Frequency Modulation Control of an FMCW LiDAR Using a Frequency-to-Voltage Converter

Abstract

An FMCW LiDAR (frequency-modulated continuous-wave light detection and ranging) is a sensor that can measure distance using optical interference frequency (f(b)). This sensor has recently attracted interest because it is robust to harsh environmental conditions and sunlight due to the wave properties of the laser. Theoretically, when the frequency of the reference beam is linearly modulated, a constant f(b) is obtained with respect to the distance. However, when the frequency of the reference beam fails to be linearly modulated, the distance measurement is not accurate. In this work, linear frequency modulation control using frequency detection is proposed to improve the distance accuracy. The FVC (frequency to voltage converting) method is used to measure f(b) for high-speed frequency modulation control. The experimental results show that linear frequency modulation control using an FVC improves FMCW LiDAR performance in terms of control speed and frequency accuracy.