知搜-全球专利检索

  1. Login
  2. Sign Up

Search Results

36 records (took 0.019 seconds)

    SPAD-based photon detectors with multi-phase sampling TDCs
    21.
    发明授权
    SPAD-based photon detectors with multi-phase sampling TDCs 有权

    公开(公告)号：US12199197B2

    公开(公告)日：2025-01-14

    申请号：US17944738

    申请日：2022-09-14

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor： Shingo Mandai ,  Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Moshe Laifenfeld ,  Or Nahir ,  Vyshakh Sanjeev

    IPC: H01L31/02 ,  H01L27/146 ,  H01L31/107 ,  H04N25/705 ,  H04N25/75 ,  H04N25/772

    Abstract: A method of building a moving average histogram of photon times of arrival includes, for each time interval in first and second subsets of time intervals, latching a time reference corresponding to a time of receipt of an avalanche timing output signal of a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), and advancing a count stored at a memory address corresponding to the latched time reference. The memory address corresponds to a range of time references. The method further includes reading and clearing a first set of counts after the first subset of time intervals; phase-shifting the sequence of time references with respect to a set of memory addresses after the first subset of time intervals; reading and clearing a second set of counts after the second subset of time intervals; and building the moving average histogram using at least the first and second sets of counts.

    Setting parameters of optical transmitter using receive-side control
    22.
    发明授权
    Setting parameters of optical transmitter using receive-side control 有权

    公开(公告)号：US11876557B1

    公开(公告)日：2024-01-16

    申请号：US17379799

    申请日：2021-07-19

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor： Harish Venkataraman ,  Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Susan A. Thompson

    IPC: H04B10/079 ,  H04L1/00

    CPC classification number: H04B10/07955 ,  H04L1/0016

    Abstract: An electronic device includes an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, a memory, an optical transmitter controller, and an optical receiver controller. The memory is configured to store an indicator of a next pulse repetition interval (PRI) and a set of parameters associated with operating the optical transmitter in accordance with the next PRI. The optical transmitter controller is configured to retrieve the indicator of the next PRI in response to a trigger signal; retrieve, using the indicator of the next PRI, the set of parameters; and operate the optical transmitter in accordance with the set of parameters. The optical receiver controller is configured to operate the optical receiver; update the indicator of the next PRI stored in the memory; and provide the trigger signal to the optical transmitter controller.

    Time-of-flight depth mapping with parallax compensation
    23.
    发明申请
    Time-of-flight depth mapping with parallax compensation 有权

    公开(公告)号：US20210003680A1

    公开(公告)日：2021-01-07

    申请号：US17026365

    申请日：2020-09-21

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor： Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Scott T. Smith ,  Thierry Oggier

    IPC: G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S17/10 ,  H01L31/107 ,  H01L27/144 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/89

    Abstract: An optical sensing device includes a light source, which is configured to emit one or more beams of light pulses at respective angles toward a target scene. An array of sensing elements is configured to output signals in response to incidence of photons on the sensing elements. Light collection optics are configured to image the target scene onto the array. Control circuitry is coupled to actuate the sensing elements only in one or more selected regions of the array, each selected region containing a respective set of the sensing elements in a part of the array onto which the light collection optics image a corresponding area of the target scene that is illuminated by the one of the beams, and to adjust a membership of the respective set responsively to a distance of the corresponding area from the device.

    Multi-range time of flight sensing
    26.
    发明申请
    Multi-range time of flight sensing 审中-公开

    公开(公告)号：US20180341009A1

    公开(公告)日：2018-11-29

    申请号：US15586286

    申请日：2017-05-04

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor： Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Alexander Shpunt ,  Gennadiy A. Agranov ,  Matthew C. Waldon ,  Mina A. Rezk ,  Thierry Oggier

    IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S17/89 ,  G01S7/486

    Abstract: An electro-optical device includes at least one laser light source and a beam steering device, which transmits and scan the at least one beam across a target scene. One or more sensing elements output a signal indicative of a time of incidence of a single photon on the sensing element from the target scene. Circuitry processes the signal in order to determine respective distances to points in the scene and controls the light source to emit the beam at the low level during a first scan, to identify, based on the first scan, the points in the scene that are located at respective distances from the device that are greater than a predefined threshold distance, and to control the laser light source during a second scan to emit the beam at the high level while the beam steering device directs the beam toward the identified points.

    Spatial temporal weighting in a SPAD detector
    29.
    发明授权
    Spatial temporal weighting in a SPAD detector 有权

    公开(公告)号：US10962628B1

    公开(公告)日：2021-03-30

    申请号：US15880285

    申请日：2018-01-25

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor： Moshe Laifenfeld ,  Tal Kaitz ,  Shingo Mandai ,  Cristiano L. Niclass

    IPC: G01S7/481 ,  G01S7/486 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S7/4865 ,  G01S7/4861

    Abstract: Disclosed are devices and methods for scanning sensing systems having an array of light sensing pixels, such as pixels that use single-photon avalanche diodes. Light pulses are emitted into a field of view (FOV) at starts of a sequence of time intervals, and a weighted tabulation of the times-of-flight of the reflected light pulses within each time interval is used to detect an object in the FOV and determine its distance. Each weight is based on the time-of-flight between the emitted pulse and the received reflected light pulse and on the number of the emitted light pulse in the sequence of emitted light pulses. For near objects the weights emphasize times-of-flight from peripheral time intervals of the sequence; for far objects the weights emphasize central time intervals of the sequence.

    Imaging system with synchronized scan and sensing
    30.
    发明授权
    Imaging system with synchronized scan and sensing 有权

    公开(公告)号：US10795001B2

    公开(公告)日：2020-10-06

    申请号：US16714739

    申请日：2019-12-15

    Applicant: Apple Inc.

    Inventor： Cristiano L. Niclass ,  Alexander Shpunt ,  Gennadiy A. Agranov ,  Matthew C. Waldon ,  Mina A. Rezk ,  Thierry Oggier

    IPC: G01C3/08 ,  G01S7/481 ,  G01S17/89 ,  G01S7/4863 ,  G01S17/10 ,  G01S17/42 ,  G01S7/4865

    Abstract: An electro-optical device includes a laser light source, which is configured to emit at least one beam of light. A beam steering device is configured to transmit and scan the at least one beam across a target scene. In an array of sensing elements, each sensing element is configured to output a signal indicative of incidence of photons on the sensing element. Light collection optics are configured to image the target scene scanned by the transmitted beam onto the array, wherein the beam steering device scans the at least one beam across the target scene with a spot size and scan resolution that are smaller than a pitch of the sensing elements. Circuitry is coupled to actuate the sensing elements only in a selected region of the array and to sweep the selected region over the array in synchronization with scanning of the at least one beam.

Patent Agency Ranking