US 12,422,550 B2
Time-of-flight ranging device and time-of-flight ranging method
Tung-Yu Wu, Hsinchu (TW); Tang-Hung Po, Hsinchu (TW); and Sheng Wan, Hsinchu (TW)
Assigned to Egis Technology Inc., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed by Egis Technology Inc., Hsinchu (TW)
Filed on Nov. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/522,932.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/121,243, filed on Dec. 4, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 202111154885.7 (CN), filed on Sep. 29, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0179079 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 17/00 (2020.01); G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 7/4863 (2020.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 17/46 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 17/46 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4808 (2013.01); G01S 7/4863 (2013.01); G01S 7/4865 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A time-of-flight ranging device, comprising:
a light source, configured to sequentially emit a plurality of laser pulse signals towards a sensing target;
a sensing array, comprising a plurality of sensing units, sensing a plurality of rays of reflected pulse light generated when the sensing target reflects the laser pulse signals; and
a time-to-digital converter, coupled to the sensing array, performing a plurality of integration operations on a plurality of sensing results of the sensing units during a plurality of consecutive ranging periods to generate a plurality of pieces of first histogram data,
a control circuit, coupled to the light source, the sensing array, and the time-to-digital converter, configured to perform a mathematical operation on the pieces of first histogram data to generate second histogram data,
wherein the ranging periods have a plurality of delay periods among one another, such that a plurality of periods of start time of the pieces of first histogram data are sequentially delayed by a plurality of time lengths,
wherein the time lengths of the delay periods are less than a plurality of bin widths of a plurality of bins in the pieces of first histogram data.