Structured-light projector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10386706-B2
Application number	US-201715706060-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2017
Priority date	Sep 15, 2017
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A structured-light projector includes a diffractive optical element (DOE) that receives a collimated light and generates a plurality of light tiles. The DOE includes a plurality of optical components disposed on a substrate, wherein the optical components of the DOE are randomly arranged on the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A structured-light projector, comprising:
a diffractive optical element (DOE) that receives a collimated light and generates a plurality of light tiles, the DOE including a plurality of optical components disposed on a substrate;
wherein the optical components of the DOE are randomly arranged on the substrate; and
wherein arrangement of the optical components of the DOE is subjected to a correction that is inverse to optical distortion near an edge of a projected image on a far-field object, thereby compensating the distortion.

2. The structured-light projector of claim 1 , wherein the optical components are aperiodic or uncorrelated along at least one direction.

3. The structured-light projector of claim 1 , wherein the light tiles generated by the DOE are partially overlapped between adjacent light tiles.

4. The structured-light projector of claim 1 , wherein a density of the optical components disposed on an edge of the DOE is higher than other portions of the DOE.

5. A structured-light projector, comprising:
a light source that emits an emitted light with a predetermined pattern;
a beam limiting device that receives the emitted light and generates a collimated light; and
a diffractive optical element (DOE) that receives the collimated light and generates a plurality of light tiles, the DOE including a plurality of optical components randomly disposed on a substrate;
wherein arrangement of the optical components of the DOE is subjected to a correction that is inverse to optical distortion near an edge of a projected image on a far-field object, thereby compensating the distortion.

6. The structured-light projector of claim 5 , wherein the light source comprises an array of semiconductor diodes arranged according to the predetermined pattern.

7. The structured-light projector of claim 6 , wherein the semiconductor diode comprises a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) diode.

8. The structured-light projector of claim 6 , wherein the semiconductor diodes are grouped into a plurality of groups that turn on in sequence.

9. The structured-light projector of claim 8 , wherein the semiconductor diodes of different groups have different shape or size.

10. The structured-light projector of claim 5 , wherein the beam limiting device comprises a collimating lens.

11. The structured-light projector of claim 5 , wherein the light tiles generated by the DOE are partially overlapped between adjacent light tiles.

12. The structured-light projector of claim 5 , wherein a density of the optical components disposed on an edge of the DOE is higher than other portions of the DOE.

13. A structured-light projector, comprising:
a point light source that emits an emitted light;
a beam limiting device that receives the emitted light and generates a collimated light;
a patterning device that receives the collimated light and generates a patterned light; and
a diffractive optical element (DOE) that receives the patterned light and generates a plurality of light tiles, the DOE including a plurality of optical components randomly disposed on a substrate;
wherein arrangement of the optical components of the DOE is subjected to a correction that is inverse to optical distortion near an edge of a projected image on a far-field object, thereby compensating the distortion.

14. The structured-light projector of claim 13 , wherein the light source comprises an edge-emitting laser diode.

15. The structured-light projector of claim 13 , wherein the light tiles generated by the DOE are partially overlapped between adjacent light tiles.

16. The structured-light projector of claim 13 , wherein a density of the optical components disposed on an edge of the DOE is higher than other portions of the DOE.

17. A structured-light projector, comprising:
a point light source that emits an emitted light;
a beam limiting device that receives the emitted light and generates a collimated light;
a diffractive optical element (DOE) that receives the collimated light and generates a plurality of light tiles, the DOE including a plurality of optical components randomly disposed on a substrate; and
a patterning device that receives the light tiles and generates patterned light tiles;
wherein arrangement of the optical components of the DOE is subjected to a correction that is inverse to optical distortion near an edge of a projected image on a far-field object, thereby compensating the distortion.

18. The structured-light projector of claim 17 , wherein the patterned light tiles are partially overlapped between adjacent patterned light tiles.

19. The structured-light projector of claim 17 , wherein a density of the optical components disposed on an edge of the DOE is higher than other portions of the DOE.

Assignees

• Himax Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Hsiao Ming-Shu
• Liu Yi-Nung

Classifications

• G02B27/425

  in illumination systems (mask illumination systems in photolithographic systems G03F7/70158) · CPC title

• G03B21/2033 Primary

  LED or laser light sources · CPC title

• G02B27/0043

  in projection exposure systems, e.g. microlithographic systems · CPC title

• G03B21/147

  Optical correction of image distortions, e.g. keystone · CPC title

• G03B21/142

  Adjusting of projection optics · CPC title