There are two core parts to a ToF camera, an illuminator and the camera itself. The illuminator floods the field of view of the camera with light of a specific wavelength.This is always out of the range of human vision, and tends to be in the near-infrared range. As such, it is not reliant on ambient light like a two-camera depth system.
The light travels from the illuminator, bounces off the various surfaces in a scene, and some of it travels back to the sensor. By analysing the phase of the light wave, the ToF camera’s paired processor can determine how long the light took to bounce back.As the speed of light is functionally constant, calculating the distance of objects becomes relatively simple. A greater phase difference indicates the surface is further away.
Each pixel of the ToF camera sensor offers a depth reading, rather than just the single point of a laser focus aid. This allows for a relatively high fidelity depth “heat” map that updates at, or beyond, the rate we consciously perceive.
