Selection of pulse repetition intervals for sensing time of flight

US11500094B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Apple Inc. · US

Inventors

• Thierry Oggier · Zürich, CH
• Bernhard Buettgen · Adliswil, CH
• Cristiano L. Niclass · San Jose, US
• Rahmi Hezar · San Francisco, US
• Shingo Mandai · Mountain View, US
• Darshan Shrestha · Sunnyvale, US
• Gary Chung · Menlo Park, US
• Moshe Laifenfeld · Haifa, IL

Key dates

• Filing date: May 28, 2020
• Grant date: Nov 15, 2022
• Expiry date: Mar 6, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M2250/52
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Sensing apparatus includes a radiation source, which emits pulses of optical radiation toward multiple points in a target scene. A receiver receives the optical radiation that is reflected from the target scene and outputs signals that are indicative of respective times of flight of the pulses to and from the points in the target scene. Processing and control circuitry selects a first pulse repetition interval (PRI) and a second PRI, greater than the first PRI, from a permitted range of PRIs, drives the radiation source to emit a first sequence of the pulses at the first PRI and a second sequence of the pulses at a second PRI, and processes the signals output in response to both the first and second sequences of the pulses in order to compute respective depth coordinates of the points in the target scene.