Multifunction array lidar network for intruder detection, tracking, and identification

This paper describes a novel lidar sensor network based on a small, flat, optical phase array laser aperture. The network of array lidars provides collaborative automatic detection, tracking, acquisition cueing, and intruder type identification, as well as free space optics communication. The lidar consists of four optical phased arrays, each with about 1 million radiating elements in a 1-cm² aperture that enable electronic beam steering analogous to microwave array antennas. The four arrays are mounted on four sides of a stalk and have a full 360° field of view. A small number of such stalks can perform target detection over a large area.