Method and apparatus for generating a 3-D image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10616561-B2
Application number	US-201615257166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2016
Priority date	Sep 3, 2015
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for generating a three dimensional image, wherein the method includes: illuminating a target; capturing an image that comprises an object present at the illuminated target; converting the captured image into data and processing it to determine depth of the object; and generating a three dimensional image of the object whose depth has been determined. Preferably, the illumination intensity applied while illuminating the target, is determined based on the current intensity of ambient light at the target.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for generating a three-dimensional image, comprising the steps of:
measuring a current intensity of ambient light at a target to identify a set of intensity indicators associated with a plurality of regions of interest;
selecting a portion of the plurality of regions of interest to perform an intensity evaluation;
determining a desired illumination intensity for illuminating the target based on the intensity evaluation of the ambient light at the selected portion of regions of interest, wherein the desired illumination intensity is greater than the current intensity of the ambient light;
illuminating the target at the determined illumination intensity
capturing an image that comprises one or more objects present at the selected portion of regions of interest;
converting the captured image into data;
processing the data received from the conversion of the captured image;
determining depth of at least one of the one or more objects present at the region of interest being a part of said illuminated target; and
generating a three dimensional image of the at least one of the one or more objects whose depth has been determined.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of illuminating the target comprises projecting light at a pre-defined pattern onto the target.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the projected light is emitted from a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) array and its pattern is formed by at least one diffractive optical element.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image of the one or more objects comprised in the illuminated target is captured by at least one depth capturing sensor and at least one RGB sensor, and wherein the step of processing comprises processing data retrieved from the at least two sensors.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of capturing at least one other image of the one or more objects associated with a preceding three dimensional image, and determining whether a change had occurred to said one or more objects within a period of time extending between the time at which the first image was captured and the time at which the at least one other image was captured.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of retrieving audio information present at the target location.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising determining a movement of at least one of the one or more objects whose depth has been determined, by combining information derived from at least two captured images and said audio information.

8. An apparatus configured to provide a three-dimensional image of at least one object, the apparatus comprising:
a sensor configured to measure a current intensity of ambient light at a target;
a projector configured to illuminate the target where the at least one object is present, wherein the projector's illumination intensity is determined based on the current intensity of ambient light at the target;
at least one image capturing sensor, configured to capture an image that comprises the at least one object, by retrieving light reflected from the at least one object; and
at least one processor configured to:
measure a current intensity of ambient light at the target to identify a set of intensity indicators associated with a plurality of regions of interest;
select a portion of the plurality of regions of interest to perform an intensity evaluation;
determine a desired illumination intensity for illuminating the target, based on intensity evaluation of the ambient light at the selected portion of regions of interest wherein the desired illumination intensity is greater than the current intensity of the ambient light; and
process data retrieved from the image captured by the at least one image capturing sensor and to generate a three-dimensional image that comprises the at least one object.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said projector comprises a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) array.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said apparatus further comprises a diffractive optical element for providing a pre-defined pattern of light emitted from the projector.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the pre-defined pattern is a pattern that enables carrying out a three-dimensional imaging of the at least one object.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the apparatus comprises at least one depth capturing sensor and at least one RGB sensor, and wherein the processor is configured to process data retrieved from the at least two sensors for generating the three- dimensional image.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a microphone configured to capture audio information present at the target location.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the illumination intensity is changed between capturing two consecutive images.

15. A method for generating a three-dimensional image, comprising the steps of:
measuring a current intensity of ambient light at a target to identify a set of intensity indicators associated with a plurality of regions of interest;
selecting a portion of the plurality of regions of interest to perform an intensity evaluation;
determining a desired illumination intensity for illuminating the target, based on the intensity evaluation of the ambient light at the selected portion of regions of interest, wherein the desired illumination intensity is greater than the current intensity of the ambient light;
illuminating the target by exposing it to visible light at the determined illumination intensity;
capturing an image that comprises one or more objects present at the illuminated target;
converting the captured image into data;
processing the data received from the conversion of the captured image;
determining depth of at least one of the one or more objects present at the illuminated target; and
generating a three-dimensional image of the at least one of the one or more objects whose depth has been determined.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurements of the current intensity of ambient light at the target is done by turning off an associated light source for a dedicated time frame.

Assignees

• Inuitive Ltd

Inventors

• Goldentouch Lev
• Ensenberg Chagai

Classifications

• H01S5/423

  having a vertical cavity · CPC title

• H01S5/042

  Electrical excitation {; Circuits therefor (monolithically integrated laser drive components H01S5/0261)} · CPC title

• H04N13/254 Primary

  in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects · CPC title

• G06T7/521

  from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light · CPC title

• H04N13/257

  Colour aspects · CPC title