Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Micron Technology Incorporated

Skhynix Inc.

Aptina Imaging Corporation

Hynix Semiconductor Inc.

Yibing Michelle Wang

Ilia Ovsiannikov

Lilong Shi

Kwang Oh Kim

Radwanul Hasan Siddique

Hongyu Wang

Zhengping Ji

Sang-Soo Lee

Jeff Rysinski

Chunji Wang

Sehwan Lee

Joseph H Hassoun

Ali Shafiee Ardestani

Joonho Song

Lei Wang

Jun-Woo Jang

Yuecheng Li

Hyun Surk Ryu

Qiang Zhang

Eric R Fossum

Sandor L Barna

Peter Deane

Tae-Yon Lee

Gregory Waligorski

Yong-Hwa Park

Dirk Smits

Duhyun Lee

Kyoobin Lee

Heesun Yoon

Yoon Dong Park

Jeffrey Joseph Rysinski

Kamil Bojanczyk

Yong-Chul Cho

ChangYoung Park

Seunghoon Han

Yoon-Dong Park

Tae-Chan Kim

Dong-Ki Min

Dong Ki Min

Gwi-Deok Ryan Lee

Taechan Kim

Kwanghyun Lee

Deokha Shin

Haeri Park Hanania

Tze-Ching Fung

Wang-Hyun Kim

Barna L Sandor

Won Ju Kim

Yanhai Ren

Vinayak Narasimhan

Kwangoh Kim

A direct time-of-flight (DTOF) LiDAR system includes a sensor array, a first gated time-to digital converter (TDC) circuit and second TDC circuit. The sensor array includes pixels arranged to detect a first disparity location on the sensor array of a reflection signal received from a first object at a first range with respect to a second disparity location on the sensor array of a reflection signal received from a second object at a second range that is greater than the first range. The first TDC circuit generates first timestamp information relating to detection of the first reflection signal in which the first gated TDC circuit is gated based on the first disparity location. The second gated TDC circuit generates second timestamp information relating to detection of the second reflection signal in which the second gated TDC circuit is gated based on the second disparity location.

Low power LiDAR system with smart laser interrogration

A LiDAR system is disclosed that includes a SPAD unit array and J read group (RG) channels. The SPAD unit array is arranged in M rows and N columns of pixel read groups. Each row includes K pixel read groups. Each pixel read group outputs a detection signal in response to a light pulse that is incident on the pixel read group. Each RG channel corresponds to at least one row of pixel read groups and includes L time-to-digital converters that respectively generate timestamp information corresponding to detection event signals of each of L pixel read groups in the at least one row of pixel read groups in which J<M and L≤K. Each RG channel stores the timestamp information in an accumulator bin of a histogram circuit corresponding to a value of the timestamp information using hardwired addressing based on the value of the timestamp information.

SPAD image sensor

A thin-film optical device disclosed herein includes a metalens able to modulate the phase of incident light. The metalens includes a thin-film layer having a first index of refraction, an embedded layer within the thin-film layer, and the embedded layer having a second index of refraction greater than or equal to 1.5 and less than or equal to 3.0 times the first index of refraction. The embedded layer may fill a plurality of holes formed on the thin film layer, with the depth, width, and spacing of holes all contribute to modulating the phase of light traveling through the metalens.

On-chip phase modulating thin film optical elements

A pixel for an image sensor includes a photon sensor, a memory, and an accumulator. The photon sensor element portion outputs a signal to an accumulator, which then may add value stored in memory together and may transfer the result to the memory of another pixel. The pixel may be analog or digital and may be used in a pixel array for compressed sensing imaging. During imaging, a pseudo-random mask may also be used. The data collected during imaging may be used in compressed sensing and may be sent to an offline storage to be processed.

Time-resolving computational image sensor architecture for time-of-flight, high-dynamic-range, and high-speed imaging

A neural processor. In some embodiments, the processor includes a first tile, a second tile, a memory, and a bus. The bus may be connected to the memory, the first tile, and the second tile. The first tile may include: a first weight register, a second weight register, an activations buffer, a first multiplier, and a second multiplier. The activations buffer may be configured to include: a first queue connected to the first multiplier and a second queue connected to the second multiplier. The first queue may include a first register and a second register adjacent to the first register, the first register being an output register of the first queue. The first tile may be configured: in a first state: to multiply, in the first multiplier, a first weight by an activation from the output register of the first queue, and in a second state: to multiply, in the first multiplier, the first weight by an activation from the second register of the first queue.

