# US 10,311,588 B2 · Timing pulses in a depth sensing device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,311,588 B2 - Document ID: US10311588B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/112,200 - Filed: 2015-01-19 - Published: 2017-11-09 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2014-01-19 - Applicants: Mantisvision Ltd. - Inventors: Gur Arie Bittan; Yonatan Samet - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10311588B2 ## CPC - G01C 3/08: Use of electric radiation detectors - G01B 11/2513: {with several lines being projected in more than one direction, e.g. grids, patterns} - G01S 17/36: with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal - G01S 17/87: Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves - G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging - G06T 7/50: Depth or shape recovery - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract There is provided in accordance with an aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, a method operating a depth sensing device. The method includes obtaining a current pulse timing on each of a first and a second depth sensing devices; and allocating an exclusive pulse timeslot to each of said first and second devices, so that during a portion of a frame which corresponds to any one of the pulse timeslots only a respective one of said first device and said second device emits a pulse. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A depth sensing system, comprising: a first depth sensing device comprising a first projector and a first image sensor, where the first depth sensing device is configured to operate at a first frame rate; a second depth sensing device comprising a second projector and a second image sensor, where the second depth sensing device is configured to operate at a second frame rate; a processor adapted to configure the first and the second depth sensing devices, such that in a single frame of the first depth sensing device: the first projector projects a first projection during a first projection duration; the second projector projects a second projection during a second projection duration consecutive to the first projection duration; the first image sensor captures an image including a reflection of the first projection during a first exposure period; and the second image sensor captures an image including a reflection of the second projection during a second exposure period. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to allocate a buffer in between the first projection duration and the second projection duration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the first depth sensing device comprises a first clock generator and the second depth sensing device comprises a second clock generator, and wherein the processor is configured to synchronize the second clock generator with the first clock generator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to synchronize a start of frame timing on the second depth sensing device with a start of frame timing on the first depth sensing device, giving rise to a synchronized start of frame timing, and setting a timing of each of the first projection and the second projection as a different offset from the synchronized start of frame timing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to configure the first and the second depth sensing devices such that the first projection takes place substantially at a start of a frame timing on the first depth sensing device, and each subsequent projection occurring during the frame starts at a point which is offset from the start of frame timing by a time period which is equal to a duration of all previous projections during the frame plus a buffer in between any two projections of the previous projections during the frame. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is implemented in the first depth sensing device, and wherein the first depth sensing device serves as a master device and the second depth sensing device serves as a slave device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system according to claim 6, wherein said processor is configured to send to the slave device instructions to set a timing of the second projection according to a timing and a duration of the first projection. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein a timing of the first exposure is coordinated with the first projection, and the timing of the second exposure is coordinated with the second projection. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to configure the first depth sensing device and the second depth sensing device, such that in a single frame of the first depth sensing device: the first projection and the second projection are each used to project light on to a scene, and a first image of a reflected portion of the first projection and a second image of a reflected portion of the second projection are captured. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the first frame rate and the second frame rate are equal. ### Claim 11 A computer implemented method of controlling a depth sensing system, comprising: using a processor to configure each of: a first depth sensing device comprising a first projector and a first image sensor, where the first depth sensing device is configured to operate at a first frame rate; a second depth sensing device comprising a second projector and a second image sensor, where the second depth sensing device is configured to operate at a second frame rate; such that in a single frame of the first depth sensing device: the first projector projects a first projection during a first projection duration; the second projector projects a second projection during a second projection duration consecutive to the first projection duration; the first image sensor captures an image including a reflection of the first projection during a first exposure period; and the second image sensor captures an image including a reflection of the second projection during a second exposure period. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising using the processor to allocate a buffer in between the first projection duration and the second projection duration. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising using the processor to synchronize a second clock generator of the second depth sensing device with a first clock generator of the first depth sensing device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising using the processor to synchronize a start of frame timing on the second depth sensing device with the start of frame timing on the first depth sensing device, giving rise to a synchronized start of frame timing, and setting a timing of each of the first projection and the second projection as a different offset from the synchronized start of frame timing. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, further comprising using the processor to configure the first and the second depth sensing devices such that the first projection takes place substantially at a start of a frame timing on the first depth sensing device, and each subsequent projection occurring during the frame starts at a point which is offset from the start of frame timing by a time period which is equal to a duration of all previous projections during the frame plus a buffer in between any two projections of the previous projections during the frame. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the processor is implemented in the first depth sensing device, and wherein the first depth sensing device serves as a master device and the second depth sensing device serves as a slave device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein in a single frame of the first depth sensing device: the first projection and the second projection are each used to project light on to a scene, and a first image of a reflected portion of the first projection and a second image of a reflected portion of the second projection are captured. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the first frame rate and the second frame rate are equal.