Ams Ag

Kerry Glover

David Mehrl

Yu Albert Wang

Christian Mautner

Greg Stoltz

Tom Dunn

Georg Roehrer

Josef Kriebernegg

Robert Kappel

Manfred Lueger

Mario Manninger

Dan Jacobs

Friedrich Bahnmueller

Friedrich Bahnmüller

Sean Donnelly

James Lawrence Archibald, Ii

Yu Wang

Will Townson

James Lawrence Ii Archibald

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 sensor arrangement for determining time-of-flight comprises an emitter configured to periodically emit pulses of electromagnetic radiation depending on a first clock signal, a photonic demodulator configured to detect electromagnetic radiation during detection intervals comprising first and second intervals and a processing circuit. A timing of the detection intervals is defined by a second clock signal having a phase difference with respect to the first clock signal. The demodulator is configured to generate demodulator signals depending on energy of the radiation detected during at least one of the first intervals and at least one of the second intervals, respectively. The processing circuit is configured to adapt the phase difference based on the demodulator signals and to generate an output signal indicative of the time-of-flight based on the phase difference.

Sensor arrangement and method for determining time-of-flight

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

Color light sensors are used to sense colored light and a full spectrum light in order to generate at least three color channel signals and a clear channel signal. An infrared component IR is calculated by summing up the color channel signals with individual weighting factors and subtracting a weighted clear channel signal.

Light sensor system for correcting or equalizing color signals by removing infrared componet from color signals and method for processing light sensor signals

A sensor arrangement comprises at least a first, a second, and a third light sensor. A three-dimensional framework comprises at least a first, a second, and a third connection means which are connected to the at least first, second, and third light sensor, respectively. The first, the second, and the third connection means are configured to align the at least first, second, and third light sensor along a first, second, and third face of a polyhedron-like volume, respectively, such that the sensor arrangement encloses the polyhedron-like volume. The invention also relates to a method for operating the sensor arrangement.

Polyhedral sensor arrangement and method for operating a polyhedral sensor arrangement

An optical sensor arrangement comprises an optical barrier which is placed between a light-emitting device and a photodetector. Herein the light-emitting device and the photodetector are arranged on a first plane and are covered by a cover. The photodetector exhibits an active zone. The optical barrier exhibits an extent along a first principal axis, which is pointing parallel to the line connecting the centers of the light-emitting device and the photodetector. Herein the extent is greater than a dimension of the active zone. The optical barrier is designed to block light emitted by the light-emitting device that otherwise would be reflected by the cover by means of specular reflection and would reach the photodetector. The optical barrier is designed to pass light emitted by the light-emitting device and scattered on or above an outer surface of the cover.

Optical sensor arrangement with optical barrier for passing light emitted by light emitting device and scattered on or above an outer surface of cover

An optical sensor arrangement () comprises at least two light sensors () for providing at least two sensor signals (S, S), and an evaluation circuit () that comprises an input () coupled to the at least two light sensors () and is designed to evaluate the at least two sensor signals (S, S) for gesture detection in an adaptive manner using previous values of the at least two sensor signals (S, S).

Optical sensor arrangement and method for gesture detection

An optical proximity sensor often emits light, and detects the photons in the returned light signal. Because light can be reflected and scattered by cover glass and ink layer printed on the cover glass, optical crosstalk is a concern for the optical proximity sensors. In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an optical proximity sensor including a linear polarizer to cover the photo detector, or a polarizer to cover the light emitting device, or two polarizers to cover both the photo detector and the light emitting device. The polarizer blocks the s-polarized light and only allows the p-polarized light to pass through. Because the scattered light is predominated by the s-polarization, the optical crosstalk may be reduced.

System and method for using a linear polarizer to reduce optical crosstalk for optical proximity sensors

A dispersive element is disclosed which is designed to receive incident light () and disperse the incident light () into multiple spatially separated wavelengths of light. The dispersive body (DB) comprises a collimation cavity (COLL) to collimate the incident light (), at least two optical interfaces (PRIS) to receive and disperse the collimated light () and a collection cavity (CLCT) to collect the dispersed light () from the at least two dispersive interfaces (opop) and to focus the collected light ().

Growing community of inventors

Rockwall, TX, United States of America

Kerry Glover