Photon Counting Laser Ranging System Design And Implementation

In laser ranging system, laser was taken as the active light source, and target distance information was detected through a variety of work mode. Laser ranging system was widely used in civil, scientific research and military occasions. Laser ranging system based on photon counting technology used the time correlated single photon counting technology on the principle of pulse laser ranging. The system reduced the requirement for laser pulse energy, increased the effective ranging distance and increased the system time resolution and detection precision.Photon counting was a discrimination of statistical sampling technology. We took the detector outputs as the discrete random pulse. Time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) was developed on the basis of photon counting. It improved the ability of photon counting and had a high temporal resolution.In this paper, the laboratory photon counting laser ranging principle system was set up by referring the related literature, analyzing the system optical principle, selecting the key hardware device and writing the control software. The various performance indicators of the system were concluded by a series of experimental tests. It could realize millimeter level precision to the target of50m.On the other hand, the Monte carol simulation algorithm for system physical detection process was designed through the analysis of photon counting detection principle. The experimental results with the same parameters validated the correctness and effectiveness of the simulation algorithm. The simulation parameters contained the major factors effected the detection precision such as echo pulse intensity, laser pulse width, detector time jitter and so on. Through the simulation analysis, we got the specific impact of the above parameters on the system detection precision.Finally, a novel dual wavelength laser detection system which could improve the ranging precision was put forward. In the system, there had two detector to receive the two wavelength echo signal, and took a certain comparison algorithm processing, we could got the detection results. The effectiveness of this novel system was verified by the simulation analysis and experimental results.