Optical Sensor Region Activation for Lower Power and Noise
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image sensors with many pixels face high power consumption due to standby pixels and increased noise, which complicates the system and requires significant power for filtering.
Innovation Solution
An optical sensing system that activates sensing units only in regions where light detection is expected based on the instantaneous projection vector direction of the light beam, deactivating units where detection is not expected, using a projector and scanner to efficiently scan and image the scene.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the number of pixels is increased to achieve high resolution, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the power consumption increases due to standby pixels
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates the expected detection region based on the instantaneous projection vector direction before the actual detection occurs. This allows the sensor to activate only the sensing units within the predicted region of interest, avoiding the need to keep all pixels in standby mode while maintaining high detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of uniformly activating all sensing units across the sensor array, the system applies local quality by selectively activating only those sensing units located within the calculated region of interest. This creates a non-uniform activation pattern where different regions of the sensor have different operational states based on the expected light detection location.
2Measurement precision
If the number of pixels is increased to achieve high resolution, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the noise increases requiring more filtering
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and isolates the relevant detection signal from the region of interest while excluding signals from regions where light detection is not expected. By deactivating sensing units outside the predicted region, the system effectively removes potential noise sources from those areas, reducing the overall noise level without compromising the detection of relevant light signals.
3Area of stationary object
If all sensing units are activated to ensure complete scene coverage, then the detection coverage is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculation of the region of interest based on the instantaneous projection vector direction before activation. This pre-computation allows the system to identify exactly which sensing units will be needed for the current light beam position, activating only those units rather than the entire sensor array, thus reducing power consumption while maintaining adequate detection coverage for the current moment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic activation of sensing units that changes continuously as the light beam moves across the scene. Instead of a static activation pattern, the region of interest and corresponding active sensing units are dynamically adjusted based on the real-time position and direction of the light beam, optimizing the balance between coverage and power consumption at each instant.
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 system achieves significant power reduction (up to 80-99%) and noise reduction while maintaining high resolution, with reduced latency and processing needs.
Implementation Method 1
each sensing unit comprises a photo detector
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6(c)
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for optical sensing. The method comprising the steps of projecting a light beam (5) onto a scene (4) by means of a projector (3), scanning said light beam (5) on said scene (4) along a trajectory, by means of a scanner, and imaging the reflected light (6) by means of optics, on sensing units (30) of a first optical sensor (2), wherein each sensing unit (30) comprises a photodetector. The method is characterized in that the method comprises the step of: where the first optical sensor (2) is dimensioned to receive the reflected light (6) from the complete scene (4), activating sensing units (30) in a first region (17) of said first optical sensor (2) where a detection of the reflected light (6) by said optical sensor (2) is expected, and deactivating sensing units (30) in at least a second region (16) where a detection of the reflected light (6) by said optical sensor (2) is not expected, wherein said activating and deactivating are based on the instantaneous projection vector direction of the light beam (5) on the scene (4).