Sensor device and method of use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12216004-B2
Application number	US-202318505253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2023
Priority date	Feb 12, 2019
Publication date	Feb 4, 2025
Grant date	Feb 4, 2025

Abstract

A device may determine a time-of-flight measurement by performing a sample of a sensor based on light received via at least one first spectral filter, wherein the at least one first spectral filter is associated with a spectral range for a time-of-flight measurement; determine that a condition is satisfied with regard to the time-of-flight measurement, wherein the condition relates to an orientation or a position of the sensor or the sensor device relative to a measurement target; trigger a spectrometry measurement to be performed based on determining that the condition is satisfied with regard to the time-of-flight measurement; and perform, based on light received via at least one second spectral filter and by performing a sample of the sensor, the spectrometry measurement for the measurement target based on the condition being satisfied with regard to the time-of-flight measurement.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a light source;
a sensor;
a spectrometry filter; and
a plurality of time-of-flight (ToF) filters,
wherein the plurality of ToF filters include:
a first ToF filter,
a second ToF filter, and
a third ToF filter,
wherein a first axis connects the first ToF filter and the second ToF filter and a second axis, that is orthogonal to the first axis, connects the second ToF filter and the third ToF filter.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the spectrometry filter is a multichannel spectral filter.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured to be between the light source and an area for a measurement target.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is configured to be between the light source and the spectrometry filter, and
wherein the spectrometry filter and the plurality of ToF filters are configured to be between the light source and an area for a measurement target.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ToF filters further include:
a fourth ToF filter.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device includes only two ToF filters on the first axis, and
wherein the device includes only two ToF filters on the second axis.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device includes only three ToF filters.

8. A sensor device, comprising:
a spectrometry filter;
a time-of-flight (ToF) filter,
wherein the sensor device includes only a single ToF filter, and
wherein the single ToF filter is the ToF filter; and

a sensor adjacent to one or more of the spectrometry filter or the ToF filter,
wherein the spectrometry filter, the ToF filter, and the sensor are configured to be between one or more light sources and an area for a measurement target.

9. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the spectrometry filter is a multichannel spectral filter.

10. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the spectrometry filter and the ToF filter are coplanar.

11. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the ToF filter is a part of the spectrometry filter.

12. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the spectrometry filter and the ToF filter are in different planes.

13. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the ToF filter is configured to enable a measurement of a distance between the sensor device and the measurement target.

14. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the sensor includes:
one or more first sensors configured to determine a spectrometry measurement; and
one or more second sensors configured to determine a ToF measurement.

15. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more light sources are configured to provide light for one or more of a spectrometry measurement or a ToF measurement.

16. The sensor device of claim 8 , wherein the sensor is configured to be between the one or more light sources and the spectrometry filter.

17. A sensor device, comprising:
a spectrometry filter;
one or more time-of-flight (ToF) filters that are coplanar with the spectrometry filter on a plane; and
one or more sensors configured to be between one or more light sources and the plane.

18. The sensor device of claim 17 , wherein the one or more ToF filters include two ToF filters that are spatially distributed relative to the spectrometry filter.

19. The sensor device of claim 17 , wherein the one or more ToF filters include:
a first ToF filter, and
a second ToF filter,
wherein an axis connects the first ToF filter and the second ToF filter.

20. The sensor device of claim 19 ,
wherein the axis is a first axis, and
wherein the one or more ToF filters further include:
a third ToF filter,
wherein a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis connects the second ToF filter and the third ToF filter.

Assignees

• Viavi Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Houck William D
• Smith Valton

Classifications

• G01J3/0278

  Control or determination of height or angle information for sensors or receivers · CPC title

• G01J3/0229

  using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators or spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters · CPC title

• G01J3/42

  Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry (beam switching arrangements G01J3/08) · CPC title

• G01S17/08

  for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) · CPC title

• G01S17/86

  Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders · CPC title