Performance comparison of continuous-wave time-of-flight (CWToF) and laser-range gated with range-resolve (LRGRR) to laser-range-gated (LRG) and continuous-wave (CW) active-imaging systems

Continuous Wave (CW) and Laser Range Gated (LRG) are two widely used and effective system design techniques pertaining to active imaging systems for long-range target discrimination and acquisition. Two more recent system design methods are Continuous Wave Time-of-Flight (CWToF) and Laser Range Gated with Range Resolve (LRGRR) active imaging systems. While these two techniques involve a higher degree of complexity in terms of system design, they also aim to provide the user with higher resolution and more sensitive imaging capabilities. In this study, we will quantify the sensitivity and range resolution benefits of these more complex methods in comparison to their more fundamental counterparts (CW and LRG). We will provide a performance model comparing these methods and discuss some environmental and situational circumstances in which any of these approaches would prove to be superior to the others.