Camera device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11910125-B2
Application number	US-201917413230-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2019
Priority date	Dec 13, 2018
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A camera device is provided. The camera device includes a light emitting portion configured to change a light path of light according to a first control signal and output the light along a first light path or a second light path, a light receiving portion configured to receive the light reflected by an object and generate an electrical signal, and a control portion configured to generate the first control signal which controls the light path of the light to be changed to the first light path or the second light path. Here, the light emitting portion outputs the light with a first pattern along the first light path or outputs the light with a second pattern along the second light path.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A camera device comprising:
a light emitter configured to change a light path of light according to a first control signal to selectively output the light along a first light path or a second light path;
a light receiver configured to receive the light reflected by an object and generate an electrical signal; and
a controller configured to generate the first control signal which controls the light path of the light to be selectively changed to the first light path or the second light path,
wherein the light emitter is configured to output the light with a first pattern along the first light path or output the light with a second pattern along the second light path,
wherein the first pattern comprises a surface light source pattern, and
wherein the second pattern comprises a point light source pattern.

2. The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the light emitter to operate only some light emitting elements among all light emitting elements when the surface light source pattern is output.

3. The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the light emitter comprises:
a light source comprising a plurality of light emitting elements and configured to generate the light;
a lens assembly configured to condense light generated by the light source and output the condensed light along the first light path or the second light path; and
a diffractor disposed to be spaced apart from the light source and configured to diffract the light.

4. The camera device of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of light emitting elements are multiple vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) elements.

5. The camera device of claim 3 , wherein the lens assembly comprises a first liquid and a second liquid having a refractive index different from that of the first liquid, and
wherein an interface formed by the first liquid and the second liquid varies according to the first control signal.

6. The camera device of claim 5 , wherein the lens assembly changes a level of scattering the light according to a curvature of the interface formed by the first liquid and the second liquid.

7. The camera device of claim 3 , wherein the lens assembly is disposed between the light source and the diffractor or disposed on an upper end of the diffractor.

8. The camera device of claim 3 , wherein the light emitter is configured to supply power of a power source to the light source according to a second control signal.

9. The camera device of claim 8 , wherein when the light is output along the first light path, the light emitter generates light by separately operating some of the plurality of light emitting elements or generates the light by operating light emitting elements arranged in a preset region among the plurality of light emitting elements according to the second control signal.

10. The camera device of claim 8 , wherein the second control signal controls an exposure time of the light or a duty rate of a power pulse of the light.

11. The camera device of claim 8 , wherein the light emitter comprises a plurality of switching elements connected to the plurality of light emitting elements, and
wherein the light emitter is configured to supply power to the light source by turning on the plurality of switching elements in a pulse generation section of the second control signal and stops power supply to the light source by turning off the plurality of switching elements in a non-pulse generation section of the second control signal.

12. The camera device of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to control a pulse width of the second control signal according to a chroma value of image data corresponding to the electrical signal,
wherein a preset pulse width of the second control signal is maintained when the chroma value differs from a preset maximum chroma value, and
wherein the preset pulse width of the second control signal is reduced width when the chroma value is equal to the preset maximum chroma value.

13. The camera device of claim 8 , wherein the diffractor is implemented to have a plate shape comprising a first surface configured to receive the light and a second surface configured to output the light being diffracted, and
wherein the first surface comprises a plurality of micro lenses arranged at certain pitches, and the second surface is implemented to have a plane or a spherical shape having a certain curvature.

14. The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the light has a wavelength in a near infrared (NIR) region.

15. The camera device of claim 1 , wherein the light emitter is configured to output the light towards a human body, and
wherein the light receiver is configured to condense light that is unabsorbed into hemoglobin, which is included in blood of the human body, and reflected by the human body.

Assignees

• Lg Innotek Co Ltd

Inventors

• Joo Yang Hyun
• Kim Chul
• Park Ju Un
• Jang Seong Ha

Classifications

• G01S17/894 Primary

  Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar · CPC title

• H04N23/951

  by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio · CPC title

• H04N23/21

  from near infrared [NIR] radiation · CPC title

• H04N23/56 Primary

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N5/33 Primary

  Transforming infrared radiation (cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20) · CPC title