Optik 127 (2016) 2529

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Optik
journal homepage: www.elsevier.de/ijleo

Detection method for ranging performance of IR laser rangender

based on aerosol echo simulation
Liu Ming, Zhang Guo-yu , An Zhi-yong, Wang Jin-song, Li Yan-feng
Changchun University of Science and Technology, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Changchun 130022, China

a r t i c l e

i n f o

Article history:
Received 22 November 2014
Accepted 26 September 2015
Keywords:
IR rangender
Ranging performance detection
Aerosol echo simulation
Ranging precision
Maximum range distance

a b s t r a c t
A novel detection method of IR laser rangender based on aerosol echo simulation is presented according
to the detection requirement for ranging performance measurement. The detection system simulates
atmospheric echo laser indoor so as to detect of ranging precision & maximum range distance. An opticmathematical model based on MODRAN meteorological parameter database is established. Attenuation
property of an assemble of a half wave plate and polarizer is discussed by Jones algorithm. FPGA is adopted
to achieve presupposition time delay. The method makes distance simulation and energy simulation
becoming a close loop realizing aerosol echo simulation. The experiment results have showed that the
method can realize 50 m22 km wide range distance simulation; echo delay precision is better than 2 ns;
measurement accuracy of maximum range distance is 90%.
2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Pulsed laser rangender has been widely applied in the elds
of military, aerospace, geodesy, architectural survey because of
its simple structure, long detection distance, and high ranging
precision. Ranging accuracy and maximum range are the fundamental guarantee to achieve rangenders basic function so these
two important indexes need detecting [14]. At present, detection
methods based on ber delay, digitally programmable gate array
delay detection, and comparison of the ramp circuit detection are
the common means of detection. But as for those methods, either
their analog distance is limited or their delay precision is not so high
[57]. To be noteworthy the methods mentioned above just focus
on delay simulating without considering echo signal transmission
characteristics in atmosphere, so that cannot satisfy the needs of
detection requirement of the maximum range distance. And the
outdoor extinction method has its own limitations which it cannot
get the maximum measurement range of quantitative values, so
that it is only suitable to be used in contrast detection of batch of
products.
This paper studies the detection system of the performance
testing for pulsed IR rangender which adopts MODTRAN atmospheric transmission characteristics database to analog arbitration
meteorological parameters of military standard (GJB2241A-2008)

Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 13624463820/18088686130.

E-mail addresses: liuming2525775@126.com (M. Liu), zh guoyu@163.com
(G.-y. Zhang).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijleo.2015.09.182
0030-4026/ 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

pulse laser rangender performance test methods, and adopts

high-precision delay module and laser radiation module to achieve
aerosol echo simulation with multiple wavelengths (1064, 1540
and 1570 nm, etc.). The duration of pulse width is continuously
adjustable between 5 and 200 ns; 50 m and 22 km wide range distance of laser echo simulation is to satisfy the ranging detection
performance of variety types of ranging rangender. The detection
system has practical signicance for the fabrication and detection
of pulsed IR laser rangender.

2. Compositions and working process of the system

The basic principle is using a controlled delay pulsed laser
signal instead of a reection echo laser of transmitting signal of
rangender. The working process is: simulation distance parameter is set to buffer latch through the computer serial port, and then
set to delay counters. Meanwhile, the system calculates the peak
power of echo laser based on MODTRAN database and GJB2241A
environmental meteorological parameters to control radiation
power of the radiation module. When the laser rangender emits
a pulsed laser signal, the optical signal passes through attenuation
slices and focusing lens components then converges on the highspeed PIN detector to switch optical signal to electronic signal. Via
amplication circuit, rectication circuit and threshold circuit, the
output signal will be an available analog signal available matching
TTL level. Monostable trigger broads the received laser pulse signal
immediately as a gate signal of high-frequency oscillator. FPGA
digital delay module is a subtraction counter, when the gate signal

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M. Liu et al. / Optik 127 (2016) 2529

Fig. 1. System composition and principle diagram of detection system.

