# Single-Photon Structured Light

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.05300 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.05300/

## Key facts

- Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 10 of its 74 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 11 Apr 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Billion-scale similarity search with GPUs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1702.08734/) (2017)
- [Event-based Vision: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.08405/) (2019)
- [ANN-Benchmarks: A Benchmarking Tool for Approximate Nearest Neighbor Algorithms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.05614/) (2018)
- [Kernel Operations on the GPU, with Autodiff, without Memory Overflows](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.11127/) (2020)
- [Intel RealSense Stereoscopic Depth Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.05548/) (2017)
- [A megapixel time-gated SPAD image sensor for 2D and 3D imaging applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.12910/) (2019)
- [Quanta Burst Photography](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11840/) (2020)
- [High Flux Passive Imaging with Single-Photon Sensors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.10190/) (2019)
- [Passive Inter-Photon Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.00059/) (2021)
- [Event-Based Structured Light for Depth Reconstruction using Frequency Tagged Light Patterns](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.10771/) (2018)

## Built on by (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [SPIDeRS: Structured Polarization for Invisible Depth and Reflectance Sensing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.04553/) (2023)
- [Depth Reconstruction with Neural Signed Distance Fields in Structured Light Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.12006/) (2024)
- [Event-based Motion-Robust Accurate Shape Estimation for Mixed Reflectance Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.09652/) (2023)
- [Generative Quanta Color Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.19066/) (2024)
- [Structured light with a million light planes per second](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.18597/) (2024)
- [Matching-Free Depth Recovery from Structured Light](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.07113/) (2025)
- [Accurate Simulation Pipeline for Passive Single-Photon Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.12850/) (2026)
- [Differentiable Adaptive 4D Structured Illumination for Joint Capture of Shape and Reflectance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.06214/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We present a novel structured light technique that uses Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) arrays to enable 3D scanning at high-frame rates and low-light levels. This technique, called "Single-Photon Structured Light", works by sensing binary images that indicates the presence or absence of photon arrivals during each exposure; the SPAD array is used in conjunction with a high-speed binary projector, with both devices operated at speeds as high as 20~kHz. The binary images that we acquire are heavily influenced by photon noise and are easily corrupted by ambient sources of light. To address this, we develop novel temporal sequences using error correction codes that are designed to be robust to short-range effects like projector and camera defocus as well as resolution mismatch between the two devices. Our lab prototype is capable of 3D imaging in challenging scenarios involving objects with extremely low albedo or undergoing fast motion, as well as scenes under strong ambient illumination.