Analysis of detection probability performance of SiPM LiDAR under sunlight

Chen Jianguang; Ni Xuxiang; Yuan Bo; Yan Huimin

doi:10.12086/oee.2021.210196

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Chen J G, Ni X X, Yuan B, et al. Analysis of detection probability performance of SiPM LiDAR under sunlight[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2021, 48(10): 210196. doi: 10.12086/oee.2021.210196

Citation:

Chen J G, Ni X X, Yuan B, et al. Analysis of detection probability performance of SiPM LiDAR under sunlight[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2021, 48(10): 210196. doi: 10.12086/oee.2021.210196

Analysis of detection probability performance of SiPM LiDAR under sunlight

School of Optoelectronics Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, Hangzhou 310027, China

Fund Project: the 2016 National Key R＆D Program Project "Hand and Whole Body Motion Capture Technology and Equipment Supporting Cloud Integration" (2016YFB1001302)

More Information

Corresponding author: Yan Huimin, E-mail: yhm@zju.edu.cn

Received Date 09 June 2021

Revised Date 03 September 2021

Published Date 15 October 2021

Abstract

Abstract

Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is an array composed of hundreds or even thousands of single photon avalanche diode (SPAD). It has the advantages of high gain, easy integration into the array and anti-interference, and has a wide range of application prospects in LiDAR ranging. We analyzed the laser radar ranging signal and noise model, simulated the output of SiPM under sunlight, and obtained the corresponding mean value through Gaussian fitting. On the basis that the probability of being excited after SPAD received photons obeys the Poisson distribution, the calculation formula of SiPM analog output affected by background light when the background photoelectron is 0.001 /ns~0.01 /ns and the detector dead time is 5 ns~50 ns was given. Finally, we derived the expression of target detection probability. The experimental results of laser ranging detection probability under outdoor ambient light are consistent with theoretical calculations.
- SiPM /
- background light /
- dead time /
- laser ranging /
- probability of detection

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References

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Overview

Overview

Overview: LiDAR ranging technology has the advantages of high accuracy, long range, low background interference, and the ability to obtain target distance information in a short time. In recent years, it has been more and more widely used in fields such as autonomous driving and depth imaging. Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is an array composed of hundreds or even thousands of single photon avalanche diode (SPADs). It has the advantages of high gain, easy integration into the array, and anti-interference, thus has a wide range of application prospects in LiDAR ranging. In many scenarios, LiDAR ranging will be interfered by background light. In the presence of background light, some SPAD units respond to background photons and remain "quenched" due to the dead time effect. However, other SPAD units are still in a "ready" state, so the detector can still respond to the laser echo signal. At present, part of the analysis of SiPM affected by ambient light is only a qualitative description, and some other part involves formula derivation, but the output amplitude of SPAD in SiPM is regarded as binary, which is different from the real situation of SiPM. For passively quenched SiPM devices, considering the actual situation that the simulation output amplitude of SPAD decays exponentially after excitation, the SiPM simulation output amplitude distribution affected by the background light under the dead time effect is simulated through programming firstly. Then the mean value of SiPM simulation output amplitude is calculated by Gaussian fitting. By analyzing the signal and noise models, the range of photoelectrons excited per nanosecond for each SPAD is estimated to be 0.001/ns~ 0.01/ns. On the basis that the probability of excitation of the SPAD received photons obeys the Poisson distribution, the calculation formula of SiPM analog output amplitude affected by background light is given when the background photoelectron is 0.001/ns~0.01/ns and the detector dead time is 5 ns~ 50 ns. Finally, the expression of target detection probability at different distances under the influence of ambient light is deduced. In addition, a radar ranging system is built by using KETEK's PM1125-WB-B0 series SiPM. The threshold was adjusted to set the corresponding false alarm probability within 400 ns of the gating time, and the time when the photons arrived at the detector was recorded through the TI's TDC7200EVM timing module. The experimental results of laser ranging detection probability under outdoor ambient light show that the experimental detection probability results are in good agreement with the theoretical calculation values under various experimental conditions, when the laser power is 1.5 W or 3 W, several parameters of false alarm rate change from 1% to 10%, and several parameters of light intensity change from 10 klux to 70 klux.