TIME-OF-FLIGHT PIXELS ALSO SENSING PROXIMITY AND/OR DETECTING MOTION IN IMAGING DEVICES & METHODS

• US 20140346361A1
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ilia Ovsiannikov, Tae-Chan Kim
• Inventors: WANG, Yibing M., OVSIANNIKOV, Ilia, KIM, Tae-Chan
• Application Number:
  US14/149,796
• Publication Number:
  US 20140346361A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/349
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/36 with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/50 Systems of measurement based on relative movement of target
• 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 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

An imaging device has a pixel array that includes one or more depth pixels. The imaging device also includes a controller that can cause one or more of the depth pixels to image a depth of an object in a ranging mode. The controller can further cause the depth pixel(s) to image in one or more detection modes, with the appropriate control signals. The imaging device also includes a monitoring circuit that can detect a current drawn by the depth pixel(s) in the detection modes. A revert indication can be generated from the detected current. Depending on the control signals, the revert indication can serve as a proximity indication, or as a motion indication.

Claims

1. An imaging device, comprising:

a housing;

an infrared (IR) light source on the housing configured to emit IR light;

an array in the housing, the array having depth pixels configured to image a depth of an object, a certain one of the depth pixels further configured to also image a reflection of the IR light from the object while the IR light source consumes less power than 10 mW;

a monitoring circuit configured to detect a current drawn by the certain depth pixel when the IR light source consumes less power than 10 mW, and

in which it is determined, from the detected current, whether the object is closer to the housing than a threshold distance.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional component configured to be in one of at least two states; and

in which the component reverts from a first one of the states to a second one of the states depending on the determination.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a touchscreen that can be in an enabled state or a disabled state, and

in which the touchscreen transitions from the enabled state to the disabled state depending on the determination.

7. The device of claim 1, in which

the array has a group of depth pixels,

the monitoring circuit is configured to detect currents drawn by a plurality of the depth pixels in the group, and

the determination is made from the detected currents.

8. The device of claim 1, in which

the monitoring circuit detects by generating a detection signal that encodes a value of the detected current.

11. The device of claim 1, in which

when the IR light source consumes less power than 10 mW, the IR light is not modulated.

12. The device of claim 1, in which

when the depth is imaged, the IR light source consumes more power than 10 mW, and the IR light is modulated.

2-4. -4. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

13-20. -20. (canceled)

21. An imaging device, comprising:

a housing;

an infrared (IR) light source on the housing configured to emit IR light;

an array in the housing, the array having depth pixels configured to image a depth of an object, a certain one of the depth pixels further configured to also image a reflection of the IR light from the object when the IR light source consumes less power than 20 mW;

a monitoring circuit configured to detect a current drawn by the certain depth pixel in a first frame and in a second frame, while the IR light source consumes less power than 20 mW, and

in which it is determined, from a difference in the current detected in the first frame and in the second frame, whether the object is moving with respect to the housing by more than a threshold motion.

22. The device of claim 21, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a value of the detected current to the certain depth pixel in the first frame for comparison to a value of the detected current to the certain depth pixel in the second frame.

24. The device of claim 21, further comprising:

a controller configured to make the determination.

26. The device of claim 21, further comprising:

an additional component configured to be in one of at least two states; and

in which the component reverts from a first one of the states to a second one of the states depending on the determination.

27. The device of claim 21, further comprising:

a display screen that can be in a state of first brightness or a state of second brightness, and

in which the display screen transitions from the first brightness state to the second brightness state depending on the determination.

28. The device of claim 21, in which

the array has a group of depth pixels,

the monitoring circuit is configured to detect currents drawn by a plurality of the depth pixels in the group, and

the determination is made from the detected currents.

31. The device of claim 21, in which

the monitoring circuit detects by generating a detection signal that encodes a value of the detected current.

34. The device of claim 21, in which

when the IR light source consumes less power than 20 mW, the IR light is not modulated.

35. The device of claim 21, in which

when the depth is imaged, the IR light source consumes more power than 10 mW, and the IR light is modulated.

23. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

32. (canceled)

33. (canceled)

36-55. -55. (canceled)

56. An imaging device, comprising:

a housing; and

an array in the housing, the array having a plurality of depth pixels, a depth pixel in the array being configured to provide a time-of-flight (TOF) output, a proximity sensing (PS) output, and a motion detection (MD) output.

57. The array of claim 56, in which

the PS output and the MD output are derived by detecting a current drawn by the certain depth pixel.

58. The array of claim 57, further comprising:

a dark pixel, and

in which the detected current includes a difference between the current drawn by the certain depth pixel and a current drawn by the dark pixel.

59. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

an infrared (IR) light source configured to emit IR light; and

in which the TOF output, the PS output, and the MD output are provided also from a reflection of the IR light.

61. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

a controller configured to provide at least three types of control signals to the array, and

in which the certain depth pixel provides the one of the TOF output, the PS output, and the MD output depending on the type of the control signals.

63. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

an additional component configured to be in one of at least two states, and

in which the component reverts from a first one of the states to a second one of the states responsive to one of the PS output and the MD output.

64. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

a touchscreen that can be in an enabled state or a disabled state, and

in which the touchscreen transitions from the enabled state to the disabled state responsive to the revert indication.

65. The device of claim 56, further comprising:

a display screen that can be in a state of first brightness or a state of second brightness, and

in which the display screen transitions from the first brightness state to the second brightness state responsive to the revert indication.

60. (canceled)

62. (canceled)

66-95. -95. (canceled)