Stacked Sensor Layers for Low-Latency Environmental Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensor devices in artificial reality systems face issues of data saturation, high power consumption, and latency due to processing large amounts of information, limiting their processing speed and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A sensor assembly with stacked sensor layers, including a photodetector layer and multiple processing layers, performs analog-to-digital conversion and specific signal processing to determine environmental features, reducing data volume and processing load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional sensor devices capture a large amount of information from the surrounding area, then comprehensive environmental data is obtained, but processing speed decreases due to data saturation
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device is divided into multiple specialized sensor layers, each responsible for capturing specific types of information (e.g., depth, color, infrared). This segmentation allows parallel processing of different data types, reducing the processing burden on any single layer and improving overall processing speed while maintaining comprehensive data capture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a conventional two-dimensional sensor array to a three-dimensional stacked sensor architecture. By adding the vertical dimension with multiple sensor layers stacked together, the system can capture and process multiple types of information simultaneously without increasing the processing load on a single layer, thus resolving the contradiction between data volume and processing speed.
2Measurement precision
If conventional sensor devices perform computationally intensive operations, then accurate environmental features are determined, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Computational tasks are segmented and distributed across multiple specialized sensor layers. Each layer performs specific processing operations (e.g., depth calculation, color detection, motion tracking) rather than all layers performing all computations. This division reduces the computational burden on any single layer, lowering power consumption while maintaining tracking accuracy through coordinated processing.
Solution Approach 2:
Each sensor layer is equipped with dedicated processing circuitry that performs computations locally within the layer itself, eliminating the need to transfer all raw data to a central processing unit. This self-service approach reduces power consumption by performing computationally intensive operations closer to the data source, while still achieving accurate environmental feature determination.
3Measurement precision
If conventional sensor devices perform computationally intensive operations, then environmental features are determined, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processing pipeline is segmented into multiple parallel stages, each handling specific aspects of feature determination. By dividing the computational workload into concurrent processing stages across different sensor layers, the system reduces the total time required to determine environmental features while maintaining accuracy through the coordinated output of all layers.
Solution Approach 2:
Certain processing operations are performed preliminarily within each sensor layer before data is passed to subsequent layers or central processing. This preliminary action reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed in later stages, thereby reducing overall latency while ensuring that accurate feature determination is achieved through the cumulative processing across all layers.
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 stacked sensor system enhances processing speed, reduces power consumption, and improves tracking accuracy by distributing computational tasks across customized sensor devices, thereby improving user experience in artificial reality systems.
Implementation Method 1
A first sensor layer of the plurality of stacked sensor layers located on top of the sensor assembly can be implemented as a photodetector layer and includes an array of pixels. The top sensor layer can be configured to capture one or more images of light reflected from one or more objects in the local area.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor assembly for determining one or more features of a local area is presented herein. The sensor assembly includes a plurality of stacked sensor layers. A first sensor layer of the plurality of stacked sensor layers located on top of the sensor assembly includes an array of pixels. The top sensor layer can be configured to capture one or more images of light reflected from one or more objects in the local area. The sensor assembly further includes one or more sensor layers located beneath the top sensor layer. The one or more sensor layers can be configured to process data related to the captured one or more images. A plurality of sensor assemblies can be integrated into an artificial reality system, e.g., a head-mounted display.