Canesta, Inc. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20110296353 | Method and system implementing user-centric gesture control - A user-centric method and system to identify user-made gestures to control a remote device images the user using a three-dimensional image system, and defines at least one user-centric three-dimensional detection zone dynamically sized appropriately for the user, who is free to move about. Images made within the detection zone are compared to a library of stored gestures, and the thus identified gesture is mapped to an appropriate control command signal coupleable to the remote device. The method and system also provides of a first user to hand off control of the remote device to a second user. | 12-01-2011 |
20110295562 | Method and system for noise simulation analysis useable with systems including time-of-flight depth systems - An analytical tool useable with complex systems receives as input various system parameters to predict whether sufficiently accurate quality depth data will be provided by the TOF system. Depth data quality estimates involve dividing system operation into smaller operations whose individual depth data quality contributions can be more readily computed. The effect of the individual operations is combined and the tool outputs a depth data quality estimate accounting for the net result of the various unique operations performed by the system. When used with a TOF system, input parameters may include magnitude and angular distribution of TOF emitted optical energy, desired signal/noise, sensor characteristics, TOF imaging optics, target object distances and locations, and magnitude of ambient light. Analytical tool output data can ensure adequate calculation accuracy to optimize the TOF system pre-mass production, even for TOF systems whose sequence of operations and sensor operations are flexibly programmable. | 12-01-2011 |
20110295469 | Contactless obstacle detection for power doors and the like - Time-of-flight (TOF) three-dimensional sensing systems are deployed on or in a motor vehicle to image contact zones associated with potential contact between an avoidable object and the vehicle or vehicle frame and/or remotely controllable motorized moving door or liftgate. An algorithm processes depth data acquired by each TOF system to determine whether an avoidable object is in the associated contact zone. If present, a control signal issues to halt or reverse the mechanism moving the door. A stored database preferably includes a depth image of the contact zone absent any object, an image of the door, and volume of the door. Database images are compared to newly acquired depth images to identify pixel sensors whose depth values are statistically unlikely to represent background or the door. Pixels within the contact zone so identified are an object, and the control signal is issued. | 12-01-2011 |
20110292380 | CMOS three-dimensional image sensor detectors having reduced inter-gate capacitance, and enhanced modulation contrast - A CMOS detector with pairs of interdigitated elongated finger-like collection gates includes p+ implanted regions that create charge barrier regions that can intentionally be overcome. These regions steer charge to a desired collection gate pair for collection. The p+ implanted regions may be formed before and/or after formation of the collection gates. These regions form charge barrier regions when an associated collection gate is biased low. The barriers are overcome when an associated collection gate is high. These barrier regions steer substantially all charge to collection gates that are biased high, enhancing modulation contrast. Advantageously, the resultant structure has reduced power requirements in that inter-gate capacitance is reduced in that inter-gate spacing can be increased over prior art gate spacing and lower swing voltages may be used. Also higher modulation contrast is achieved in that the charge collection area of the low gate(s) is significantly reduced. | 12-01-2011 |
20110291988 | Method and system for recognition of user gesture interaction with passive surface video displays - A system recognizes user-object gesture interactions with the surface of a monitor display, with hover space defined spaced-apart from the display surface, or in virtual scroll regions defined on the periphery of the monitor display. The system recognizes user-object interactions, e.g., gestures, and can affect what is displayed commensurately. The system includes at least a first time-of-flight (TOF) system and at least one of a second TOF, a two-dimensional camera, and a mirror, each TOF system processing at least one of z-depth data and A-brightness data. User-object interactions, e.g., touching(s) of the display surface, location(s) in a hover region, or location(s) in a virtual scroll region, are recognized passively in that the user-object need not have capacitance, resistance, exert force, or deform during gesture interaction. The system may be attached retroactively to the monitor, which may be a large (>22 cm) monitor, or a small cell phone sized monitor. | 12-01-2011 |
20110291164 | CMOS three-dimensional image sensor detectors with assured non collection of late arriving charge, more rapid collection of other charge, and with improved modulation contrast - A CMOS-implementable TOF detector promptly collects charge whose creation time can be precisely known, while rejecting collection of potentially late arriving charge whose creation time may not be precisely known. Charges created in upper regions of the detector structure are ensured to be rapidly collected, while charges created in the lower regions of the detector structure, potentially late arriving charges, are inhibiting from being collected. | 12-01-2011 |
20090115995 | Method and system for fast calibration of three-dimensional (3D) sensors - Rapid calibration of a TOF system uses a stationary target object and electrically introduces phase shift into the TOF system to emulate target object relocation. Relatively few parameters suffice to model a parameterized mathematical representation of the transfer function between measured phase and Z distance. The phase-vs-distance model is directly evaluated during actual run-time operation of the TOF system. Preferably modeling includes two components: electrical modeling of phase-vs-distance characteristics that depend upon electrical rather than geometric characteristics of the sensing system, and elliptical modeling that phase-vs-distance characteristics that depending upon geometric rather than electrical characteristics of the sensing system. | 05-07-2009 |