Abstract: According to various embodiments, the system and method disclosed herein facilitate the design of plenoptic camera lens systems to enhance camera resolution. A first configuration for the plenoptic camera may first be selected, with a first plurality of variables that define attributes of the plenoptic camera. The attributes may include a main lens attribute of a main lens of the plenoptic camera and/or a phase mask attribute of a phase mask of the plenoptic camera. A merit function may be applied by simulating receipt of light through the main lens and the plurality of microlenses of the first configuration to calculate a first merit function value. The main lens attribute and/or the phase mask attribute may be iteratively perturbed, and the merit function may be re-applied. An optimal set of variables may be identified by comparing results of successive applications of the merit function.

Abstract: According to various embodiments of the present invention, the optical systems of light field capture devices are optimized so as to improve captured light field image data. Optimizing optical systems of light field capture devices can result in captured light field image data (both still and video) that is cheaper and/or easier to process. Optical systems can be optimized to yield improved quality or resolution when using cheaper processing approaches whose computational costs fit within various processing and/or resource constraints. As such, the optical systems of light field cameras can be optimized to reduce size and/or cost and/or increase the quality of such optical systems.

Abstract: According to various embodiments of the present invention, the optical systems of light field capture devices are optimized so as to improve captured light field image data. Optimizing optical systems of light field capture devices can result in captured light field image data (both still and video) that is cheaper and/or easier to process. Optical systems can be optimized to yield improved quality or resolution when using cheaper processing approaches whose computational costs fit within various processing and/or resource constraints. As such, the optical systems of light field cameras can be optimized to reduce size and/or cost and/or increase the quality of such optical systems.

Abstract: RAW images and/or light field images may be compressed through the use of specialized techniques. The color depth of a light field image may be reduced through the use of a bit reduction algorithm such as a K-means algorithm. The image may then be retiled to group pixels of similar intensities and/or colors. The retiled image may be padded with extra pixel rows and/or pixel columns as needed, and compressed through the use of an image compression algorithm. The compressed image may be assembled with metadata pertinent to the manner in which compression was done to form a compressed image file. The compressed image file may be decompressed by following the compression method in reverse.

Abstract: According to various embodiments, the system and method disclosed herein serve to at least partially compensate for departures of an actual main lens of a light-field camera from the properties of an ideal main lens. Light-field data may be captured and processed through the use of product calibration data and unit calibration data. The product calibration data may be descriptive of departure of a main lens design of the light-field camera from an ideal main lens design. The unit calibration data may be descriptive of departure of the actual main lens of the light-field camera from the main lens design. Corrected light-field data may be generated as a result of the processing, and may be used to generate a light-field image.

Abstract: According to various embodiments, the system and method disclosed herein facilitate the design of plenoptic camera lens systems to enhance camera resolution. A first configuration for the plenoptic camera may first be selected, with a first plurality of variables that define attributes of the plenoptic camera. The attributes may include a main lens attribute of a main lens of the plenoptic camera and/or a phase mask attribute of a phase mask of the plenoptic camera. A merit function may be applied by simulating receipt of light through the main lens and the plurality of microlenses of the first configuration to calculate a first merit function value. The main lens attribute and/or the phase mask attribute may be iteratively perturbed, and the merit function may be re-applied. An optimal set of variables may be identified by comparing results of successive applications of the merit function.

Abstract: A system and method that compensates for the effects of ambient light in a time of flight (TOF) sensor front end is provided. Moreover, a direct current (DC) correction loop is utilized at the front end, which removes a DC component from a current generated by the TOF sensor and accordingly prevents saturating the front end. The DC correction loop attenuates the DC component without adding significant thermal noise at a modulation frequency and provides a corrected signal to the front end circuitry. The corrected signal is processed and utilized to detect a position of an object within the optical field of the sensor.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically calibrating a Time-of-Flight (TOF) transceiver system for proximity/motion detection, is provided. Moreover, the system comprises a component that senses a signal (e.g., current or voltage) at an light emitting diode (LED), an attenuator, a signal injector at a sensor and a switching circuit that toggles between a normal mode (e.g., when signal from the sensor is input to the sensor front end) and a calibration mode (e.g., when signal from the attenuator is input to the sensor front end). During the calibration mode, the sensor front end identifies the phase delay error within the signal path, including board and/or package parasitic, and accounts for the phase delay error during proximity/motion detection in the normal mode.

Abstract: An imaging system, semiconductor device, and method of manufacture of a photo-detector device are disclosed. For example, an imaging system is disclosed, which includes a photo-detector unit including a plurality of conductive trenches formed within the photo-detector unit, and a plurality of electrical contacts, each electrical contact connected to a respective conductive trench. The imaging system further includes a light data processor unit coupled to an output of the photo-detector unit to convert an analog signal received from the photo-detector unit to a digital signal, a processing unit coupled to an output of the light data processor unit to generate a control signal in response to the digital signal, and a display unit coupled to an output of the processing unit to vary the intensity of an image displayed in response to the control signal.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically calibrating a Time-of-Flight (TOF) transceiver system for proximity/motion detection, is provided. Moreover, the system comprises a component that senses a signal (e.g., current or voltage) at an light emitting diode (LED), an attenuator, a signal injector at a sensor and a switching circuit that toggles between a normal mode (e.g., when signal from the sensor is input to the sensor front end) and a calibration mode (e.g., when signal from the attenuator is input to the sensor front end). During the calibration mode, the sensor front end identifies the phase delay error within the signal path, including board and/or package parasitic, and accounts for the phase delay error during proximity/motion detection in the normal mode.

Abstract: A system and method that compensates for the effects of ambient light in a time of flight (TOF) sensor front end is provided. Moreover, a direct current (DC) correction loop is utilized at the front end, which removes a DC component from a current generated by the TOF sensor and accordingly prevents saturating the front end. The DC correction loop attenuates the DC component without adding significant thermal noise at a modulation frequency and provides a corrected signal to the front end circuitry. The corrected signal is processed and utilized to detect a position of an object within the optical field of the sensor.

Abstract: An area effective system and method for improving power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) in an optical sensor front end, is provided. Moreover, low pass filter (LPF) that enables the reference voltage in the front end of the optical sensor, to be referred to the same substrate as that employed by the sensor. In one example, the LPF includes a capacitor, implemented using a Deep-N-Well (DNW) depletion capacitor, which is utilized to connect the reference voltage to the same substrate. Additionally, the DNW allows an area efficient realization of the LPF. The system and method disclosed herein improves the PSRR by a factor of around 40 dB for 5 MHz modulation.