DYNAMIC RANGE THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE SYSTEM

• US 20120162373A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: MHEEN, Bongki, Sim, Jae-Sik, Kim, Kisoo, Kwon, Yong-Hwan, Nam, Eun Soo, Sung, Ki-Jun, Oh, MyoungSook
• Granted Patent: US 9,170,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4816 of receivers alone
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4863 Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4868 Controlling received signal intensity or exposure of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/487 Extracting wanted echo signals , e.g. pulse detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4912 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/106 Processing image signals for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/211 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

Disclosed is a system of a dynamic range three-dimensional image, including: an optical detector including a gain control terminal capable of controlling an optical amplification gain; a pixel detecting module for detecting a pixel signal for configuring an image by receiving an output of the optical detector; a high dynamic range (HDR) generating module for acquiring a dynamic range image by generating a signal indicating a saturation degree of the pixel signal and combining the pixel signal based on the pixel signal detected by the pixel detecting module; and a gain control signal generating module generating an output signal for supplying required voltage to the gain control terminal of the optical detector based on the magnitude of the signal indicating the saturation degree of the pixel signal.

Claims

1. A dynamic range three-dimensional image system, comprising:

an optical detector including a gain control terminal capable of controlling an optical amplification gain;

a pixel detecting module for detecting a pixel signal for configuring an image by receiving an output of the optical detector;

a high dynamic range (HDR) generating module for acquiring a dynamic range image by generating a signal indicating a saturation degree of the pixel signal and combining the pixel signal based on the pixel signal detected by the pixel detecting module; and

a gain control signal generating module generating an output signal for supplying required voltage to the gain control terminal of the optical detector based on a magnitude of the signal indicating the saturation degree of the pixel signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein if it is judged that the pixel signal is saturated based on the signal indicating the saturation degree of the pixel signal received from the HDR generating module, the output signal of the gain control signal generating module is generated to decrease a gain of the optical detector.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein if it is judged that the saturation degree of the pixel signal is equal to or less than a predetermined reference based on the signal indicating the saturation degree of the pixel signal received from the HDR generating module, the output signal of the gain control signal generating module is generated to increase a gain of the optical detector.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the output signal of the gain control signal generating module is higher than a punch-through voltage of the optical detector and lower than a breakdown voltage of the optical detector.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the output signal of the gain control signal generating module is generated by adding a signal which is in proportion to a reciprocal number of the signal indicating the saturation degree of the pixel signal to a punch-through voltage.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal indicating the saturation degree of the pixel signal is transferred to the gain control signal generating module and the pixel detecting module.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the output signal for supplying the required voltage to the gain control terminal is generated based on a predetermined pattern.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the HDR generating module synthesizes the pixel signals measured under different optical amplification conditions.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical detector is configured in an array pattern and the gain control terminal of the optical detector is tied into at least one group.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the gain control terminal of the optical detector uses a node applying bias voltage to a diode forming the optical detector.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein as the optical detector, an avalanche photodiode (APD) including a light absorbing layer including InGaAs and a light amplifying layer including InP or InAlAs is used.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the required voltage supplied to the gain control terminal of the optical detector by the output signal of the gain control signal generating module varies depending on a measurement condition.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the measurement condition of the required voltage is generated differently for each frame of the image.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the gain control signal generating module generates different output voltages at each moment of measuring with respect to the same pixel signal.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the pixel detecting module measures distance information based on a time of flight (TOF).

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the pixel detecting module measures distance information based on a frequency modulation method.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the output signals generated by the gain control signal generating module are connected in shape even when an optical signal is not being inputted.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the gain control signal generating module generates the output signal only when an optical signal is being inputted.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the output signal of the gain control signal generating module is configured to have a repetition pattern.