公开(公告)号：US11598862B2

公开(公告)日：2023-03-07

申请号：US16689379

申请日：2019-11-20

申请人： The University Court of The University of Edinburgh ,  Sense Photonics, Inc.

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Hod Finkelstein ,  Neil Calder ,  Tarek Al Abbas

IPC分类号： G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/4863

摘要： A Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) apparatus includes an emitter array comprising a plurality of emitter units configured to emit optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals, a detector array comprising a plurality of detector pixels configured to be activated and deactivated for respective strobe windows between pulses of the optical signals; and a control circuit configured to provide a strobe signal to activate a first subset of the detector pixels while leaving a second subset of the detector pixels inactive.

公开(公告)号：US20200284884A1

公开(公告)日：2020-09-10

申请号：US16810299

申请日：2020-03-05

申请人： The University Court of The University of Edinburgh ,  Sense Photonics, Inc.

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Tarek Al Abbas ,  Neil Calder ,  Hod Finkelstein

IPC分类号： G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/499 ,  G01S17/931

摘要： A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) detector circuit includes a plurality of detector pixels, where each or a respective detector pixel of the detector pixels includes a plurality of detector elements. At least one control circuit is configured to provide one or more detector control signals that selectively activate one or more of the detector elements of the respective detector pixel to define a first active detection area including a first subset of the detector elements for a first image acquisition, and a second active detection area including a second subset of the detector elements for a second image acquisition. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

公开(公告)号：US20200158838A1

公开(公告)日：2020-05-21

申请号：US16689379

申请日：2019-11-20

申请人： The University Court of The University of Edinburgh ,  Sense Photonics, Inc.

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Hod Finkelstein ,  Neil Calder ,  Tarek Al Abbas

IPC分类号： G01S7/486 ,  G01S7/4863

摘要： A Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) apparatus includes an emitter array comprising a plurality of emitter units configured to emit optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals, a detector array comprising a plurality of detector pixels configured to be activated and deactivated for respective strobe windows between pulses of the optical signals; and a control circuit configured to provide a strobe signal to activate a first subset of the detector pixels while leaving a second subset of the detector pixels inactive.

公开(公告)号：US11768275B2

公开(公告)日：2023-09-26

申请号：US16778476

申请日：2020-01-31

申请人： The University Court of The University of Edinburgh ,  Sense Photonics, Inc.

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Tarek Al Abbas ,  Neil Calder ,  Hod Finkelstein

IPC分类号： G01S7/48 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S17/931 ,  G01S7/481

CPC分类号： G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/4814 ,  G01S17/931

摘要： A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) system includes one or more emitter elements configured to emit optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals, one or more detector elements configured to detect incident photons for respective strobe windows of operation between pulses of the optical signals and at respective delays that differ with respect to the pulses, and at least one control circuit. The at least one control circuit is configured to generate the respective emitter control signals to differently operate the one or more emitter elements based on the respective strobe windows of operation of the one or more detector elements.

公开(公告)号：US11644549B2

公开(公告)日：2023-05-09

申请号：US16810299

申请日：2020-03-05

申请人： The University Court of The University of Edinburgh ,  Sense Photonics, Inc.

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Tarek Al Abbas ,  Neil Calder ,  Hod Finkelstein

IPC分类号： G01S17/931 ,  G01S7/499 ,  G01S7/4863

CPC分类号： G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/499 ,  G01S17/931

摘要： A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) detector circuit includes a plurality of detector pixels, where each or a respective detector pixel of the detector pixels includes a plurality of detector elements. At least one control circuit is configured to provide one or more detector control signals that selectively activate one or more of the detector elements of the respective detector pixel to define a first active detection area including a first subset of the detector elements for a first image acquisition, and a second active detection area including a second subset of the detector elements for a second image acquisition. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

公开(公告)号：US20220206158A1

公开(公告)日：2022-06-30

申请号：US17607056

申请日：2020-05-01

申请人： Sense Photonics, Inc. ,  The University Court of The University of Edinburgh

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Hod Finkelstein

IPC分类号： G01S17/894 ,  G06F13/16 ,  G01S7/4914 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/487 ,  G01S7/493

摘要： A Time of Flight (TOF) system includes an incrementing circuit and a plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes a plurality of detectors configured to output respective detection signals responsive to detection of a plurality of photons incident thereon and a shared memory configured to store a respective count of the photons incident on each of the plurality of detectors. The incrementing circuit is configured to update the respective count for each of the plurality of detectors in the shared memory based on the respective detection signals.

