Dynamic Vision With Single Photon Detectors: A Discrete DVS Architecture Using Asynchronous Sensor Front-Ends

Abstract

This paper reports an architectural concept for achieving dynamic vision with Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) detectors. This new concept, demonstrated through a dedicated proof-of-concept sensor chip and an associated camera module, addresses the challenge of large data volume due to frequent laser exposures by optimizing data processing via temporal-contrast-based event filtering. The manuscript analyzes trade-offs between contrast sensitivity, latency, and noise in the proposed discrete DVS architecture and validates the proposal through experimental results obtained with the camera module. The proposed sensor has different operation modes that show potential for augmented reality applications. Benchmarking comparison with competing SPAD-based vision sensors shows latency and power consumption advantages.