Figures of Merit for Indirect Time-of-Flight 3D Cameras Definition and Experimental Evaluation.docVIP

Remote Sens. 2011, 3, 2461-2472; doi:10.3390/rs3112461 OPEN ACCESS Remote Sensing ISSN 2072-4292 /journal/remotesensing Article Figures of Merit for Indirect Time-of-Flight 3D Cameras: Definition and Experimental Evaluation Matteo Perenzoni * and David Stoppa Center for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Povo (TN), Italy; E-Mail: stoppa@fbk.eu * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: perenzoni@fbk.eu; Tel.: +39-461-314-533; Fax: +39-461-314-591. Received: 26 September 2011; in revised form: 4 November 2011 / Accepted: 8 November 2011 / Published: 17 November 2011 Abstract: Indirect Time-of-Flight (I-TOF) cameras can be implemented in a number of ways, each with specific characteristics and performances. In this paper a comprehensive analysis of the implementation possibilities is developed in order to model the main performances with a high level of abstraction. After the extraction of the main characteristics for the high-level model, several figures of merit (FoM) are defined with the purpose of obtaining a common metric: noise equivalent distance, correlated and uncorrelated power responsivity, and background light rejection ratio. The obtained FoMs can be employed for the comparison of different implementations of range cameras based on the I-TOF method: specifically, they are applied for several different sensors developed by the authors in order to compare their performances. Keywords: indirect time-of-flight; image sensor; 3D camera; figure of merit 1. Introduction Indirect Time-of-Flight (I-TOF) 3D cameras [1] are nowadays available on the market as commercial products, but nevertheless research is still very active in order to improve performance and reduce costs. The basic technique of I-TOF sensors is the indirect calculation of the time needed for a light pulse to travel to the target and return to