US 11,943,424 B2
Imaging system configured to use time-of-flight imaging and stereo imaging
Minseok Oh, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed by MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC, Redmond, WA (US)
Filed on Apr. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/728,124.
Application 17/728,124 is a division of application No. 16/691,372, filed on Nov. 21, 2019, granted, now 11,330,246.
Prior Publication US 2022/0247995 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. H04N 13/254 (2018.01); G01C 3/14 (2006.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); G06T 7/593 (2017.01); H04N 13/239 (2018.01); H04N 13/296 (2018.01); H04N 13/00 (2018.01)
CPC H04N 13/254 (2018.05) [G01C 3/14 (2013.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); G06T 7/593 (2017.01); H04N 13/239 (2018.05); H04N 13/296 (2018.05); G06T 2207/10012 (2013.01); H04N 2013/0081 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An imaging system configured to use time-of-flight imaging and stereo imaging, the imaging system comprising:
a light emitting component configured to emit first light to illuminate a scene;
a light detecting component that includes:
an array of time-of-flight pixels, wherein:
each time-of-flight pixel is configured to detect second light that is reflected from the first light and determine (i) phase shift data based on a phase shift between the first light and the second light and (ii) intensity data based on an amplitude of the second light; and
each time-of-flight pixel includes a lone photo-sensing diode and at least one of (i) two transfer gates or (ii) two photo gates; and
a plurality of micro-lenses, wherein each micro-lens is shared by at least two time-of-flight pixels in the array; and
a controller configured to:
determine disparity data using the intensity data of each of the at least two time-of-flight pixels shared by an individual micro-lens; and
determine a distance between an object in the scene based in part on at least one of the phase shift data determined for each time-of-flight pixel in the array or the disparity data determined in association with the individual micro-lens of the plurality of micro-lenses.