Methods and systems for increasing the range of time-of-flight systems by unambiguous range toggling
AssigneeSense Photonics, Inc.
InventorHod Finkelstein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of operating a time of flight system includes detecting first optical signals comprising a first frequency having a first unambiguous range, the first optical signals reflected from a target, processing the first optical signals to determine a first estimated distance to the target, and generating an output frame comprising a true distance to the target based on the first estimated distance and a second estimated distance to the target, wherein the second estimated distance was used to generate a previous output frame.
Claims24
A method of operating a time of flight system comprising:
- detecting first optical signals comprising a first frequency having a first unambiguous range, the first optical signals reflected from a target;
- processing the first optical signals to determine a first estimated distance to the target;
- and
- generating an output frame comprising a true distance to the target based on the first estimated distance and a second estimated distance to the target, wherein the second estimated distance was used to generate a previous output frame.
A Time of Flight (ToF) system comprising:
- a detector array that is configured to detect first optical signals comprising a first frequency having a first unambiguous range, the first optical signals reflected from a target;
- and
- a control circuit configured to:
- process the first optical signals to determine a first estimated distance to the target;
- and
- generate an output frame comprising a true distance to the target based on the first estimated distance and a second estimated distance to the target, wherein the second estimated distance was used to generate a previous output frame.
A control circuit for determining a distance to a target, the control circuit configured to perform operations comprising:
- controlling transmission of first optical signals at a first modulation frequency having a first unambiguous range in a first subframe to obtain a first estimated distance to a target;
- and
- generating an output frame comprising a true distance to the target based on the first estimated distance and a second estimated distance to the target, wherein the second estimated distance was used to generate a previous output frame.
A method of operating a time of flight system comprising:
- detecting first optical signals comprising a first frequency having a first unambiguous range, the first optical signals reflected from a target;
- processing the first optical signals to determine a first estimated distance to the target;
- generating a first output frame comprising a first true distance based on the first estimated distance;
- detecting second optical signals comprising a second frequency having a second unambiguous range, different from the first unambiguous range, the second optical signals reflected from the target;
- processing the second optical signals to determine a second estimated distance to the target;
- and
- generating a second output frame comprising a second true distance based on the first estimated distance and the second estimated distance to the target.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.