Patent · US Active

Optical measurement system incorporating ambient light component nullification

US10203400B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by

2References

27Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited · SG

Inventors

Milos Davidovic · Wien, AT
Reinhard Enne · Lilienfeld, AT
Gunther Steinle · Munich, DE
Wolfgang Gaberl · Wien, AT

Key dates

Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Dec 17, 2036

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG01J2001/444
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical measurement system is provided for performing time-of-flight distance measurement with ambient light suppression. The system has a detector circuit that includes a photodetector and an additional current gain element that amplifies the photocurrent produced by the photodetector. Placement of the additional current gain element near the photodetector allows low-power optical signals to be detected without amplifying noise from sources of the system that are outside of the detector circuit, thereby allowing a high signal-to-noise ratio to be achieved. Embodiments of the system include circuitry that automatically regulates the bias voltage of the photodetector to compensate for temperature and for fabrication process variations.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.