Patent ID: 11962900
Assignee: STMICROELECTRONICS (RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT) LIMITED
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  G | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A time of flight (ToF) sensor comprising:
an illumination source configured to project light towards a scene; and
a ToF imaging array configured to measure distances to objects in the scene, the ToF imaging array comprising:
a plurality of photodetectors, and
a plurality of ToF channels coupled to the plurality of photodetectors, wherein:
in a first mode, the ToF imaging array is configured to select a first group of photodetectors from the plurality of photodetectors, the first group of photodetectors corresponding to a first field of view (FoV), the first FoV having a first predetermined fixed size corresponding with the ToF imaging array being in the first mode, the ToF imaging array also configured to measure distances to objects in the scene corresponding to the first FoV, wherein the plurality of ToF channels are configured to transmit ToF data corresponding to the first FoV, and
in a second mode, the ToF imaging array is configured to select a second group of photodetectors from the plurality of photodetectors, the second group of photodetectors being different than the first group of photodetectors, the second group of photodetectors corresponding to a second FoV, the second FoV having a second predetermined fixed size corresponding with the ToF imaging array being in the second mode, the ToF imaging array configured to measure distances to objects in the scene corresponding to the second FoV, wherein the ToF imaging array is configured to turn off a third group of unselected photodetectors of the plurality of photodetectors before the ToF imaging array measures distances to objects in the scene corresponding to the second FoV, and wherein the plurality of ToF channels are configured to transmit ToF data corresponding to the second FoV.