PhD Studentship - Agile SPAD Sensor Image Processing

Recent advances in large-array-format SPAD sensors call for novel image-processing pipelines (ISPs) to create optimised computer vision systems using these sensors.

The single-photon detection capability of SPADs, together with accompanying in-pixel computation, provides an opportunity for tailored optimisation of resolution, dynamic range, signal-to-noise ratio, and motion capture in challenging scenes.

To refine the ISP for computer vision, the resulting SPAD sensor and ISP will be deployed in a real computer vision application, such as robotic navigation, fall detection, or human tracking.

The Project Deliverables Will Be As Follows

• A bespoke ISP optimised for single-photon input data
• A demo system with application-specific optimisation
• Analysis and refinement of optimal ISP partitioning and in-pixel compute

Further information

The project is supported by STMicroelectronics and will involve close engagement with STMicroelectronics Imaging Division, Edinburgh.

I. Gyongy et al., "A Direct Time-of-Flight Image Sensor With In-Pixel Surface Detection and Dynamic Vision," in IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, vol. 30, no. 1: Single-Photon Technologies and Applications, pp. 1-11, Jan.-Feb. 2024, Art no. 3800111, doi: 10.1109/JSTQE.2023.3238520

Principal Supervisor: Dr Istvan Gyongy

Assistant Supervisor: Professor Robert Henderson

Eligibility

An undergraduate degree at 2:1 or above (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering discipline, possibly supported by an MSc degree.

Funding

Funding is provided for this project and is open to Home and Overseas students.

Further information and other funding options.

Informal Enquiries: [email protected]