Optical components play a key role in ToF cameras. ToF cameras have some unique characteristics, so they have some special requirements in terms of optics. First, the illuminated area of the light source should match the field of view of the lens for best efficiency. It is also important that the lens itself should have a high aperture for better light collection efficiency. Large apertures can lead to trade-offs such as vignetting, shallow depth of field, and lens design complexity. The lens design with a low chief ray angle also helps reduce the bandpass filter bandwidth, resulting in improved ambient light rejection and improved outdoor performance. Optical subsystems should also be optimized for the desired operating wavelength to maximize throughput efficiency and minimize stray light. There are also a number of mechanical requirements to ensure optical alignment is within the desired tolerances of the end application.
ToF camera is a powerful solution that provides high depth accuracy for applications requiring high quality 3D information. There are many factors that need to be considered in order to ensure optimal performance levels. Factors such as modulation frequency, demodulation contrast, quantum efficiency, and readout noise determine image sensor performance. Other factors are system-level considerations, including lighting subsystems, optical design, power management, and deep processing algorithms. All these system-level components are essential to achieve the highest precision 3D ToF camera system.
