Example embodiments relate to controlling detection time in photodetectors. An example embodiment includes a device. The device includes a substrate. The device also includes a photodetector coupled to the substrate. The photodetector is arranged to detect light emitted from a light source that irradiates a top surface of the device. A depth of the substrate is at most 100 times a diffusion length of a minority carrier within the substrate so as to mitigate dark current arising from minority carriers photoexcited in the substrate based on the light emitted from the light source.

A distance measurement apparatus includes a light-emitting section adapted to emit light to a target area, a light-receiving section including a plurality of light-receiving elements that receives observation light in the target area to output an electric signal, a distance measurement process section adapted to perform, according to predetermined distance measurement conditions and in a captured image frame formed by the plurality of light-receiving elements, a distance measurement process for calculating a distance to an object on the basis of an electric signal commensurate with reflected light from the object to which the light emitted from the light-emitting section has been applied, the reflected light being included in the observation light received by some light-receiving element groups of the plurality of light-receiving elements included in a pixel, and a control section adapted to control the predetermined distance measurement conditions. The control section changes the predetermined distance measurement conditions while the current captured image frame is formed. This makes it possible to change the number of SPADs included in the pixel or the number of sampling frequency while the captured image frame is formed.

A single photon counting sensor array includes one or more emitters configured to emit a plurality of pulses of energy, and a detector array comprising a plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes one or more detectors, a plurality of which are configured to receive reflected pulses of energy that were emitted by the one or more emitters. A mask material is positioned to cover some but not all of the detectors of the plurality of pixels to yield blocked pixels and unblocked pixels so that each blocked pixel is prevented from detecting the reflected pulses of energy and therefore only detects intrinsic noise.

A method comprising: providing a device for detecting a biological signature behind a glass surface using non-visible light is provided. A method of emitting one or more pulses of energy at a specific wavelength over a field of illumination towards a target area, filtering out one or more returning wavelengths from the target area, and determining, based on the filtering, if a combination of a fluorescence wavelength and a source wavelength is present, is also provided. An associated system is further provided.

A pixel circuit, a method for performing a pixel-level background light subtraction, and an imaging device are disclosed. In one example of the present disclosure, the pixel circuit includes an overflow gate transistor, a photodiode, and two taps. Each tap of the two taps is configured to store a background signal that is integrated by the photodiode, subtract the background signal from a floating diffusion, store a combined signal that is integrated by the photodiode at the floating diffusion, and generate a demodulated signal based on a subtraction of the background signal from the floating diffusion and a storage of the combined signal that is integrated at the floating diffusion.

A LIDAR system is provided. The LIDAR system may include at least one processor configured to: control at least one light deflector to deflect light from a plurality of light sources towards a region in a field of view while the at least one light deflector is in a particular instantaneous position; control the at least one light deflector such that while the at least one light deflector is at the particular instantaneous position, light reflections from the field of view are received on at least one common area along a plurality of return paths to at least one sensor; and receive from at least one of a plurality of light detectors included in the at least one sensor, signals associated with beam spots of the received light reflections, wherein each of the beam spots impinges on more than one of the plurality of light detectors.

An apparatus generates an image having a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels corresponding to a range point and representing a distance value, extracts from the image a first area having a plurality of range points at which the distance value is less than or equal to a first threshold wherein a difference between each pair of the plurality of range points included in the first area is less than or equal to a second threshold, and determines the first area as a noise area when the first area meets a certain condition.

Systems and methods for boosting low content of received signals involve a vessel (102) towing port side (205) and starboard side (210) impulsive source arrays. The port side and starboard side impulsive source arrays are selectively actuated for a plurality of sequential shots having different signatures.

Disclosed herein are various embodiment of an adaptive ladar receiver and associated method whereby the active pixels in a photodetector array used for reception of ladar pulse returns can be adaptively controlled based at least in part on where the ladar pulses were targeted. Additional embodiments disclose improved imaging optics for use by the receiver and further adaptive control techniques for selecting which pixels of the photodetector array are used for sensing incident light.

A distance detection apparatus including: a light output unit which outputs a light; a computation unit which computes a distance to a detection target by using a time until when the light output from the light output unit is received in a light receiving unit; a deblurring optical system which is driven based on a detection result of a blurring and through which the output light is transmitted; a detection unit which detects a position of the deblurring optical system; a storage unit which stores a predetermined range; a determination unit which determines whether the position detected by the detection unit is included in the predetermined range; and a control unit which controls a light output by the light output unit in accordance with a determination result of the determination unit.