Methods and apparatus for nonuniformity correction (NUC) for a sensor having an avalanche photodiode (APD) array and an integrated circuit. The sensor can include anode bias control module, a passive mode module, and an active mode module. DC photocurrent from the APD array can be measured and used for controlling an anode reverse bias voltage to each element in the APD to achieve a nonuniformity correction level less than a selected threshold.

An autonomous vehicle having a LIDAR system that scans a field of view is described herein. With more specificity, a computing system of the autonomous vehicle defines a region of interest in the field of view for a scan of the field of view by the LIDAR system. The region of interest is a portion of the field of view. Based on the region of interest, the computing system transmits a control signal to the LIDAR system that causes the LIDAR system to emit first light pulses with a first intensity within the region of interest during the scan and second light pulses with a second intensity outside the region of interest during the scan. The first intensity is different from the second intensity to provide different ranges for distance measurements inside and outside the region of interest.

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system includes an automatic gain control (AGC) unit to reduce the dynamic range, reducing processing power and saving circuit area and cost. The system detects a return beam of a light signal transmitted to a target, having a first dynamic range in a time domain. An analog to digital converter (ADC) generates a digital signal based on the return beam. A processor can perform time domain processing on the digital signal, convert the digital signal from the time domain to a frequency domain, and perform frequency domain processing on the digital signal in the frequency domain. The AGC unit can measure a power of the return beam, and apply variable gain in the frequency domain to reduce a dynamic range of the return beam to a second dynamic range lower than the first dynamic range.

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.

Disclosed are a distance image acquisition apparatus and a distance image acquisition method capable of achieving high distance measurement accuracy and omitting wasteful imaging or calculation. The distance image acquisition apparatus (10) includes a distance image sensor (14), a drive mode setting unit (20A), a distance image generation unit (20B), a pulse light emission unit (22), and an exposure control unit (24). The exposure control unit (24) controls emission and non-emission of pulse light emitted from the pulse light emission unit (22) according to a drive mode set by the drive mode setting unit (20A), and controls exposure in the distance image sensor (14). The distance image generation unit (20B) performs calculation processing of a sensor output acquired from the distance image sensor (14) according to the drive mode set by the drive mode setting unit (20A) to generate a distance image corresponding to a distance of a subject.

A LIDAR sensor for detecting at least one object in a field of view. The LIDAR sensor includes: a transmitting unit includes a laser source; and a receiving unit having at least one detector unit for receiving secondary light that has been reflected and/or scattered in the field of view by an object. The detector unit includes a sub-detector array including a plurality of sub-detectors arranged in a first direction of extent next to each other and/or in a second direction of extent one behind another, and a processor unit that is designed to select a first group from a plurality of sub-detectors and to group it to form a first macropixel, and simultaneously to select at least one second group and to group it/them to form at least one second micropixel. The first macropixel and at least one of the second macropixels comprise at least one same sub-detector.

A measurement apparatus mounted to a vehicle includes a light emitting unit, at least one light receiving element, a measurement unit, a monitor circuit, and an adjustment unit. An adjustment unit adjusts the sensitivity of the at least one light receiving element, based on a monitor signal generated by the monitor circuit based on a light reception signal from the at least one light receiving element having received reference light.

The laser distance measuring device includes: a laser light emission unit for emitting laser light; a scanning mechanism for scanning the laser light by changing an output angle thereof; a light receiving unit for receiving reflected light of the laser light from an object, to thereby output a light reception signal; a light-detector control circuit for causing the light receiving unit to output the reception signal after setting a light receiving sensitivity for the reflected light at the time when the output angle is small, higher than a light receiving sensitivity for the reflected light at the time when the output angle is large; and a distance calculation unit for calculating, based on the reception signal, a distance to the object. This enhances the distance measuring capability in both cases of measuring a short distance and a long distance.

A system to determine a position of one or more objects includes a transmitter to emit a beam of photons to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects; multiple cameras that are spaced-apart with each camera having an array of pixels to detect photons; and one or more processor devices that execute stored instructions to perform actions of a method, including: directing the transmitter to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects with the beam of photons; for each of the regions, receiving, from the cameras, an array position of each pixel that detected photons of the beam reflected or scattered by the region of the one or more objects; and, for each of the regions detected by the cameras, determining a position of the regions using the received array positions of the pixels that detected the photons of the beam reflected or scattered by that region.

A distance image generating device includes a light emitter that emits light pulses; a light receiver that includes light receiving elements and receives reflected light; a distance calculator that generates a distance image based on an amount of the reflected light; and a light amount adjuster that determines an emission count in accordance with which the light emitter is to emit the light pulses and an exposure count in accordance with which the light receiver is to receive the reflected light based on the distance image and causes the light emitter to emit the light pulses in accordance with the determined emission count and the light receiver to receive the reflected light in accordance with the determined exposure count. The distance calculator calculates the distance based on an amount of the reflected light received at the exposure count by the light receiver.