Abstract: According to an embodiment, a time-of-flight sensor system includes a light emitter, a detector array, and a histogram processing circuit. The histogram processing circuit processes time-of-flight measurement data using sequential bin-by-bin histogram processing. This approach enables efficient processing with minimal memory requirements, suitable for low-power applications. The circuit applies on-the-fly operations during processing, including crosstalk removal and peak detection. A correlator circuit within the system uses multiply-accumulate (MAC) circuits to calculate ambient light contribution, perform main correlation, and compute crosstalk contribution in a bin-serial manner. Additionally, a phase/bin computation circuit applies filter coefficients to preprocessed histogram data and detects positive zero crossings to calculate the median phase.

Abstract: A digital communication system comprises a master device and a plurality of slave devices. The master and slave devices are, in operation, communicatively coupled over a communication bus and also coupled together in a daisy-chain configuration using a separate line. A daisy-chain input of a subsequent device is coupled to a daisy-chain output of a previous device in the daisy-chain configuration. Any slave device propagates an interrupt value at their daisy-chain input to their daisy-chain output. In a case of a local interrupt event, a slave device changes its daisy-chain output from an operating value to the interrupt value. The master device, responsive to detecting a change of its daisy-chain input into the interrupt value, triggers a sequential polling of all the slave devices, from the last one to the first one, for feedback collection using the communication bus.

Abstract: An example apparatus, computer-implemented method, and electronic device comprising an ambient light sensor configured to mitigate the effects of dark count rate associated with avalanche photodiodes are provided. The example apparatus includes an exposed avalanche photodiode array, a dark avalanche photodiode array, and a controller. The exposed avalanche photodiode array is positioned to receive ambient light from an external environment. The dark avalanche photodiode array is obscured from the ambient light. The controller is configured to receive an exposed illumination count corresponding to the ambient light received at the exposed avalanche photodiode array. The controller is further configured to receive a dark illumination count corresponding to a dark count at the dark avalanche photodiode array. The controller determines an ambient light value based on a difference between the exposed illumination count and the dark illumination count.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a method to mitigate target wraparound in time-of-flight is proposed. The method includes extending the system's pulse interval to include predetermined and dynamic blanking times. The dynamic blanking time is increased by an offset at each successive pulse. The dynamic blanking time is reset in response to reaching a predetermined dynamic blanking time. The dynamic blanking time is initially set to zero. The method further includes processing events within an active window to measure a time interval between the transmission of a pulse and the receipt of a reflected pulse from an object. The duration of the active window is equal to the duration of the initial pulse interval. The method further includes ignoring events within an inactive window, a duration of the inactive window corresponding to the duration of the extended pulse interval minus the duration of the active window.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a histogram output from a detector sensor, and calculating a median point of a pulse waveform within the histogram. The pulse waveform has an even probability distribution over at least one quantization step of the histogram around the median point. A corresponding apparatus can include a detector sensor and a co-processor coupled to the detector sensor.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a histogram output from a detector sensor, and calculating a median point of a pulse waveform within the histogram. The pulse waveform has an even probability distribution over at least one quantization step of the histogram around the median point. A corresponding apparatus can include a detector sensor and a co-processor coupled to the detector sensor.

Abstract: An example heterodyne sensor of the present disclosure includes one or more optical mixers and an array of pixels. The optical mixers are configured to combine a reference light beam with one or more return light beams in order to generate one or more beat signals. Each pixel of the array of pixels includes a single-photon avalanche diode configured to receive a corresponding one of the one or more beat signals and to generate an output signal as a function of a light intensity of a received beat signal, and a digital counter configured to generate a count value based on the output signal of the single-photon avalanche diode.

Abstract: The image sensor includes an array of photosensitive pixels comprising at least two sets of at least one pixel, control circuit configured to generate at least two different timing signals and adapted to control an acquisition of an incident optical signal by the pixels of the array, and distribution circuit configured to respectively distribute the at least two different timing signals in the at least two sets of at least one sensor, during the same acquisition of the incident optical signal.

