Attritable LiDAR platforms made affordable for defense with beam steering solutions

Two defense related applications are investigated: (1) long-range 3D imaging and range finding for ISR missions and (2) 3D imaging for precision missile seeker guidance. High performance detectors or high powered lasers aid in long range capabilities, but can be cost-prohibitive. Autolidar systems are produced in high volume, and typically use lower cost components, such as silicon detectors, enabling affordable solutions in a commercial market. In the explored defense applications, both scenarios assume the platforms are expendable, therefore affordability is priority just as in the commercial market. However, the commercial autolidars do not directly translate to use in critical missions due to their shorter range and lower resolution. Exciting Technology has adapted two of its beam steering technologies for a scanning 3D imager. A small format GMAPD array is paired with a fiber laser and is rapidly scanned across an area of interest. A hybrid design of both wide-angle mechanical steering and rapid, narrow angle non-mechanical scanning is developed. The LiDAR steering system can be packaged more compact than traditional gimbals, more stable than fast-steering mirrors or galvanometers, and with better optical quality and performance than Risley prisms. We take a macro-pixel approach to image processing to extend to further ranges. High resolution 3D imaging is not a new concept, but the ability to combine these typically cost-prohibitive components into a package affordable for thousands of attritable platforms is a strategy-shifting innovation for defense.