Lidar is an optical technology for detection and range measurements, which has been attracting much attention in developments of next generation driving and navigation. Herein, we report on development of a type of non-scanning, non-solid-state, laser-based infrared lidar system with the potential applications in advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. Our emphasize in the design approach has been on compactness of the final system in order for it to be deployable both as standalone or complimentary to existing lidar sensors, enabling fusion sensing in automotive or even in drone applications. The non-scanning lidar system, currently patent pending, is comprised of a laser light source, a plurality of optical elements to create a predefined reference optical pattern, means for filtering returned optical signals, imaging optics, an optical detector, and a processing unit. The principle of this system is largely based on image processing with a known and calibrated reference. Using Python and OpenCV, the near infrared images acquired from the entire field of view is analyzed in real-time to determine the position and velocity of the objects. The work presented here describes the principle of our new lidar system, the optical system design, as well as the experimental results demonstrating its performance. The benefits and limitations of the imaging lidar technology developed by us are compared to those of the current scanning and flash lidars.
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