Patent ID: 10830890

Abstract:
A LADAR that includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter includes a laser for delivering an original beam pulse. A nonlinear optic receives the original beam pulse and outputs wavelengths as an incident beam pulse. Output optics direct the incident beam pulse onto a target, which reflect from the target as a reflected beam pulse. The receiver includes a dispersive optic for temporally dispersing the wavelengths in the reflected beam pulse, thereby producing a dispersed beam pulse. A single-pixel sensor receives the dispersed beam pulse, and measures and outputs a separate intensity value for each of the wavelengths in the dispersed beam pulse based at least in part on the temporal dispersion of the wavelengths. A processor receives the intensity values from the dispersed beam pulse, correlates the intensity values with the wavelengths, compares the intensity values to known intensity values from the incident beam pulse, produces ratio values for each of the wavelengths, and produces reflectance data in regard to the target from the ratio values.