Analysis of laser return pulse from multilayered objects

Commercial Lidar often focus on reporting the range associated with the strongest laser return pulse, first return pulse, or last return pulse. This technique works well when observing discrete objects separated by a distance greater than the laser pulse length. However, multiple reflections due to more closely layered objects produce overlapping laser return pulses. Resolving the multi-layered object ranges in the resulting complex waveforms is the subject of this paper. A laboratory setup designed to investigate the laser return pulse produced by multi-layered objects is described along with a comparison of a simulated laser return pulse and the corresponding digitized laser return pulse. Variations in the laboratory setup are used to assess different strategies for resolving multi-layered object ranges and how this additional information can be applied to detecting objects partially obscured in vegetation.