US 6,856,382 B2 · Formation of three-dimensional video sequences with a scannerless range imaging system

Abstract

A method for generating a range image sequence from a scannerless range imaging system of the type comprising an illuminator for illuminating a scene with modulated illumination; an image modulating component for receiving and modulating the modulated illumination reflected from the scene; an image capture element for capturing images output by the image modulating component, including an image bundle of at least three phase offset images each incorporating a phase delay corresponding to the distance of objects in the scene from the illuminator, wherein each phase offset image of an image bundle also incorporates a phase offset distinct for each image. According to the method, a sequence of three or more phase offset images are acquired that correspond to the modulated illumination reflected from the scene, whereby the sequence contains overlapping subsequences of successive phase offset images, each subsequence forming an image bundle. A range image is then computed using the phase offset images from each corresponding image bundle, thereby forming a range image sequence.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method for generating a range video sequence from a scannerless range imaging system of the type comprising an illuminator for illuminating a scene with modulated illumination;

an image modulating component for receiving and modulating the modulated illumination reflected from the scene;
an image capture element for capturing frames output by the image modulating component, said method comprising the steps of:
defining a frame rate, wherein the frame rate is the number of frames of the range video sequence per unit of time;
illuminating a scene with sinusoidally amplitude modulated illumination;
receiving and sinusoidally amplitude modulating the sinusoidally amplitude modulated illumination reflected from the scene;
acquiring, for each of the frames, three or more successive images of the scene to define an image bundle;
during said acquiring, shifting the phase of said illuminating relative to said modulating, wherein, in each said image bundle, respective said images each have a different phase offset;
and
computing for each said image bundle a range image using the corresponding phase offset images, thereby forming a range video sequence at the defined frame rate.

6 more elements

A method for generating a range video sequence from a scannerless range imaging system of the type comprising an illuminator for illuminating a scene with modulated illumination;

an image modulating component for receiving and modulating the modulated illumination reflected from the scene;
an image capture element for capturing images output by the image modulating component, said method comprising the steps of:
illuminating a scene with sinusoidally amplitude modulated illumination;
receiving and modulating the sinusoidally amplitude modulated illumination reflected from the scene;
acquiring a sequence of successive images of the scene;
during said acquiring, shifting the phase of said illuminating relative to said modulating, wherein said images each have a different phase offset;
obtaining overlapping subsequences of phase offset images from the sequence of successive phase offset images, each of the subsequences defining an image bundle of at least three phase offset images each incorporating a distinct phase offset, wherein each image bundle contains at least one phase offset image that is shared with at least one other image bundle from an overlapping one of the subsequences;
and
computing for each said image bundle a range image using the corresponding phase offset images, thereby forming a range video sequence.

6 more elements

A method for generating a range video sequence comprising:

illuminating a scene with sinusoidally amplitude modulated illumination;
receiving and sinusoidally amplitude modulating the sinusoidally amplitude modulated illumination reflected from the scene;
capturing a sequence of images at a defined rate per unit time;
during said capturing, shifting the phase of said illuminating relative to said modulating, wherein said images each have a different phase offset;
obtaining overlapping subsequences of phase offset images from the sequence of images, each of the subsequences defining an image bundle of at least three phase offset images each incorporating a distinct phase offset, wherein each image bundle contains at least one phase offset image that is shared with at least one other image bundle from an overlapping one of the subsequences;
and
computing for each image bundle a range image using corresponding phase offset images to form a range video sequence.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Formation of three-dimensional video sequences with a scannerless range imaging system

Life of this patent

Formation of three-dimensional video sequences with a scannerless range imaging system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24