Abstract
Laser radar systems are being developed to acquire and track targets in applications such as the rendezvous and docking of two spacecraft. To search effectively for and locate a target using a narrow laser beam, a scanning system is needed. This paper describes a scan technique whereby a narrow laser beam is synchronously scanned with an equally narrow receiver field-of-view without the aid of mechanical gimbals. Equations are developed in order to examine the maximum acquisition and tracking rates, and the maximum target range for a scanning laser radar system. A recently built prototype of a small, lightweight, low-power-consuming scanning laser radar is described.
© 1972 Optical Society of America
Full Article | PDF ArticleMore Like This
Zhihui Feng, Yongjian Yue, Dongjun Dai, Linchen Yuan, and Yaming Nan
Appl. Opt. 59(33) 10565-10573 (2020)
Richard A. Brandewie and Walter C. Davis
Appl. Opt. 11(7) 1526-1533 (1972)
F. E. Hoge
Appl. Opt. 13(10) 2352-2358 (1974)