Abstract: Provided is a 3D depth sensing system and method of providing an image based on a hybrid sensing array. The 3D sensing system including a light source configured to emit light, a hybrid sensing array comprising a 2D sensing region configured to detect ambient light reflected from an object and a 3D depth sensing region configured to detect the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object, a metalens on the hybrid sensing array, the metalens being configured to direct the ambient light reflected from the object towards the 2D sensing region, and to direct the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object towards the 3D depth sensing region, and a processing circuit configured to combine 2D image information provided by the 2D sensing region and 3D information provided by the 3D depth sensing region to generate a combined 3D image.

Abstract: Disclosed is a single pass light detection and ranging (LiDAR) laser method, including building a coarse histogram, detecting a first peak of laser pulses in the coarse histogram, determining whether the first peak height is greater than a first threshold and a location of the first peak is less than or equal to a second threshold, when determining that the first peak height is greater than the first threshold and the location of the first peak is less than or equal to the second threshold, building a fine histogram, and detecting a peak of laser pulses in the fine histogram, and when determining that the first peak height is less than or equal to the first threshold and the location of the first peak is greater than the second threshold, continuing the building of the coarse histogram, and detecting a second peak of the laser pulses in the coarse histogram.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and system for time-of-flight detection. There may be two or more photodetectors in a photodetector circuit that capture photon activity. There is logic that processes the responses of the photodetectors and returns the leading edge of the arrival of the first photon and the leading edge of the arrival of the last photon, if at least two photons are received during an overlapping pulse width.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and system for imaging a scene. The method includes generating a shutter pattern and applying the shutter pattern to a photodetector array. The system includes a sensor architecture in three dimensions, where elements of the sensor architecture are stacked in two or more layers. Some elements of the sensor architecture include a photodetector array, register array, a generator to generate shutter patterns, readout circuitry, and an ISP.

Abstract: A LiDAR system is disclosed that includes a SPAD unit array and J read group (RG) channels. The SPAD unit array is arranged in M rows and N columns of pixel read groups. Each row includes K pixel read groups. Each pixel read group outputs a detection signal in response to a light pulse that is incident on the pixel read group. Each RG channel corresponds to at least one row of pixel read groups and includes L time-to-digital converters that respectively generate timestamp information corresponding to detection event signals of each of L pixel read groups in the at least one row of pixel read groups in which J<M and L?K. Each RG channel stores the timestamp information in an accumulator bin of a histogram circuit corresponding to a value of the timestamp information using hardwired addressing based on the value of the timestamp information.

Abstract: A direct time-of-flight (DTOF) LiDAR system includes a sensor array, a first gated time-to digital converter (TDC) circuit and second TDC circuit. The sensor array includes pixels arranged to detect a first disparity location on the sensor array of a reflection signal received from a first object at a first range with respect to a second disparity location on the sensor array of a reflection signal received from a second object at a second range that is greater than the first range. The first TDC circuit generates first timestamp information relating to detection of the first reflection signal in which the first gated TDC circuit is gated based on the first disparity location. The second gated TDC circuit generates second timestamp information relating to detection of the second reflection signal in which the second gated TDC circuit is gated based on the second disparity location.

Abstract: A pixel of an image sensor includes a pinned photodiode (PPD), a switching device and an output circuit. A first terminal of the switching device is coupled to the PPD. A second terminal of the switching device is coupled to a floating diffusion (FD). A third terminal of the switching device is coupled to a first enable signal and a second enable signal. The switching device is responsive to the first enable signal to transfer a first charge on the PPD to the FD, and responsive to the second enable signal to transfer a second charge on the PPD to the FD. The output circuit outputs a first voltage based on the first charge and outputs a second voltage based on the second charge in which the first voltage corresponds to a time of flight of one or more detected photons and the second voltage corresponds to a greyscale image.

Abstract: Provided is a 3D depth sensing system and method of providing an image based on a hybrid sensing array. The 3D sensing system including a light source configured to emit light, a hybrid sensing array comprising a 2D sensing region configured to detect ambient light reflected from an object and a 3D depth sensing region configured to detect the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object, a metalens on the hybrid sensing array, the metalens being configured to direct the ambient light reflected from the object towards the 2D sensing region, and to direct the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object towards the 3D depth sensing region, and a processing circuit configured to combine 2D image information provided by the 2D sensing region and 3D information provided by the 3D depth sensing region to generate a combined 3D image.

Abstract: Provided is a 3D depth sensing system and method of providing an image based on a hybrid sensing array. The 3D sensing system including a light source configured to emit light, a hybrid sensing array comprising a 2D sensing region configured to detect ambient light reflected from an object and a 3D depth sensing region configured to detect the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object, a metalens on the hybrid sensing array, the metalens being configured to direct the ambient light reflected from the object towards the 2D sensing region, and to direct the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object towards the 3D depth sensing region, and a processing circuit configured to combine 2D image information provided by the 2D sensing region and 3D information provided by the 3D depth sensing region to generate a combined 3D image.

Abstract: Provided is a depth detection system and method of histogram binning for depth detection. The depth detection system includes a light source configured to emit a light pulse toward an object, an optical sensor configured to detect the light pulse reflecting off the object, the optical sensor including a first sensing pixel configured to detect the light pulse for a first event count according to the light pulse reflecting off the object, and a second sensing pixel configured to detect the light pulse for a second event count according to the light pulse reflecting off the object, and a processing circuit configured to determine a first aggregated histogram corresponding to the first sensing pixel based on the first event count and the second event count and determine a first peak of the first aggregated histogram to determine a first time of flight associated with the first sensing pixel.

Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed to approximately calculate a mathematical function using a digital processing device. An acceleration function is performed on at least one operand for a mathematical function. The acceleration function includes a predetermined sequence of addition operations that approximate the mathematical function in which the mathematical function may be a base-2 logarithm, a power of 2, a multiplication, an inverse square root, an inverse, a division, a square root, and an arctangent. The predetermined sequence of addition operations may include a first predetermined number of additions of integer-formatted operands and a second predetermined number of additions of floating-point-formatted operands in which the additions of integer-formatted operands and additions of floating-point-formatted operands can occur in any order.

Abstract: Provided is a 3D depth sensing system and method of providing an image based on a hybrid sensing array. The 3D sensing system including a light source configured to emit light, a hybrid sensing array comprising a 2D sensing region configured to detect ambient light reflected from an object and a 3D depth sensing region configured to detect the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object, a metalens on the hybrid sensing array, the metalens being configured to direct the ambient light reflected from the object towards the 2D sensing region, and to direct the light emitted by the light source and reflected from the object towards the 3D depth sensing region, and a processing circuit configured to combine 2D image information provided by the 2D sensing region and 3D information provided by the 3D depth sensing region to generate a combined 3D image.

Abstract: A pixel of an image sensor includes a pinned photodiode (PPD), a switching device and an output circuit. A first terminal of the switching device is coupled to the PPD. A second terminal of the switching device is coupled to a floating diffusion (FD). A third terminal of the switching device is coupled to a first enable signal and a second enable signal. The switching device is responsive to the first enable signal to transfer a first charge on the PPD to the FD, and responsive to the second enable signal to transfer a second charge on the PPD to the FD. The output circuit outputs a first voltage based on the first charge and outputs a second voltage based on the second charge in which the first voltage corresponds to a time of flight of one or more detected photons and the second voltage corresponds to a greyscale image.