Multi-Error Coupling Simulation for ToF 3D Imaging Based on Optical Path Unit Decomposition

Time-of-Flight (ToF) 3D imaging suffers from diverse systematic and non-systematic errors that limit its practical performance and reliability. Reliable simulation is critical for understanding these error mechanisms and guiding performance improvement. Therefore, this paper proposes a multi-error coupling simulation framework for ToF 3D imaging based on optical path unit decomposition. By decomposing the full light propagation chain and systematically integrating established typical error mechanisms into their corresponding physical stages, we produce simulation results that closely match real-world sensor measurements. Validated through laboratory and real-scene experiments, the proposed method outperforms mainstream approaches in RMSE, PSNR, and relative error metrics, accurately reproducing the depth distortion and noise characteristics of real ToF sensors. This multi-error coupled modeling method effectively bridges the gap between simulation and actual measurement, offering a credible reference for ToF system error evaluation, parameter optimization, and performance enhancement.