Sense Photonics, Inc.

Other

Illumina Corporation

Trutag Technologies, Inc.

University of California

Hod Finkelstein

Dietrich A Dehlinger

Robert K Henderson

Cheng Frank Zhong

Tarek Al Abbas

Timothy Learmonth

Neil Calder

Boyan Boyanov

Darren Segale

Scott Burroughs

Sadik C Esener

Eliane H Trepagnier

Brent Fisher

Brent A Fisher

Mark Hsu

Russell Kanjorski

Ron R Nissim

Yu-Hwa Lo

Kai Zhao

Jamie Stokes

David Storrar

Sergey Etchin

James Cheng

Sifang You

Neil Woodhouse

Christine Elizabeth Cordeiro

Neil Telfer

A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) apparatus includes an optical emission source configured to emit an optical signal having a wavelength that varies based on a temperature of the optical emission source and/or an optical filter element that is configured to receive a reflection of the optical signal, the optical filter element having a passband that varies based on a temperature of the optical filter element; a thermal controller that is configured to generate a thermal control signal responsive to a temperature measurement related to the optical emission source or the optical filter element; and a temperature control element that is configured to adjust a temperature of the optical emission source or the optical filter element responsive to the thermal control signal.

Methods and systems for thermal control of an optical source or optical filter in a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) apparatus

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system includes a light source configured to emit a plurality of light beams having respective divergence angles over respective fields of illumination, and a detector array comprising plurality of detector pixels having respective fields of detection and configured to output respective detection signals responsive to light incident thereon. The respective fields of detection of the detector pixels are greater than or equal to the respective divergence angles of the light beams. Related devices and methods are also discussed.

Power-efficient direct time of flight LIDAR

A Time of Flight (TOF) system includes an incrementing circuit and a plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes a plurality of detectors configured to output respective detection signals responsive to detection of a plurality of photons incident thereon and a shared memory configured to store a respective count of the photons incident on each of the plurality of detectors. The incrementing circuit is configured to update the respective count for each of the plurality of detectors in the shared memory based on the respective detection signals.

Event driven shared memory pixel

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) detector circuit includes a memory device comprising a non-transitory storage medium that is configured to store data indicative of detection events in respective memory bins, and at least one control circuit. The at least one control circuit is configured to receive detection signals from one or more photodetector elements, identify a presence or an absence of detection events indicated by the detection signals during a portion of time between pulses of an emitter signal output from a LIDAR emitter element, and execute one of a first memory operation or a second memory operation to update the data in the respective memory bins responsive to identification of the presence or the absence of the detection events, respectively. Related circuits and methods of operation are also discussed.

DRAM-based LIDAR pixel

A method of operating a time of flight system includes detecting first optical signals comprising a first frequency having a first unambiguous range, the first optical signals reflected from a target, processing the first optical signals to determine a first estimated distance to the target, and generating an output frame comprising a true distance to the target based on the first estimated distance and a second estimated distance to the target, wherein the second estimated distance was used to generate a previous output frame.

Methods and systems for increasing the range of time-of-flight systems by unambiguous range toggling

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) apparatus includes a detector having a first pixel and a second pixel configured to output respective detection signals responsive to light incident thereon, and receiver optics configured to collect the light over a field of view and direct first and second portions of the light to the first and second pixels, respectively. The first pixel includes one or more time of flight (ToF) sensors, and the second pixel includes one or more image sensors. At least one of the receiver optics or arrangement of the first and second pixels in the detector is configured to correlate the first and second pixels such that depth information indicated by the respective detection signals output from the first pixel is correlated with image information indicated by the respective detection signals output from the second pixel. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

Integrated lidar image-sensor devices and systems and related methods of operation

A LIDAR apparatus includes an emitter array having a plurality of emitter pixels configured to emit optical signals, a detector array having a plurality of detector pixels configured to output detection signals responsive to light incident thereon, and a circuit that is coupled to the detector array. The circuit is configured to perform operations including receiving the detection signals output from the detector array, where each of the detection signals includes component measurements defining a respective phase vector, generating a combined vector based on the component measurements of a plurality of the detection signals, and identifying a distance range of a target from which the optical signals were reflected based on an angle of the combined vector. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

