Back to results
US 10,708,577 B2Granted
Range-gated depth camera assembly
AssigneeFacebook Technologies, LLC
InventorNicholas Daniel Trail
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An augmented reality (AR) includes a depth camera assembly (DCA) to capture images of various depth zones of scenes of a local area. The DCA can focus on specific ranges in a scene, important aspects, and/or regions of interest. The DCA generates image data of the local area such that the image includes information pertaining to a single depth zone. The captured image is specific to the single depth zone and is representative of objects within the single depth zone. The DCA uses the generated image data for the depth zones to generate augmented or partially-augmented images that include depth information for the objects in the local area.
Claims20
A range-gated depth camera assembly, comprising:
- an illumination source configured to emit illumination light pulses;
- an imaging device configured to capture a plurality of images of a local area;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- responsive to a determination that a contrast measure of an image of the plurality of images is below a contrast threshold value, adjust one or more illumination parameters, the one or more illumination parameters comprising at least an amplitude of the light pulses and a quantity of the light pulses;
- regulate the illumination source to emit a plurality of illumination light pulses to illuminate a scene of the local area according to the one or more illumination parameters, the local area being divided into a plurality of depth zones comprising at least one non-empty depth zone, the non-empty depth zone comprising at least one object;
- for each non-empty depth zone of the plurality of depth zones, regulate the imaging device to record a set of reflected light pulses to generate image data for the non-empty depth zone, the set of reflected light pulses being the illumination light pulses reflected off one or more objects included in the non-empty depth zone;
- and
- generate one or more partially augmented images of the scene using the image data generated for the at least one non-empty depth zone of the plurality of non-empty depth zones,
- wherein at least one of the one or more partially augmented images include depth information for the at least one object, and the one or more partially augmented images are used to generate virtual content for presentation to a user.
7 more elements
A head-mounted display (HMD) comprising:
- an electronic display;
- a range-gated depth camera assembly, comprising:
- an illumination source configured to emit illumination light pulses, and
- an imaging device configured to capture a plurality of images of a local area;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- responsive to a determination that a contrast measure of an image of the plurality of images is below a contrast threshold value, adjust one or more illumination parameters, the one or more illumination parameters comprising at least an amplitude of the light pulses and a quantity of the light pulses;
- regulate the illumination source to emit a plurality of illumination light pulses to illuminate a scene of the local area according to the one or more illumination parameters, the local area being divided into a plurality of depth zones comprising at least one non-empty depth zone, the non-empty depth zone comprising at least one object;
- for each non-empty depth zone of the plurality of depth zones, regulate the imaging device to record a set of reflected light pulses to generate image data for the non-empty depth zone, the set of reflected light pulses being the illumination light pulses reflected off one or more objects included in the non-empty depth zone;
- and
- generate one or more partially augmented images of the scene using the image data generated for the at least one non-empty depth zone of the plurality of non-empty depth zones;
- wherein at least one of the one or more partially augmented images include depth information for the at least one object, and the one or more partially augmented images are used to generate virtual content for presentation to a user.
9 more elements
A method comprising:
- determining a contrast measure of an image of a plurality of images of a local area is below a contrast threshold value, the plurality of images captured by an imaging device;
- adjusting one or more illumination parameters based on the contrast measure being below the contrast threshold value, the one or more illumination parameters comprising at least an amplitude of a plurality of light pulses and a quantity of the plurality of light pulses;
- emitting, by an illumination source, the plurality of illumination light pulses to illuminate a scene of the local area according to the one or more illumination parameters, the local area being divided into a plurality of depth zones comprising at least one non-empty depth zone, the non-empty depth zone comprising at least one object;
- for each depth zone of the plurality of depth zones, recording a set of reflected light pulses to generate image data for the non-empty depth zone, the set of reflected light pulses being the illumination light pulses reflected off one or more objects included in the non-empty depth zone;
- and
- generating one or more partially augmented images of the scene using the image data generated for the at least one non-empty depth zone of the plurality of non-empty depth zones,
- wherein at least one of the one or more partially augmented images include depth information for the at least one object, and the one or more partially augmented images are used to generate virtual content for presentation to a user.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.