Active illumination 3D zonal imaging system
AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorsOnur Can Akkaya, Cyrus Soli Bamji
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An active illumination range camera comprising illumination and imaging systems that is operable to provide a range image of a scene in the imaging system's field of view (FOV) by partitioning the range camera FOV into sub-FOVs, and controlling the illumination and imaging systems to sequentially illuminate and image portions of the scene located in the respective sub-FOVs.
Claims20
An active illumination range camera operable to determine distances to features in a scene, the range camera comprising:
- an imaging system characterized by a field of view (FOV) and comprising a photosensor having light sensitive pixels, and an optical system configured to collect light from a scene in the FOV and image the collected light onto pixels of the photosensor;
- an illumination system controllable to generate and direct a field of illumination (FOI) to illuminate at least a portion of the FOV;
- and
- a controller operable to:
- partition the at least a portion of the FOV into a plurality of zones;
- control the illumination system to generate and direct a FOI to sequentially illuminate the zones in turn with transmitted light through selectively activating and deactivating portions of the photosensor correlated to pixels of the zones;
- accumulate photocharge reflected by features within the zones from the transmitted light;
- and
- increment a counter value upon illumination of each of the zones;
- halt illumination of the zones once the counter value reaches a maximum count;
- and
- determine distances to features in the scene using the accumulated photocharge reflected by the features within the zones from the transmitted light.
A method for determining distances to features in a scene, the method comprising:
- partitioning a field of view (FOV) of a camera in which the scene is located into a plurality of zones;
- generating and directing a field of illumination of a light source (FOI) to sequentially illuminate the zones in turn with transmitted light through selectively activating and deactivating portions of a photosensor correlated to pixels of the zones;
- accumulating photocharge reflected by features within zones from the transmitted light;
- incrementing a counter value upon illumination of each of the zones;
- halt illumination of the zones once the counter value reaches a maximum count;
- and
- determining distances to features in the scene using the accumulated photocharge reflected by the features within the zones from the transmitted light.
One more computer-storage memory devices embodied with instructions that are executable for determining distances to features in a scene, comprising:
- partitioning a field of view (FOV) of a camera in which the scene is located into a plurality of zones;
- generating and directing a field of illumination of a light source (FOI) to sequentially illuminate the zones in turn with transmitted light through selectively activating and deactivating portions of a photosensor correlated to pixels of the zones;
- accumulating photocharge reflected by features within zones from the transmitted light;
- incrementing a counter value upon illumination of each of the zones;
- halt illumination of the zones once the counter value reaches a maximum count;
- and
- determining distances to features in the scene using the accumulated photocharge reflected by the features within the zones from the transmitted light.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.