Doppler time-of-flight imaging

US11002856B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• King Abdullah University of Science and Technology · SA

Inventors

• Wolfgang Heidrich · Vancouver, CA
• Felix Heide · Princeton, US
• Gordon Wetzstein · Palo Alto, US
• Matthias Hullin · Bonn, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 5, 2016
• Grant date: May 11, 2021
• Expiry date: Oct 22, 2037

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/894
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Systems and methods for imaging object velocity are provided. In an embodiment, at least one Time-of-Flight camera is used to capture a signal representative of an object in motion over an exposure time. Illumination and modulation frequency of the captured motion are coded within the exposure time. A change of illumination frequency is mapped to measured pixel intensities of the captured motion within the exposure time, and information about a Doppler shift in the illumination frequency is extracted to obtain a measurement of instantaneous per pixel velocity of the object in motion. The radial velocity information of the object in motion can be simultaneously captured for each pixel captured within the exposure time. In one or more aspects, the illumination frequency can be coded orthogonal to the modulation frequency of the captured motion. The change of illumination frequency can correspond to radial object velocity.