Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090128833 | Dual mode depth imaging - Dual mode depth imaging system and method is provided, the system comprising a first and second image sensors and a processor able to switch between a first mode of depth imaging and a second mode of depth imaging according to at least one predefined threshold. The method comprising providing depth sensing by Time of Flight if the distance of the sensed object from the camera is not below a first threshold and/or if a depth resolution above a second threshold is not required, and providing depth sensing by triangulation, if the distance of the sensed object from the camera is below the first threshold and/or if a depth resolution above the second threshold is required. | 05-21-2009 |
20090166684 | PHOTOGATE CMOS PIXEL FOR 3D CAMERAS HAVING REDUCED INTRA-PIXEL CROSS TALK - A CMOS photodetector pixel formed of a substrate, an epitaxial layer above the substrate including a first region having the same polarity but a lower impurity concentration as that of the substrate, and a gate arrangement including a first gate that forms a charge accumulation region in the epitaxial layer when the gate is energized, wherein the charge accumulation region extends deeper toward the substrate than in conventional constructions. The epitaxial layer includes a shielding structure for absorbing electrons generated therein by photons impinging on the pixel, except electrons generated close to the charge accumulation region. The shielding structure may have opposite polarity from that of the substrate, including a first portion under the first gate, and a second portion extending upward from the first portion at the margin of the pixel. Alternatively, the shielding structure may have the same polarity as the substrate, but a lower impurity concentration. | 07-02-2009 |
20090167679 | Pointing device and method - A system and method for identifying a pointing organ or a pointing device in a field of imaging of a 3-D imaging system and for calculating a line of pointing relative to this organ or device are disclosed. The method and system may be used to enable a user to communicate with computer programs, such as computer games, 3-D design programs and the like. The method and system may further employ a trigger-like mechanism to identify a movement of a user that may be interpreted as trigger activation. | 07-02-2009 |
20090226079 | IDENTIFICATION OF OBJECTS IN A 3D VIDEO USING NON/OVER REFLECTIVE CLOTHING - A method includes generating a depth map from at least one image, detecting objects in the depth map, and identifying anomalies in the objects from the depth map. Another method includes identifying at least one anomaly in an object in a depth map, and using the anomaly to identify future occurrences of the object. A system includes a three dimensional (3D) imaging system to generate a depth map from at least one image, an object detector to detect objects within the depth map, and an anomaly detector to detect anomalies in the detected objects, wherein the anomalies are logical gaps and/or logical protrusions in the depth map. | 09-10-2009 |
20100053592 | METHOD, DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR IMAGING - There is provided a novel method, device and system for imaging. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a visible light image sensor array (e.g. Charge-Couple Device (“CCD”) or Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (“CMOS”)) and arranging sensor array may be arranged substantially facing the same direction and having a substantially overlapping field of view. According to further embodiments of the present invention, a range value derived from one or more ranging sensor elements within the ranging sensor array may be correlated with one or more imaging elements within the visible sensor array. Image processing logic may correlate the derived ranging value with the one or more imaging elements as a function of the derived range. | 03-04-2010 |
20100171813 | GATED 3D CAMERA - A camera for determining distances to a scene, the camera comprising: a light source comprising a VCSEL controllable to illuminate the scene with a train of pulses of light having a characteristic spectrum; a photosurface; optics for imaging light reflected from the light pulses by the scene on the photosurface; and a shutter operable to gate the photosurface selectively on and off for light in the spectrum. | 07-08-2010 |
20110043673 | IMAGE SENSOR AND A CONFIGURATION FOR IMPROVED SKEW TIME - A method of providing a signal to a plurality of signal destinations configured in a planar array, the method comprising: electrically connecting all the signal destinations with at least one conducting element; and providing the signal substantially simultaneously to signal destinations substantially along the perimeter of the planar array and along diagonals of a rectangle. | 02-24-2011 |
20110134222 | Rolling Camera System - A 3D imaging system comprising: first and second rolling shutter photosurfaces having pixels; a first shutter operable to gate on and off the first photosurface; a light source controllable to transmit a train of light pulses to illuminate a scene; a controller that controls the first shutter to gate the first photosurface on and off responsive to transmission times of the light pulses and opens and closes bands of pixels in the photosurfaces to register light reflected from the light pulses by the scene that reach the 3D imaging system during periods when the first photosurface is gated on; and a processor that determines distances to the scene responsive to amounts of light registered by pixels in the photosurfaces. | 06-09-2011 |
