Theoretical limit evaluation of ranging accuracy and power for LiDAR systems in autonomous cars

Qingyi Zhou; Zhongwei Tan; Chuanchuan Yang

doi:10.1117/1.OE.57.9.096104

8 September 2018 Theoretical limit evaluation of ranging accuracy and power for LiDAR systems in autonomous cars

Qingyi Zhou, Zhongwei Tan, Chuanchuan Yang

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 57, Issue 9, 096104 (September 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.57.9.096104

Abstract

With the development of autonomous cars, the demand for accurate light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems is increasing. Previous evaluations of LiDAR were mainly based on experiments and lacked theoretical significance. We theoretically evaluate the accuracy and optical output power of LiDAR systems in autonomous cars. We focus on two ranging schemes: the time-of-flight (TOF) method and the quadrature phase detection (QPD) method. Considering the special requirements of autonomous driving, the theoretical limits of ranging accuracy are calculated by deriving the Cramer–Rao bound (CRB). The influence of reflectivity as well as distance on accuracy are discussed. We also determine the relationship between optical output power and essential parameters, and make comparisons between TOF and QPD. It can be concluded that TOF is more efficient under most circumstances. When designing autonomous cars, such theoretical evaluation provides guidance for choosing laser emitters and receivers, justifying the significance of our work to LiDAR development.

Citation Download Citation

Qingyi Zhou, Zhongwei Tan, and Chuanchuan Yang "Theoretical limit evaluation of ranging accuracy and power for LiDAR systems in autonomous cars," Optical Engineering 57(9), 096104 (8 September 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.57.9.096104

Received: 28 April 2018; Accepted: 14 August 2018; Published: 8 September 2018

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