High-speed 3D sensing via hybrid-mode imaging and guided upsampling

Imaging systems with temporal resolution play a vital role in a diverse range of scientific, industrial, and consumer applications, e.g., fluorescent lifetime imaging in microscopy and time-of-flight (ToF) depth sensing in autonomous vehicles. In recent years, single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays with picosecond timing capabilities have emerged as a key technology driving these systems forward. Here we report a high-speed 3D imaging system enabled by a state-of-the-art SPAD sensor used in a hybrid imaging mode that can performmulti-event histogramming. The hybrid imaging modality alternates between photon counting and timing frames at rates exceeding 1000 frames per second, enabling guided upscaling of depth data from a native resolution of 64 x 32 to 256 x 128. The combination of hardware and processing allows us to demonstrate high-speed ToF 3D imaging in outdoor conditions and with low latency. The results indicate potential in a range of applications where real-time, high throughput data are necessary. One such example is improving the accuracy and speed of situational awareness in autonomous systems and robotics. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement