LED illumination device for a scannerless range imaging system
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsLouis R. Gabello, Dennis J. Whipple, Lawrence A. Ray, Kenneth J. Repich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A light emitting diode (LED) illumination device for generating modulated light for a scannerless range imaging system includes circuitry for generating a drive signal having a given phase and frequency characteristic; a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a plurality of LED banks, wherein each LED bank comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes connected in series to the circuitry to receive the drive signal; and a switching stage for simultaneously activating the plurality of LED banks such that the LED banks generate the modulated light according to the phase and frequency characteristics of the drive signal.
Claims20
A light emitting diode (LED) illumination device for generating modulated light for a scannerless range imaging system, said illumination device comprising:
- circuitry for generating a drive signal having given phase and frequency characteristics;
- a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a plurality of LED banks, wherein each LED bank comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes connected in series to the circuitry to receive the drive signal;
- and
- a switching stage for simultaneously activating the plurality of LED banks such that the LED banks generate the modulated light according to the phase and frequency characteristics of the drive signal.
A light emitting diode (LED) illumination device for generating modulated light for a scannerless range imaging system in response to an exposure control signal, said illumination device comprising:
- an interface circuit for generating a modulating signal in response to the exposure control signal, said modulating signal having given phase and frequency characteristics;
- a plurality of drive circuits for generating a plurality of drive signals from the modulating signal, whereby each drive signal has the given phase and frequency characteristics;
- and
- a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in a plurality of LED banks, wherein each LED bank comprises a smaller plurality of light emitting diodes connected in series to a given one of the drive circuits to generate the modulated light according to the phase and frequency characteristics of the modulating signal.
A light emitting diode (LED) illumination device for generating modulated light for a scannerless range imaging system in response to an exposure control signal, said illumination device comprising:
- a signal conditioning circuit for processing the exposure control signal into a received clock signal having given phase and frequency characteristics;
- an interface circuit for converting the received clock signal into a sinusoidal modulating signal having the given phase and frequency characteristics;
- an LED bank comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes connected in series;
- a drive circuit for generating a drive signal from the modulating signal for the series-connected light emitting diodes in the LED bank, whereby the drive signal has the given phase and frequency characteristics;
- means for mounting a plurality of LED banks in a predetermined illumination pattern, wherein each LED bank includes its own series-connected drive circuit;
- and
- a switching stage responsive to the received clock signal for activating the plurality of light emitting diode banks such that they generate the modulated light according to the given phase and frequency characteristics.
A light emitting diode (LED) illumination device for illuminating a scene for a scannerless range imaging system, said illumination device comprising:
- circuitry for generating a drive signal having given phase and frequency characteristics;
- a plurality of light emitting diodes connected to the circuitry to receive the drive signal and illuminate the scene with modulated light having the phase and frequency characteristics of the drive signal;
- a wide band illumination system for illuminating the scene with unmodulated light;
- and
- a switching stage for activating the plurality of light emitting diodes and the wide band illumination system such that they generate their respective light during different intervals.
A scannerless range imaging camera system for capturing range information from a scene, said system comprising:
- (a) a camera body including an image responsive element for capturing image light from the scene, a flash unit connection and a lens mount;
- (b) a light emitting diode (LED) illumination device detachably connected to the flash unit connection of the camera body, said illumination device including an LED illumination section having a plurality of LEDs, an interface section for developing an LED modulating signal and an LED driver section for converting the LED modulating signal into a drive signal for the LEDs, whereby the LED illumination section controllably illuminates the scene with modulated illumination, and some of the modulated illumination is reflected from objects in the scene;
- (c) an optical component detachably connected to lens mount of the camera body, said optical component establishing an optical path for directing reflected image light, including the modulated illumination, toward the image responsive element;
- and
- (d) a modulating element operative in the optical component to modulate the reflected image light with a modulating signal, thereby generating a processed light component captured by the image responsive element with phase data indicative of range information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.