SBIR Phase II: Resonant Light Detection and Ranging

SBIR 第二阶段：谐振光探测和测距

• 批准号: 1738472
• 负责人: Christopher Brown
• 金额: $ 75万
• 依托单位: Z-senz LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-09-15 至 2020-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1738472&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Resonant; Light

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop a resonant light detection and ranging (R-LIDAR) distance sensor based upon use of an optomechanical beam scanning element actuated at resonant frequency. The broader impact of this project is to commercialize distance sensing instrumentation that advances the development of robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) by providing improved performance and order-of-magnitudes reduction in sensor size and cost. The development of RAS technologies could benefit society by increasing the productivity of economic activities in industries that include: mining, oil and gas, transportation, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, forestry, and defense. These industries are commercially significant and accounted for 24% of US GDP in 2015. Upon development, the R-LIDAR system is expected to make a commercial impact in a total addressable market for light detection and ranging (LIDAR) distance sensors that is expected to reach $739 million/year by 2018. Successful development of the R-LIDAR instrument will also pioneer opportunities for resonant scanning instrumentation in related optical applications that include microscopy, endoscopy, light machining, and display. Resonant beam scanners provide robust high-speed and high-performance operation that address size, weight, and power (SWAP) consumption limitations in state of the art light LIDAR distance sensors. The key outcome of the SBIR Phase I project was the successful integration of a resonant optomechanical element into an R-LIDAR distance sensor, demonstrating a 125 X 125 pixel field-of-view acquired at a 20 Hz frame rate. The SBIR Phase II project seeks to advance R-LIDAR instrumentation through (1) development of low-SWAP robust scanning elements, (2) techniques and instrumentation that allow for improved signal to noise ratio and high-rate data acquisition from pulsed time-of-flight LIDAR sensors, and (3) increased ranging capability of low-SWAP R-LIDAR instrumentation. Successful completion of these technical objectives will result in a distance sensing technology that will be particularly useful for high-accuracy surveying and inspection applications conducted using small unmanned aircraft system (S-UAS), where size and payload constraints are acute.

该小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将开发一种谐振光探测和测距（R-LIDAR）距离传感器，该传感器基于使用以谐振频率驱动的光机械光束扫描元件。该项目的更广泛影响是将距离传感仪器商业化，通过提供更好的性能和传感器尺寸和成本的数量级减少来推进机器人和自主系统（RAS）的发展。RAS技术的发展可以通过提高采矿、石油和天然气、运输、制造、建筑、农业、林业和国防等行业经济活动的生产率来造福社会。这些行业具有重要的商业意义，占2015年美国GDP的24%。研发完成后，R-LIDAR系统预计将在光探测和测距（LIDAR）距离传感器的总体可寻址市场中产生商业影响，预计到2018年将达到7.39亿美元/年。R-LIDAR仪器的成功开发也将为相关光学应用中的共振扫描仪器提供机会，包括显微镜，内窥镜，光加工和显示。谐振光束扫描器提供稳健的高速和高性能操作，解决了现有技术的光LIDAR距离传感器中的尺寸、重量和功率（SWAP）消耗限制。SBIR第一阶段项目的主要成果是将谐振光学机械元件成功集成到R-LIDAR距离传感器中，展示了以20 Hz帧速率采集的125 X 125像素视场。SBIR第二阶段项目旨在通过（1）低SWAP鲁棒扫描元件的开发，（2）允许改善信噪比和脉冲飞行时间激光雷达传感器的高速率数据采集的技术和仪器，以及（3）增加低SWAP R-LIDAR仪器的测距能力来推进R-LIDAR仪器。成功完成这些技术目标将产生一种距离传感技术，这种技术对使用小型无人驾驶飞机系统（S-UAS）进行的高精度测量和检查应用特别有用，因为在这些应用中，尺寸和有效载荷的限制非常严重。