Patent Document ID: 10145678
Application ID: 14842822
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method comprising: performing a one-dimensional (1D) point scan of a three-dimensional (3D) object along a scanning line using a light source, wherein the point scan projects a sequence of light spots on a surface of the 3D object; selecting a row of pixels in an image sensor, wherein the image sensor has a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional (2D) array forming an image plane, and wherein the row of pixels forms an epipolar line of the scanning line on the image plane such that projection of one or more light spots onto the image plane is along a line formed by the selected row of pixels itself; detecting a light spot using a corresponding pixel in the row of pixels; in response to a pixel-specific detection of a corresponding light spot in the sequence of light spots, using an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) as a binary counter to generate a timestamp value for the corresponding light spot; and determining a distance to the corresponding light spot on the surface of the 3D object based at least on the timestamp value and on a scan angle used by the light source for projecting the corresponding light spot.