cm vertically spaced levels and presents a three-dimensional density display at a rate of 30 maps per second in real time. The CIS also stores displacement current data at a rate of 60 density maps per level per second for post-run analysis. Different means of data processing are described that produce one method for real-time display and two methods for post-run analysis of data. The results of calibration and fluidization tests are presented, together with the errors associated with each of the methods for the known pixel densities in the calibration tests. Improvement in the calibration procedure to reduce these errors is proposed. Test results indicate the CIS would be a useful tool for research and monitoring operations in two-phase systems