A model of aircraft impulse laser rangefinder operating on aerodynamic objects

Аuthors

Dolgikh A. E.^1*, Zhidkov P. M.²

1. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (National Research University), 9, Institutskiy per., Dolgoprudny, Moscow region, 141701, Russia
2. Company “Space special-purpose systems corporation “Kometa”, 5, Velozavodskaya str., Moscow, 115280, Russia

*e-mail: sanek_up@mail.ru

Abstract

The simulation model of an airborne impulse laser rangefinder was developed. The article describes three basic structural parts of the model. The model was realized in C++. The model realized the processes of laser generation, reflection from a complex object, small signal receiving and digital information processing. Later, the obtained model results were compared to a priori information on the distance between a laser and a target. Aerodynamic targets were represented by 3D polygonal models. The rangefinder photodetector is discrete in time. Computing the number of photons for each clock cycle is performed by strobing the irradiance map over the range map. The irradiance and rang maps were created by the rendering method. To account for of different polygons’ overlapping each other, the rendering was performed employing the z-buffer algorithm. The model describes the radiation noise of photodetector was using the Poisson distribution. The readout noise was described by the normal distribution.

The range measurements are being performed several times. Then the results are analyzed by the trajectory processing. In contrast to signal accumulation, this processing is stable to the laser response shift from the target in clock cycles of photodetector unit. The true and false trajectories selection is performed by the threshold value of the trajectory length. The model operation was realized on the example of three aerial vehicles, such as Boeing747, Hornet and Tomahawk. The authors demonstrated the possibility of model tests statistical analysis for determining dependencies of operation range and measuring accuracy from pulse duration and sampling frequency of photodetector unit. The extreme value of laser rangefinder range capacity was determined by the signal/noise ratio level, ensuring stable measurements. Based on the obtained results the authors suggested application of pulse duration of τ < 100 ns and sampling frequency of about 60 MHz.

Keywords:

laser rangefinder, simulation model, range measuring

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