I-Corps: Enhanced light detection and ranging imaging by advanced signal processing

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力与光探测和测距(LiDAR)的广泛应用有关。安装在机器人和车辆上的激光雷达传感器是感知他们所处环境的关键组件。随着自动驾驶车辆的初步应用，先进的驾驶员辅助系统和未来的全自动车辆可能会减少由粗心司机造成的事故数量，或者完全避免事故。机载激光雷达可以对地球表面以及树冠和建筑物进行3D测绘。这些信息可用于保险、采矿、建筑规划等行业。也有国土安全和国防应用程序，当在敌对环境中操作时，可以受益于改进的环境模型。目前，国内LiDAR市场发展迅速，对通用和高级LiDAR信号处理的需求越来越大。i-Corps项目旨在利用光粒子(光子)的特性进行更准确的光检测和测距(LiDAR)检测。激光雷达传感器使用短激光脉冲，记录被物体反射的光子的传播时间。这一旅行时间与旅行距离成正比，因此允许对周围环境进行3D成像。环境光、场景反射率和场景中复杂的相互反射等效果会显著降低派生图像的质量。新的信号处理算法在接收到的光子流上模拟这些影响，因此允许更高质量的场景估计。深度信息与光子的另一个属性-波长-融合在一起，该属性对反射对象的颜色进行编码。颜色和深度信息都可以提供真实的环境图像。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is related to the wide range of applications of light detection and ranging (LiDAR). LiDAR sensors mounted on robots and vehicles are a key component in sensing their environment. With initial applications in automated vehicles, advanced driver assistant systems and fully automated vehicles in the future can potentially reduce the number of accidents caused by inattentive drivers or avoid accidents altogether. Airborne LiDAR allows for 3D mapping of the earth's surface as well as canopy and buildings. This information can be used in insurance, mining, construction planning and other industries. There are also homeland security and defense applications which can benefit from improved models of the environment when operating in hostile. The overall domestic LiDAR market is currently growing rapidly with greater demand for both general and advanced LiDAR signal processing.This I-Corps project aims at harnessing the properties of light particles (photons) for more accurate light detection and ranging (LiDAR) detection. LiDAR sensors use short laser pulses and record the travel time of photons upon reflection by objects. This travel time is proportional to the distance traveled and therefore allows for 3D imaging of the surroundings. Effects such as ambient light, scene reflectivity, and complex inter-reflections in the scene can significantly degrade the quality of the derived images. New signal processing algorithms model these effects on the received photon stream and therefore allow for higher quality scene estimation. Depth information is fused with another property of photons, the wavelength, which encodes the color of the reflected object. Both color and depth information allow for a realistic image of the environment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.