Methods and devices for generating a representation of a 3D scene at very high speed
First Claim
1. A method for producing a representation of a scene by means of a sensor array, comprising:
- illuminating the scene by means of a series of light pulses, wherein an arrival time of each of the light pulses is measured as a timestamp;
measuring a distance with the scene;
collecting light reflected or scattered by the scene to at least a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor array, comprising at least one SPAD detector cell, on the basis of the pulses from said series of light pulses such that a reference time is determined first, and then a time of flight of each event detected at each SPAD detector cell is counted from the determined reference time, the reference time being unique for at least a train of a predetermined series of light pulses; and
generating one of a 2D or 3D representation of the illuminated scene by processing the electrical signals generated by each SPAD detector cell on the basis of the counted time of flight of the events,such that said representation allows to detect movements in the scene and/or to achieve high resolution 2D or 3D images, wherein a time separation between the light pulses is shorter than the time of flight.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to a 3D landscape real-time imager. It also relates to methods for operating such an imager. Such an imager comprises: —at least one illuminating part which is designed to scan at least a portion of the landscape at a given range and having an ultra-short laser pulse source emitting at least one wavelength, and an optical rotating block, with a vertical axis of rotation, and controlled such that given packets of pulses are shaped in a pattern of rotating beams sent toward the said at least partial landscape; —at least one receiving part which comprises a set of SPAD detector arrays, each arranged along a vertical direction and rotating at a given speed in synchronism with the optical rotating block of the illuminating part, the detection data of the SPAD detector arrays being combined to acquire 3D imaging data of the said at least partial landscape in a central controller.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for producing a representation of a scene by means of a sensor array, comprising:
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illuminating the scene by means of a series of light pulses, wherein an arrival time of each of the light pulses is measured as a timestamp; measuring a distance with the scene; collecting light reflected or scattered by the scene to at least a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor array, comprising at least one SPAD detector cell, on the basis of the pulses from said series of light pulses such that a reference time is determined first, and then a time of flight of each event detected at each SPAD detector cell is counted from the determined reference time, the reference time being unique for at least a train of a predetermined series of light pulses; and generating one of a 2D or 3D representation of the illuminated scene by processing the electrical signals generated by each SPAD detector cell on the basis of the counted time of flight of the events, such that said representation allows to detect movements in the scene and/or to achieve high resolution 2D or 3D images, wherein a time separation between the light pulses is shorter than the time of flight. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for making a SPAD detector array to be used in a method for producing a representation of a scene by means of a sensor array and comprising:
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illuminating the scene by means of a series of light pulses, wherein an arrival time of each of the light pulses is measured as a timestamp; collecting light reflected or scattered by the scene to at least a single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) sensor array comprising at least one SPAD detector cell, on the basis of the pulses from said predetermined series of light pulses such that a reference time is determined first, and then a time of flight of each event detected at each SPAD detector cell is counted from the determined reference time, the reference time being unique for at least a train of a predetermined series of light pulses; and generating one of a 2D or 3D representation of the illuminated scene by processing the electrical signals generated by each SPAD detector cell on the basis of the counted time of flight of the events, such that said representation allows to detect movements in the scene and/or to achieve high resolution 2D or 3D images, wherein a time separation between the light pulses is shorter than the time of flight, said method for making a SPAD detector array comprising the steps of; making a first layer comprising a substrate; and
thenmaking a second layer comprising a plurality of single SPAD cells and using a semiconductor body, at least some SPAD cells having also local analog and/or timing signal processing and also digital signal processing. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detector array, comprising:
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at least a SPAD detector cell having at least a SPAD diode; an optical diffuser distributing randomly photons on several stacked SPADs detector cells in a line array detector; and at least one of the following devices; a quenching circuit, a pulse conditioner, at least one time-to-digital converter, a local digital signal processor, a blanking/filtering circuit controlled by said local digital signal processor, a statistical processing circuit comprising at least one counter of the detected events at the SPAD diode, and a D-latch and a multiplier connected to an inverse calculus and eventually to a local correcting circuit, a digital time and/or space averaging circuit, a digital nonlinear averaging circuit, and a time/space data compression circuit. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A device for the representation of a scene, comprising:
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at least an illuminating device of said scene providing at least a series of ultrashort laser pulses having a duration in the range of a few picoseconds with time-related positions under control of a controller, the illuminating device comprising at least a mode-locked laser source connected to an erbium-doped optical fiber amplifier; and at least a single photon avalanche diode detector array arranged to detect the reflected light from a scene from at least said series of ultrashort laser pulses of said illuminator, wherein a reference time is determined, and then a time of flight of each event detected at the detector array is counted from the determined reference time, the reference time being unique for at least a train of a predetermined series of laser pulses, and a time separation between the laser pulses is shorter than the time of flight.
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Specification