Single-Photon Tracking for High-Speed Vision

Sensors (Basel). 2018 Jan 23;18(2):323. doi: 10.3390/s18020323.

Abstract

Quanta Imager Sensors provide photon detections at high frame rates, with negligible read-out noise, making them ideal for high-speed optical tracking. At the basic level of bit-planes or binary maps of photon detections, objects may present limited detail. However, through motion estimation and spatial reassignment of photon detections, the objects can be reconstructed with minimal motion artefacts. We here present the first demonstration of high-speed two-dimensional (2D) tracking and reconstruction of rigid, planar objects with a Quanta Image Sensor, including a demonstration of depth-resolved tracking.

Keywords: machine vision; optical tracking; quanta image sensor; single-photon avalanche diode; single-photon counting.