Patent ID: 7236235

Claim:
A method of imaging an object, comprising: mounting an array of detectors in an image plane; connecting each detector to a timing circuit; generating a correction table, wherein generating a correction table includes connecting a resonator/attenuator to the array of detectors, directing a calibrating optical pulse into the resonator/attenuator such that the resonator/attenuator transmits two or more optical pulses to the array of detectors, and correcting for nonlinearities at each detector; transmitting a transmit optical pulse toward an object so that a portion of the transmit optical pulse is reflected from the object as a reflected pulse, wherein transmitting the transmit optical pulse includes recording a first value, wherein the first value is representative of when the transmit optical pulse was transmitted toward the object; detecting arrival of the reflected pulse at one or more detectors within the array of detectors, wherein detecting arrival of the reflected pulse includes: integrating the reflected pulse over a predetermined interval of time to determine a reflected pulse characteristic; and recording a second value, wherein the second value is representative of when the reflected pulse arrived at the detector; and measuring range to the object as a function of the first and second values, the reflected pulse characteristic and the correction table.