Abstract:
A frequency modulated (coherent) laser detection and ranging system (120) includes a read-out integrated circuit formed with a two-dimensional array (126, 300) of detector elements each including a photosensitive region (301) receiving both return light reflected from a target (123) and light from a local oscillator (121e), and local processing circuitry (304) sampling the output of the photosensitive region four times during each sample period clock cycle to obtain quadrature components. A data bus (307) coupled to one or more outputs of each of the detector elements receives the quadrature components from each of the detector elements for each sample period and serializes the received quadrature components. A processor (310) coupled to the data bus receives the serialized quadrature components and determines an amplitude and a phase for at least one interfering frequency corresponding to interference between the return light and the local oscillator light using the quadrature components.
Abstract:
An image sensor is described. The image sensor includes a pixel array having a unit cell that includes visible light photodiodes and an infra-red photodiode. The visible light photodiodes and the infra-red photodiode are coupled to a particular column of the pixel array. The unit cell has a first capacitor coupled to the visible light photodiodes to store charge from each of the visible light photodiodes. The unit cell having a readout circuit to provide the first capacitor's voltage on the particular column. The unit cell having a second capacitor that is coupled to the infra-red photodiode through a transfer gate transistor to receive charge from the infra-red photodiode during a time-of-flight exposure. The unit cell has a back-drain transistor coupled to the infra-red photodiode.
Abstract:
In an embodiment, a guidance system determines a location parameter of an object, and includes: at least one oscillating element located at the object for emitting modulated optical radiation; at least two mutually distinct signal-modifying electro-optical sensors, each of the electro-optical sensors having a detector and a demodulator for generating a demodulated electrical signal in response to detection of at least a portion of the modulated optical radiation; and a processor for determining the location parameter from the demodulated electrical signals. In another embodiment, a guidance system has aberration-corrected imaging and includes: a plurality of electro-optical sensors sharing a field of view and mutually distinctly providing a respective plurality of altered images therefrom; and an image generator module for linearly and non-linearly processing spatial frequency properties of the plurality of altered images to synthesize an aberration-corrected image for the imaging system.
Abstract:
A demodulation image sensor, such as used in time of flight (TOF) cameras, extracts all storage- and post-processing-related steps from the pixels to another array of storage and processing elements (proxels) on the chip. The pixel array has the task of photo-detection, first processing and intermediate storage, while the array of storage and processing elements provides further processing and enhanced storage capabilities for each pixel individually. The architecture can be used to address problems due to the down-scaling of the pixel size. Typically, either the photo-sensitivity or the signal storage capacitance suffers significantly. Both a lower sensitivity and smaller storage capacitances have negative influence on the image quality. The disclosed architecture allows for keeping the storage capacitance unaffected by the pixel down-scaling.
Abstract:
A method and system enable the subtraction of charge carrier packages in the low-noise charge domain, which is particularly interesting for the operation of demodulation pixels when high background light signals are present. The method comprises the following steps: demodulation of an optical signal and integration of the photo-generated charge carriers; charge transfer to an external capacitance. The second step means a recombination of electrons and holes in the charge domain and an influencing of the opposite charge carriers on the second plate of the capacitance. This approach allows for low-noise subtraction of charge packages in the charge domain and, at the same time, for creating pixels with much higher fill factors because the capacitances can be optimized for storing just the differential parts, without the DC component.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for the recording and processing of the amplitude and phase of signal waves, whereby a signal source generates a modulated signal wave, which is altered on the way thereof through a transmission medium or through an object as a result of reflection and/or dispersion, received by a receiving device and directly demodulated therein, using a modulation signal which has a well-defined relationship to the modulation of the signal waves, by means of a modulation device without the signal wave carrier and recorded and analysed in relation to the amplitude of the modulated signal wave and the phase relationship of the modulation phase of the signal wave and of the modulation signal. In a sensor, sensitive to the signal waves, in a receiver device, wave energy particles, directly or indirectly generated by means of the signal wave energy in a wagging process, with a wave energy wag matching the modulation signal, are fed to at least two distinguishable groups of receiving elements on the sensor, recorded, optionally amplified and transmitted by at least one read-out output of an output unit, corresponding to at least one of the group of distinguishable receiving elements, in the form of a sum and/or correlation signal.
Abstract:
L'invention porte sur un procédé et un dispositif (4) de suppression d'informations parasites dans des images, capturées par un appareil de prise de vue (6) d'un imageur (5), d'au moins une mire optique spéculaire (1) transparente ou réfléchissante éclairée par au moins une source de rayonnement d'imageur (7a; 7b; 7c) rayonnant dans une première plage de longueurs d'onde prédéfinie détectable par l'appareil de prise de vue (6) et par au moins une source de rayonnement parasite naturelle et/ou artificielle rayonnant dans une seconde plage de longueurs d'onde incluant ou non la première plage de longueurs d'onde prédéfinie, l'au moins une mire optique spéculaire (1) fournissant, par transparence ou réflexion, des informations lumineuses provenant de l'au moins une source de rayonnement d'imageur (7a; 7b; 7c) et de l'au moins une source de rayonnement parasite capturées par l'appareil de prise de vue (6) dans les images. L'invention porte également sur un système de localisation comprenant ledit dispositif (4).
Abstract:
An apparatus is described that includes a pixel array having time-of-flight pixels. The apparatus also includes clocking circuitry coupled to the time-of-flight pixels. The clocking circuitry comprises a multiplexer between a multi-phase clock generator and the pixel array to multiplex different phased clock signals to a same time-of-flight pixel. The apparatus also includes an image signal processor to perform distance calculations from streams of signals generated by the pixels at a first rate that is greater than a second rate at which any particular one of the pixels is able to generate signals sufficient to perform a single distance calculation.