Range estimation for LiDAR systems

1. A range estimation system for an optical sensing system, comprising:

an analog to digital converter (ADC) configured to convert a plurality of laser pulses of an identical waveform returned from an object to a digital signal, wherein the ADC has a predetermined sampling period; and

a processor, configured to:

calculate an intensity ratio between two data points selected from the digital signal, wherein the two data points are from two different laser pulses;

determine an arrival time of a first returned laser pulse based on the intensity ratio; and

estimate a range between the object and the optical sensing system based on the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse.

2. The range estimation system of claim 1 , wherein the intensity ratio is a ratio of a first non-zero data point to a second non-zero data point in the digital signal.

3. The range estimation system of claim 2 , wherein the first non-zero data point is sampled by the ADC from a first returned laser pulse and the second non-zero data point is sampled by the ADC from a second returned laser pulse.

4. The range estimation system of claim 2 , wherein to determine the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse, the processor is further configured to:

determine a time adjustment amount according to a preset relationship to the intensity ratio; and

determine the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse by adjusting the sample time of the first non-zero data point using the determined time adjustment amount.

5. The range estimation system of claim 4 , wherein the preset relationship between the intensity ratio and the time adjustment amount varies based on a time difference between the sample times of the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point, wherein to determine the time adjustment amount, the processor is further configured to:

select a look-up table recording the preset relationship based on the time difference between the sample times of the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point; and

determine the time adjustment amount using the selected look-up table based on the calculated intensity ratio.

6. The range estimation system of claim 5 , wherein the time difference between the sample times of the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point is a summation of sampling periods of the ADC between the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point.

7. The range estimation system of claim 1 , wherein a quantity of the returned laser pulses is equal to or greater than twice a ratio of the sampling period of the ADC to a width of each laser pulse.

8. The range estimation system of claim 3 , wherein a time delay between the first returned laser pulse and the second returned laser pulse is a non-integer multiple of the sampling period of the ADC.

9. The range estimation system of claim 8 , wherein the optical sensing system includes an emitter configured to emit the plurality of laser pulses towards the object each at the time delay.

10. A range estimation method for an optical sensing system, comprising:

converting, by an analog to digital converter (ADC) having a predetermined sampling period, a plurality of laser pulses of an identical waveform returned from an object to a digital signal;

calculating an intensity ratio, by a processor, between two data points selected from the digital signal, wherein the two data points are from two different laser pulses:

determining, by the processor, an arrival time of a first returned laser pulse, by the processor, based on the intensity ratio; and

estimating, by the processing, a range between the object and the optical sensing system, by the processor, based on the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse.

11. The range estimation method of claim 10 , wherein the intensity ratio is a ratio of a first non-zero data point to a second non-zero data point in the digital signal.

12. The range estimation method of claim 11 , wherein the first non-zero data point is sampled by the ADC from a first returned laser pulse and the second non-zero data point is sampled by the ADC from a second returned laser pulse.

13. The range estimation method of claim 11 , wherein determining the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse further comprises:

determining a time adjustment amount according to a preset relationship to the intensity ratio; and

determining the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse by adjusting the sample time of the first non-zero data point using the determined time adjustment amount.

14. The range estimation method of claim 13 , wherein the preset relationship between the intensity ratio and the time adjustment amount varies based on a time difference between the sample times of the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point, wherein determining the time adjustment amount further comprising:

selecting a look-up table recording the preset relationship based on the time difference between the sample times of the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point; and

determining the time adjustment amount using the selected look-up table based on the calculated intensity ratio.

15. The range estimation method of claim 14 , wherein the time difference between the sample times of the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point is a summation of sampling periods of the ADC between the first non-zero data point and the second non-zero data point.

16. The range estimation method of claim 10 , wherein a quantity of the returned laser pulses is equal to or greater than twice a ratio of the sampling period of the ADC to a width of each laser pulse.

17. The range estimation method of claim 12 , wherein a time delay between the first returned laser pulse and the second returned laser pulse is a non-integer multiple of the sampling period of the ADC.

18. The range estimation method of claim 17 , further comprising emitting the plurality of laser pulses towards the object each at the time delay.

19. An optical sensing system, comprising:

a transmitter configured to emit a plurality of laser pulses of an identical waveform towards an object; and

a range estimation system configured to estimate a range between the object and the optical sensing system, the range estimation system comprising:

an analog to digital converter (ADC) configured to convert a plurality of laser pulses of an identical waveform returned from an object to a digital signal, wherein the ADC has a predetermined sampling period; and

a processor, configured to:

calculate an intensity ratio between two data points selected from the digital signal, wherein the two data points are from two different laser pulse;

determine an arrival time of a first returned laser pulse based on the intensity ratio; and

estimate a range between the object and the optical sensing system based on the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse.

20. The optical sensing system of claim 19 , wherein the intensity ratio is a ratio of a first non-zero data point to a second non-zero data point the digital signal, and wherein to determine the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse, the processor is further configured to:

determine a time adjustment amount according to a preset relationship to the intensity ratio; and

determine the arrival time of the first returned laser pulse by adjusting the sample time of the first non-zero data point using the determined time adjustment amount.