Photon-counting, non-imaging, direct-detect LADAR

1. A light wave rangefinder comprising:

a light transmitting optical system for directing a laser pulse at a target,

a light receiving optical system for receiving reflected light from the target, including a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (APD) array, and a non-imaging optical device,

the non-imaging optical device positioned between the received reflected light and the APD array, and configured to uniformly distribute the received reflected light across the APD array, and

the APD array uniformly illuminated by the received reflected laser pulse, producing a plurality of Geiger-mode avalanche events, and

a processor for determining range to the target based on the plurality of the Geiger-mode avalanche events.

2. The rangefinder of claim 1 wherein

the non-imaging optical device is a pupil imager.

3. The rangefinder of claim 1 wherein

the light transmitting optical system directs a single, short laser pulse at the target, and

the plurality of Geiger-mode avalanche events is produced by the single, short laser pulse.

4. The rangefinder of claim 1 wherein

the processor provides a range timing gate for biasing ON the APD array, and

a detector in the APD array achieves avalanche breakdown at a time t, and

the processor records the time t.

5. The rangefinder of claim 1 wherein

the APD array includes a plurality of detectors, each detector interfaced to a timer for recording a transmission time and a reception time,

the transmission time triggered by the directed laser pulse, and

the reception time triggered by each detector achieving avalanche breakdown.

6. The rangefinder of claim 5 wherein

the processor is configured to bias each detector ON, after the transmission time, and

configured to determine range to the target, in response to a respective reception time triggered by each detector achieving avalanche breakdown, after the respective detector is biased ON.

7. The rangefinder of claim 5 wherein

the processor includes a counter for counting all avalanche breakdowns triggered by the plurality of detectors, and

a collection of all the avalanche breakdowns is a collection of ranges, each range timed from the transmission time triggered by the directed laser pulse.

8. The rangefinder of claim 5 wherein

the processor includes a range timing gate, the range timing gate comprised of a plurality of range bins,

the processor is configured to place a respective avalanche event triggered by a respective detector achieving avalanche breakdown into one of the plurality of range bins, and

a range bin having a majority of the triggered avalanche events determines the range to the target.

9. The rangefinder of claim 1 wherein

the processor provides a range timing gate for biasing ON each detector of the APD array, and

the range timing gate is constructed about an expected received reflected laser pulse.

10. The rangefinder of claim 9 wherein

the processor includes a counter for counting all avalanche events including avalanche events due to at least one of a signal photon, a background photon and a thermally generated electron-hole pair.

11. The rangefinder of claim 10 wherein

the processor is configured to provide a histogram of target ranges within the range timing gate, the histogram being count values of avalanche events as a function of target range, and

a target range having a maximum count value is determined to be the range to the target.

12. A light wave rangefinder comprising:

transmitting means for directing a laser pulse at a target,

receiving means for receiving reflected light from the target,

non-imaging means for uniformly illuminating light provided from the receiving means,

detecting means for detecting the uniformly illuminated light provided from the non-imaging means,

counting means for counting multiple detections occurring in the detecting means during a timing window, and

processing means for determining range to the target based on the multiple detections occurring during the timing window.

13. The light wave rangefinder of claim 12 wherein

the detecting means includes a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (APD) array.

14. The light wave rangefinder of claim 12 wherein

the non-imaging means includes a pupil imager.

15. The light wave rangefinder of claim 12 wherein

the counting means includes separating means for dividing the timing window into multiple range bins and separately counting detections occurring in each range bin of the multiple range bins, and

the processing means includes a selector for selecting a range bin of the multiple range bins having a maximum count value, and using results of the selector to determine range to the target.

16. A method of determining range to a target comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a laser pulse toward a target;

b) receiving reflected light from the target;

c) uniformly illuminating reflected light received in step (b) using a non-imaging optical device;

d) detecting the uniformly illuminated light of step (c) using a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (APD) array;

e) counting avalanche events produced by a plurality of detectors in the APD array; and

f) determining range to the target based on counting avalanche events in step (e).

17. The method of claim 16 wherein

step (c) includes uniformly illuminating the reflected light using a pupil imager.

18. The method of claim 16 including the step of:

dividing a range gate into multiple range bins; and

step (d) includes detecting the uniformly illuminated light occurring within the range gate;

step (e) includes separately counting the avalanche events occurring in each range bin of the multiple range bins; and

step (f) includes determining range to the target based on a range bin having the greatest number of counted avalanche events among the multiple range bins.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein

step (d) includes gating ON each detector in the APD array during an approximate expected received time of the reflected light from the target; and

step (e) includes counting the avalanche events produced by the plurality of detectors during the gating ON of each detector.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein

step (a) includes transmitting a single, short laser pulse toward the target; and

step (e) includes counting the avalanche events produced by the single, short laser pulse transmitted toward the target.