Abstract:Imaging LiDAR is widely applied in military and civilian fields such as autonomous driving, traffic management, atmospheric sensing, and military reconnaissance due to its small size, high precision, long detection range, and strong anti-interference capability. The optoelectronic detection unit is a crucial and essential component for detecting the echo signals in a LiDAR system. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the research progress of LiDAR based on three detectors: charge-coupled device (CCD), avalanche photodiode (APD), and positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN). It elucidates the working principles of these detectors and presents an overview of their research and application developments in imaging LiDAR systems, both domestically and internationally. The paper analyzes and compares the advantages and disadvantages of these three detectors, aiming to provide useful references for selecting detectors in LiDAR system design.