Optoelectronic modules operable to recognize spurious reflections and to compensate for errors caused by spurious reflections

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11536815-B2
Application number	US-202016895224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2020
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

An optoelectronic module including a light emitter to generate light to be emitted from the module, a plurality of spatially distributed light sensitive elements arranged to detect light from the emitter that is reflected by an object outside the module, and one or more dedicated spurious-reflection detection pixels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optoelectronic module comprising:
a light emission chamber and a light detection chamber;
a first passive optical element disposed over the light emission chamber and a second passive optical element disposed over the light detection chamber;
a light emitter in the light emission chamber operable to emit light toward the first passive optical element;
a plurality of demodulation pixels in the light detection chamber arranged to detect light from the emitter that is reflected by an object outside the module; one or more spurious-reflection detection pixels in the light detection chamber; and
one or more light absorbing regions in or on the second passive optical element for defining a narrow straight path from a predefined area on a surface of a transmissive cover of a host device to the one or more spurious-reflection detection pixels, wherein the one or more light absorbing regions are substantially non-transparent to light at a wavelength emitted by the light emitter.

2. The optoelectronic module of claim 1 including a plurality of the light absorbing regions in or on the second passive optical element.

3. The optoelectronic module of claim 2 wherein a first one of the light absorbing regions is on a surface of the second passive optical element facing the demodulation pixels, and a second one of the light absorbing regions is on a surface of the second passive optical element facing away the demodulation pixels.

4. The optoelectronic module of claim 1 wherein the light emitter is operable to emit infra-red light and wherein the one or more light absorbing regions are substantially nontransparent to the infra-red light.

5. The optoelectronic module of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more light absorbing regions comprises a black chrome coating.

6. The optoelectronic module of claim 1 wherein each of the one or more light absorbing regions is a laser blackened region of the second passive optical element.

7. An optoelectronic module comprising:
a light emission chamber and a light detection chamber;
a first passive optical element disposed over the light emission chamber and a second passive optical element disposed over the light detection chamber;
a light emitter in the light emission chamber operable to emit light toward the first passive optical element;
a plurality of demodulation pixels in the light detection chamber arranged to detect light from the emitter that is reflected by an object outside the module;
one or more spurious-reflection detection pixels in the light detection chamber; and
one or more light absorbing regions in or on the second passive optical element arranged to block emitter light reflected from one or more pre-defined areas of a transmissive cover of a host device from reaching the demodulation pixels.

8. The optoelectronic module of claim 7 wherein the one or more light absorbing regions are disposed so as to allow emitter light reflected by an object outside the module back toward the module to pass through the second passive optical element to the demodulation pixels.

9. The optoelectronic module of claim 7 wherein each of the one or more light absorbing regions comprises a black chrome coating.

10. The optoelectronic module of claim 7 wherein each of the one or more light absorbing regions is a laser blackened region of the second passive optical element.

Assignees

• Ams Sensors Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Kubacki Jens
• Lewis Jim
• Vaello Paños Miguel Bruno
• Lehmann Michael
• Beer Stephan
• Buettgen Bernhard
• Pérez Calero Daniel
• Hallal Bassam

Classifications

• G01S17/894

  Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar · CPC title

• G01J1/0411

  using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction · CPC title

• G01J1/4204

  with determination of ambient light (solar light G01J2001/4266) · CPC title

• G01S17/36 Primary

  with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal · CPC title

• G01J1/0425

  using optical fibers · CPC title