A pixel range gated imaging system for underwater viewing and range finding

A scheme called a pixel range-gated imaging system, used as underwater viewing and range finding equipment in an autonomous underwater vehicle, is presented. In this system an underwater object is lit by a pulsed blue-green laser beam performing flying spot scanning, and a particular receiver is used to implement the range gating to each light pulse returned from each of the pixels on the objects. The receiver is a light-light-electric converter. Its output signal, after analog-digital conversion is fed to a computer, which performs necessary image processing, and the signal is then displayed on a cathode ray tube or stored on tape.<
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