Ams Ag

Christian Mautner

Josef Kriebernegg

Kerry Glover

Robert Kappel

Manfred Lueger

Friedrich Bahnmueller

Peter Trattler

David Mehrl

Georg Roehrer

Herbert Lenhard

Mario Manninger

Dan Jacobs

Friedrich Bahnmüller

Friedrich Laengauer

Friedrich Längauer

A semiconductor body includes a driver for driving a light source, at least two detectors each including an avalanche diode, a time-to-digital converter arrangement coupled to outputs of the at least two detectors, a memory that is coupled to the time-to-digital converter arrangement and is configured to store at least one histogram, and an evaluation unit coupled to the driver and to the memory.

Measuring time-of-flight using a plurality of detector subsystems and histogram storage

A time-to-digital converter system has at least one time-to-digital converter comprising an oscillator, a counter being driven by the oscillator, an evaluation block connected to the counter and configured for determining a time difference associated with a start signal and a stop signal, and a histogram block with a number of bins for recording entries associated with the time difference. The system can be calibrated by operating or preparing to operate the time-to-digital converter system with a measurement clock signal defining a measurement interval, providing a calibration clock signal having a frequency higher than the measurement clock signal by a predefined ratio, using a selected clock edge of the calibration clock signal as the start signal and a subsequent clock edge of the calibration clock signal as the stop signal. The evaluation block determines a calibration time difference based on the respective clock edges of the calibration clock signal used as the start signal and the stop signal. A time measure associated with a counter step of the counter is determined based on the predefined ratio and the calibration time difference.

Method for calibrating a time-to-digital converter system and time-to-digital converter system

An optical driver arrangement () comprises a comparator () and a pulse generator (). The comparator () comprises a first input () for receiving a sensed output signal (S) derived from a sensor signal (S) generated by a light sensor (), a second input () for receiving a reference signal (S) and a comparator output () for providing a comparator signal (S). The pulse generator () comprises a control input () coupled to the comparator output () and a generator output () for providing a driver signal (S) to a light source (). The driver signal (S) comprises a series of at least one pulse and a parameter of the driver signal (S) is controlled by the comparator signal (S).

Optical driver arrangement and method for generating a driver signal

A time-to-digital converter arrangement has a ring oscillator with a plurality of inverting elements and a first and a second counter coupled to the ring oscillator. The first counter is configured to increment a first counter value if a positive edge transition is present at one of the inverting elements. The second counter is configured to increment a second counter value if a negative edge transition is present at the one of the inverting elements. A storage element stores the first and the second counter value and logical states of the plurality of inverting elements. A decoder coupled to the storage element selects one of the first and the second counter value as a valid value based on an evaluation of the stored logical states, and outputs a total counter value based on the valid value and the stored logical states.

Time-to-digital converter and conversion method

A control system for a gesture sensing arrangement with at least one sensor operates the sensor in a proximity mode. The control system receives data sets generated by the sensor and based on these data sets determines whether an object is present in a vicinity of the sensor. When an object is detected in the vicinity the control system operates the sensor in a gesture mode. Based on further data generated by the sensor the control system determines an end of a gesture, and operates the sensor in the proximity mode.

Control system for a gesture sensing arrangement and method for controlling a gesture sensing arrangement

An optical sensor arrangement () comprises a light sensor () that is connected to a summation node () and is designed for generating a sensor current (S), a current source (S) connected to the summation node () and designed to provide a source current (S), and an integrator () that is coupled to the summation node () and is designed for generating a first value (VP) of an integrator signal (S) by integrating during a first phase (P) and for generating a second value (VP) of the integrator signal (S) by integrating during a second phase (P). The optical sensor arrangement () comprises a sum and hold circuit () that is coupled to the integrator () and is designed to generate an analog output signal (S) as a function of a difference of the first value (VP) and the second value (VP) of the integrator signal (S).

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Fernitz, Austria

Christian Mautner