Laser ranging, tracking and designation using 3-D focal planes
View Patent ↗By using 3-D focal plane arrays, the present invention tracks or locates small moving objects, or generates a 3-D frame of data with minimum laser energy and a minimum of mechanically moving parts. In another embodiment the invention is used to determine the direction of a laser designating a target with a minimum of moving parts. In another embodiment the invention is used as a 3-D movie/video camera. In yet another embodiment the device is used to provide data for autonomous navigation.
1. A 3-D sensor that detects reflected light pulses that are returned through a vacuum or light conducting medium from one or more portions of an object and which provides electrical signals indicative of the range of one or more portions of the object, said sensor comprising
a focal plane array comprising
pixel elements for providing, said electrical signals, said pixel elements of the focal plane array comprising
unit cell electronics and
light detectors,
said detectors creating primary electrical signals corresponding to the light received at said pixel element,
said unit cell electronics adapted to preprocess the primary electrical signals and to output electrical signals,
a processor of said electrical signals from said sensor into 3-D range data corresponding to each pixel, and
drive and output electronics providing control signals to said focal plane array and providing the 3-D range data to a 3-D data processor or to a storage device for storing the 3-D range data, wherein each of said unit cells is comprised of
input amplifiers of the primary electrical signals transferred from the corresponding detector
samplers of the said electrical signals at one or a plurality of time intervals
one or more storage means for storing said samples,
a trigger circuit to stop a clock,
electronics to record the time at which the said electrical signals are stored or the clock is stopped or both the electrical signals and the time at which the clock is stopped.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for input amplification of primary electrical signals is a transimpedance amplifier.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for input amplification of primary electrical signals is a current amplifier.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for input amplification of primary electrical signals is a voltage amplifier.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to sample the electrical signal is voltage sampling and the sampling is timed by a clock consisting of a sequence of electrical pulses at regular time intervals.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to sample the electrical signal is charge integration and the sampling is timed by a clock consisting of a sequence of electrical pulses at regular time intervals.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to sample the electrical signal is voltage sampler timed by an analog circuit.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to sample the electrical signal is current integrator timed by an analog circuit.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said storage means is a capacitor.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein the trigger circuit is a Schmidt Trigger.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein the electronics to record the time at which the electrical signals are stored is a count accumulator wherein the count is based upon an algorithm or the means to record time is a digital counter.
12. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to record the time at which the electrical signals are stored is a capacitor.
13. The device of claim 1 wherein the means to sample said electronic signals at one or a plurality of time intervals and one or plurality of storage means for storing said samples is absent.
14. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor to process electrical signals from said sensor into range data corresponding to each pixel is incorporated in processing circuitry on the focal plane array.
15. The device of claim 1 wherein the processor to process the electrical signals from said sensor into range data corresponding to each pixel is incorporated as firmware in a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), wherein the FPGA is part of the drive and output electronics.