Metrological Characterisation of a Time of Flight CMOS Range Image Sensor

Abstract

This paper presents a metrological characterisation of an indirect time of flight (ITOF) CMOS range image sensor. A number of experiments were performed to measure the actual performance of the system under test and to highlight its strength and weak points, with a focus on which limits are related to the design and which are intrinsic in the operating principle. The proposed system allows repeatable and accurate measurements but pixel-level calibration is needed to achieve high accuracy over the whole frame. The averaging process required to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the acquired signal, reduces the potential use in real-time operations, especially at distances greater than 1.5 m or with low-reflective targets.