An emission unit of a displacement detector emits laser light to a range in a space in which a target moves. A detection unit detects a distribution of amounts of light reflected from a capture region in the predefined range. Based on a shift of speckle pattern indicated by a difference between the distributions of amounts of reflected light that the detection unit detects at different times, a calculation unit calculates a displacement of the target. A correction unit measures a speckle contrast from the distribution of amounts of reflected light, and based on an error between the measured value and a reference value, corrects the amount of laser light. The reference value is set to the value of a speckle contrast in a case in which the amounts of reflected light fall within the detectable range of the detection unit.

A range finder capable of adjusting light flux includes a light-emitting element configured to emit a light beam, a lens element, a light-shielding element configured to adjust light flux, and an image sensor. The light beam emitted by the light-emitting element is reflected by an object, passes through the lens element, and is projected to the image sensor. The light-shielding element is disposed between the object and the image sensor, and on a path of the light beam.

When a light receiving unit (12) performs light reception for each phase according to light emission of a light source unit (11), a distance measuring unit (131) calculates distance information on the basis of a light reception signal for each phase output by the light receiving unit according to the light reception for each phase. A control unit (130) controls a level of the light reception signal for each phase in accordance with the calculation of the distance information based on the light reception signal for each phase. An adjustment unit (132) adjusts a generation unit that generates an image signal on the basis of the light reception signal for each phase and a level of the image signal according to an adjustment value. The control unit generates the adjustment value on the basis of the light reception signal for each p phase.

A synchronization device includes a synchronization prediction unit, a change amount calculation unit, an image estimation unit, a difference extraction unit, and a determination unit. The synchronization prediction unit is configured to predict a synchronization error time between a radar sensor and an external camera. The change amount calculation unit is configured to calculate a change amount of the reflected wave image in a shutter frame of the external camera. The image estimation unit is configured to estimate the reflected wave image for a synchronization timing that is shifted from a start timing of the shutter frame by the synchronization error time. The difference extraction unit is configured to extract a difference by comparing the reflected wave image for the synchronization timing with the outside light image. The determination unit configured is to determine, based on the difference, whether to return to a step of predicting the synchronization error time.

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) pixel includes a polarization controller, a grating coupler, and an optical mixer. The polarization controller includes a phase shifter that sets a phase of light in a first arm of the polarization controller and a second arm of the polarization controller.

A method, a device, and an apparatus for controlling laser emission are provided. A secondary emergent laser is emitted at a first time of a detection period. A primary emergent laser emitted at a second time of the detection period is adjusted according to a first detection echo corresponding to the secondary emergent laser.

An optical interference measurement device includes: a light source having a wavelength-swept light source that changes a wavelength of emitted light periodically; a light splitter configured to split light emitted from the light source into measurement light and reference light; a measurement section configured to emit the measurement light onto a measurement target; an interference section configured to couple the measurement light reflected or scattered by the measurement target and the reference light together to produce interfering light; a light detector configured to detect the interfering light; and an analyzer configured to analyze an interference signal detected by the light detector. The optical interference measurement device has an optical element in the measurement section, and the optical element is configured to cause an optical loss that makes an amount of light received inversely proportional to a square of a propagation distance.

A system including one or more waveguides to receive a first returned reflection having a first lag angle and generate a first waveguide signal, receive a second returned reflection having a second lag angle different from the first lag angle, and generate a second waveguide signal. The system includes one or more photodetectors to generate a first output signal within a first frequency range, and generate, based on the second waveguide signal and a second LO signal, a second output signal within a second frequency range. The system includes an optical frequency shifter (OFS) to shift a frequency of the second LO signal to cause the second output signal to shift from within the second frequency range to within the first frequency range to generate a shifted signal. The system includes a processor to receive the shifted signal to produce one or more points in a point set.

One example provides a method of operating a time-of-flight camera system comprising an illumination source and an image sensor. The method comprises operating the illumination source and the image sensor to control a plurality of integration cycles and a plurality of readout cycles. In each integration cycle, the method comprises performing a plurality of pulse width modulated (PWM) illumination cycles where each PWM illumination cycle is separated from one or more adjacent PWM illumination cycles by a non-illumination cycle. For each PWM illumination cycle, the method comprises directing photocharge to in-pixel memory for each pixel that is performing image integration and for each non-illumination cycle conducting photocharge away from the in-pixel memory for each pixel that is performing image integration. The readout cycle comprises, for each pixel that performed image integration, reading a charge stored in the in-pixel memory after the integration cycle.

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) apparatus includes an optical circuit including a laser source configured to emit a laser beam, a beam separator operatively coupled to the laser source, the beam separator configured to separate the laser beam propagated towards a target, a first optical amplifier coupled to the beam separator, the first optical amplifier configured to receive a return laser beam reflected from the target in a return path and amplify the return laser beam to output an amplified return laser beam, and an optical component operatively coupled to the first optical amplifier, the optical component configured to output a current based on the amplified return laser beam.