20110187826 | FAST GATING PHOTOSURFACE - An embodiment of the invention provides a camera comprising a photosurface that is electronically turned on and off to respectively initiate and terminate an exposure period of the camera at a frequency sufficiently high so that the camera can be used to determine distances to a scene that it images without use of an external fast shutter. In an embodiment, the photosurface comprises pixels formed on a substrate and the photosurface is turned on and turned off by controlling voltage to the substrate. In an embodiment, the substrate pixels comprise light sensitive pixels, also referred to as “photopixels”, in which light incident on the photosurface generates photocharge, and storage pixels that are insensitive to light that generates photocharge in the photopixels. In an embodiment, the photosurface is controlled so that the storage pixels accumulate and store photocharge substantially upon its generation during an exposure period of the photosurface. | 08-04-2011 |
20110310125 | COMPARTMENTALIZING FOCUS AREA WITHIN FIELD OF VIEW - A system and method are disclosed for selectively focusing on certain areas of interest within an imaged scene to gain more image detail within those areas. In general, the present system identifies areas of interest from received image data, which may for example be detected areas of movement within the scene. The system then focuses on those areas by providing more detail in the area of interest. This may be accomplished by a number of methods, including zooming in on the image, increasing pixel density of the image and increasing the amount of light incident on the object in the image. | 12-22-2011 |
20120075427 | WIDE ANGLE FIELD OF VIEW ACTIVE ILLUMINATION IMAGING SYSTEM - An embodiment of the invention provides an active illumination imaging system comprising a first camera and a second camera, each having an optical axis and a field of view (FOV) characterized by a view angle in a plane that contains the optical axis and wherein the optical axes of the cameras intersect at an intersection region common to their FOVs at an angle substantially equal to half a sum of their view angles. | 03-29-2012 |
20120075534 | INTEGRATED LOW POWER DEPTH CAMERA AND PROJECTION DEVICE - A video projector device includes a visible light projector to project an image on a surface or object, and a visible light sensor, which can be used to obtain depth data regarding the object using a time-of-flight principle. The sensor can be a charge-coupled device which obtains color images as well as obtaining depth data. The projected light can be provided in successive frames. A frame can include a gated sub-frame of pulsed light followed by continuous light, while the sensor is gated, to obtain time of flight data, an ungated sub-frame of pulsed light followed by continuous light, while the sensor is ungated, to obtain reflectivity data and a background sub-frame of no light followed by continuous light, while the sensor is gated, to determine a level of background light. A color sub-frame projects continuous light, while the sensor is active. | 03-29-2012 |
20120086781 | 3D Vision On A Chip - A 3D camera for determining distances to regions in a scene wherein gating or modulating apparatus for the 3D camera is incorporated on a photosurface of the camera on which light detectors of the camera are also situated. Each pixel in the photosurface may include its own pixel circuit for gating the pixel on or off or for modulating the sensitivity of the pixel to incident light. The circuit may comprise at least one amplifier inside the pixel, at least one feedback capacitor separate from the light sensitive element and connected between the input and output of each of the at least one amplifier, and at least one controllable connection through which current flows from the light sensitive element into the input of the at least one amplifier. The 3D camera may further include a light source and a controller. | 04-12-2012 |
20120114180 | Identification Of Objects In A 3D Video Using Non/Over Reflective Clothing - A computing system generates a depth map from at least one image, detects objects in the depth map, and identifies anomalies in the objects from the depth map. Another computing system identifies at least one anomaly in an object in a depth map, and uses the anomaly to identify future occurrences of the object. A system includes a three dimensional (3D) imaging system to generate a depth map from at least one image, an object detector to detect objects within the depth map, and an anomaly detector to detect anomalies in the detected objects, wherein the anomalies are logical gaps and/or logical protrusions in the depth map. | 05-10-2012 |
20120140484 | LIGHT SOURCE MODULE - An embodiment of the invention provides apparatus for providing light pulses comprising a light source electrically connected to a low inductance configuration of electrodes for electrically connecting the light source to a power supply. | 06-07-2012 |
20120147328 | 3D GAZE TRACKER - An embodiment of the invention provides a gaze tracker for determining a gaze vector for a person, which comprises a 3D camera that and a picture camera that image the person and a controller that processes images acquired by the cameras to determine a gaze direction and origin for the gaze vector. | 06-14-2012 |
20120154535 | CAPTURING GATED AND UNGATED LIGHT IN THE SAME FRAME ON THE SAME PHOTOSURFACE - A photosensitive surface of an image sensor, hereafter a photosurface, of a gated | 06-21-2012 |
20120154542 | PLURAL DETECTOR TIME-OF-FLIGHT DEPTH MAPPING - A depth-mapping method comprises exposing first and second detectors oriented along different optical axes to light dispersed from a scene, and furnishing an output responsive to a depth coordinate of a locus of the scene. The output increases with an increasing first amount of light received by the first detector during a first period, and decreases with an increasing second amount of light received by the second detector during a second period different than the first. | 06-21-2012 |
