A laser detection and ranging system and method for operating thereof. In some embodiments, the method includes: transmitting a plurality of laser pulses, each at a respective one of a plurality of pulse transmission times; detecting a plurality of return pulses, each at a respective one of a plurality of return pulse times; and estimating a range or a range rate of a target based on the pulse transmission times and the return pulse times. Each of the pulse transmission times may be offset from a corresponding nominal pulse transmission time by a respective pulse position modulation offset, the nominal pulse transmission times being uniformly spaced with a period corresponding to a pulse repetition frequency, the pulse repetition frequency being greater than 500 kHz.

A method for providing a detection-signal for objects to be detected—at least a first and second light-beam including different frequencies being generated with a first optical non-linear 3-wave-process from a light-beam of a light-source including an output-frequency, and the first light-beam including a reference-frequency being detected, and the second light-beam including an object-frequency being emitted and received after reflection on an object, and the light-beam including the output-frequency and the second light-beam including the object-frequency being superposed, and a reference-beam including a reference-frequency being generated with a second optical non-linear 3-wave-process from the two superposed light-beams including the output-frequency and including the object-frequency, and a detection-signal being generated so that the object-distance is determinable due to the aforementioned superposition based on the time-difference between the detection of the first light-beam including the reference-frequency and a detection of a change of the reference-beam including the reference-frequency.

A method for providing a detection-signal for objects to be detected—at least a first and second light-beam including different frequencies being generated with a first optical non-linear 3-wave-process from a light-beam of a light-source including an output-frequency, and the first light-beam including a reference-frequency being detected, and the second light-beam including an object-frequency being emitted and received after reflection on an object, and the light-beam including the output-frequency and the second light-beam including the object-frequency being superposed, and a reference-beam including a reference-frequency being generated with a second optical non-linear 3-wave-process from the two superposed light-beams including the output-frequency and including the object-frequency, and a detection-signal being generated so that the object-distance is determinable due to the aforementioned superposition based on the time-difference between the detection of the first light-beam including the reference-frequency and a detection of a change of the reference-beam including the reference-frequency.

Various implementations disclosed herein include a method for operating a LIDAR sensor, comprising repeatedly performing measurements in a respective measurement time window (M), at the beginning of which at least one measurement light pulse (A) having at least one predefined wavelength is emitted by the LIDAR sensor, and determining whether a light pulse (A′) having the at least one predefined wavelength is detected by the LIDAR sensor within the measurement time window (M), wherein a time interval (D1, D2, D3) between two consecutive measurement time windows (M) is varied.

The present application relates to a Lidar that includes a laser transmitter to emit a laser beam; an optical processing circuit. The optical processing circuit is configured to receive the laser beam reflected from a target object and convert the reflected laser beam to a photocurrent signal, and convert the photocurrent signal from an optical receiver to a voltage signal. The Lidar also includes a gain control circuit, connecting to the optical processing circuit; and a controller, connecting to the gain control circuit, to adjust a gain of the optical processing circuit via the gain control circuit and based on an amplitude of the voltage signal.

The present invention provides a proximity sensing device with linear electrical offset calibration, which can record electrical offsets caused by different dark currents under different settings of the pulse count or the pulse time, and the proximity sensing device uses these electrical offsets to obtain the linear electrical offset ratio. Then calculate and infer the electrical offset generated in actual use through the linear electrical offset ratio to calibrate sensing signal.

Mechanisms for evaluating amplitude for current pulses provided to a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for current levels beyond the linear range of the TIA where clipping circuit(s) may limit the input voltage of the TIA are disclosed. In one aspect, an example TIA arrangement includes a clipping arrangement that includes multiple clipping circuits. Each clipping circuit can be biased by different bias voltages such that the different clipping circuits are activated at different input current amplitudes. Different clipping circuits can have different impedances, which can result in different recovery time characteristics. With the multiple clipping circuits in clipping arrangements discussed herein, a saturated dynamic range of a TIA can be divided into sub-regions and different pulse widening characteristics for each region may be defined, which may enable determination of amplitude for current pulses provided to the TIA even for current levels beyond the linear range of the TIA.

Mechanisms for evaluating amplitude for current pulses provided to a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) for current levels beyond the linear range of the TIA where clipping circuit(s) may limit the input voltage of the TIA are disclosed. In one aspect, an example TIA arrangement includes a clipping arrangement that includes multiple clipping circuits. Each clipping circuit can be biased by different bias voltages such that the different clipping circuits are activated at different input current amplitudes. Different clipping circuits can have different impedances, which can result in different recovery time characteristics. With the multiple clipping circuits in clipping arrangements discussed herein, a saturated dynamic range of a TIA can be divided into sub-regions and different pulse widening characteristics for each region may be defined, which may enable determination of amplitude for current pulses provided to the TIA even for current levels beyond the linear range of the TIA.

Techniques described herein provide memory redundancy. For example, the memory block for each pixel can be partitioned into multiple memory bins, and the number of memory bins can be larger than the number of time bins. Once a faulty memory cell is identified, an address associated with the memory bin that has the faulty memory cell can be skipped by an address generator. As such, the faulty memory cell is not used to store time-of-fight (ToF) information.

Techniques described herein provide memory redundancy. For example, the memory block for each pixel can be partitioned into multiple memory bins, and the number of memory bins can be larger than the number of time bins. Once a faulty memory cell is identified, an address associated with the memory bin that has the faulty memory cell can be skipped by an address generator. As such, the faulty memory cell is not used to store time-of-fight (ToF) information.