Waikatolink Limited

The University of Waikato

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Heptagon Micro Optics Pte. Ltd.

Walkatolink Limited

Mesa Imaging Ag

Adrian Andrew Dorrington

Andrew Dean Payne

Lee Vincent Streeter

Paul M Danehy

Michael John Cree

Ramesh Raskar

Cyrus Soli Bamji

John W Connell

Achuta Kadambi

Kent A Watson

Ayush Bhandari

Christopher Barsi

Refael Zabdi Whyte

Thomas W Jones

Richard S Pappa

W Keith Belvin

Dale Anthony Carnegie

Refael Whyte

John Peter Godbaz

Richard Michael Conroy

In one aspect the invention provides a time of flight camera system which includes a time of flight transmitter arranged to transmit modulated radiation at a target, and a phase adjustment element configured to adjust the phase of a source modulation signal used to modulate the radiation transmitted at the target. This phase adjustment element provides a set of phase separated output signals, each output signal provided having one of a set phase offsets values applied, where at least one of these phase offset values is the cancellation phase value of another member of the set of phase offset values. The camera system also includes an image sensor modulated with the source modulation signal and configured to measure radiation reflected from a target, and a processor arranged to receive the image sensor measurements and being programmed to resolve range information from the measurements received by the image sensor.

Signal harmonic error cancellation method and apparatus

The present invention relates to a method of simulating an initial component of a signal to approximate a component of a reference signal, the method characterized by the steps of:

Signal simulation apparatus and method

A time of flight camera system resolves the direct path component or the multi-path component of modulated radiation reflected from a target. The camera system includes a time of flight transmitter arranged to transmit modulated radiation at a target, and at least one pattern application structure operating between the transmitter and the target, the pattern application structure operating to apply at least one structured light pattern to the modulated transmitter radiation, and an image sensor configured to measure radiation reflected from a target. The time of flight camber is arranged to resolve from the measurements received the contribution of direct source reflection radiation reflected from the target.

Time of flight camera system which resolves direct and multi-path radiation components

In illustrative implementations, a time-of-flight camera robustly measures scene depths, despite multipath interference. The camera emits amplitude modulated light. An FPGA sends at least two electrical signals, the first being to control modulation of radiant power of a light source and the second being a reference signal to control modulation of pixel gain in a light sensor. These signals are identical, except for time delays. These signals comprise binary codes that are m-sequences or other broadband codes. The correlation waveform is not sinusoidal. During measurements, only one fundamental modulation frequency is used. One or more computer processors solve a linear system by deconvolution, in order to recover an environmental function. Sparse deconvolution is used if the scene has only a few objects at a finite depth. Another algorithm, such as Wiener deconvolution, is used is the scene has global illumination or a scattering media.

Methods and apparatus for coded time-of-flight camera

An apparatus for measuring intensity and/or range characteristics of an object(s), comprising: a signal source to emit modulation signals at a frequency(s); an illuminator to illuminate the object(s) by a first modulation signal; a sensor comprising a pixel(s), wherein the sensor creates a sampled correlated signal by sampling the correlation of a backscattered signal with a second modulation signal within the pixel; and a processor to determine range/intensity characteristics of component returns within the pixel(s) by comparing sampled correlated signals using measurements(s), wherein the measurement(s) comprise first and second modulation signals having a characteristic(s) selected from: (a) two or more different modulation frequencies, (b) a different modulation frequency(s) and an offset of the correlation waveform, and (c) another different modulation frequency(s) and one selected from: the zeroth spatial frequency of the signal returns versus range and an approximation of the zeroth spatial frequency of the signal returns versus range.

Apparatus and method for measuring the distance and/or intensity characteristics of objects

A method for determining a distance to an object using an amplitude modulated continuous wave range imaging device includes emitting a modulated illumination signal. The modulated illumination signal is modulated with a pseudo random code. An image sensor is modulated based on the pseudo random code to capture a plurality of samples of the modulated illumination signal reflected from the object. A phase shift between the plurality of samples and the modulated illumination signal is determined.

Selective distance range imaging

Methods and devices for correcting for motion blur in range cameras without increasing acquisition speed or reducing the overall quality of the distance determinations, by identifying moving objects in a scene and determining the speed and direction of the objects.

Motion compensation in range imaging

An amplitude modulated continuous wave range imaging device has a signaling device configured to emit an intensity modulated illumination signal. An image sensor is configured to capture a plurality of images of a reflection of the modulated illumination signal. The captured images include intensity and/or phase components for a plurality of pixels of the image sensor. Each pixel includes a first modulation terminal having a first capacitive component. A first driver is configured to charge a first set of modulation terminals of the plurality of pixels. A second driver is configured to charge a second set of modulation terminals of the plurality of pixels. A charge transfer circuit is connected between the first set of modulation terminals and the second set of modulation terminals. The charge transfer circuit is configured to transfer charge between the first set of modulation terminals and the second set of modulation terminals.

Resonant modulation for low power range imaging cameras

A light scatter sensor includes a sensor body in which are positioned a plurality of optical fibers. The sensor body includes a surface, in one end of each of the optical fibers terminates at the surface of the sensor body. One of the optical fibers is an illumination fiber for emitting light. A plurality of second optical fibers are collection fibers for collecting scattered light signals. A light sensor processor is connected to the collection fibers to detect the scattered light signals.

Micro-LiDAR velocity, temperature, density, concentration sensor

A photogrammetric system uses an array of spaced-apart targets coupled to a structure. Each target exhibits fluorescence when exposed to a broad beam of illumination. A photogrammetric imaging system located remotely with respect to the structure detects and processes the fluorescence (but not the illumination wavelength) to measure the shape of a structure.

Photogrammetric system and method used in the characterization of a structure

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus used to calculate at least one velocity component for a target within the region. The invention employs an energy source which is activated using an activation system in a cyclic pattern with a selected source frequency. A receiver is also employed in conjunction with a shielding system where this shielding system is configured to block the sensing of reflected energy from the target in a cyclic pattern with a selected receiver frequency. The invention operates through measuring a frequency change in the source frequency of the energy source signal when received by the receiver and determines a velocity component for a target based on a measured frequency change for a known direction of travel. The invention may also be extended to provide a two or three dimensional velocity vector through the addition of further energy sources.

Range and velocity sensing system

The invention relates to a solid-state range sensing system. As with previous solid-state range sensing systems, an energy source is activated and deactivated in a cyclic pattern with a selected source frequency. A receiver is adapted to sense the reflection of emitted energy from the target. The receiver includes a shielding system to block the sensing of the reflected energy from the target in a cyclic pattern with a selected receiver frequency. Unlike the prior art, the frequency of the source and receiver are offset by a small frequency. The resulting output signal of the receiver is a further cyclic pattern beat signal of frequency equal to the difference between the source activation and receiver shielding modulation frequencies. The best signal is effectively a down-converted version of the source modulation frequency and, unlike the prior art, is compared with a reference beat signal whereby the phase difference between the two beat signals is used to determine a range value. The use of beat signals provides higher precision than the prior art.

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Hamilton, New Zealand

Adrian Andrew Dorrington