20120229611 | ILLUMINATOR WITH REFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENT - An illumination system having a refractive optical element that compensates for dependence in irradiance of images of objects captured by a photosensor is provided. The refractive optical element may structure the light such that similar objects in the same spherical surface in the field of view of the camera have the same irradiance on the camera photosensor. The illumination system may have an image sensor, a light source, and a refractive optical element. The image sensor has a photosensor that captures images of objects in a field of view. The irradiance of images of objects having a given exitance that are captured by the photosensor may depend on angular displacement from an optical axis of the image sensor. The refractive optical structures light from the light source to illuminate the field of view to compensate for the dependence of irradiance on angular displacement from the optical axis. | 09-13-2012 |
20120287242 | ADAPTIVE HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE CAMERA - An embodiment of the invention provides a time of flight 3D camera comprising a photosensor having a plurality of pixels that generate and accumulate photoelectrons responsive to incident light, which photosensor is tiled into a plurality of super pixels, each partitioned into a plurality of pixel groups and a controller that provides a measure of an amount of light incident on a super pixel responsive to quantities of photoelectrons from pixel groups in the super pixel that do not saturate a readout pixel comprised in the photosensor. | 11-15-2012 |
20120287646 | LOW INDUCTANCE LIGHT SOURCE MODULE - An embodiment of the invention provides a low inductance light source module comprising a connector having a layer of insulating material sandwiched between first and second conducting layers and a semiconducting light source that seats in a recess extending through the first conducting layer and the insulating later and has first and second electrical contacts for receiving power electrically connected to the first and second conducting layers. | 11-15-2012 |
20130116049 | TIME-OF-FLIGHT CAMERA WITH GUIDED LIGHT - A time-of-flight 3D camera and related method for illuminating a camera field of view and capturing return image light are disclosed herein. In one example, the time-of-flight 3D camera includes a light source that emits source light along an optical axis, and a collimator that receives and collimates the source light to create collimated light. A refractive diffuser is tuned to the camera field of view and receives and diffuses the collimated light to create refracted light having a varying intensity profile. The refractive diffuser guides the refracted light to illuminate the camera field of view to reduce wasted source light. | 05-09-2013 |
20130129224 | COMBINED DEPTH FILTERING AND SUPER RESOLUTION - Systems and methods for increasing the resolution of a depth map by identifying and updating false depth pixels are described. In some embodiments, a depth pixel of the depth map is initially assigned a confidence value based on curvature values and localized contrast information. The curvature values may be generated by applying a Laplacian filter or other edge detection filter to the depth pixel and its neighboring pixels. The localized contrast information may be generated by determining a difference between the maximum and minimum depth values associated with the depth pixel and its neighboring pixels. A false depth pixel may be identified by comparing a confidence value associated with the false depth pixel with a particular threshold. The false depth pixel may be updated by assigning a new depth value based on an extrapolation of depth values associated with neighboring pixel locations. | 05-23-2013 |
20130131836 | SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING LIGHT ENABLED DEVICES - A system for controlling infrared (IR) enabled devices by projecting coded IR pulses from an active illumination depth camera is described. In some embodiments, a gesture recognition system includes an active illumination depth camera such as a depth camera that utilizes time-of-flight (TOF) or structured light techniques for obtaining depth information. The gesture recognition system may detect the performance of a particular gesture associated with a particular electronic device, determine a set of device instructions in response to detecting the particular gesture, and transmit the set of device instructions to the particular electronic device utilizing coded IR pulses. The coded IR pulses may imitate the IR pulses associated with a remote control protocol. In some cases, the coded IR pulses transmitted may also be used by the active illumination depth camera for determining depth information. | 05-23-2013 |
20130147353 | LIGHT SOURCE PACKAGE - A light source package for selectively interrupting power to a light source is provided. An optical element is positioned to reflect a reflected portion of the light from the light source. The reflected portion impinges upon a base that includes a roof panel with a light source side and a sensor side that is opposite to the light source side. The light source side of the roof panel receives the reflected portion of the light and transmits a transmitted portion of the light through the roof panel. The sensor side of the roof panel includes a recess in which a sensing component is located. The sensing component receives the transmitted portion of the light and is be configured to interrupt power to the light source when the transmitted portion of the light is below a threshold. | 06-13-2013 |
