WO2022026011 TIME OF FLIGHT IMAGING USING LONG AND SHORT-EXPOSURE STORAGE NODES

Settings

Stemming

Single Family Member

Include NPL

Feedback

Goto Application

Publication Number WO/2022/026011

Publication Date 03.02.2022

International Application No. PCT/US2021/030030

International Filing Date 30.04.2021

IPC

CPC

View more classifications

View less classifications

Applicants

MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC [US]/[US]

Inventors

OH, Minseok

Agents

SWAIN, Cassandra T.
BARKER, Doug
CHATTERJEE, Aaron C.
CHEN, Wei-Chen Nicholas
CHOI, Daniel
CHURNA, Timothy
DINH, Phong
EVANS, Patrick
GABRYJELSKI, Henry
GUPTA, Anand
HWANG, William C.
JARDINE, John S.
LEE, Sunah
LEMMON, Marcus
MARQUIS, Thomas
MEYERS, Jessica
ROPER, Brandon
SPELLMAN, Steven
SULLIVAN, Kevin
WALKER, Matt
WIGHT, Stephen A.
WISDOM, Gregg
WONG, Ellen
WONG, Thomas S.
ZHANG, Hannah
AKHTER, Julia
KADOURA, Judy M.
NIU, Bo
OLANIRAN, Qudus
BROWN, Renee
TRAN, Kimberly

Priority Data

16/943,978

30.07.2020

Publication Language English (en)

Filing Language English (EN)

Designated States

View all

Title

(EN) TIME OF FLIGHT IMAGING USING LONG AND SHORT-EXPOSURE STORAGE NODES

(FR) IMAGERIE DE TEMPS DE VOL À L'AIDE DE NŒUDS DE STOCKAGE À EXPOSITION LONGUE ET COURTE

Abstract

(EN) Examples are disclosed that relate to time of flight imaging using long-exposure and short-exposure storage nodes for each pixel tap of a pixel in an image sensor. One example provides a time-of-flight camera, comprising an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel of the plurality of pixels comprising one or more taps, each tap comprising a photogate, a short-exposure storage node configured to receive charge during a short-exposure interval of an integration period, a long-exposure storage node configured to receive charge during a long-exposure interval of the integration period, a short-exposure switch gate configured to direct charge generated during the short-exposure interval to the short-exposure storage node, a long-exposure switch gate configured to direct charge generated during the long-exposure period to the long-exposure storage node, and a readout mechanism comprising one or more floating diffusion capacitors.

(FR) Des exemples sont divulgués, concernant une imagerie de temps de vol à l'aide de nœuds de stockage à exposition longue et à exposition courte pour chaque prise de pixel d'un pixel dans un capteur d'image. Un exemple concerne une caméra temps de vol, comprenant un capteur d'image comprenant une pluralité de pixels, chaque pixel de la pluralité de pixels comprenant une ou plusieurs prises, chaque prise comprenant une inspection finale de début de ligne, un nœud de stockage à exposition courte conçu pour recevoir une charge pendant un intervalle d'exposition courte d'une période d'intégration, un nœud de stockage à exposition longue conçu pour recevoir une charge pendant un intervalle d'exposition longue de la période d'intégration, une grille de commutation à exposition courte conçue pour diriger une charge générée pendant l'intervalle d'exposition courte vers le nœud de stockage à exposition courte, une grille de commutation à exposition longue conçue pour diriger une charge générée pendant la période d'exposition longue vers le nœud de stockage à exposition longue, et un mécanisme de lecture comprenant un ou plusieurs condensateurs à diffusion flottante.

G	PHYSICS
01	MEASURING; TESTING
S	RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
7	Details of systems according to groups G01S13/, G01S15/, G01S17/127
48	of systems according to group G01S17/58
491	Details of non-pulse systems
4912	Receivers
4913	Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out
4914	Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates

G	PHYSICS
01	MEASURING; TESTING
S	RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
17	Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
88	Lidar systems, specially adapted for specific applications
89	for mapping or imaging
894	3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar

G	PHYSICS
01	MEASURING; TESTING
S	RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
7	Details of systems according to groups G01S13/, G01S15/, G01S17/127
48	of systems according to group G01S17/58
491	Details of non-pulse systems
4912	Receivers
4913	Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out
4914	Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates

G	PHYSICS
01	MEASURING; TESTING
S	RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
17	Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
88	Lidar systems, specially adapted for specific applications
89	for mapping or imaging
894	3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar

G	PHYSICS
01	MEASURING; TESTING
S	RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
17	Systems using the reflection or reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. lidar systems
02	Systems using the reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
06	Systems determining position data of a target
08	for measuring distance only
32	using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated
36	with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal

Processing

National Phase Entries

Authority File

Settings

Feedback

Goto Application

1. WO2022026011 - TIME OF FLIGHT IMAGING USING LONG AND SHORT-EXPOSURE STORAGE NODES

H	ELECTRICITY
01	BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
L	SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
27	Devices consisting of a plurality of semiconductor or other solid-state components formed in or on a common substrate
14	including semiconductor components sensitive to infra-red radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation
144	Devices controlled by radiation
146	Imager structures
14601	Structural or functional details thereof
14609	Pixel-elements with integrated switching, control, storage or amplification elements
14612	involving a transistor

H	ELECTRICITY
04	ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
N	PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
5	Details of television systems
222	Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment ; ; Cameras comprising an electronic image sensor, e.g. digital cameras, video cameras, TV cameras, video cameras, camcorders, webcams, camera modules for embedding in other devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers or vehicles
225	Television cameras ; ; Cameras comprising an electronic image sensor, e.g. digital cameras, video cameras, camcorders, webcams, camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers or vehicles
2256	provided with illuminating means

H	ELECTRICITY
04	ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
N	PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
5	Details of television systems
30	Transforming light or analogous information into electric information
335	using solid-state image sensors [SSIS]
369	SSIS architecture; Circuitry associated therewith
374	Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
3745	having additional components embedded within a pixel or connected to a group of pixels within a sensor matrix, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components
37452	comprising additional storage means

H	ELECTRICITY
04	ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
N	PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
5	Details of television systems
30	Transforming light or analogous information into electric information
335	using solid-state image sensors [SSIS]
369	SSIS architecture; Circuitry associated therewith
374	Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
3745	having additional components embedded within a pixel or connected to a group of pixels within a sensor matrix, e.g. memories, A/D converters, pixel amplifiers, shared circuits or shared components
37457	comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, e.g. at least one part of the amplifier has to be on the sensor array itself

H	ELECTRICITY
04	ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
N	PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
5	Details of television systems
30	Transforming light or analogous information into electric information
335	using solid-state image sensors [SSIS]
369	SSIS architecture; Circuitry associated therewith
378	Readout circuits, e.g. correlated double sampling [CDS] circuits, output amplifiers or A/D converters