US 11,726,186 B2
Pixel filtering using multiple exposures
Subasingha Shaminda Subasingha, Weston, FL (US); Turhan Karadeniz, Oakland, CA (US); Denis Nikitin, Campbell, CA (US); and Harrison Thomas Waschura, Los Altos Hills, CA (US)
Assigned to Zoox, Inc., Foster City, CA (US)
Filed by Zoox, Inc., Foster City, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 30, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/588,267.
Prior Publication US 2021/0096225 A1, Apr. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 7/486 (2020.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 17/02 (2020.01); H04N 5/235 (2006.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01)
CPC G01S 7/4865 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4868 (2013.01); G01S 17/10 (2013.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G01S 17/89 (2013.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle comprising:
a time-of-flight sensor configured to generate data based on light received at a receiver of the time-of-flight sensor;
one or more processors; and
memory storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configure the vehicle to perform acts comprising:
receiving, from the time-of-flight sensor, first sensor data comprising a plurality of first phase frames, the first phase frames comprising first phase values for pixels of the receiver, and the first sensor data being associated with a first exposure time;
receiving, from the time-of-flight sensor, second sensor data comprising a plurality of second phase frames, the second phase frames comprising second phase values for the pixels of the receiver, and the second sensor data being associated with a second exposure time shorter than the first exposure time;
determining, based at least in part on the first sensor data and the second sensor data, a plurality of unreliable pixels of the pixels, the plurality of unreliable pixels being a subset of the pixels;
determining a number of the unreliable pixels in the plurality of unreliable pixels;
determining first intensity information from the first phase values and second intensity information from the second phase values, the first intensity information comprising an intensity pixel;
determining, based at least in part on the number of unreliable pixels, the first intensity information, and the second intensity information, a saturation value associated with the first exposure and the second exposure;
determining, based on the saturation value, a threshold intensity;
determining that a measured intensity of the intensity pixel is greater than or equal to the threshold intensity; and
generating filtered data comprising a portion of the first intensity information, the filtered data including, based on the measured intensity being greater than the threshold intensity, at least one of the measured intensity for the intensity pixel or a measured depth of a depth pixel corresponding to the intensity pixel.