US 12,248,101 B2
Methods and systems for increasing the range of time-of-flight systems by unambiguous range toggling
Hod Finkelstein, Berkeley, CA (US)
Assigned to Sense Photonics, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
Appl. No. 17/264,595
Filed by Sense Photonics, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 16, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/046735
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 29, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/037167, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 20, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/719,182, filed on Aug. 17, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0333377 A1, Oct. 28, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 7/4915 (2020.01); G01S 7/4914 (2020.01); G01S 17/36 (2006.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 7/4915 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4914 (2013.01); G01S 17/36 (2013.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a time of flight system comprising:
detecting first optical signals comprising a first frequency having a first unambiguous range, the first optical signals reflected from a target;
processing the first optical signals to determine a first estimated distance to the target; and
generating an output frame comprising a corroborated distance to the target based on the first estimated distance and a second estimated distance to the target, wherein the second estimated distance was used to generate a previous output frame,
wherein the second estimated distance is generated by processing second optical signals comprising a second frequency having a second unambiguous range, different from the first unambiguous range, and
wherein determining the corroborated distance to the target comprises comparing a calculated difference between the first estimated distance to the target and the second estimated distance to the target to a calculated difference between the first unambiguous range and the second unambiguous range.