CW coherent detection lidar for micro-Doppler sensing and raster-scan imaging of drones

We demonstrate a continuous-wave (CW) coherent detection lidar (CDL) capable of detecting micro-Doppler (propeller) signatures and acquiring raster-scan images of small unmanned aerial systems/vehicles (UAS/UAV). The system uses a narrow-linewidth 1550 nm CW laser and takes advantage of mature and low-cost fiber-optics components from the telecommunications industry. Using either collimated or focused probe beam geometry, lidar based detection of characteristic periodic motions of drone propellers up to a remote distance of 500 m has been achieved. Furthermore, by raster scanning a focused CDL beam with a galvo-resonant mirror beamscanner, two-dimensional images of flying UAVs up to 70 m range were obtained. Each pixel of the raster-scan images provides both lidar return signal amplitude and target radial speed information. The raster-scan images obtained up to 5 frames per second make it possible to discriminate various UAV types based on their profile and even resolve the presence of payloads. With feasible improvements, the anti-drone lidar is a promising alternative to expensive EO/IR and active SWIR cameras used in counter-UAV systems.