TriDiCam GmbH was founded in September 2008 with the aim to develop and market robust 3D-CMOS image sensors. The development work already accomplished in this area is comprehensively protected and all work still to be accomplished is likewise protected by corresponding industrial property rights.

Close research cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute in Duisburg ensures a long-term lead in development for TriDiCam GmbH. The employees of the Fraunhofer Institute can look back on many years of a research tradition in the field of CMOS-based sensors and are renowned worldwide for the creation of new innovation potentials for this technology.

The integration of all relevant components into a single chip enables very cost-efficient and compact 3D image concepts. The standard CMOS technology ensures cost-optimized production on a large scale.

Time-of-Flight
The application of the "Time of Flight" process for the optical distance measurement uses the propagation properties of light. The distance is determined by reflection and the time of flight propagation. Distances may be measured, as the exact speed of light is known. A light pulse (e.g. laser) is emitted, this pulse is then reflected by an object and finally detected by the receiver.

Time of Flight Propagation of a Pulse   
The TriDiCam GmbH sensor technology is based on individual pulses that are integrated in a sensor with an extremely short shutter window. The objects to be evaluated are illuminated by one or several extremely short light pulses (10 nanoseconds) and part of this light is reflected back. After a certain time of flight, the reflected light pulses are collected by an optical system and transmitted to the sensor.

 
Application Examples    
In recent years, 3D time of flight sensors have been integrated into many sensor technology applications. The TriDiCam sensors unite many advantages of the CW (continuous wave) process with those of the LIDAR-based process. Inherent background light suppression, high repetition rates, no ambiguities and high dynamics characterize the TriDiCam sensor principle. Distance resolutions of approx. 1 cm within a distance range of several meters, together with the above mentioned advantages, open up many new applications for safety, logistics, transport and production technology, the automotive and many other industries.