METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY ADJUSTING THE OPERATING PARAMETERS OF A TOF CAMERA ACCORDING TO VEHICLE SPEED

• US 20140152975A1
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: KO, Dong-Ik
• Granted Patent: US 8,879,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/5.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar

Abstract

A method for adjusting the modulating frequency and the intensity of the IR illumination of a Time of Flight measurement system proportionally to the speed of movement and the ambient light level of the TOF system, thus adjusting the range of vision of the system dependent on speed. In an alternate embodiment the modulating frequency of a TOF measurement system is periodically adjusted to cover a larger range of vision of the TOF.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting the operating parameters of a Time of Flight (TOF) measurement system comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal indicating the speed of movement of the TOF measurement system;

reducing the modulation frequency of the TOF measurement system proportionally to the increase of the speed of movement of the TOF;

increasing the intensity of the IR illumination level proportionally to the increase of the speed of movement of the TOF;

receiving a signal indicating the level of ambient light;

adjusting the IR illumination level inversely proportionally to the level of the ambient light.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the signal indicating the speed of movement of the TOF measurement system is a continuously variable signal proportional to the speed.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the signal indicating the speed of movement of the TOF measurement system is a step function proportional to set speed ranges.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

periodically varying the modulation frequency of the TOF measurement system without considering the speed.