Abstract:

Single-photon lidar (SPL) can achieve high-accuracy, low- light ranging; however, velocity estimation typically requires regression over multiple distance measurements. Here, we introduce Doppler SPL, which enables joint instantaneous velocity and range estimation. First, we derive a measurement model for SPL, showing that a target moving at a constant velocity introduces a Doppler shift into the sequence of photon detection times. We then introduce estimators for range and velocity based on Fourier analysis of the detection time sequence. Simulations show improved accuracy of our method over baseline approaches, and we further validate our approach on experimental SPL data for a moving target.