20130176396 | BROADBAND IMAGER - A broadband imager, which is able to image both IR and visible light, is disclosed. In one embodiment, an IR sensitive region of an IR pixel underlies the R, G, B sensitive regions of R, G, and B visible pixels. Therefore, the IR pixel receives IR light through a same surface area of the photosensor through which the R, G, and B pixels receive visible light. However, the IR light generates electron-hole pairs deeper below the common surface area shared by the RGB and IR pixels, than visible light. The photosensor also has a charge accumulation region for accumulating charges generated in the IR sensitive region and an electrode above the charge accumulation region for providing a voltage to accumulate the charges generated in the IR pixel. | 07-11-2013 |
20130178287 | HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERFACE SYSTEM HAVING A 3D GAZE TRACKER - An apparatus for interfacing a person with a computer, the apparatus comprising a gaze tracker having a 3D camera and a picture camera that image the person and a controller that processes images acquired by the cameras to determine a gaze direction and point of regard of the person. | 07-11-2013 |
20130188022 | 3D ZOOM IMAGER - A 3D imager comprising two cameras having fixed wide-angle and narrow angle FOVs respectively that overlap to provide an active space for the imager and a controller that determines distances to features in the active space responsive to distances provided by the cameras and a division of the active space into near, intermediate, and far zones. | 07-25-2013 |
20130208091 | AMBIENT LIGHT ALERT FOR AN IMAGE SENSOR - An image camera component and its method of operation are disclosed. The image camera component detects when ambient light within a field of view of the camera component interferes with operation of the camera component to correctly identify distances to objects within the field of view of the camera component. Upon detecting a problematic ambient light source, the image camera component may cause an alert to be generated so that a user can ameliorate the problematic ambient light source. | 08-15-2013 |
20130227477 | SEMAPHORE GESTURE FOR HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE - An embodiment of the invention provides a gesture recognition system (GRS) that displays a graphical user interface in which symbols are grouped into “pods” on a display screen, and a user enters a desired symbol into a computer by selecting a pod containing the desired symbol, and then selecting the symbol from a display of the symbols in the selected pod using hand motions without having to contact the display screen or use a manual controller. | 08-29-2013 |
20140160254 | GATED 3D CAMERA - A camera for determining distances to a scene, the camera comprising: a light source comprising a VCSEL controllable to illuminate the scene with a train of pulses of light having a characteristic spectrum; a photosurface; optics for imaging light reflected from the light pulses by the scene on the photosurface; and a shutter operable to gate the photosurface selectively on and off for light in the spectrum. | 06-12-2014 |
20140160745 | LASER DIE LIGHT SOURCE MODULE WITH LOW INDUCTANCE - An embodiment of the invention provides a low inductance light source module, which may have a small footprint and comprise a printed circuit board (PCB) mount having first and second conducting traces formed on a side of the PCB mount and a semiconducting light source having a first electrical contacts for receiving power that is bonded to the first conducting trace with a conducting bonding material and a second electrical contact for receiving power that is connected by at least one bondwire to the second conducting trace. | 06-12-2014 |
20140240462 | FAST GATING PHOTOSURFACE - An embodiment of the invention provides a camera comprising a photosurface having a substrate comprising photopixels and associated storage pixels and a controller that controls the photosurface to image a scene by maintaining a bias between the photopixels and their respective storage pixels at all times during an exposure period of the photosurface so that photocharge, substantially upon its generation in a photopixel by light from the scene incident on the photopixel moves towards the photopixel's storage pixel. | 08-28-2014 |
20140267613 | PHOTOSENSOR HAVING ENHANCED SENSITIVITY - A method of controlling a photosensor having adjacent light sensitive pixels in which photocharge is generated in depletion zones of the pixels by light incident on the photosensor, comprising applying voltage to gate electrodes of the photopixels so that the depletion zone of one of the pixels extends into and lies under a portion of the depletion region of the other pixel. | 09-18-2014 |
20140347443 | INDIRECT REFLECTION SUPPRESSION IN DEPTH IMAGING - A depth-sensing method for a time-of-flight depth camera includes irradiating a subject with pulsed light of spatially alternating bright and dark features, and receiving the pulsed light reflected back from the subject onto an array of pixels. At each pixel of the array, a signal is presented that depends on distance from the depth camera to the subject locus imaged onto that pixel. In this method, the subject is mapped based on the signal from pixels that image subject loci directly irradiated by the bright features, while omitting or weighting negatively the signal from pixels that image subject loci under the dark features. | 11-27-2014 |
20150024847 | TIME-OF-FLIGHT CAMERA WITH GUIDED LIGHT - A gaming system comprising a time-of-flight 3D camera and related method for illuminating a camera field of view and capturing return image light are disclosed herein. In one example, the time-of-flight 3D camera includes a light source configured to emit source light along an optical axis, and a collimator configured to receive and collimate the source light to create collimated light. A refractive diffuser is operable to be tuned to the camera field of view and configured to receive and diffuse the collimated light to create refracted light having a varying intensity profile. The refractive diffuser is further configured to guide the refracted light to illuminate only a portion of the camera field of view to reduce wasted source light. | 01-22-2015 |