Time-of-Flight Sensor Compressive Sampling Reduces Silicon Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional time-of-flight (ToF) sensors require significant memory and power resources due to the need for numerous memory spaces to store event histograms, leading to high silicon area occupation and cumbersome data output for processing.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a time compressive sampling method in the ToF apparatus, where light detection events are acquired at selected points of time based on pixel-level compressive sensing/sampling, reducing the number of memories needed and enabling data compression, thereby reducing memory requirements, data transmission rate, and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ToF sensors store event histograms in numerous memory spaces, then complete light detection event data is preserved, but silicon area occupation increases and power consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the most relevant light detection events at selected points of time using time compressive sampling, rather than storing all events. This selective extraction reduces memory requirements and silicon area while preserving the essential information needed for accurate depth mapping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by acquiring light detection events at a subset of time points rather than continuously sampling all events. This partial sampling approach maintains measurement accuracy while significantly reducing the data volume that needs to be stored and processed.
2Measurement precision
If conventional ToF sensors store all light detection events, then accurate depth information is obtained, but data transmission rate increases and processing becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts essential depth information by selecting specific light detection events at predetermined time points using time compressive sampling. This extraction process removes redundant data while preserving the critical information needed for accurate depth measurement, thereby improving processing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses partial sampling of light detection events at selected time points rather than processing all events. This partial action approach maintains depth measurement accuracy while reducing the computational burden and data transmission requirements.
3Reliability
If conventional ToF sensors use numerous memory spaces for event histograms, then all light detection data is captured, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary light detection events at selected time points using time compressive sampling, avoiding the need to maintain numerous memory spaces. This extraction reduces the active circuitry and memory operations, thereby lowering power consumption while preserving detection accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial sampling of light detection events at predetermined time points, which reduces the number of memory write operations and data processing activities. This partial action approach maintains reliable depth measurement while significantly reducing the power consumption associated with continuous full-data acquisition.
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
This approach significantly reduces memory requirements, silicon area, and power consumption while maintaining high Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and time resolution, facilitating efficient data processing and transmission.
Implementation Method 1
a light detector for detecting light reflected from a scene, wherein the light detector has at least one light detection element
Data Source
AI summary
A time-of-flight apparatus having a light detector for detecting light reflected from a scene, wherein the light detector has at least one light detection element; and circuitry configured to acquire light detection events for the at least one light detection element at selected points of time of a set of predetermined number of consecutive times, wherein the selection of the points of time is based on a time compressive sampling.