is active, the high-frequency oscillators output pulse signal is taken

as delay counters input pulse, when delay counter overows, the
analog delay module will be triggered, the digital delay module
and analog delay module is connected by picoseconds-grade
comparator. After the analog delay module overows, radiation
module emits a laser beam to the laser rangender. The above
process is complete rangender performance detection so far.
System composition is shown in Fig. 1.
3. Establishment of optic-mathematical model and
implementation of method

MODRTRAN is professional software for calculating transmission characteristics of the atmosphere that is developed by Air Force
Research Laboratory (AFRL), input parameters include: temperature, humidity, pressure, visibility, etc. [8]. The arbitration trials
atmospheric criteria in GJB2241A-2008 are as follows: temperature: 23 2 C; relative humidity: 50 5%; pressure: 86106 kPa;
no snow or rain, the average wind speed is less than 10 m/s, visibility should be 1.3 times greater than the maximum range of the
testing instrument. According to this standard, MODRTRAN calculation model can be imported.
MODTRAN only provides infrared laser atmospheric transmittance parameters when calculating of the echo laser power in
application, but it fails to achieve infrared laser echo signals peak
power directly. Therefore, the relation between echo signal power
and atmospheric transmittance needs to be built in the light of optical properties of rangender, and nally the mathematical model of
echo power after atmospheric path attenuation can be established.
The transmission process of laser rangender is shown in Fig. 2.
Supposing radiation power of laser rangender is P0 , launch
angle is , transmission of emission optical component is , distance
between rangender and target is L, emission radiation intensity is
I0 , then radiation power in per solid angle is:

Fig. 2. Optical path of pulsed laser rangender.

A = cos A0

(1)

(2)

Among which is the angle between normal direction of the

reection surface and the optical axis. Reected optical power from
the surface of the target can be expressed as:
P1 = I0 T

3.1. Atmospheric echo power model based on MODTRAN

atmospheric transmittance database

p0
p0
p0
I0 =
=
=
2

 tan2 (/2)
( [tan(/2) L] )/L2

As the divergence angle of emitting laser light is very small

then T. And the radiation intensity in the divergence angle  is
well-proportioned. After atmospheric transmission attenuation,
the cross-sectional area of the light beam is irradiated at the target
for A, spot area of receiving target surface is I0 .

cos A0
L2

(3)

Among which T is atmospheric attenuation function.

Different targets have different infrared radiation reection
coefcients . If we treat the target as uniform diffuse reection,
then the intensity of reected light radiation in the solid angle 2
is equal to all directions. Its reection intensity I1 can be expressed
as:
I1 =

P1
2

(4)

Then, receiving radiation power of laser rangender P2 is:

P2 = I1 T

A1
L2

(5)

A1 is the aperture area of receiver optical system, T is laser attenuation function of the atmospheric path. The specic expression is
shown as following:

T = exp 2

(r, )dr

(6)

(, ) is laser attenuation coefcient at  distance about 

wavelength, the sum of its value and the transmittance is 1, the
transmittance can be calculated by the MODTRAN. To sum up, the
receiving power expression is:

P2 =

2P0 cos A0 A1
exp 2
 2 2 L4

(r, )dr

(7)

3.2. Laser echo power attenuation realization

The radiation module is to simulate the intensity of laser echo
power. This module adopts half-wave plate and polarizer to attenuate laser intensity, by this method the peak power of the laser echo
can be attenuated control attenuation continuously and precisely.
The attenuation component is shown in Fig. 3.
Based on the electromagnetic wave theory, the light vector has
different vibration directions in the plane which is perpendicular to the light propagation direction. When laser beam I0 passes
through polarizer, I0 becomes linearly polarized light I1 which
vibration direction is consistent with the polarizer OM, meanwhile
the intensity of the linear polarized light decreases to half of the

M. Liu et al. / Optik 127 (2016) 2529

27

Fig. 3. Schematic diagram of attenuation component.

incident laser intensity. After the light passes through the half wave
plate, the vibration of the incident light direction has changed,
and only one component of laser beam is allowed to pass through
the polaroid which vibration direction is consistent with O M , so
the laser intensity gets further decreased. Therefore, the degree
of attenuation can be controlled by rotation half-wave plate. The
linearly polarized light I1 after passing through polarizer can be
expressed by Jones vector E1 :

Fig. 4. Variance rate of transmittance of attenuation component versus rotated

angle.

