US 12,140,708 B2
Configurable array of single-photon detectors
Nadav Fine, Herzliya (IL); Amir Nevet, Haifa (IL); and Oz Barak, Tel Aviv (IL)
Assigned to APPLE INC., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/337,064.
Application 18/337,064 is a continuation of application No. 17/079,548, filed on Oct. 26, 2020, granted, now 11,733,359.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/942,761, filed on Dec. 3, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0333217 A1, Oct. 19, 2023
Int. Cl. G01S 7/48 (2006.01); G01S 7/4863 (2020.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); H01L 27/148 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/4863 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4865 (2013.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01); H01L 27/14856 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for optical sensing, comprising:
directing a series of optical pulses toward a target scene;
imaging optical radiation that is reflected from the target scene onto an array of single-photon detectors, which output electrical pulses in response to photons that are incident thereon;
counting the electrical pulses output by the single-photon detectors in multiple different gating intervals that are synchronized with each of the optical pulses, including at least first and second gating intervals at different, respective delays relative to the optical pulses, while the delays are swept over a sequence of different delay times during the series of the optical pulses; and
computing a time of flight of the optical pulses by comparing respective first and second counts of the electrical pulses that were accumulated in the first and second gating intervals over the series of the optical pulses.