Analog Devices International Unlimited Company

David Neil

Jonathan Ephraim David Hurwitz

George Redfield Spalding, Jr

Jonathan Hurwitz

George Spalding

The present disclosure relates to a light source system suitable for use in a time of flight camera. The light source system includes a light source, such as a laser, and a driver arranged to supply a drive current to the light source to turn the light source on to emit light. The driver includes a capacitor to store energy and then discharge to generate the drive current, and the driver is integrated into a semiconductor die on which the light source is mounted. Consequently, the driver includes within it the source of energy for the drive current and the light source and driver are very close together, meaning that the light source may be turned on and off very quickly with a relatively large drive current, in order to output a high optical power, short duration light pulse.

Light source system

The present disclosure relates to a light source system suitable for use in a time of flight camera. The light source system includes a light source, such as a laser, and a driver arranged to supply a drive current to the light source to turn the light source on to emit light. The driver includes or is coupled to a capacitor to store energy and then discharge to generate the drive current. The driver can be integrated into a semiconductor die on which the light source is mounted. Thus, the driver can include within it the source of energy for the drive current and the light source and driver can be very close together. Therefore, the light source may be turned on and off very quickly, such as with a relatively large drive current, such as to output a high optical power, short duration light pulse.

The present disclosure relates to a light source system suitable for use in a time of flight camera. The light source system includes a light source, such as a laser, and a driver arranged to supply a drive current to the light source to turn the light source on to emit light. The driver includes two transistors coupled to the light source in series, such that when both transistors are turned on, a drive circuit is completed, current flows and the light source turns on. A very short pulse of light emission may be achieved efficiently by switching one of the transistors to the on-state to complete the drive circuit and a short time later turning off the other transistor in order to break the drive circuit. In this way, a pulse of light in the order of less than 1 nanosecond or less than 500 picoseconds may be achieved.

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

David Neil