Influence of laser radar sensor parameters on range-measurement and shape-fitting uncertainties

Christina Anna Grönwall; Ove K. Steinvall; Fredrik Gustafsson; Tomas R. Chevalier

doi:10.1117/1.2789654

1 October 2007 Influence of laser radar sensor parameters on range-measurement and shape-fitting uncertainties

Christina Anna Grönwall, Ove K. Steinvall, Fredrik Gustafsson, Tomas R. Chevalier

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 46, Issue 10, 106201 (October 2007). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2789654

Abstract

In object/target reconstruction and recognition based on laser radar data, the range value's accuracy is important. The range data accuracy depends on the accuracy in the laser radar's detector, especially the algorithm used for time-of-flight estimation. In this paper, a general direct-detection laser radar system applicable for hard-target measurements is modeled. The time- and range-dependent laser radar cross sections are derived for some simple geometric shapes (plane, cone, sphere, and paraboloid). The cross-section models are used, in simulations, to find the proper statistical distribution of uncertainties in time-of-flight range estimations. Three time-of-flight estimation algorithms are analyzed: peak detection, constant-fraction detection, and matched filter. The detection performance for various shape conditions and signal-to-noise ratios is analyzed. Two simple shape reconstruction examples are shown, and the detectors' performance is compared with the Cramér-Rao lower bound. The performance of the peak detection and the constant-fraction detection is more dependent on the shape and noise level than that of the matched filter. For line fitting the matched filter performs close to the Cramér-Rao lower bound.

©(2007) Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Citation Download Citation

Christina Anna Grönwall, Ove K. Steinvall, Fredrik Gustafsson, and Tomas R. Chevalier "Influence of laser radar sensor parameters on range-measurement and shape-fitting uncertainties," Optical Engineering 46(10), 106201 (1 October 2007). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.2789654

Published: 1 October 2007

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available