Time of Flight (ToF) Image Sensors

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Time-of-Flight sensors or ToF sensors are an active sensing technology for real-time depth sensing applications. Like LiDAR sensors, structured light cameras and stereo cameras, ToF sensors can “see” depth and are useful for a wide range of machine vision applications where accurate depth information is required.

ToF sensing technology has some limitations, but it offers advantages over other depth sensing technologies under the right operating conditions. ToF cameras have no moving parts, can be extremely compact, and are relatively inexpensive to produce. ToF cameras are particularly useful for real-time applications, since they can provide highly accurate depth information at up to 60 frames per second.

How does Time-of-Flight work?

Time-of-Flight, or ToF cameras are 3D cameras that use pulses of invisible infrared laser light to illuminate the subject, and measure the time it takes for the reflected light to reach the image sensor to determine depth information. ToF cameras can illuminate the entire scene and record the depth information in it with a single pulse of laser light.

Direct and Indirect Time-of-Flight (iToF and dToF)

There are two distinct approaches used in Time-of-Flight systems, each with their specific advantages within a given application. Direct ToF (dToF) cameras use a short light pulse, only a few nanoseconds in duration, and then directly measure the delay between the time the light pulse was emitted and the time an object in the scene reflects the light back to the camera. The distance from the camera to the target can be calculated based on the speed of light.

Indirect Time-of-Flight, or iToF cameras are a variation of ToF cameras. While ToF cameras directly measure the time it takes for the emitted light to be reflected back to the camera, indirect ToF cameras send out continuously modulated pulses of light, and then measure the phase shift of the frequency of reflected light pulses to calculate the distance to an object. Indirect Time-of-Flight technology can be useful for measuring objects that are close to the camera, and it can allow iToF cameras to operate with higher frame rates.

Create Accurate Depth Maps with ToF sensors

Unlike standard image sensors, that record the scene in 2 dimensions, ToF sensors also record depth information – creating a fully 3-dimensional image. The raw data from the sensor can be visualized as a false color video, which shows the depth information in the scene using color, or it can be converted into a depth map, that can be rotated and examined from different angles.

Depth Maps Conventional

CONVENTIONAL

NEW

3D sensing opens up the possibility of discerning things that are difficult with conventional 2D images, as in inspection based on volume or shape, or discerning overlapped objects.
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Depth Maps Conventional 3D ToF camera
3D sensing opens up a world of possibilities by enabling you to discern things that are difficult to see with conventional 2D images, and is useful for applications where you need to inspect objects based on volume or shape, or to identify overlapped objects.
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FSM-IMX570 Devkit for Vision System Engineers

The FSM-IMX570 Devkit iToF camera module assembly

FRAMOS has released a development kit to help engineers who are working to develop Time-of-Flight devices for industrial and robotics applications.

The FSM-IMX570 Devkit provides vision system engineers with a simple, coherent framework for quickly developing a working prototype of an indirect Time-of-Flight (iToF) camera system based on Sony’s industry-leading iToF technology.

Explore ToF Imaging with the FSM-IMX570 DevKit
FSM-IMX570 DevKit
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CUSTOMIZING THE FSM-IMX570 DEVKIT FOR YOUR PROJECT

FRAMOS offers a comprehensive list of customization services for vision system engineers working with this Devkit.

Devkit Customization Possibilities

  • Customization of the Form, size, and layout of printed circuit boards (PCBs)
  • Changes to optics and illumination to accommodate a desired working range or field of view
  • Adjustments to illumination board light output (adjustments to working distance, or to match output to a particular laser product class)
  • Tuning of Depth Processing to match a required working distance
  • Driver compatibility support and driver functions for desired features
  • Platform porting for compatibility and performance on a desired platform (TI, NXP, etc.)
  • Periphery and interfacing (serialization, support for specific connectors)
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What are ToF Cameras used for?

Industrial and Robotics Applications

ToF sensors and cameras are used for depth sensing in industrial and robotics applications, including providing machine vision for pick-and-place robots; object recognition on assembly lines; object classification for robotics; providing navigation capabilities for mobile robots; and for intrusion detection in industrial environments.

