Abstract: In one example, a mobile device comprises: a physical link; a plurality of image sensors, each image sensor being configured to transmit image data via the physical link; and a controller coupled to the physical link, whereby the physical link, the plurality of image sensors, and the controller form a multi-drop network. The controller is configured to: transmit a control signal to configure image sensing operations at the plurality of image sensors; receive, via the physical link, image data from at least a subset of the plurality of image sensors; combine the image data from the at least a subset of the plurality of image sensors to obtain an extended field of view (FOV); determine information of a surrounding environment of the mobile device captured within the extended FOV; and provide the information to an application to generate content based on the information.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises: a photodiode configured to generate charge in response to incident light within an exposure period; and a quantizer configured to perform at least one of a first quantization operation to generate a first digital output or a second quantization to generate a second digital output, and output, based on a range of an intensity of the incident light, one of the first digital output or the second digital output to represent the intensity of the incident light. The first quantization operation comprises quantizing at least a first part of the charge during the exposure period to generate the first digital output. The second quantization operation comprises quantizing at least a second part of the charge after the exposure period to generate the second digital output.

Abstract: A depth camera assembly (DCA) for depth sensing of a local area. The DCA includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a controller. The transmitter illuminates a local area with outgoing light in accordance with emission instructions. The transmitter includes a fine steering element and a coarse steering element. The fine steering element deflects one or more optical beams at a first deflection angle to generate one or more first order deflected scanning beams. The coarse steering element deflects the one or more first order deflected scanning beams at a second deflection angle to generate the outgoing light projected into the local area. The receiver captures one or more images of the local area including portions of the outgoing light reflected from the local area. The controller determines depth information for one or more objects in the local area based in part on the captured one or more images.

Abstract: A depth camera assembly (DCA) includes a light generator emitting a beam of light into a local area and a detector. The detector captures light from the beam reflected by objects in the local area to a portion of an array of pixels that each include a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD). The location of the portion of the array is based in part on the angle of the beam emitted from the projector. The DCA identifies a set of pixels of the array corresponding to the portion and selectively retrieves current generated from the reflected light by the pixels in the portion of the array without retrieving current generated by pixels in other portions of the array.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises a photodiode, a charge storage unit, and a processing circuits configured to: transfer overflow charge from the photodiode to the charge storage unit to develop a first voltage; compare the first voltage against a first ramping threshold voltage to generate a first decision; generate, based on the first decision, a first digital value; transfer residual charge from the photodiode to the charge storage unit to develop a second voltage; compare the second voltage against a static threshold voltage to determine whether the photodiode saturates to generate a second decision; compare the second voltage against a second ramping threshold voltage to generate a third decision; generate, based on the third decision, a second digital value; and output, based on the second decision, one of the first digital value or the second digital value to represent an intensity of light received by the photodiode.

