公开(公告)号：US12163827B2

公开(公告)日：2024-12-10

申请号：US18442286

申请日：2024-02-15

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma

IPC: G01J1/42 ,  G01J1/44

Abstract: By a control device, a control method, or a non-transitory tangible storage medium storing a control program for controlling an optical sensor that includes a plurality of single photon avalanche diodes for each light reception pixel and receives light from a sensing area, a light reception signal waveform is acquired. The light reception signal waveform includes: a reflection light output component; and an external light output component, and a reflection intensity of the reflection light is estimated based on a correlation between a reflection light response number and an external light response number.

公开(公告)号：US11422241B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-23

申请号：US16584093

申请日：2019-09-26

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara ,  Mitsuhiko Ohta ,  Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka

IPC: H01L31/107 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S17/10

Abstract: A photodetector includes plural detectors. Each of the plural detectors has a single photon avalanche diode (hereinafter referred to as SPAD) which responds to incidence of a photon. The plural detectors include at least a first detector and a second detector. The SPAD has a recovery time period until the SPAD reaches a next photon-responsive state, in response to the SPAD responding to the incidence of the photon. The recovery time period of the SPAD in the first detector is different from the recovery time period of the SPAD in the second detector.

公开(公告)号：US11585908B2

公开(公告)日：2023-02-21

申请号：US16843191

申请日：2020-04-08

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Kenta Azuma ,  Takehiro Hata

IPC: G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/487 ,  H01L31/107 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S7/4863

Abstract: A plurality of photodetectors form a light receiving group, and a plurality of the light receiving groups form one pixel. A light receiving array is provided with one or more of such pixels. The photodetectors each output a pulse signal in response to irradiation of a photon. A measuring unit is provided for each of the plurality of light receiving groups. The measuring unit generates time information representing an elapsed time from an irradiation timing input from outside and light quantity information acquired at each of one or more timings identified from the time information, in accordance with the pulse signal output from the light receiving group. The number of the photodetectors outputting the pulse signal among the plurality of photodetectors belonging to the light receiving group is used as the light quantity information.

公开(公告)号：US20200018832A1

公开(公告)日：2020-01-16

申请号：US16584093

申请日：2019-09-26

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara ,  Mitsuhiko Ohta ,  Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka

IPC: G01S7/486 ,  G01S17/10 ,  H01L31/107

Abstract: A photodetector includes plural detectors. Each of the plural detectors has a single photon avalanche diode (hereinafter referred to as SPAD) which responds to incidence of a photon. The plural detectors include at least a first detector and a second detector. The SPAD has a recovery time period until the SPAD reaches a next photon-responsive state, in response to the SPAD responding to the incidence of the photon. The recovery time period of the SPAD in the first detector is different from the recovery time period of the SPAD in the second detector.

公开(公告)号：US11668826B2

公开(公告)日：2023-06-06

申请号：US16584033

申请日：2019-09-26

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Takehiro Hata ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Kenta Azuma ,  Shinji Kashiwada

IPC: G01S17/10 ,  H01L31/0232 ,  G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/481

CPC classification number: G01S17/10 ,  G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/4816 ,  H01L31/02327

Abstract: A light reception array unit receives light irradiated from an irradiation unit and reflected from an object, and outputs in parallel a pulse signal respectively output from a plurality of light reception units. A timer unit measures an elapsed time since an input of an irradiation timing signal. A response acquisition unit acquires a number of responses, which is a number of the light reception units outputting the pulse signal, at each fixed cycle timing, and outputs an adjusted number of responses obtained by subtracting a bias value from the number of responses or dividing the number of responses by the bias value. An address of a memory is associated with a timer value measured by the timer unit. A histogram generation unit integrates and stores, in a memory address specified from a timer value, the adjusted number of responses as data at that address.

公开(公告)号：US11585907B2

公开(公告)日：2023-02-21

申请号：US16597109

申请日：2019-10-09

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Kenta Azuma ,  Takehiro Hata

IPC: G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/487 ,  H01L31/107 ,  G01S17/08 ,  G01S7/4863

Abstract: A plurality of photodetectors form a light receiving group, and a plurality of the light receiving groups form one pixel. A light receiving array is provided with one or more of such pixels. The photodetectors each output a pulse signal in response to irradiation of a photon. A measuring unit is provided for each of the plurality of light receiving groups. The measuring unit generates time information representing an elapsed time from an irradiation timing input from outside and light quantity information acquired at each of one or more timings identified from the time information, in accordance with the pulse signal output from the light receiving group. The number of the photodetectors outputting the pulse signal among the plurality of photodetectors belonging to the light receiving group is used as the light quantity information.

公开(公告)号：US11296241B2

公开(公告)日：2022-04-05

申请号：US16583674

申请日：2019-09-26

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Takehiro Hata ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara

IPC: H01L31/02 ,  H01L31/10 ,  G01S7/486 ,  H03F3/08

Abstract: A light detector is provided to include a detection module, and a monitoring SPAD. The detection module includes an SPAD that is an avalanche photodiode operable in Geiger mode; the detection module is configured to perform light detection by applying, to the SPAD, a reverse bias voltage in a reverse direction. The monitoring SPAD has characteristics identical to characteristics of the SPAD in the detection module. The reverse bias voltage is generated to be applied to the SPAD in the detection module based on (i) a reference breakdown voltage set from a breakdown voltage generated across the monitoring SPAD in Geiger mode and (ii) a predetermined excess voltage.

公开(公告)号：US11422240B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-23

申请号：US16582290

申请日：2019-09-25

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara

IPC: G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  H01L31/107 ,  G01S17/74

Abstract: A light detector is provided to include a light receiving array having a plurality of light receivers respectively outputting pulse signals upon incidence of photons. A delay setting value is set which is used to adjust a time interval from when the pulse signals are output from the light receiving array to when a response number, which is a specified number of the light receivers outputting the pulse signals, is acquired.

公开(公告)号：US11411130B2

公开(公告)日：2022-08-09

申请号：US16598295

申请日：2019-10-10

Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION

Inventor： Kenta Azuma ,  Noriyuki Ozaki ,  Shinji Kashiwada ,  Teiyu Kimura ,  Isamu Takai ,  Hiroyuki Matsubara ,  Mitsuhiko Ohta ,  Shigeyoshi Hiratsuka

IPC: H01L31/107 ,  G01J1/44 ,  H01L27/144 ,  H01L31/02 ,  G01T1/24 ,  G01T1/208 ,  G01T1/20

Abstract: A photodetector includes: a photoreceptor provided with a SPAD that is configured to respond to incidence of a photon, and as the response of the SPAD, configured to output a pulse signal; and a pulse rate control circuit configured to control sensitivity of the photoreceptor to have a pulse rate as the number of pulse signals outputted per unit time from the photoreceptor to be a set value set in advance, (i) in a set range including the set value, (ii) in a set range of the set value or more, or (iii) in a set range of the set value or less.