公开(公告)号：WO2019005260A1

公开(公告)日：2019-01-03

申请号：PCT/US2018/026993

申请日：2018-04-11

Applicant: APPLE INC.

Inventor： NICLASS, Cristiano L ,  SMITH, Scott T ,  OGGIER, Thierry

IPC: G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/486 ,  H01L27/144 ,  H01L31/107

Abstract: An optical sensing device (20) includes a light source (22), which is configured to emit one or more beams of light pulses at respective angles toward a target scene. An array (40) of sensing elements (54) is configured to output signals in response to incidence of photons on the sensing elements. Light collection optics (42) are configured to image the target scene onto the array. Control circuitry (56) is coupled to actuate the sensing elements only in one or more selected regions of the array, each selected region containing a respective set of the sensing elements in a part of the array onto which the light collection optics image a corresponding area of the target scene that is illuminated by the one of the beams, and to adjust a membership of the respective set responsively to a distance of the corresponding area from the device.

公开(公告)号：WO2018057085A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-29

申请号：PCT/US2017/040648

申请日：2017-07-05

Applicant: APPLE INC.

Inventor： MANDAI, Shingo ,  NICLASS, Cristiano L ,  BILLS, Richard E ,  LAIFENFELD, Moshe ,  REZK, Mina A. ,  SHPUNT, Alexander ,  SOKOLOVSKY, Ron ,  KAITZ, Tal ,  AKERMAN, Ronen ,  MUDGE, Jason D. ,  SUTTON, Andrew J

IPC: G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/486

CPC classification number: G01S17/89 ,  G01B11/026 ,  G01S7/4814 ,  G01S7/4817 ,  G01S7/484 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/4868 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G02F1/292

Abstract: An electro-optical device (20) includes a laser (28), which is configured to emit toward a scene (38) pulses (36) of optical radiation. An array (34) of detectors (79) are configured to receive the optical radiation that is reflected from points in the scene and to output signals indicative of respective times of arrival of the received radiation. A controller (26) is coupled to drive the laser to emit a sequence of pulses of the optical radiation toward each of a plurality of points in the scene and to find respective times of flight for the points responsively to the output signals, while controlling a power of the pulses emitted by the laser by counting a number of the detectors outputting the signals in response to each pulse, and reducing the power of a subsequent pulse in the sequence when the number is greater than a predefined threshold.

Abstract translation: 电光装置（20）包括激光器（28），该激光器构造成朝向场景（38）发射光辐射的脉冲（36）。 检测器（79）的阵列（34）被配置为接收从场景中的点反射的光辐射并输出指示所接收的辐射的相应到达时间的信号。 控制器（26）被耦合以驱动激光器向场景中的多个点中的每一个发射光学辐射的脉冲序列，并且响应于输出信号找出各个点的飞行时间，同时控制 通过对响应于每个脉冲输出信号的检测器的数量进行计数来激励由激光器发射的脉冲的功率，并且当该数量大于预定义的阈值时减小序列中的后续脉冲的功率。

公开(公告)号：WO2018044380A1

公开(公告)日：2018-03-08

申请号：PCT/US2017/039163

申请日：2017-06-25

Applicant: APPLE INC.

Inventor： BILLS, Richard E ,  SUTTON, Andrew J ,  NICLASS, Cristiano L ,  REZK, Mina A

IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/10 ,  H01S5/42 ,  G02F1/29

CPC classification number: H01S5/0071 ,  G01S7/4815 ,  G01S7/4817 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G02B26/0816 ,  G02B26/0891 ,  G02F1/292 ,  H01S5/042 ,  H01S5/423

Abstract: An optical apparatus (18, 39, 53, 57, 64, 66, 72) includes an array (20) of lasers (22), which are arranged in a grid pattern having a predefined spatial pitch and are configured to emit respective beams of pulses of optical radiation. Projection optics (27) having a selected focal length project the beams toward a target (28) with an angular pitch between the beams defined by the spatial pitch and the focal length. A scanner (48, 55, 58, 67, 81) scans the projected beams over a range of scan angles that is less than twice the angular pitch. Control circuitry (36) drives the lasers and the scanner so that the pulses cover the target with a resolution finer than the angular pitch. A receiver (32) receives and measures a time of flight of the pulses reflected from the target.

Abstract translation: 光学装置（18,39,53,57,64,66,72）包括激光器（22）的阵列（20），激光器（22）的阵列（20）布置成具有预定义的空间节距 并且被配置为发射光辐射的相应的脉冲束。 具有选定焦距的投影光学器件（27）以由空间间距和焦距限定的光束之间的角间距将光束投射向目标（28）。 扫描仪（48,55,58,67,81）在小于角间距两倍的扫描角度范围内扫描投影光束。 控制电路（36）驱动激光器和扫描器，使得脉冲以比角间距更精细的分辨率覆盖目标。 接收器（32）接收并测量从目标反射的脉冲的飞行时间。