A time of flight sensor system having a time of flight sensor layer is disclosed. The system includes a covering window layer spaced apart from the time of flight sensor layer, with an exit window and an entrance window, an emitting element in the time of flight sensor layer that transmits an emission signal, a receiving element in the time of flight sensor layer that receives a reception signal, one or more opaque walls, and light baffles incorporated into the one or more opaque walls. The one or more opaque walls extend at least a portion of the distance from the time of flight sensor layer to the covering window layer. The one or more opaque walls reduce the reflection backscatter of emission signals and reception signals. The light baffles in the one or more opaque walls reduce backscatter of emission signals and reception signals.

In one embodiment, a waveguide is added to the LiDAR sensor that redirects some of a received target return laser beam to a first stage photodetector and amplifier. When the amplitude of the target return laser beam is high enough to oversaturate the amplifier, an electric current is generated by the amplifier and received by a tunable coupler. As the tunable coupler heats up due to the electric current, it redirects energy from the return target laser beam to a beam dump. The reduced return target laser beam is then received by a photodetector or RF amplifier and is used to calculate the distance between the LiDAR sensor and object that reflected the received target return laser beam. In addition, rather than redirect the energy to a beam dump, the energy may be redirected to another photodetector or amplifier and may be used to supplement the distance calculation.

Provided is an electro-optical distance meter includes a light transmitting unit configured to emit distance-measuring light along a collimation axis toward a measuring object; a light receiving unit including a light receiving element configured to receive reflected distance-measuring light and convert the reflected distance-measuring light into a distance-measuring signal, and a received light amount adjuster configured to adjust a light amount entering the light receiving element; an arithmetic control unit; and a storage unit. The arithmetic control unit calculates a true distance-measuring signal by subtracting an optical noise signal stored in advance in the storage unit and an electrical noise signal measured before a distance measurement from the distance-measuring signal, and calculates a distance to the measuring object based on the true distance-measuring signal.

Systems and methods for sensing objects are provided. An optical apparatus can include a transmitter configured to project on a surface of an object, a first optical pattern having a first set of characteristics and a second optical pattern having a second set of characteristics. The optical apparatus can include a receiver configured to receive first and second reflected optical patterns representing a reflection of the first optical pattern and the second optical pattern from the surface of the object, and generate first and second electrical signals representing the first and the second reflected optical patterns. The optical apparatus can include one or more processors configured to receive the first electrical signals and the second electrical signals, and determine one or more characteristics of the object, including range information of the object.

Various technologies described herein pertain to variable gain amplification for a sensor application. A multistage variable gain amplifier system provides variable gain amplification of an input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system includes a plurality of amplification stages. The multistage variable gain amplifier system further includes a power detector configured to detect a power level of an input signal received by the multistage variable gain amplifier system. The multistage variable gain amplifier system also includes a controller configured to control the amplification stages based on the power level of the input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system can output an output signal such that the amplification stages are controlled to adjust a gain applied to the input signal by the multistage variable gain amplifier system to output the output signal.

A motion or saturation determination apparatus (100) comprising: a light source configured to emit light and an optoelectronic device (102) configured to receive an electromagnetic signal and to translate the signal to a plurality of electrical output signals corresponding to a plurality of predetermined phase offset values in accordance with an indirect time of flight measurement technique. A signal processing circuit (110, 116, 126, 132, 136) of the apparatus (100) is configured to process the electrical output signals to calculate a plurality of measurement vectors derived from the plurality of electrical signals. The vectors are in respect of a plurality of frequencies and comprise a first measurement vector for a fundamental harmonic frequency and a second measurement vector for a non-fundamental frequency. The circuit (110, 116, 126, 132, 136) is configured to calculate a scalar relating a first amplitude of the first vector to a second amplitude of the second vector, and to use the scalar to identify motion or saturation in respect of the optoelectronic device (102).

Various technologies described herein pertain to variable gain amplification for a sensor application. A multistage variable gain amplifier system provides variable gain amplification of an input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system includes a plurality of amplification stages. The multistage variable gain amplifier system further includes a power detector configured to detect a power level of an input signal received by the multistage variable gain amplifier system. The multistage variable gain amplifier system also includes a controller configured to control the amplification stages based on the power level of the input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system can output an output signal such that the amplification stages are controlled to adjust a gain applied to the input signal by the multistage variable gain amplifier system to output the output signal.

An indirect time-of-flight measurement sensor includes a photosensitive pixel array configured to acquire a succession of images of a scene during a given exposure time. The sensor includes a control unit configured to control the acquisition of the succession of images by the pixel array and to define an exposure time for this acquisition based on a pixel saturation rate of the array, distances between the sensor and elements of the scene, and a standard deviation of the distances between the sensor and the elements of the scene.

Various technologies described herein pertain to variable gain amplification for a sensor application. A multistage variable gain amplifier system provides variable gain amplification of an input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system includes a plurality of amplification stages. The multistage variable gain amplifier system further includes a power detector configured to detect a power level of an input signal received by the multistage variable gain amplifier system. The multistage variable gain amplifier system also includes a controller configured to control the amplification stages based on the power level of the input signal. The multistage variable gain amplifier system can output an output signal such that the amplification stages are controlled to adjust a gain applied to the input signal by the multistage variable gain amplifier system to output the output signal.

An object detection system is for object detection within a field of view. A light source provides detection illumination to the field of view and a sensor senses reflected light from the field of view. Time of flight analysis is used to provide distance or presence information for objects within the field of view. The controller is adapted to derive a signal quality parameter relating to the distance or presence information and to control the light source intensity in dependence on the signal quality parameter. In this way, energy savings are made possible by adapting the detection system settings to the scene being observed.