Other

Sense Photonics, Inc.

Tarek Al Abbas

Hod Finkelstein

Robert K Henderson

Neil Calder

David Storrar

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 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) 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 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) 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 Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) measurement circuit includes a control circuit configured to receive respective detection signals output from one or more single-photon detectors in response to a plurality of photons incident thereon. The control circuit includes a photon counter circuit including a digital counter circuit and an analog counter circuit, the digital counter circuit being responsive to an output of the analog counter circuit or the analog counter circuit being responsive to an output of the digital counter circuit to count detection of respective photons of the plurality of photons based on the respective detection signals, and a time integration circuit configured to output a time integration signal representative of respective times of arrival indicated by the respective detection signals. The control circuit is configured to calculate an estimated time of arrival of the plurality of photons based on a ratio of the time integration signal and the count of the detection of the respective photons of the plurality of photons.

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Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Tarek Al Abbas