We still have more than a month before the announcement of the new iPhones, but the torrent of rumors does not stop, and the latest is what the famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who specializes in US company news, said that two of the upcoming iPhones will contain a 2017D ToF sensor. This is not the first time that we hear this information, as Bloomberg reported a similar rumor last January, and there have been reports since XNUMX indicating Apple is working on a XNUMXD camera system for its iPhones. And there are many companies that have defeated Apple and have already supported their smartphones with ToF cameras. So what is this sensor, how does it work, and what will it provide for the iPhone?
What is TOF technology?
An acronym for Time-of-flight, which is a term referring to a type of technology capable of measuring the time it takes an object (be it laser, light, liquid, or gas) to travel a certain distance.
In the case of camera devices for smart phones, and when taking pictures, a group of infrared lasers are used to send a laser pulse that bounces off the objects in front of it and is reflected again to return to the sensor, after which it calculates the time that the laser took to travel from the object or object to be photographed to the phone's camera Thus, by knowing the locations of all the different elements in the room, it is possible to make a detailed three-dimensional map of the room and all the objects in it. In very short, the TOF sensor measures the time taken by the light from the body to the location of the phone while trying to take pictures to improve the dimensions and quality of the images and focus on the details inside it.
Where is the TOF technology used?
This technology is usually used in cameras inside drones and self-driving cars to prevent them from hitting things, as well as in monitoring sports such as golf, tennis and even shooting, but recently we have started to see it in smartphones.
How does TOF differ from Face ID?
Face ID (and other similar systems) use a projector that can display and analyze thousands of points to create an accurate geometrical map of the face, then the phone takes a two-dimensional image and then converts both the map and the captured image into an arithmetic representation and compares this representation to the recorded facial data.
The TOF sensor works differently, using the flight time data to calculate how long it took the laser to reach the object or element. This allows the sensor to obtain three-dimensional data during real time instead of drawing a two-dimensional map.
The advantages of this technology are that it is laser-based, so it means working at longer ranges and distances than Apple's Face ID unlock system, which works only about 10-20 inches from the device, and if the distance is far, the work may not be done accurately. Also, the TOF sensor can observe and see objects in three-dimensional form without being affected by the light from external sources, and this helps to accurately identify the details of the face, regardless of the low light, unlike the Apple system, which may not work with the same accuracy due to its technology's reliance on infrared.
Why does Apple need this technology?
Rumors say that Apple is looking to add a TOF sensor to the rear camera on the upcoming iPhones in 2020 without thinking of replacing the current IR system used in FACE ID technology. It indicates Apple's focus on trying to enable new augmented reality experiences and the TOF sensor together in order to track and monitor every object in the room on a range of mobile devices, allowing the future iPhone device to make a comprehensive and accurate scan and create a XNUMXD rendering and use it to improve and develop augmented reality experiences and applications.
Also, this technology will help Apple to enable depth maps to take better photos in portrait mode, and this is what Huawei does with its P30 PRO phone, as it relies on the TOF sensor to capture full XNUMXD maps to better the object than the background as well as the great portrait mode when recording videos.
Who uses the TOF technology
Some companies support TOF technology in their devices, such as LG, which uses it with the front camera of its G8 to enable better motion gestures and photography, as well as the Huawei P30 PRO phone that has a sensor with its back camera to measure the length, depth, size and area of objects in the real world with an accuracy of 98%.
Sony, which provides imaging sensors for a wide range of smartphones including the iPhone, announced earlier this year that it plans to increase its production of XNUMXD laser-based TOF chips this summer and it might be an ideal time to equip upcoming iPhones with this technology. Brilliant.
Do you think adding a TOF sensor system in iPhone would be a big plus? Will we see special uses provided by Apple with it? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Important information - I just hope Apple can use it with other tasks besides the camera
Apple needs someone who has the intelligence to innovate. To save her from the future of falling from the top
Maybe not that much important For iPhone
As usual, drumming and honking for an outdated technology that was of no use in the phones that preceded Apple and used it with its phones, and now Apple comes and repeats it as if it were everyone's precedent with this technology ??? !!! This technology is like the augmented reality technology that they cracked our heads with the drummers, and after the technology became available to us in our iPhones, we did not see anyone thinking of using it at all !!!
Lovely
I see that Apple has almost exhausted its inventory of innovation, and it has to pay attention to its system and develop it, because it is what dazzles people, not the face print and the flight time! Hahaha
I think that Apple will be unique in something new and unique
Thank you
Apple is late for technology, as well as technology, why there is nothing new in Apple, Apple will lose and lose in the coming years to Huawei and Samsung in terms of new technologies 🤔
Information and technology her mother did not need But Shankul Abel despised what remained of something new
Important information ... but I am not enthusiastic about the topic. Because cameras and related issues are not my priority when buying an iPhone 😉🌷
you too