Infineon’s REAL3™ hybrid Time of Flight solution is a novel ToF paradigm that combines a single ToF image sensor with two types of illumination to:

• Support SLAM (Accurate room mapping and smart navigation)
• Avoid obstacles
• Detect cliffs

Infineon, in collaboration with its partners, has pioneered the development of hToF as an economical depth sensing technology tailored for consumer products. Particularly in the realm of consumer robotics, the implementation of smaller hToF sensors enables the creation of sleeker robots in comparison to those equipped with laser-distance-sensor (LDS) towers.

The hallmark of this cutting-edge hToF technology lies in its utilization of Infineon’s high-resolution REAL3™ ToF sensor, in combination with a homogeneous flood illumination and a potent spot grid illumination, offering a cost-effective solution. The hToF camera's expansive 110° horizontal field-of-view (FoV) proves to be an optimal fit for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) as well as obstacle avoidance. Notably, hToF exhibits operational prowess across all lighting conditions, ranging from complete darkness to bright sunlight, as well as across a diverse range of furniture and floor reflectivity and textures.

This technological leap confers a significant advantage over alternative technologies such as structured light, which grapples with bright sunlight, and stereo vision, which encounters challenges in darkness and with repetitive textures.