公开(公告)号：US20210109224A1

公开(公告)日：2021-04-15

申请号：US17071589

申请日：2020-10-15

申请人： Sense Photonics, Inc. ,  The University Court of the University of Edinburgh

发明人： Hod Finkelstein ,  Robert Henderson ,  Tarek Al Abbas ,  David Storrrar

IPC分类号： G01S17/894 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G06F3/06

摘要： A Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) system, includes an emitter configured to emit a plurality of optical signals, a detector configured to be activated to detect one of the optical signals in light that is incident on the detector and to provide count data corresponding to the one of the optical signals that were detected, a plurality of storage memory locations configured to store the count data therein, and a control circuit configured to change a location at which the count data is stored from a first storage memory location to a second storage memory location based on an elapsed time duration from an emission of the one of the optical signals.

公开(公告)号：US20200158836A1

公开(公告)日：2020-05-21

申请号：US16688043

申请日：2019-11-19

申请人： The University Court of The University of Edinburgh ,  Sense Photonics, Inc.

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Hod Finkelstein

IPC分类号： G01S7/486 ,  G04F10/00 ,  G01S17/89 ,  H01L31/02

摘要： A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) measurement circuit includes a processor circuit that is configured to receive detection signals output from a plurality of detector elements in response to a plurality of photons incident thereon during a detection window, identify detection events based on the detection signals, and calculating an estimated time of arrival of the plurality of photons based on a sum of respective numbers of the detection events that have been identified at respective time intervals of the detection window. The processor circuit may include at least one accumulator circuit that is configured to output the sum of the respective numbers of the detection events that have been identified at the respective time intervals based on a counter signal that is incremented responsive to each of the detection events, and a clock signal corresponding to the respective time intervals.

公开(公告)号：US20220334253A1

公开(公告)日：2022-10-20

申请号：US17765420

申请日：2020-09-30

申请人： Sense Photonics, Inc. ,  The University Court of The University of Edinburgh

发明人： Tarek Al Abbas ,  Neil Calder ,  Robert Henderson ,  Hod Finkelstein

IPC分类号： G01S17/18 ,  G01S17/89 ,  G01S7/4863

摘要： A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system includes an emitter array comprising a plurality of emitter units operable to emit optical signals, a detector array comprising a plurality of detector pixels operable to detect light for respective strobe windows between pulses of the optical signals, and one or more control circuits. The control circuit(s) are configured to selectively operate different subsets of the emitter units and/or different subsets of the detector pixels such that a field of illumination of the emitter units and/or a field of view of the detector pixels is varied based on the respective strobe windows. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

公开(公告)号：US20200249318A1

公开(公告)日：2020-08-06

申请号：US16778476

申请日：2020-01-31

申请人： The University Court of The University of Edinburgh ,  Sense Photonics, Inc.

发明人： Robert Henderson ,  Tarek Al Abbas ,  Neil Calder ,  Hod Finkelstein

IPC分类号： G01S7/484 ,  G01S17/931 ,  G01S7/481

摘要： A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) system includes one or more emitter elements configured to emit optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals, one or more detector elements configured to detect incident photons for respective strobe windows of operation between pulses of the optical signals and at respective delays that differ with respect to the pulses, and at least one control circuit. The at least one control circuit is configured to generate the respective emitter control signals to differently operate the one or more emitter elements based on the respective strobe windows of operation of the one or more detector elements.