Three dimensional depth mapping using dynamic structured light

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11057610-B2
Application number	US-202016859871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2020
Priority date	Oct 23, 2013
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Apparatus for generating a dynamic structured light pattern for optical tracking in three-dimensional space, comprises an array of lasers, such as a VCSEL laser array, to project light in a pattern into a three-dimensional space; and an optical element or elements arranged in cells. The cells are aligned with subsets of the laser array, and each cell individually applies a modulation, in particular an intensity modulation, to light from the laser or lasers of the subset, to provide a distinguishable and separately controllable part of the dynamic structured light pattern. A method of generating a structured light pattern is disclosed, in which light is provided from an array of lasers, and light is individually projected from subsets of the array of lasers to provide differentiated parts of the structured light pattern.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an optical element that comprises a plurality of cells, each respective cell being aligned with a corresponding laser of an array of lasers such that the respective cell is individually controllable to apply a modulation to light previously emitted from the corresponding laser that later passes through the respective cell separate from the corresponding laser to form a part of a light pattern; and
a processor that configures the respective cell to adjust the modulation of the light when the light previously emitted from the corresponding laser later passes through the respective cell to affect a change in the part of the light pattern.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the respective cell comprises a diffractive optical element.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each respective cell has a unique diffractive pattern.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical element and the array of lasers are constructed from a single molded element.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to affect a change in a position of the light pattern and a shape of the light pattern by controlling the respective cell.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a surface of the optical element is divided into the plurality of cells.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light that passes through the respective cell forms a partial tile of the light pattern.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulation applies an increased resolution of the light pattern to parts of a scene, and the modulation applies a reduced resolution of the light pattern to other parts of the scene.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulation comprises a cellwise change to orientation of the light pattern.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulation is selected from a group consisting of: a diffractive modulation, a refractive modulation, and a combination of a diffractive and a refractive modulation.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulation is selected from a group consisting of: a change in intensity, a change in polarization, a change in filtering parameters, and a change in focus.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of lasers is selected from a group consisting of: individual lasers, pairs of lasers, triplets of lasers, combinations of different sizes of lasers, and dynamically changing combinations of lasers.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of lasers and the optical element are configured to project the light pattern into a three-dimensional space to track a three-dimension scene.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the array of lasers comprises a source selected from a group consisting of: a laser bar and a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array.

15. A method comprising:
individually controlling a respective cell, of a plurality of cells in an optical element, that is aligned with a corresponding laser of an array of lasers to apply a modulation to light previously emitted from the corresponding laser that later passes through the respective cell separate from the corresponding laser to form a part of a light pattern; and
adjusting the modulation of the light when the light previously emitted from the corresponding laser later passes through the respective cell to affect a change in the part of the light pattern.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
affecting a change in a position of the light pattern and a shape of the light pattern by controlling the respective cell.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
dynamically changing the light pattern by changing the modulation of the emitted light.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein dynamically changing the light pattern comprises increasing a resolution level in a part of a scene and reducing a resolution level in a different part of the scene.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein dynamically changing the light pattern comprises changing a density of patterning within the light pattern.

20. An apparatus comprising:
an optical element that comprises a plurality of cells, each respective cell being aligned with a corresponding laser of an array of lasers such that the respective cell is individually controllable to apply a modulation to light previously emitted from the corresponding laser that later passes through the respective cell separate from the corresponding laser to form a part of a light pattern, the modulation representing a first modulation; and
a processor configured to:
determine a second modulation configuration based on analyzing at least one captured frame, the second modulation configuration describing a modulation that is different from the first modulation, and
configure the respective cell to adjust a modulation of other light when the other light previously emitted from the corresponding laser later passes through the respective cell to apply the second modulation configuration.

Assignees

• Facebook Tech Llc

Inventors

• Romano Nitay
• Grossinger Nadav
• Alpern Yair
• Alon Emil

Classifications

• G01S17/46 Primary

  Indirect determination of position data · CPC title

• H04N13/296 Primary

  Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof · CPC title

• H04N13/207

  using a single two-dimensional [2D] image sensor · CPC title

• H04N13/282

  for generating image signals corresponding to three or more geometrical viewpoints, e.g. multi-view systems · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title