Stmicroelectronics Gmbh

Stmicroelectronics (research & Development) Limited

Sense Photonics, Inc.

Other

The University of Edinburgh

Broadcom Corporation

Stmicroelectronics S.r.l.

Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne

Broadcom Europe Limited

Gigle Semiconductor Limited

Gigle Networks, Inc.

Optos Public Limited Company

Robert K Henderson

Hod Finkelstein

Jonathan Ephriam David Hurwitz

Tarek Al Abbas

Justin Richardson

Adrià Bofill-Petit

Neil Calder

Neale Dutton

Stewart Gresty Smith

Jonathan Ephraim David Hurwitz

Matthew Purcell

David Storrar

Mirko Guarnera

Edoardo Charbon

Cristiano Niclass

Keith Findlater

Lindsay Grant

Andrew Murray

Marek Gersbach

Jonathan Hurwitz

Ahmet Erdogan

Richard Walker

Eric Alexander Garner Webster

Salvatore Gnecchi

Purcel Matthew

Roger Albert Lucas

Douglas Crombie Anderson

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 first memory and a second memory, and at least one control circuit. The at least one control circuit is configured to execute first memory storage operations to store data indicated by detection signals received from one or more photodetector elements in the first memory during a first portion of a time between pulses of an emitter signal output from a LIDAR emitter element, and to execute second memory storage operations to include the data, which was stored in the first memory, in the second memory during a second portion of the time between the pulses of the emitter signal. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

Pipelined histogram 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 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 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.

Strobe window dependent illumination for flash LIDAR

A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) measurement circuit includes a processor circuit that is configured to receive detection signals output from a plurality of detector elements in response to a plurality of photons incident thereon during a detection window, identify detection events based on the detection signals, and calculating an estimated time of arrival of the plurality of photons based on a sum of respective numbers of the detection events that have been identified at respective time intervals of the detection window. The processor circuit may include at least one accumulator circuit that is configured to output the sum of the respective numbers of the detection events that have been identified at the respective time intervals based on a counter signal that is incremented responsive to each of the detection events, and a clock signal corresponding to the respective time intervals.

Digital pixel

A Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) detector circuit includes a plurality of detector pixels, where each or a respective detector pixel of the detector pixels includes a plurality of detector elements. At least one control circuit is configured to provide one or more detector control signals that selectively activate one or more of the detector elements of the respective detector pixel to define a first active detection area including a first subset of the detector elements for a first image acquisition, and a second active detection area including a second subset of the detector elements for a second image acquisition. Related devices and methods of operation are also discussed.

Extended dynamic range and reduced power imaging for LIDAR detector arrays

A Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) measurement circuit includes an array of single photon detectors configured to detect photons responsive to emission of an optical signal from an emitter, and a pixel processing circuit that is configured to calculate an estimated time of arrival of photons incident on the array of single photon detectors by utilizing a plurality of coarse histogram bins. Respective ones of the plurality of coarse histogram bins are associated with a duration that is greater than one-sixteenth of a pulse width of the optical signal.

Digital pixels and operating methods thereof

A Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) apparatus includes an emitter array comprising a plurality of emitter units configured to emit optical signals responsive to respective emitter control signals, a detector array comprising a plurality of detector pixels configured to be activated and deactivated for respective strobe windows between pulses of the optical signals; and a control circuit configured to provide a strobe signal to activate a first subset of the detector pixels while leaving a second subset of the detector pixels inactive.

Methods and systems for spatially distributed strobing comprising a control circuit to provide a strobe signal to activate a first subset of the detector pixels of a detector array while leaving a second subset of the detector pixels inactive

A sensor apparatus for photon sensing comprises a plurality of pixel devices, each pixel device comprising: a plurality of photon detectors arranged to produce photon detection signals in response to photon detection events; a processing resource configured to process photon detection signals to produce photon detection event signals, wherein each photon detection event signal comprises time data representative of a photon detection time at which a respective photon detection event occurred; a pixel memory; a further processing resource configured to process the photon detection event signals to obtain detection data representative of photon detection events over a detection period; a communication resource for transmitting the detection data from the pixel device, wherein the processing of the photon detection event signals is such that storing and/or transmission of the detection data uses less storage capacity and/or communication capacity than would be used by storage and/or transmission of the photon detection event signals directly.

Photon sensor apparatus

A time to digital converter includes a sample module operable to sample an input signal at multiple different instances of time. A transition detection module, formed of comparison elements, processes the sampled input signal at successive time instances so as to detect transitions in the input signal in terms of time. An output module generates detected transitions in the input signal on multiple parallel outputs.

Time to digital converter and applications thereof

A pixel circuit includes a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and a measurement circuit including a capacitance. The circuit is operable to discharge a known portion of the charge on the capacitance upon each detection of a SPAD event within a time period, such that the charge remaining on the capacitance at the end of the time period corresponds to the number of SPAD events detected within the time period. A time resolved imaging apparatus includes an array of such pixel circuits. A method of counting photon detection includes sensing photons with a SPAD device and discharging a known portion of the charge on a capacitance upon each detection of a SPAD event within a time period.

Pixel circuit with capacitor discharge indicative of number of events

A single photon avalanche diode for use in a CMOS integrated circuit includes a deep n-well region formed above a p-type substrate and an n-well region formed above and in contact with the deep n-well region. A cathode contact is connected to the n-well region via a heavily doped n-type implant. A lightly doped region forms a guard ring around the n-well and deep n-well regions. A p-well region is adjacent to the lightly doped region. An anode contact is connected to the p-well region via a heavily doped p-type implant. The junction between the bottom of the deep n-well region and the substrate forms a multiplication region when an appropriate bias voltage is applied between the anode and cathode and the guard ring breakdown voltage is controlled with appropriate control of the lateral doping concentration gradient such that the breakdown voltage is higher than that of the multiplication region.

Single photon avalanche diode for CMOS circuits

A pixel circuit includes a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) and a measurement circuit including a capacitance. The SPAD detects an incident photon and the measurement circuit discharges the capacitance at a known rate during a discharge time period. The length of the discharge time period is determined by the time of detection of the photon, such that the final amount of charge on the capacitance corresponds to the time of flight of the photon. The pixel circuit may be included in a time resolved imaging apparatus. A method of measuring the time of flight of a photon includes responding to an incident photon detection by discharging a capacitance at a known rate and correlating final capacitance charge to time of flight.

Pixel circuit with controlled capacitor discharge time of flight measurement

A photodetector includes a photodiode and output circuitry coupled to the photodiode. The photodetector is configurable for operation in at least two modes. A first configurable mode operates the photodetector as an integrating sensor. In this first mode, a bias voltage across the photodiode is set below the breakdown voltage of the photodiode and the output circuitry is configured to read an analog integration output voltage from the photodiode. A second configurable mode operates the photodetector as a single photon avalanche detector. In this second mode, the bias voltage across the photodiode is set above the breakdown voltage of the photodiode and the output circuitry is configured to read an avalanche output voltage.

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Robert K Henderson