 

So the transmittance can be expressed as:

E1 = A

(8)

Linearly polarized light I1 vibration direction and a half wave

plate axis form  angle, half-wave plate J1 can be expressed by Jones
matrix as follow:

J1 = A

exp(i)

(9)

The outgoing beam I2 from half-wave plate can be expressed by

Jones matrix as follows:

U2 = A

Cos ()

(10)

Cos () exp(i)

The polarizer and optical axis of the half wave plate form  angle,
therefore, the beam I2 passing through polaroid analyzer can be
expressed with E2 as:

Cos()

E2


=

Sin()

Sin() Cos()

U2

Cos2 () + Sin2 () exp(i)

(11)

Sin()Cos() + Cos()Sin() exp(i)

Polaroid analyzer expressed by Jones matrix is:

J2 =

1 0
0

(12)

The beam I3 passing through polaroid analyzer can be

expressed:

E3 = J2 E2 = A

Cos2 () + Sin2 () exp(i)

(13)

The light intensity I3 can be calculated by multiplying Jones

vector E3 by its complex conjugate transposed matrix:
I3

A2

1 Cos () + Sin () exp(i)

Cos2 () + Sin2 () exp(i)

0

A2 1 Sin2 (2)Sin2

  
2

(15)

= 1 sin (2)
Transmittance of the attenuation component varies between 0
and 1 continuously which can realize repetition of echo laser power
as shown in Fig. 4.

4. Accuracy analyses
4.1. Delay accuracy analysis and correction
High-precision delay modules delay errors are mainly composed of random error and systematic error. Systematic error
mainly results from many complicated factors including transmission distance between the detection system and the laser
rangender; electrical signals transmission distance in circuit;
switching devices conduction or closing time in receiving and
transmitting circuit; detectors response time and so on. However,
systematic error can be corrected by calibration. So systematic error
t0 = 125 ns can be obtained by means of calibration experiment.
In order to improve the delay accuracy and reduce error, polynomial tting method and undetermined coefcients method are
adopted to get correction curve expression setting as follow:
(t) = at + t0
(t)

(16)

In this formula: t0 is systematic error,

(t) is random error, at is
the cumulative error which grows linearly with delay time.
Random error mainly includes threshold identication error;
nominal error of oscillator frequency; the conversion error of DA
and utter errors of electronic devices. The threshold identication
error is less than 70 ps; Flutter error of picoseconds-level comparator is 140 ps; Flutter error of threshold identication chip LVECL is
about 120 ps. The random delay error is:


 i

1
1

(t) = 
x2 =
702 + 1202 + 1402 = 113.87 ps
k

(14)

A2 1 sin2 (2) sin2 (/2)

I3
=
=
I0
A2

(17)

According to common error distribution, the condence factor

3.
Converter chip DA is 12-bit DA converter chip DAC8562, analog
delay range FPGA in a cycle is 2.5 ns, DA conversion accuracy is

is

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M. Liu et al. / Optik 127 (2016) 2529

12 bit, thus its converter delay error is 0.6 ps. Nominal error of the
oscillator frequency of FPGA is
k=

|fx f0 |
= 105
f0

(18)

In the formula: f0 is 100 MHz being crystal center vibration

frequency. FPGA is under 4 times frequency multiplications, so
nominal error of the oscillator frequency after 4 times multiplications is
fx = 4 k f0 = 4 KHz

(19)

So nominal error of the working cycle of FPGA is

T1 =

1
1

= 0.05 ps
f0 fx
f0 fx

(20)
Fig. 5. The detection system prototype.

