Before 2010, ToF technology was mostly used in scientific research fields such as "cosmic measurement" and "high-precision microscope". In recent years, with the substantial improvement in the performance of light-emitting components, the demand for 3D applications has expanded in the context of the emergence of autonomous driving, VR/AR, robotics, and the Internet of Things, and the demand for 2D images has gradually increased to 3D images. It also drives the market development of ToF sensors. From the current point of view, the application scenarios with the highest matching degree of ToF include: distance measurement and perception of the driving environment in autonomous driving, monitoring of human-machine collaborative safety distance in the industrial field, machine vision, volume and weight calculation in the logistics industry, robot navigation, etc. Wait. These application fields all make full use of the advantages of ToF sensors in precise positioning and distance measurement.
If the industry chain of 3D cameras is disassembled, it can be divided into: infrared sensors, infrared light sources, optical components, optical lenses, and image sensors (CCD and CMOS image sensors) in the upstream, and sensor modules, camera modules, and light sources in the midstream. OEM, light source detection and image algorithm, downstream are terminal and application manufacturers. Among them, the image sensor is the core component of the ToF sensor. Previously, the CCD image sensor has always been an essential component of the ToF, but we know that the CCD image sensor has always been used in high-end fields such as medical and aerospace, and its use in ToF is not conducive to popularization. . In recent years, with the rapid development of CMOS image sensors, there have been many improvements in resolution and sensitivity, and the cost of ToF sensors has therefore become more advantageous.
