# US 9,518,864 B2 · Controllable optical sensing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,518,864 B2 - Document ID: US9518864B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/364,727 - Filed: 2012-12-13 - Published: 2014-11-27 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-15 - Assignees: Facebook, Inc. - Applicants: Oculus VR, LLC - Inventors: Nadav Grossinger; Nitay Romano; Arnon Gratch - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9518864B2 ## CPC - G01J 1/0411: {using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction} - G01B 11/25: by projecting a pattern, e.g. {one or more lines,} moiré fringes on the object (G01B11/255 takes precedence {; image analysis for depth or shape recovery G06T7/50}) - G01J 1/044: {using shutters} - G01J 1/0448: {Adjustable, e.g. focussing} - G01N 21/55: Specular reflectivity - G01S 7/4814: {of transmitters alone} - G01S 17/46: Indirect determination of position data - G02B 3/10: Bifocal lenses; Multifocal lenses - G02B 5/1876: {Diffractive Fresnel lenses; Zone plates; Kinoforms (G02B5/1842, G02B5/1847 take precedence; optical systems having diffractive correction means G02B27/0037; Fresnel lenses operating by refraction G02B3/08)} - G02B 27/4205: {having a diffractive optical element [DOE] contributing to image formation, e.g. whereby modulation transfer function MTF or optical aberrations are relevant} - G02B 27/58: Optics for apodization or superresolution; Optical synthetic aperture systems - G01S 17/89: for mapping or imaging - G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N) - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - 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 - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract An optical sensing device for using light to locate objects or features in a field of view comprises a light source; a controllable lens having two states and being controllable between them, for example a multifocal lens having two or more foci for focusing light from the light source; and a sensor able to sense light reflected from an object, to determine information of the object. The use of two or more foci adds dynamic range to optical sensing to allow for reliable detection over a wide range of distances. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical sensing device comprising: a light source; a multi-focal lens having a plurality of foci configured to focus light from the light source into a space at a plurality of focal points related to the plurality of foci, wherein the multi-focal lens comprises a lens surface shaped to provide an apodized surface function; a sensor configured to sense focused light of the light source reflected from an object in the space to sense the object or features of the object; and an adjustable shutter placed in relation to the multi-focal lens configured to be altered for controlling amounts of light from the light source falling over different regions of the shaped surface of the multi-focal lens to vary amounts of energy of light at the plurality of focal points. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical sensing device of claim 1, further comprising a light structuring unit for adding structure to light of the light source, for recognition by the optical sensing device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The optical sensing device of claim 1, wherein the space is a three-dimensional space and the plurality of foci comprises foci at two different distances. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The optical sensing device of claim 3, wherein one of the plurality of foci is a focus at infinity. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The optical sensing device of claim 2, wherein the light structuring unit is one member of the group consisting of a diffractive pattern generator, an amplitude mask, a phase mask, and a patterned film. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The optical sensing device of claim 1, wherein the multi-focal lens is a diffractive lens having diffractive steps, each step having a height, and wherein respective heights are varied over the surface to provide the apodized surface function. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The optical sensing device of claim 1, wherein the adjustable shutter is altered to provide a beam expansion setup of the optical sensing device. ### Claim 8 An optical sensing method comprising: shining light from a light source on a multi-focal lens having a plurality of foci configured to focus light from the light source into a space at a plurality of focal points related to the plurality of foci, wherein the multi-focal lens comprises a lens surface shaped to provide an apodized surface function; sensing focused light of the light source reflected from an object in the space to sense the object or features of the object; and controlling amounts of light from the light source falling over different regions of the shaped surface of the multi-focal lens to vary amounts of energy of light at the plurality of focal points. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The optical sensing method of claim 8, further comprising adding structure to light of the light source for sensing the focused light of the light source reflected from the object. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The optical sensing method of claim 8, wherein the multi-focal lens is a diffractive lens having diffractive steps, each step having a height, and wherein respective heights are varied over the surface to provide the apodized surface function. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The optical sensing method of claim 8, further comprising directing light from the light source sequentially between the different regions of the shaped surface. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The optical sensing method of claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of foci is at infinity.