Abstract: A laser range finder system to determine the range of a target including a laser pulse generating device and a laser amplifier for amplifying laser pulses to produce amplified laser pulses. Amplified laser pulses are transmitted toward a target and a laser pulse echoes reflected by a target are received by a receiver. The receiver includes a laser light detector and dual signal conditioning channels to condition and amplify signals derived from detected laser light and output conditioned signals. A high-gain channel amplifies laser pulse echoes having relatively lower signal power and a low-gain channel amplifies laser pulse echoes having relatively higher signal power. A digitizer produce samples of laser pulses and converts the samples to digital signals. A processing element processes the digital signals to determine an echo signature, a time of flight to the target and a range to the target.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system and method for performing time of flight estimation of a laser pulse using a LiDAR signal processing. A plurality of digital waveforms are correlated to a transmitted pulse for time of flight estimation. Each of the plurality of digital waveforms can be correlated independently by a corresponding correlator in a plurality of correlators working in parallel. Each of the correlators can include signal processing modules for time of flight estimation including an interpolating filters and peak detect modules.

Abstract: A navigation system includes an image acquisition device for acquiring a range image of a target vehicle, at least one processor, a memory including a target vehicle model and computer readable program code, where the processor and the computer readable program code are configured to cause the navigation system to convert the range image to a point cloud having three dimensions, compute a transform from the target vehicle model to the point cloud, and use the transform to estimate the target vehicle's attitude and position for capturing the target vehicle.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system and method for sampling received signals for performing time of flight estimation using LiDAR signal processing. In one aspect, a radio frequency analog-to-digital converter is used for real time waveform digitalization. The radio frequency analog-to-digital converter may be coupled to a mezzanine card and used to generate a clock for the converter. The digital waveform may then be buffered and correlated for time of flight estimation.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system and method for performing time of flight estimation of a laser pulse using a LiDAR signal processing. A plurality of digital waveforms are correlated to a transmitted pulse for time of flight estimation. Each of the plurality of digital waveforms can be correlated independently by a corresponding correlator in a plurality of correlators working in parallel. Each of the correlators can include signal processing modules for time of flight estimation including an interpolating filters and peak detect modules.

Abstract: An amplifying apparatus appropriate for use in high radiation environments where the amplifier has one or more channels configured to produce one or more output power signals. Each channel has a low pass filter configured to receive an analog signal and produce a filtered analog signal. The low pass filter is configured to attenuate a frequency component of the analog signal having a frequency greater than a predetermined corner frequency. Each channel includes a linear amplifier coupled to the low pass filter and configured to receive the filtered analog signal produced by the low pass filter. The amplifier produces the output power signal that has a high voltage which is a linear multiple of the voltage of the filtered analog signal.