Abstract: Examples of an apparatus are disclosed. In some example, an apparatus includes a photodiode configured to generate a charge in response to incident light; a measurement capacitor to store at least a part of the charge to generate a voltage; and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit configured to: in a first measurement period, compare the voltage at the measurement capacitor against a static threshold voltage to generate a first output; in a second measurement period, compare the voltage against a varying threshold voltage to generate a second output, wherein the varying threshold voltage varies with time according to a pre-determined pattern; and generate a final output representing an intensity of the incident light based on either the first output or the second output.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises an array of pixel cells, each pixel cell including: a photodiode to generate a charge in response to incident light, a charge sensing unit configured to generate a voltage based on the charge, a quantizer configured to generate a digital output based on quantizing the voltage, and an in-pixel memory configured to store the digital output. The apparatus further includes a bus interface, an off-array frame memory, and a frame memory controller configured to: control the frame memory to receive, via the set of parallel interconnects, the digital outputs from the in-pixel memory of each pixel cell of the array of pixel cells; store the digital outputs in the frame memory; fetch the digital outputs from the frame memory; and transmit the digital outputs to a host device via the bus interface.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises: an image sensor comprising an array of pixel cells, each pixel cell including a photodiode and circuits to generate image data, the photodiodes formed in a first semiconductor substrate; and a controller formed in one or more second semiconductor substrates that include the circuits of the array of pixel cells, the first and second semiconductor substrates forming a stack and housed within a semiconductor package. The controller is configured to: determine whether first image data generated by the image sensor contain features of an object; based on whether the first image data contain the features of the object, generate programming signals for the image sensor; and control, based on the programming signals, the image sensor to generate second image data.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a first photodiode, a second photodiode, a quantizer, a memory, and a controller configured to: set a first exposure period in which the first photodiode generates a first charge; set a second exposure period in which the second photodiode generates a second charge, the second exposure period being set based on the first exposure period and at least one of: a first time associated with a read out operation of the memory to a second apparatus, or a second time associated with a quantization operation by the quantizer; perform, using the quantizer, the first quantization operation of the first charge to generate a first digital output; and perform, using the quantizer, a second quantization operation of the second charge to generate a second digital output.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises: multiple distinct sets of photodiodes, wherein each set of photodiodes includes one or more photodiodes, one or more charge sensing units, and a controller. The controller is configured to: transfer charge generated by the one or more photodiodes in response to a different component of incident light to the one or more charge sensing units in order to convert the charge to voltages; perform one or more quantization processes of a plurality of quantization processes corresponding to a plurality of intensity ranges, wherein the one or more quantization processes quantizes the voltages from the one or more charge sensing units to digital values representing components of a pixel of different wavelength ranges; and generate a pixel value based on the at least some of the digital values.

Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include (1) receiving a present frame of a video stream, the present frame comprising a present depiction of a multi-segment articulated body system, (2) identifying a previous frame of the video stream that comprises a previous depiction of the multi-segment articulated body system, (3) analyzing the present frame and the previous frame to determine whether the multi-segment articulated body system remained substantially rigid between the previous frame and the present frame, and (4) estimating a pose of the multi-segment articulated body system in the present frame using a first pose estimation computation that treats the multi-segment articulated body system as rigid and that is selected in contrast to a second pose estimation computation based on determining that the multi-segment articulated body system remained substantially rigid between the previous frame and the present frame. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises a plurality of sub-pixels arranged sideway, a shared optical element positioned over the plurality of sub-pixels, the shared optical element being configured to direct light originating from a same location in a scene to each sub-pixel in the plurality of sub-pixels; one or more polarizers positioned between the shared optical element and one or more first sub-pixels of the plurality of sub-pixels and configured to selectively pass one or more components of the light having one or more pre-determined polarization states, to enable the photodiodes of each of the one or more first sub-pixels to generate signals based on intensities of the one or more components; and one or more processors configured to generate polarimetric measurements of the received light based on signals obtained from the photodiodes of the one or more first sub-pixels and polarization properties of the one or more polarizers.

Abstract: In some examples, an apparatus comprises: a first photodiode to sense a first component of light associated with a first wavelength, and a second photodiode configured to sense a second component of the light associated with a second wavelength, the first component and the second component being associated with, respectively, a first wavelength and a second wavelength. The apparatus further comprises a first optical structure and a second optical structure positioned over, respectively, the first photodiode and the second photodiode. The first optical structure is configured to increase a propagation path of the first component of the light within the first photodiode and has a first optical property based on the first wavelength. The second optical structure is configured to increase a propagation path of the second component of the light within the second photodiode, and has a second optical property based on the second wavelength.

