US 12,146,960 B2
Gated imaging apparatus, system and method
Ezri Sonn, Haifa (IL); Amit Oved, Givatayim (IL); Eyal Levi, Haifa (IL); Yoav Grauer, Haifa (IL); and Ofer David, Haifa (IL)
Assigned to BRIGHTWAY VISION LTD., Haifa (IL)
Appl. No. 16/078,920
Filed by BRIGHTWAY VISION LTD., Haifa (IL)
PCT Filed Dec. 21, 2016, PCT No. PCT/IB2016/057853
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 22, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/149370, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 8, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/301,658, filed on Mar. 1, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2019/0056498 A1, Feb. 21, 2019
Int. Cl. G01S 17/89 (2020.01); G01S 7/4865 (2020.01); G01S 17/18 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 17/89 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4865 (2013.01); G01S 17/18 (2020.01); G01S 17/931 (2020.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for imaging objects in a depth-of-field (DOF) of a scene by an apparatus of a moving or movable platform, the method comprising:
a. actively illuminating the scene:
with pulsed light comprising a first train of light pulses according to a first illumination function, and
with second pulsed light comprising a second train of light pulses according to a second illumination function;
wherein the actively illuminating includes:
controlling temporal width of at least one light pulse of the first train of light pulses, or controlling at least one light pulse of the second train of light pulses, or both;
b. receiving, responsive to illuminating the scene with the train of first light pulses and with the train of second light pulses, respectively, a plurality of first reflections and a plurality of second reflections on at least one image sensor comprising at least one pixel element;
selectively controlling the at least one pixel element; for imaging a first DOF by integrating first pixel values relating to the plurality of first reflections according to a first sensor function to obtain first integrated pixel values relating to a first DOF having a first gating profile;
for imaging a second DOF by integrating first pixel values relating to the plurality of second reflections according to a second sensor function to obtain first integrated pixel values relating to a first DOF having a second gating profile;
wherein the first gating profile is different from the second gating profile;
wherein the first and the second gating profiles are spatially overlapping; wherein the first gating profile expresses convolution between the first illumination function and the first sensor function; and
wherein the second gating profile expresses convolution between the second illumination function and the second sensor function.