Time of flight system capable of increasing measurement accuracy, saving power and/or increasing motion detection rate and method thereof

• US 9,618,610 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2011
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Kao, Ming-Tsan, Hsu, En-Feng, Wang, Chuan-Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, VICENTE M
• Application Number:
  US13/044,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20110304842A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,224 Days
• Field of Search: 356 501
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4918 Controlling received signal intensity, gain or exposure of sensor

Abstract

A light source is used for emitting an invisible light toward an object. The object reflects the invisible light and reflected light is formed, and a sensor is used for receiving the reflected light. A processor is coupled to the sensor for recording a time interval of the invisible light traveling from the light source to the object and reflected from the object to the sensor. Then, the processor estimates a measurement distance of the object according to the time interval, and adjusts an emission period of the light source, an exposure period of the sensor, intensity of the invisible light, and/or main sensing range of the sensor according to the measurement distance.

Claims

1. A method of time of flight capable of increasing motion detection rate, comprising:

transmitting invisible light to detect an object;

recording a time interval of the invisible light traveling to the object, being reflected from the object, and traveling to a sensor; and

dynamically adjusting a main sensing portion of the sensor according to the time interval;

wherein a size in pixels of the main sensing portion is smaller than a size in pixels of the sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting an emission period of the invisible light, an exposure period of the sensor, and emission intensity of the invisible light according to the time interval.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating a measurement distance of the object according to the time interval, wherein dynamically adjusting the main sensing portion of the sensor according to the time interval is dynamically adjusting the main sensing portion of the sensor according to the measurement distance of the object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically adjusting the main sensing portion of the sensor according to the time interval is dynamically determining a size and motion range of the object according to the time interval, and dynamically determining the main sensing portion of the sensor according to the size and the motion range of the object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein number of pixels sensed by the sensor within the main sensing portion is greater than number of pixels sensed by the sensor outside the main sensing portion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the invisible light is an infrared (IR) light, and the sensor further comprises an IR filter for blocking light outside the IR range from entering the sensor.

7. A time of flight system capable of increasing motion detection rate, comprising:

a light source for transmitting invisible light toward an object;

a sensor for receiving reflected light reflected by the object; and

a processor coupled to the sensor for recording a time interval of the invisible light traveling to the object, being reflected from the object, and traveling to the sensor, and dynamically adjusting a main sensing portion of the sensor according to the time interval;

wherein a size in pixels of the main sensing portion is smaller than a size in pixels of the sensor.

8. The time of flight system of claim 7, wherein the processor utilizes the time interval to estimate a measurement distance of the object and dynamically adjusts the main sensing portion of the sensor according to the measurement distance of the object.

9. The time of flight system of claim 7, wherein the processor dynamically determines a size and motion range of the object according to the time interval, and dynamically determines the main sensing portion of the sensor according to the size and the motion range of the object.

10. The time of flight system of claim 7, wherein number of pixels sensed by the sensor within the main sensing portion is greater than number of pixels sensed by the sensor outside the main sensing portion.

11. The time of flight system of claim 7, wherein the light source is an IR LED or an IR laser source, and the sensor further comprises an IR filter for blocking light outside the IR range from entering the sensor.