Abstract: A depth camera assembly (DCA) determines depth information. The DCA projects a dynamic structured light pattern into a local area and captures images including a portion of the dynamic structured light pattern. The DCA determines regions of interest in which it may be beneficial to increase or decrease an amount of texture added to the region of interest using the dynamic structured light pattern. For example, the DCA may identify the regions of interest based on contrast values calculated using a contrast algorithm, or based on the parameters received from a mapping server including a virtual model of the local area. The DCA may selectively increase or decrease an amount of texture added by the dynamic structured light pattern in portions of the local area. By selectively controlling portions of the dynamic structured light pattern, the DCA may decrease power consumption and/or increase the accuracy of depth sensing measurements.

Abstract: Examples of an apparatus are disclosed. In some example, an apparatus may include an array of digital pixel cells, each digital pixel cell including a photodiode and a memory device to store a digital output generated based on charge generated by the photodiode in an exposure period. The apparatus may also include an image processor configured to: receive first digital outputs from the memory devices of a first set of digital pixel cells of the array of digital pixel cells; determine, from the first set of digital pixel cells, a second set of digital pixel cells of which the first digital outputs satisfy one or more pre-determined conditions; identify, based on the second set of digital pixel cells, a third set of digital pixel cells; receive the second digital outputs generated by the third set of digital pixel cells; and perform image processing operations based on the second digital outputs.

Abstract: In some examples, a sensor apparatus comprises: an array of pixel cells each including one or more photodiodes configured to generate a charge in response to light, and a charge storage device to convert the charge to output a voltage of an array of voltages, one or more an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured the convert the array of voltages to first pixel data, and an on-sensor controller configured to input the first pixel data into a machine-learning model to generate output data comprising prediction data associated with one or more features of the first pixel data, generate, based on the prediction data, second pixel data, the second pixel data associated with one or more transformed features of the first pixel data, and send, from the sensor apparatus to a separate receiving apparatus, the second pixel data.

Abstract: A depth estimation system is described capable of determining depth information using two images from two cameras. A first camera captures a first image and a second camera captures a second image, both images including a plurality of light channels. A scan direction is selected from a plurality of scan directions. For the selected scan direction, along each of a plurality of scanlines, the system compares pixels from the first image to pixels from the second image. The comparison is based on calculating a census transform for each pixel in the first image and a census transform for each pixel in the second image. This comparison is used to determine a stereo correspondence between the pixels in the first image and the pixels in the second image. The system generates a depth map based on the stereo correspondence.

Abstract: An eye-tracking system includes a substrate transparent to visible light and configured to be placed in a field of view of an eye of a user, a plurality of waveguides on the substrate, a light source optically coupled to the plurality of waveguides, and a plurality of polarization volume holograms (PVHs) in the field of view of the eye of the user. Each PVH of the plurality of PVHs is optically coupled to a respective waveguide of the plurality of waveguides and is configured to couple a respective light beam out of the respective waveguide towards the eye of the user.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and media for partitioning neural networks are provided. In some embodiments, a method comprises obtaining a training set. The method comprises training a plurality of neural networks using the training set, wherein neural networks differ based on dimensions of one or more layers of the neural networks and a location of a compression block positioned between a first set of layers of a neural network and a second set of layers of the neural network. The method comprises selecting a neural network based on hardware constraints of a system on which the neural network is to be implemented, wherein the first set of layers of the selected neural network are executed by one or more sensor devices of the system, and wherein the second set of layers of the selected neural network are executed by an aggregator computing device of the system.

Abstract: In one example, an apparatus comprises a first photodiode, a second photodiode, a first floating diffusion, a second floating diffusion, a quantizer, and a controller. The controller can enable the first photodiode and the second photodiode to generate and accumulate photo charge within an exposure period, and use the quantizer to quantize reset voltages at the first floating diffusion and at the second floating diffusion to generate a first digital reset value and a second digital reset value. After the exposure period ends, the controller can transfer the photo charge from the first photodiode and the second photodiode to, respectively, the first floating diffusion and the second floating diffusion to generate a first signal voltage and a second signal voltage, and quantize the signal voltages into digital signal values using the quantizer. Digital representations can be generated based on the digital reset values and the digital signal values.