Abstract: A method includes counting a first set of photons having a time-of-flight that falls within a first time range and being detected during a first time period, determining a second time range based on the first set of photons, the second time range being smaller than the first time range, counting a second set of photons having a time-of-flight that fall within the second time range and being detected during a second time period, and determining a third time range based on the second set of photons, the third time range being smaller than the second time range.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an optoelectronic device includes a light source and an array of pixels. Each pixel of the array is configured to detect an amount of return light falling in each of a subset of time intervals that form a detection time window of the pixel. A time window position code generator is configured to generate a sequence of time window position codes. Each pixel includes a memory configured to store a first reference time window position associated with the pixel, a time window code comparator configured to compare a first time window position code of the sequence with the first reference time window position, and a timing sequence generator configured to generate, when the comparison indicates a match, a time window control signal configured to activate the detection of the return light during a detection time window selected by the time window control signal.

Abstract: An optical sensor includes pixels. Each pixel has a photodetector. A readout circuit performs a process over an exposure time where the photodetector is connected to a reverse bias voltage supply to reset a voltage across the photodetector, and the photodetector is disconnected from the reverse bias voltage supply until that the voltage across the photodetector decreases in response to received ambient light. An ambient light level is then determine an based on a number of times the voltage across the photodetector is reset over the exposure time.

Abstract: A method includes counting a first set of photons having times of flight that falls within a first time range and being detected during a first time period, determining a second time range based on the first set of photons, the second time range being smaller than the first time range, counting a second set of photons having times of flight that fall within the second time range and being detected during a second time period, and determining a third time range based on the second set of photons, the third time range being smaller than the second time range.

Abstract: Described herein is a time-of-flight ranging system and methods for its operation. The system includes an array of single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) pixels and control circuitry. The control circuitry simultaneously accumulates integrated SPAD event data from one cluster of SPAD pixels while integrating SPAD event data from another cluster during different target illuminations. The system also includes first and second VCSEL clusters, each responsible for a different target illumination. By processing and managing the data in this manner, the system can effectively reduce the time used to gather and analyze the event data, leading to faster and more accurate distance measurements.

Abstract: A depth map sensor includes a first array of first pixels, each first pixel having a first photodetector associated with a pixel circuit that comprises a plurality of first bins for accumulating events. A clock source is configured to generate a plurality of phase-shifted clock signals. A first circuit has a plurality of first output lines coupled to the first array of first pixels. The first circuit is configured to receive the plurality of phase-shifted clock signals. The first circuit includes a first block and a second block. The first block is configured to propagate the plurality of phase-shifted clock signals to the second block during a first period determined by a first enable signal and the second block configured to select to which of the plurality of first output lines each of the plurality of phase-shifted clock signals is applied.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a histogram output from a detector sensor, and calculating a median point of a pulse waveform within the histogram. The pulse waveform has an even probability distribution over at least one quantization step of the histogram around the median point. A corresponding apparatus can include a detector sensor and a co-processor coupled to the detector sensor.

Abstract: An optical sensor includes pixels. Each pixel has a photodetector. A readout circuit performs a process over an exposure time where the photodetector is connected to a reverse bias voltage supply to reset a voltage across the photodetector, and the photodetector is disconnected from the reverse bias voltage supply until that the voltage across the photodetector decreases in response to received ambient light. An ambient light level is then determine an based on a number of times the voltage across the photodetector is reset over the exposure time.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device and method for measuring a flicker frequency of a light source configured to implement at least one phase lock loop.

Abstract: The image sensor includes an array of photosensitive pixels comprising at least two sets of at least one pixel, control circuit configured to generate at least two different timing signals and adapted to control an acquisition of an incident optical signal by the pixels of the array, and distribution circuit configured to respectively distribute the at least two different timing signals in the at least two sets of at least one sensor, during the same acquisition of the incident optical signal.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a histogram output from a detector sensor, and calculating a median point of a pulse waveform within the histogram. The pulse waveform has an even probability distribution over at least one quantization step of the histogram around the median point. A corresponding apparatus can include a detector sensor and a co-processor coupled to the detector sensor.

Abstract: An optical sensor includes pixels. Each pixel has a photodetector. A readout circuit performs a process over an exposure time where the photodetector is connected to a reverse bias voltage supply to reset a voltage across the photodetector, and the photodetector is disconnected from the reverse bias voltage supply until that the voltage across the photodetector decreases in response to received ambient light. An ambient light level is then determine an based on a number of times the voltage across the photodetector is reset over the exposure time.