3D Image Reconstruction and Range-Doppler Tracking with Chirped AM Ladar Data

Abstract

The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has been developing its patented chirped amplitude modulation (AM) ladar technique for high resolution 3D imaging and range-Doppler tracking. The concept of operation, hardware configurations, and test results for this technique have been presented in detail elsewhere. Heretofore, the signal and image processing techniques used at ARL to reconstruct and display 3D imagery and range-Doppler plots have only been published partially and only in internal reports. In this paper we present the multiple-return range and range- Doppler signal processing algorithms, the model- based "superresolution" processing algorithm for range precision enhancement, and the 3D image reconstruction, processing, and display algorithms, along with representative examples from laboratory and field test data.