Abstract: A system and method for forming a range estimate for a target with a laser detection and ranging system. The system includes a laser transmitter and an array detector. The method includes: transmitting a plurality of laser pulses; for each transmitted laser pulse: detecting, with the array detector, a plurality of ladar return photons from the laser pulse, each detection producing an electrical pulse; identifying, for each of the electrical pulses, a time bin of a plurality of time bins corresponding to the laser pulse, within which the electrical pulse was produced; forming a one dimensional range histogram array having, for each of a subset of the plurality of bins, an element with a value equal to the number of electrical pulses produced in the array detector during a time interval corresponding to the bin; and forming an estimated range rate for the target.

Abstract: A system and method for forming a range rate estimate for a target with a laser detection and ranging system including a laser transmitter and an array detector. The method includes: transmitting a plurality of laser pulses at a pulse repetition frequency; forming a one dimensional time series array corresponding to a time record of ladar return photons detected with the array detector; fitting the time series array with a superposition of a sine and a cosine of an initial value of a tentative frequency; iteratively fitting the time series array with a superposition of a sine and a cosine of the tentative frequency, and adjusting the tentative frequency until a completion criterion is satisfied at a final value of the tentative frequency.

Abstract: A system and method for forming a range estimate for a target with a laser detection and ranging system. The system includes a laser transmitter and an array detector. The method includes: transmitting a plurality of laser pulses; for each transmitted laser pulse: detecting, with the array detector, a plurality of ladar return photons from the laser pulse, each detection producing an electrical pulse; identifying, for each of the electrical pulses, a time bin of a plurality of time bins corresponding to the laser pulse, within which the electrical pulse was produced; forming a one dimensional range histogram array having, for each of a subset of the plurality of bins, an element with a value equal to the number of electrical pulses produced in the array detector during a time interval corresponding to the bin; and forming an estimated range rate for the target.

Abstract: A system and method for forming a range rate estimate for a target with a laser detection and ranging system including a laser transmitter and an array detector. The method includes: transmitting a plurality of laser pulses at a pulse repetition frequency; forming a one dimensional time series array corresponding to a time record of ladar return photons detected with the array detector; fitting the time series array with a superposition of a sine and a cosine of an initial value of a tentative frequency; iteratively fitting the time series array with a superposition of a sine and a cosine of the tentative frequency, and adjusting the tentative frequency until a completion criterion is satisfied at a final value of the tentative frequency.