Indoor lidar plenoptic sensor array based on time-of-flight reflection

Abstract

A time-of-flight (ToF) sensor integrated on a Si substrate based on a periodic-structure-coupled waveguide propagation and detection to provide immunity from ambient light is disclosed. The ToF sensor includes one or more optical sources to illuminate a region of interest; one or more periodic-structure-coupled waveguides to collect light reflected from objects within the region of interest and propagating in a narrowband of altitude and azimuth (θ, φ) angles determined by one or more parameters of the periodic-structure-coupled waveguides; a photon detector integrated with each periodic-structure-coupled waveguide to provide an electrical current proportional to the light coupled into the periodic structure-coupled waveguide; shielding incorporated into metal interconnect layers of the integrated ToF sensor to shield the detectors from direct illumination; and a first electronics comprising a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) to amplify the electrical current and interface with a second electronics that provides ToF information for each detector.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.