# US 2012/0075427 A1 · Wide angle field of view active illumination imaging system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2012/0075427 A1 - Document ID: US20120075427A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/889,479 - Filed: 2010-09-24 - Published: 2012-03-29 - Earliest claimed: 2010-09-24 - Assignees: Microsoft Corporation - Inventors: Giora Yahav; David Cohen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20120075427A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/017: {Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883)} - G01S 17/87: Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves - G01S 17/894: Three-dimensional [3D] imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a two-dimensional [2D] array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar - G06F 3/011: {Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00)} - G06V 10/147: Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses (fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19) - H04N 13/239: using two two-dimensional [2D] image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance (H04N13/243 takes precedence) - H04N 13/243: using three or more two-dimensional [2D] image sensors - H04N 13/254: in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects - H04N 23/56: provided with illuminating means - H04N 23/698: for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture - A63F 2300/1093: using visible light - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - 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 - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An active illumination imaging system comprising: a light source that illuminates a scene imaged by the camera; and first and second cameras, each comprising an optical system having an optical axis and a photosensor having pixels on which the optical system images light, and a field of view (FOV) characterized by a view angle in a plane that contains the optical axis; wherein the optical axes of the first and a second cameras intersect at an intersection region common to their FOVs at an angle substantially equal to half a sum of their view angles to provide the imaging system with an enlarged FOV having an enlarged view angle in a plane defined by the intersecting optical axes that is substantially equal to a sum of the view angles of the cameras. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the view angles of the first and second cameras are equal. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the view angles of the first and second cameras are not equal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the enlarged view angle is greater than or equal to 90° ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 4 wherein the enlarged view angle is greater than or equal to 120° ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 5 wherein the enlarged view angle is greater than or equal to 150° ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 1 and comprising a third camera whose optical axis intersects the optical axis of the second camera. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 7 wherein a plane defined by the optical axes of the second and third cameras is substantially coincident with the plane defined by the optical axes of the first and second cameras. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 8 wherein the axes of the second and third cameras intersect at an angle substantially equal to half a sum of the view angles of the second and third cameras. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 9 wherein a plane defined by the optical axes of the second and third cameras is substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the optical axes of the first and second cameras. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 10 wherein the second camera has a view angle in the plane defined by the optical axes of the second and third cameras and the optical axes of the second and third cameras intersect at an angle substantially equal to half a sum of the view angle of the third camera plus the view angle of the second camera in the plane of the optical axes of the second and third cameras. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 1 wherein a measure of the system's sensitivity to light that it images is equal to a product of an average vignetting factor of the imaging system times a square of a quotient equal to a diameter of pixels in the imaging system divided by a minimum f# of imaging system, and the measure has a value greater than 20. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 12 wherein the measure has a value greater than 50. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 12 wherein the measure has a value greater than 100. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 12 wherein the measure has a value greater than 120. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the cameras are 3D cameras that provide distances to features in a scene that they image. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) An active illumination imaging system according to claim 16 wherein the 3D cameras are time of flight cameras (TOF) cameras. ### Claim 18 An 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; 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.