US 12,287,404 B2
Time of flight sensor, a three-dimensional imaging device using the same, and a method for driving the three-dimensional imaging device
Min Sun Keel, Hwaseong-si (KR); Gal Bitan, Hwaseong-si (KR); and Amit Eisenberg, Hwaseong-si (KR)
Assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed by SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed on Apr. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/720,837.
Application 17/720,837 is a continuation of application No. 16/207,933, filed on Dec. 3, 2018, granted, now 11,378,690.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2018-0032892 (KR), filed on Mar. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0236419 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01S 17/36 (2006.01); G01C 3/08 (2006.01); G01S 7/491 (2020.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); H04N 25/00 (2023.01)
CPC G01S 17/36 (2013.01) [G01C 3/08 (2013.01); G01S 7/491 (2013.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); H04N 25/00 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A three-dimensional (3D) imaging device, comprising:
a light source configured to emit light to an object;
a light source driver configured to supply a driving voltage to the light source;
a time of flight (ToF) sensor including a plurality of first pixels configured to receive light reflected by the object and output a first phase signal and a second phase signal having a phase difference of 180 degrees and a plurality of second pixels configured to receive the light reflected by the object and output a third phase signal and a fourth phase signal having a phase difference of 180 degrees;
a sensor driver configured to control driving of the ToF sensor by supplying a driving signal to the ToF sensor;
a phase pattern processor including a plurality of analog-to-digital converters to receive and convert the first phase signal, the second phase signal, the third phase signal, and the fourth phase signal into digital phase values and a phase pattern arranger that latches the digital phase values into a line memory to generate a phase pattern image by arranging the digital phase values in one frame; and
a depth information generator configured to generate depth information of the object based on the one frame of the phase pattern image.