Phase noise and methods of correction in multi-frequency mode lidar

Biosensor including a device base having a sensor array of light sensors and a guide array of light guides. The light guides have input regions that are configured to receive excitation light and light emissions generated by biological or chemical substances. The light guides extend into the device base toward corresponding light sensors and have a filter material. The device base includes device circuitry electrically coupled to the light sensors and configured to transmit data signals. A passivation layer extends over the device base and forms an array of reaction recesses above the light guides. The biosensor also includes peripheral crosstalk shields that at least partially surround corresponding light guides of the guide array to reduce optical crosstalk between adjacent light sensors.

Biosensors for biological or chemical analysis and methods of manufacturing the same

An integrated detection, flow cell and photonics (DFP) device is provided that comprises a substrate having an array of pixel elements that sense photons during active periods. The substrate and pixel elements form an IC photon detection layer. At least one wave guide is formed on the IC photo detection layer as a photonics layer. An optical isolation layer is formed over at least a portion of the wave guide. A collection of photo resist (PR) walls patterned to define at least one flow cell channel that is configured to direct fluid along a fluid flow path. The wave guides align to extend along the fluid flow path. The flow cell channel is configured to receive samples at sample sites that align with the array of pixel elements.

Method and system for fluorescence lifetime based sequencing

A LIDAR system includes an emitter array configured to illuminate a field of view, a detector array configured to image the field of view, and a control circuit. The emitter array includes one or more emitter elements that are configured to emit respective optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals. The detector array includes one or more detector elements configured to output respective detection signals responsive to light incident thereon. The control circuit is configured to generate the respective emitter control signals based on the respective detection signals and respective spatial correlations of the one or more emitter elements and the one or more detector elements with respect to the field of view. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

Automatic gain control for LIDAR for autonomous vehicles

A Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) system, includes an emitter configured to emit a plurality of optical signals, a detector configured to be activated to detect one of the optical signals in light that is incident on the detector and to provide count data corresponding to the one of the optical signals that were detected, a plurality of storage memory locations configured to store the count data therein, and a control circuit configured to change a location at which the count data is stored from a first storage memory location to a second storage memory location based on an elapsed time duration from an emission of the one of the optical signals.

Strobing flash lidar with full frame utilization

A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) system includes an emitter unit including one or more emitter elements configured to output an emitter signal, and a detector array including a plurality of detector elements. A respective detector element of the plurality of detector elements is configured to output detection signals in response to photons incident thereon. At least one control circuit is configured receive the detection signals output from the respective detector element over one or more cycles of the emitter signal, generate a flag signal responsive to detection events indicated by the detection signals exceeding a detection threshold, and output a readout signal for the respective detector element responsive to the flag signal. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

High dynamic range direct time of flight sensor with signal-dependent effective readout rate

A photodetector device includes a semiconductor material layer and at least one photodiode in the semiconductor material layer. The at least one photodiode is configured to be biased beyond a breakdown voltage thereof to generate respective electrical signals responsive to detection of incident photons. The respective electrical signals are independent of an optical power of the incident photons. A textured region is coupled to the semiconductor material layer and includes optical structures positioned to interact with the incident photons in the detection thereof by the at least one photodiode. Two or more photodiodes may define a pixel of the photodetector device, and the optical structures may be configured to direct the incident photons to any of the two or more photodiodes of the pixel.

High quantum efficiency Geiger-mode avalanche diodes including high sensitivity photon mixing structures and arrays thereof

A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) system includes one or more emitter elements configured to emit optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals, one or more detector elements configured to detect incident photons for respective strobe windows of operation between pulses of the optical signals and at respective delays that differ with respect to the pulses, and at least one control circuit. The at least one control circuit is configured to generate the respective emitter control signals to differently operate the one or more emitter elements based on the respective strobe windows of operation of the one or more detector elements.

Growing community of inventors

Berkeley, CA, United States of America

Hod Finkelstein