Methods and devices to identify focal objects

A system comprising:

• a Time of Flight system configured to detect a photon count for each zone of a plurality of zones of a field of view;
• a processor in communication with the Time of Flight system and a memory comprising an instruction set to be executed in the processor, the instruction set when executed causing the processor to:
• identify a focal sector occupying a subset of the plurality of zones,
• analyze each zone of the plurality of zones within the focal sector to identify a first prospective focal object and to identify a second prospective focal object,
• determine a size of the first prospective focal object and determine a size of the second prospective focal object, and
• select a final focal object from the first prospective focal object and the second prospective focal object by comparing the size of the first prospective focal object with the size of the second prospective focal object, the final focal object being located at a final-focal-object distance from the Time of Flight system;
• and
• a lens focus system configured to focus a lens of a camera depending on the final focal object.

A method to identify a focal object in a field of view, the method comprising:

• dividing a field of view of a Time of Flight system into a plurality of zones;
• sampling the field of view with the Time of Flight system to generate a photon count for each zone of the plurality of zones;
• identifying a focal sector occupying a subset of the plurality of zones;
• analyzing each zone of the plurality of zones within the focal sector to identify a first prospective focal object and identify a second prospective focal object;
• determining a size of the first prospective focal object by analyzing a photon count for each zone of the plurality of zones to count each zone of the plurality of zones that captures an object within a threshold distance of the first prospective focal object;
• determining a size of the second prospective focal object by analyzing the photon count for each zone of the plurality of zones to count each zone of the plurality of zones that captures an object within the threshold distance of the second prospective focal object;
• selecting a final focal object from the first prospective focal object and the second prospective focal object by comparing the size of the first prospective focal object with the size of the second prospective focal object, the final focal object being located at a final-focal-object distance from the Time of Flight system;
• and
• focusing a lens of a camera depending on the final-focal-object distance.