TOF sensor, image sensing device and operation method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12498486-B2
Application number	US-202117534237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2021
Priority date	May 12, 2021
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

A Time of Flight (TOF) sensor using dual frequency includes: a light source for irradiating light to an external subject; a phase modulation controller for providing the light source with a clock so that the light source irradiates irradiation light according to a timing of a global clock, and generating a plurality of pixel clocks having dual frequency; and a pixel array for receiving the pixel clocks and generating a pixel signal, wherein the pixel clocks have a different number of phases according to different exposure frames at the dual frequency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A Time of Flight (TOF) sensor using dual frequency, comprising:
a light source suitable for irradiating light to an external subject; a phase modulation controller suitable for providing the light source with a clock so that the light source irradiates the light according to a timing of a global clock and generating a plurality of pixel clocks having dual frequency; and a pixel array suitable for receiving the pixel clocks and generating a pixel signal, wherein each of the pixel clocks has a different number of phases according to different exposure frames at the dual frequency, wherein the dual frequency has a high frequency and a low frequency less than the high frequency, and wherein the phase modulation controller is further suitable for performing, at the low frequency, a modulation operation in which the pixel clocks having a phase difference of 180 degrees to each other are shifted by 90 degrees for each of the pixel clocks to have two phases.

2 . The TOF sensor of claim 1 , wherein the phase modulation controller is further suitable for performing, at the high frequency, a modulation operation in which the pixel clocks are shifted by 90 degrees for each of the pixel clocks to have four phases.

3 . The TOF sensor of claim 2 , wherein the phase modulation controller performs, at the high frequency, the modulation operation in which a first pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the first pixel clock to sequentially have phases of 0, π/2, π, and 3π/2, and a second pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the second pixel clock to sequentially have phases of π, 3π/2, 0, and π/2.

4 . The TOF sensor of claim 1 , wherein the phase modulation controller performs, at the low frequency, the modulation operation in which a first pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the first pixel clock to sequentially have phases of 0 and π/2 in a current period of the first pixel clock, a second pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the second pixel clock to sequentially have phases of π and 3π/2 in a current period of the second pixel clock, the first pixel clock is shifted by 90 degrees for the first pixel clock to sequentially have phases of π and 3π/2 in a subsequent period of the first pixel clock, and the second pixel clock is shifted by 90 degrees for the second pixel clock to sequentially have phases of 0 and π/2 in a subsequent period of the second pixel clock.

5 . The TOF sensor of claim 1 , wherein the pixel clocks have opposite phases to each other.

6 . The TOF sensor of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency is 100 MHz or higher, and the low frequency is less than 100 MHz.

7 . An image sensing device, comprising:
a Time of Flight (TOF) sensor suitable for generating a pixel signal according to a plurality of pixel clocks having dual frequency, wherein each of the pixel clocks has a different number of phases according to different exposure frames at the dual frequency; a memory suitable for storing offset values for the dual frequency; and a processor suitable for activating the TOF sensor in response to an input to measure a distance to an external subject, measuring the distance to the external subject by using the activated TOF sensor, and storing the measured distance in the memory, wherein the dual frequency has a high frequency and a low frequency less than the high frequency, and wherein the TOF is further suitable for performing, at a low frequency, a modulation operation in which the pixel clocks having a phase difference of 180 degrees to each other are shifted by 90 degrees for each of the pixel clocks to have two phases.

8 . The image sensing device of claim 7 , wherein the TOF sensor includes:
a light source suitable for irradiating and receiving light to and from the external subject; a phase modulation controller suitable for providing a clock to the light source so that the light source irradiates the light according to a timing of a global clock and generating the plurality of pixel clocks having the dual frequency; and a pixel array suitable for receiving the pixel clocks and generating pixel signals.

9 . The image sensing device of claim 8 , wherein the phase modulation controller is further suitable for performing, at the high frequency, a modulation operation in which the pixel clocks are shifted by 90 degrees for each of the pixel clocks to have four phases.

10 . The image sensing device of claim 9 , wherein the phase modulation controller performs, at the high frequency, the modulation operation in which a first pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the first pixel clock to sequentially have phases of 0, π/2, π, and 3π/2, and a second pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the second pixel clock to sequentially have phases of π, 3π/2, 0, and π/2.

11 . The image sensing device of claim 7 , wherein the phase modulation controller performs, at the low frequency, the modulation operation in which a first pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the first pixel clock to sequentially have phases of 0 and π/2 in a current period of the first pixel clock, a second pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the second pixel clock to sequentially have phases of π and 3π/2 in a current period of the second pixel clock, the first pixel clock is shifted by 90 degrees for the first pixel clock to sequentially have phases of π and 3π/2 in a subsequent period of the first pixel clock, and the second pixel clock is shifted by 90 degrees for the second pixel clock to sequentially have phases of 0 and π/2 in a subsequent period of the second pixel clock.

12 . The image sensing device of claim 7 , wherein the pixel clocks have opposite phases to each other.

13 . The image sensing device of claim 8 , wherein the high frequency is 100 MHz or higher, and the low frequency is less than 100 MHz.

14 . A Time of Flight (TOF) sensor comprising:
a clock generator suitable for generating first and second clocks of which respective phases are opposite to each other; and a pixel array suitable for generating a pixel signal, which represents a distance to an object, based on the first and second clocks, wherein the first clock has four phases, which are shifted by 90 degrees within a period thereof at a frequency of 100 MHz or higher, and the second clock has two phases having a phase difference of 180 degrees, which are shifted by 90 degrees-within the period at a frequency under 100 MHz.

15 . A Time of Flight (TOF) sensor using dual frequency, comprising:
a light source suitable for irradiating light to an external subject; a phase modulation controller suitable for providing the light source with a clock so that the light source irradiates the light according to a timing of a global clock and generating a plurality of pixel clocks having dual frequency; and a pixel array suitable for receiving the pixel clocks and generating a pixel signal, wherein each of the pixel clocks has a different number of phases according to different exposure frames at the dual frequency, wherein the dual frequency has a high frequency and a low frequency less than the high frequency, and wherein the phase modulation controller performs, at the high frequency, a modulation operation in which a first pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the first pixel clock to sequentially have phases of 0, π/2, π, and 3π/2, and a second pixel clock of the pixel clocks is shifted by 90 degrees for the second

Assignees

• Sk Hynix Inc

Inventors

• Lee Eun Chang
• Shin Min Seok

Classifications

• G01S17/26

  wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency-modulated or phase-modulated carrier wave, e.g. for pulse compression of received signals · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S17/10

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32) · CPC title

• H04N25/702

  SSIS architectures characterised by non-identical, non-equidistant or non-planar pixel layout · CPC title

• H04N25/58

  involving two or more exposures · CPC title