Explanation and Implementation Process of Laser Radar (LDS) Technology Principle

1、 Introduction

LDS (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, as an important branch of modern sensor technology, has been widely used in autonomous vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicles, robots and other fields with its high precision, high speed, high reliability and other characteristics. This article will provide a detailed explanation of the working principle of LiDAR and explain its implementation process.



2、 Principles of LiDAR Technology

The working principle of LiDAR is very similar to radar, mainly using laser as a signal source. Specifically, LiDAR emits laser pulses through a transmitter. When the laser pulses encounter the surface of an object, some light waves will scatter and be captured by the receiver. The receiver records the time difference between the emission and reception of the laser pulse, and using the known characteristics of the speed of light, the distance between the laser pulse and the target object can be calculated. At the same time, LiDAR can also measure the shape and intensity of speckle formed by laser pulses on the surface of objects, in order to obtain information about the shape, size, surface material, and other information of the target object.

The working principle of LiDAR can be summarized as the following steps:

Laser pulse emission: Lidar emits one or more laser pulses through a transmitter, which have specific frequencies and wavelengths.

Receiving reflection signals: When a laser pulse encounters a target object, some light waves will scatter and be captured by the receiver. The receiver records the time difference between the emission and reception of the laser pulse.

Calculate distance: Based on the time difference between the emission and reception of the laser pulse and the known characteristics of the speed of light, the distance between the laser pulse and the target object can be calculated.

Obtaining target information: By measuring the shape and intensity of the speckle formed by laser pulses on the surface of an object, information such as the shape, size, and surface material of the target object can be obtained.



3、 Implementation process of LiDAR

The implementation process of LiDAR mainly includes the following steps:

System design: Design the hardware and software system of the LiDAR based on the application scenario and requirements. The hardware system includes transmitters, receivers, optical systems, control systems, etc; The software system includes modules such as data collection, processing, storage, and transmission.

Emit laser pulses: Emit one or more laser pulses through a transmitter, which have specific frequencies and wavelengths. Emitters can use different types of lasers, such as solid-state lasers, gas lasers, etc.

Receiving reflection signals: When a laser pulse encounters a target object, some light waves will scatter and be captured by the receiver. The receiver adopts highly sensitive and high-speed photodetectors, such as APD (avalanche photodiode).



Data processing: The receiver converts the captured reflected signal into an electrical signal and digitizes it through a data acquisition module. The processed data includes information such as the emission time, reception time, speckle shape and intensity of laser pulses.

Calculate target information: Using processed data, obtain feature information such as the shape, size, and surface material of the target object by calculating distance, analyzing speckle shape and intensity.

Data output and application: output the calculated target information through the output module, and apply it to decision-making and control systems in autonomous vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicles, robots and other fields.

4、 Summary

As a kind of sensor technology with high precision, high speed and high reliability, laser radar has a broad application prospect in autonomous vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicles, robots and other fields. This article provides a detailed explanation of the working principle and implementation process of LiDAR, hoping to provide readers with useful reference and inspiration. With the continuous progress of technology and the expansion of application fields, LiDAR technology will play a more important role in the future.