Multi-Section Optical Load Pulse Shaping for Faster Rise Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Time-of-flight-based measurement systems, such as 3D sensing and LIDAR, face challenges in emitting optical pulses with short rise and fall times to achieve rectangular-shaped pulses, which are crucial for precise distance measurements, due to parasitic elements in electrical drive circuits that increase pulse rise time.
Innovation Solution
A method and electrical drive circuit that drive a multi-section optical load to emit a combined optical pulse by generating compensation and main electrical pulses through independent circuit paths, with the compensation pulse having a shorter rise time to compensate for the longer rise time of the main pulse, resulting in a rectangular-shaped optical pulse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single electrical drive circuit drives an optical load to emit optical pulses, then the circuit structure is simple, but the pulse rise time is long due to parasitic elements
Solution Approach 1:
The optical load is divided into multiple independent sections (first optical section, second optical section, third optical section) that can be driven by separate electrical drive circuits. This segmentation allows each section to have optimized drive characteristics, with some sections capable of producing faster rise time pulses to compensate for parasitic effects in other sections, thereby reducing the overall pulse rise time while maintaining a relatively simple overall circuit structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different electrical drive circuits are designed with different electrical parameters (such as different impedance values, different switching speeds, different current amplitudes) to optimize the performance of each optical section. By adjusting these parameters, the system can compensate for parasitic elements and achieve shorter pulse rise times without significantly increasing circuit complexity.
2Loss of time
If multiple electrical drive circuits with different parameters are used to drive different sections of the optical load, then the pulse rise time is reduced, but the circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple electrical drive circuits are merged into a single integrated drive system that controls multiple optical sections. The circuits share common components such as power supply, control logic, and timing synchronization mechanisms. This merging approach allows the system to achieve fast pulse rise times through differential drive strategies while avoiding the full complexity of completely independent circuits for each section.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical drive circuits are designed with universal functionality to drive different optical sections with different characteristics. A single drive circuit architecture can be configured to provide different drive parameters (current, voltage, pulse width) to different optical sections, eliminating the need for completely separate specialized circuits and thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining fast rise time performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution improves the performance of time-of-flight-based measurement systems by achieving optical pulses with short rise and fall times, enhancing measurement precision and accuracy by compensating for parasitic elements' delays in the electrical drive circuit.
Implementation Method 1
driving a compensation section of the multi-section optical load to emit a compensation optical pulse by providing, for a first time interval, a compensation electrical pulse to the compensation section
Implementation Method 2
driving a main section of the multi-section optical load to emit a main optical pulse by generating, for a second time interval, a main electrical pulse
Data Source
AI summary
An optical device may drive a compensation section of a multi-section optical load to emit a compensation optical pulse by providing, for a first time interval, a compensation electrical pulse to the compensation section. The optical device may drive a main section of the multi-section optical load to emit a main optical pulse by generating, for a second time interval, a main electrical pulse, wherein at least a portion of the first time interval overlaps with the second time interval. The optical device may emit a combined optical pulse, wherein the combined optical pulse includes the compensation optical pulse and the main optical pulse, and wherein the combined optical pulse has a shorter rise time than the main optical pulse.