Light receiver having geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes and method for reading out
AssigneeSick AG
InventorsKlaus CLEMENS, Gottfried HUG, Stefan SEITZ
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A light receiver (50) is provided having a plurality of avalanche photodiode elements (10) that are each biased by a bias above a breakdown voltage and that are thus operated in a Geiger mode to trigger a Geiger current on light reception, wherein the avalanche photodiode elements (10) have a first connector (20, 22, 28a-b) and a second connector (20, 22, 28a-b); and wherein a first signal tapping circuit (12) for reading out the avalanche photodiode elements is connected to one of the connectors (20, 22, 28a-b). In this respect, a second signal tapping circuit (12) for reading out the avalanche photodiode elements (10) is connected to the other connector (20, 22, 28a-b).
Claims15
A light receiver having a plurality of avalanche photodiode elements that are each biased by a bias above a breakdown voltage and that are thus operated in a Geiger mode to trigger a Geiger current on light reception, wherein the avalanche photodiode elements have a first connector and a second connector;
- wherein a first signal tapping circuit for reading out the avalanche photodiode elements is connected to one of the first and second connectors, and wherein a second signal tapping circuit for reading out the avalanche photodiode elements is connected to the other one of the first and second connectors.
An optoelectronic sensor having at least one light receiver having a plurality of avalanche photodiode elements that are each biased by a bias above a breakdown voltage and that are thus operated in a Geiger mode to trigger a Geiger current on light reception, wherein the avalanche photodiode elements have a first connector and a second connector;
- wherein a first signal tapping circuit for reading out the avalanche photodiode elements is connected to one of the first and second connectors, and wherein a second signal tapping circuit for reading out the avalanche photodiode elements is connected to the other one of the first and second connectors, wherein the sensor is configured for distance measurement in accordance with a time of flight process and/or is configured for data transmission.
A method for reading out avalanche photodiode elements that are each biased by a bias above a breakdown voltage and are thus operated in a Geiger mode, wherein the avalanche photodiode elements trigger a Geiger current on light reception;
- wherein the avalanche photodiodes are read out by a first signal tapping circuit that is connected to a first connector of the avalanche photodiode elements;
- and wherein the avalanche photodiode elements are also read out by a second signal tapping circuit that is connected to a second connector of the avalanche photodiode elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.