ToF Sensors in Logistics

ToF cameras are especially useful in a variety of logistics applications, including providing guidance systems for automated forklifts and Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs), and for providing robots and automated equipment with collision prevention capabilities. ToF cameras are also used on packaging lines for package dimensioning and palletizing, and for inventory management.

ToF Sensors in Mobility and Transport

ToF sensors are being incorporated in the automotive industry and in agricultural vehicles for a variety of purposes, including operator identification and access control; behavior analytics; attention tracking (for self-driving vehicles); gesture recognition, and passenger surveillance.

Retail Automation

ToF cameras are also being adopted in the growing industry of retail automation, where they are used for a variety of purposes, including behavior analytics; object counting, and people tracking and localization, and flow analysis (to observe how they move through the space). ToF cameras and ToF sensors are also used to provide functionality for seamless checkout systems.

Sony ToF Sensors

Sony has introduced a line of industry-leading Indirect Time-of-Flight CMOS sensors optimized for high-speed, high resolution real-time 3D imaging. Sony’s ToF sensors are effective at ranges of up to 7.5 meters and provide frame rates of up to 60 fps.

SONY IMX556PLR-C

The Sony IMX556 is a 1/2” type VGA resolution sensor with 10 µm pixels that delivers frame rates up to 60 fps. Sony CMOS ToF, 0.32 MP, 648 x 488 pixels, 1/2”, 5×5 µm, 60 fps, MIPI interface.
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SONY IMX570PLR-C

The new Sony IMX570 is a 1/4.5” type, Back-Side Illuminated (BSI) VGA sensor with 5 µm pixels that delivers frame rates up to 56 fps. Sony CMOS ToF, 0.31 MP, 642 x 484 pixels, 1/4.5”, 5×5 µm, 56 fps, MIPI interface, Back-Side Illuminated Time of Flight (ToF).
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Pioneering ToF Sensors for Easy-to-Use 3D Camera Applications

Sony’s IMX570 ToF sensor is a Back-Side Illuminated, indirect Time-of-Flight 3D image sensor for machine vision applications. The new IMX570 is a 1/4.5” type VGA sensor with 5 µm pixels.

Applying Sony’s sensing and ranging technologies, this compact, high-resolution sensor acquires precise depth data over operating ranges from 1.25m to 7.5m. 

Key Features of Sony’s New IMX570 Sensor:

  • Delivers high-resolution 3D images
  • Suppresses blur of moving subjects
  • Reduces processing load
  • Improves robustness in all environments
Read Our Brochure: Sony ToF Sensors
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ToF

A ToF sensor uses short pulses of laser light to measure the delay between the time the light pulse was emitted and the time an object in the scene reflects the back to the camera. The distance from the camera to the target can be calculated based on the speed of light. ToF sensing is analogous to echolocation, only it uses light instead of sound.
ToF cameras are similar to LiDAR sensors, in that they both use laser light to record depth information. However, LiDAR sensors use a focused laser beam to scan the image area with a raster pattern of individual pulses of light, while ToF cameras use a broad, diffused beam of laser light to illuminate the entire scene at once.
ToF and LiDAR sensors both use structured light to record depth information based on the time it takes for a pulse of light to be reflected from an object. They just use different methods to record the scene. LiDAR sensors record a raster of focused laser pulses to record a depth map, while ToF cameras light the whole scene at once with a diffused flash of laser light. ToF cameras have no moving parts, and can be smaller than LiDAR sensors. LiDAR cameras generally have a longer operating range than ToF cameras, while ToF cameras can work at much higher frame rates of up to 60 frames per second.
Time-of-Flight or ToF cameras come in two varieties. Direct Time-of-Flight (dToF) cameras directly measure the time it takes for the emitted light to be reflected back to the camera. Indirect ToF cameras send out continuously modulated pulses of light, and then measure the phase shift of the frequency of reflected light pulses to calculate the distance to an object.
A Time of Flight (ToF) sensor is a type of distance sensor that measures the time it takes for a light signal to travel from the sensor to an object and back. It is used to measure the distance between the sensor and the object, as well as other parameters such as velocity, acceleration, and direction.
A 3D ToF (Time-of-Flight) camera is a type of imaging device that uses laser pulses to measure the time it takes for light to travel from the camera to an object and back. This information is then used to create a 3D image of the object. 3D ToF cameras are used in a variety of applications, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, and augmented reality.

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