Neural processor

A pixel for an image sensor includes a microbolometer sensor portion, a visible image sensor portion and an output path. The microbolometer sensor portion outputs a signal corresponding to an infrared (IR) image sensed by the microbolometer sensor portion. The visible image sensor portion outputs a signal corresponding to a visible image sensed by the visible image sensor portion. The output path is shared by the microbolometer and the visible image sensor portions, and is controlled to selectively output the signal corresponding to the IR image or the signal corresponding to the visible image. The output path may be further shared with a visible image sensor portion of an additional pixel, in which case the output path may be controlled to selectively to also output the signal corresponding to a visible image of the additional pixel.

LWIR sensor with capacitive microbolometer and hybrid visible/LWIR sensor

Disclosed is a single pass light detection and ranging (LiDAR) laser method, including building a coarse histogram, detecting a first peak of laser pulses in the coarse histogram, determining whether the first peak height is greater than a first threshold and a location of the first peak is less than or equal to a second threshold, when determining that the first peak height is greater than the first threshold and the location of the first peak is less than or equal to the second threshold, building a fine histogram, and detecting a peak of laser pulses in the fine histogram, and when determining that the first peak height is less than or equal to the first threshold and the location of the first peak is greater than the second threshold, continuing the building of the coarse histogram, and detecting a second peak of the laser pulses in the coarse histogram.

LiDAR adaptive single-pass histogramming for low power LiDAR system

A metalens includes one or more regions of nanostructures. A first region of nanostructures directs a first field of view (FOV) of light incident on the first region of nanostructures to a first region of an image plane. A second region of nanostructures directs a second FOV of light incident on the second region of nanostructures to a second region of the image plane in which the second FOV is different from the first FOV, and the second region of the image plane is different from the first region of the image plane. A third region of nanostructures directs a third FOV of light to a third region of the image plane, in which the third FOV is different from the first FOV and the second FOV, and the third region of the image plane is different from the first region and the second region of the image plane.

Progressive metalens for sensing system

Provided is a depth detection system and method of histogram binning for depth detection. The depth detection system includes a light source configured to emit a light pulse toward an object, an optical sensor configured to detect the light pulse reflecting off the object, the optical sensor including a first sensing pixel configured to detect the light pulse for a first event count according to the light pulse reflecting off the object, and a second sensing pixel configured to detect the light pulse for a second event count according to the light pulse reflecting off the object, and a processing circuit configured to determine a first aggregated histogram corresponding to the first sensing pixel based on the first event count and the second event count and determine a first peak of the first aggregated histogram to determine a first time of flight associated with the first sensing pixel.

System and method for histogram binning for depth detection

A time-resolving sensor includes a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), a logic circuit and differential time-to-charge converter (DTCC) circuit. The SPAD is responsive to a shutter signal to generate an output signal based on detecting an incident photon. The logic circuit generates first and second enable signals. The DTCC includes a capacitor device, first and second switching devices, and an output circuit. The first switching device is responsive to the first enable signal to transfer a charge on the capacitor device to the first floating diffusion. The second switching device is responsive to the second enable signal to transfer a remaining charge on the capacitor device to the second floating diffusion. The output circuit outputs a first voltage that is based on the first charge on the first floating diffusion and a second voltage that is based on the second charge on the second floating diffusion.

Time-resolving sensor using SPAD + PPD or capacitors in pixel for range measurement

A range sensor and a method thereof. The range sensor includes a light source configured to project a sheet of light at an angle within a field of view (FOV); an image sensor offset from the light source; collection optics; and a controller connected to the light source, the image sensor, and the collection optics, and configured to determine a range of a distant object based on direct time-of-flight and determine a range of a near object based on triangulation. The method includes projecting, by a light source, a sheet of light at an angle within an FOV; offsetting an image sensor from the light source; collecting, by collection optics, the sheet of light reflected off objects; and determining, by a controller connected to the light source, the image sensor, and the collection optics, a range of a distant object based on direct time-of-flight and a range of a near object based on triangulation simultaneously.

Apparatus for and method of range sensor based on direct time-of-flight and triangulation

A system for calculating. A scratch memory is connected to a plurality of configurable processing elements by a communication fabric including a plurality of configurable nodes. The scratch memory sends out a plurality of streams of data words. Each data word is either a configuration word used to set the configuration of a node or of a processing element, or a data word carrying an operand or a result of a calculation. Each processing element performs operations according to its current configuration and returns the results to the communication fabric, which conveys them back to the scratch memory.

Neural processing accelerator

Growing community of inventors

Temple City, CA, United States of America

Yibing Michelle Wang