That is to say delay error of FPGA in one each work cycle is 0.05 ps
and delay time is t, then the accumulated error is:
at =

t
0.05 ps = 2 105 t
2.5 ns

(21)

In summary, delay error function is:

(t) = 2 105 t + 125 ns 113.87 ps

(22)

4.2. Precision analysis of echo power reproduction

Optical power change of the radiation simulator is mainly realized by adjusting the angles between the polarizer and axis of the
half wave plate. And the adjusting angle can be achieved by worm
motion which is driven by stepper motor. Minimum stepping angle
of the stepping motor is 1.5, the mechanical transmission ratio is
1:30, and rotation angle in one pulse equivalent is:
 =

1.5
= 0.25
30

(23)

The formula (15) shows that radiation simulation power is function of the adjusting angle, by partial differential we get:
T
= 4Sin(2)Cos(2) = 2Sin(4)


(24)

Bringing  into the formula, relative error of the radiation

simulation power in one pulse equivalent:
=

| 2Sin(4) |
|T |
=
= 4.85%
T
1 Sin2 (2)

(25)

5. Experiment and result analysis

The experiment was completed by calibrating a particular model
of laser rangender, Performance indexes of laser rangender are
as follows: operating range is 5 km, wavelength is 1.064 m, output
peak power is 2 MW, beam divergence angle  < 1 mrad, pulse width

Fig. 6. Time delay oscillogram.

is 10 ns, and ranging precision is 0.1 m. The detection experiment

is to calibrate this type of laser rangender; the detection system
prototype is shown in Fig. 5.
Time delay precision under various simulation distances is veried by digital oscilloscope which sampling frequency is 1 GHz.
Verication test data table of delay precision detection is shown in
Table 1. The wave form is shown in Fig. 6. Results show that delay
accuracy of detection system is superior to 2 ns which is consistent
with analysis.
In order to verify the feasibility of maximum range distance
detecting for laser rangender indoor based on aerosol echo simulation, target establishing method in the wild has been adopted to
compare with it. The experimental procedure is as follows:
Taking a camouage cloth (7 m 7 m) as the cooperative target,
comparing experiment was started at 4 km away from the target, a
calibration pole was established, then established one pole at every

Table 1
Verication test data table of delay precision detection.
Presupposition distance simulation (m)
1000

3000

Order number

Time delay values measured by digital oscilloscope (ns)

1
2
3
4
5
6
Mean value

Limit error

6665.85
6665.76
6665.21
6666.03
6667.56
6664.96
6665.916
0.8056
1.72

19,999.12
20,001.24
20,001.57
20,001.78
19,999.92
20,001.43
20,000.975
0.93733
1.77

5000

33,334.64
33,335.08
33,334.93
33,333.56
33,332.15
33,334.03
33,333.964
1.1396
1.76

7000

46,668.35
46,664.97
46,666.67
46,668.25
46,665.53
46,666.72
46,667.032
1.3222
1.85

M. Liu et al. / Optik 127 (2016) 2529

29

Table 2
Verication test data table of maximum range distance detection.
Target distance (m)

Simulated power (W)

Attenuation (dB)

Accuracy in eld (%)

Accuracy indoor (%)

4000
4500
5000
5500
6000
6500
7000

5.6 105
4.3 105
3.2 105
2.8 105
2.5 105
2.1 105
1.7 105

6.4
9.0
9.8
11.6
12.4
15.6
17.3

100
95
79
56
46
32
12

100
100
86
63
52
38
19

500 m far away from cooperative target. Laser rangender emitted a pulsed laser effectively at every calibration pole location, we
recorded testing data and paid an attention to neutrality region
which ranging accuracy rate fell into 4060% region. Making a comparing between target establishing method in the wild and aerosol
echo simulation method, verication test data table was shown
in Table 2, comparing test results showed that both experimental
results were basically in agreement so that aerosol echo simulation
method was reasonable and feasible.
6. Conclusions
A novel detection method for ranging performance of pulsed
laser rangender with wide measuring range is introduced in this
paper. The method adopted several key technologies including high
precision time delay technique; MODTRAN infrared atmospheric
transport transmittance database; atmospheric echo power attenuation mathematical model and reproducing realization method of
laser echo power attenuation. The experiment results indicate that
delay error is better than 2 ns and ranging accuracy rate of maximum range distance is up to 90%, which proves the method to be of
higher detection precision and easier to operate and higher degree
of digitization merit compared with the other similar methods.
This method can be also applied to the solver accuracy detection of

weapon re control equipment and ranging performance detection

of airborne radar.
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