Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Prafulla Jinendra Masalkar

Karlton David Powell

Joshua Mark Hudman

Rui Zhang

Markus Stefan Duelli

Zhiqiang Liu

Tommer Leyvand

Jeff Clark Adams

Donald Mitchell Cornwell

Yun Fang

Zhengyou Zhang

Steven Nabil Bathiche

Scott Charles McEldowney

Timothy Andrew Large

Dawson Yee

Yasser Baseer Asmi

Nigel Stuart Keam

Daniel Bibireata

Zhaoming Zhu

Szymon Piotr Stachniak

Zsolt Mathe

Leonardo G Del Castillo

Frank Florian Liberato, Jr

Mark Plagge

Eric Paul Filer

Sridhar Canumalla

Marshall Thomas DePue

Baomin Wang

David M Morelock

Umer Shahid

Todd Nelson Schoepflin

Blair Madison Kent

Marshall T Depue

Bradley David Volen

John W Mensonides

Alan Leach

Leonardo Del Castillo

An optical detector system provides positioning data to facilitate tracking in optical communications. The system provides first and second path lengths to direct light onto an array of photodetectors. Incoming first light with a first polarization is reflected by a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) to the array, resulting in a first path length and a relatively wide field of view (FOV). Incoming second light with a second polarization passes through the PBS, interacts with a first quarter wave retarder (QWR) and a convex mirror, is reflected by the PBS, passes through a second QWR and is reflected by a flat mirror to pass through the PBS again and onto the array. The second light experiences a second path length greater than the first path length, exhibiting a relatively narrow FOV. The resulting spots of light on the array provide information about a position of the incoming beam.

Optical detector system with multiple path lengths

A device for providing even illumination to a user's hand or other object to acquire images of the object for biometric identification of a user, includes a camera, a first light module positioned on a first side of the camera, and a second light module positioned on a second side of the camera. The camera is positioned closer to the second light module. The second light module emits light with a lesser intensity than the first light module. Light bending films positioned adjacent to the light modules redirect emitted light toward opposite edges of the field of view of the camera. Diffusers in the path of the emitted light diffuse portions of the emitted light along the edges of the field of view. Polarizers positioned in the path of the emitted light polarize the emitted light to facilitate visualization of particular features of the hand or other object.

Sensor assembly for acquiring images

An optical detector system provides beam positioning data to an optical tracking system to facilitate optical communications. The optical detector system comprises a plurality of optical photodetectors. For example, a two-by-two array may be used. Incoming light passes through one or more optical elements, such as a lens and a dispersive optical element. A first portion of the beam entering the optical elements is directed into a first spot having a first area on the array. A second portion of the beam entering the optical elements is dispersed to form a second spot having a second area on the array that is larger than the first area. This combination of first portion and second portion of the beam incident on the array provides unambiguous information in the output of the photodetectors that is indicative of a position of the incoming beam with respect to the array.

Optical detector system

Frames of sensor data may be obtained from many sensors arranged throughout a facility. These frames may be time synchronized to support further processing. For example, frames containing image data obtained at about the same time from many cameras within the facility may be used to create an aggregate or 'stitched' view of the facility at that time. The synchronization may involve storing the frames from several sensors in buffers. A time window may be specified and used in conjunction with timestamps of the frames to select a set of sensor data from the buffers that are deemed to be synchronized data. The synchronized data may then be used for further processing.

Data synchronization system

Various embodiments of TOF depth cameras and methods for illuminating image environments with illumination light are provided herein. In one example, a TOF depth camera configured to collect image data from an image environment illuminated by illumination light includes a light source including a plurality of surface-emitting lasers configured to generate coherent light. The example TOF camera also includes an optical assembly configured to transmit light from the plurality of surface-emitting lasers to the image environment and an image sensor configured to detect at least a portion of return light reflected from the image environment.

Illumination light projection for a depth camera

Various embodiments relating to a time-of-flight (TOF) depth camera including a vertical-cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a TOF depth camera includes a heat sink having a mounting surface, an illumination module mounted to the mounting surface, and an image sensor mounted to the mounting surface. The illumination module includes a printed circuit board (PCB), a VCSEL array device configured to generate illumination light to illuminate an image environment, and a driver configured to deliver an operating current to the VCSEL array device. The VCSEL array device and the driver are mounted to the PCB. The image sensor is configured to detect at least a portion of illumination light reflected from the image environment.

VCSEL array for a depth camera

A depth camera includes an illumination module and an image detector module. The illumination module outputs structured light that illuminates a capture area. The image detector module captures an image of the structured light as reflected from object(s) within the capture area. The illumination module includes a VCSEL array and optical element(s), such as projection optics, an MLA or DOE, or combinations thereof. Projection optics receive a light pattern emitted by the VCSEL array and project the light pattern. An optical element, downstream from the projection optics, can cause a total number of features included in the structured light to be greater than the number of features included in the light pattern projected by the projection optics. In an embodiment, a pitch of an MLA is offset relative to a pitch of the VCSEL array. Various structures can include alignment elements to aid manufacture of the illumination module.

Illumination modules that emit structured light

Embodiments are disclosed herein that relate to the use of active tag codes that change as a function of time to incorporate a greater amount of data into the tag code compared to a static tag code of similar configuration. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method of presenting an active tag code to a receiving device. The method includes presenting a first portion of the active tag code at a first time, the first portion of the active tag code encoding a first subset of information of a set of information encoded in the active tag code. The method further includes presenting a second portion of the active tag code at a second, later time, the second portion of the active tag code encoding a second subset of information of the set of information encoded in the active tag code.

Active tag codes

A system and method are disclosed for calibrating a depth camera in a natural user interface. The system in general obtains an objective measurement of true distance between a capture device and one or more objects in a scene. The system then compares the true depth measurement to the depth measurement provided by the depth camera at one or more points and determines an error function describing an error in the depth camera measurement. The depth camera may then be recalibrated to correct for the error. The objective measurement of distance to one or more objects in a scene may be accomplished by a variety of systems and methods.

In-home depth camera calibration

An integrated vision and display system comprises a display-image forming layer configured to transmit a display image for viewing through a display surface; an imaging detector configured to image infrared light of a narrow range of angles relative to the display surface normal and including a reflection from one or more objects on or near the display surface; a vision-system emitter configured to emit the infrared light for illuminating the objects; a visible- and infrared-transmissive light guide having opposing upper and/or lower face, configured to receive the infrared light from the vision-system emitter, to conduct the infrared light via TIR from the upper and lower faces, and to project the infrared light onto the objects outside of the narrow range of angles relative to the display surface normal.

Illuminator for touch- and object-sensitive display

A method of depth imaging includes acquiring a depth image from a depth camera, identifying an environmental factor invalidating depth information in one or more portions of the depth image, and outputting an environmental modification to mitigate the environmental factor.

Environmental modifications to mitigate environmental factors

Various embodiments related to infrared vision for a liquid crystal display (LCD) device are disclosed herein. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a display system, comprising an LCD device and a display backlight configured to illuminate the LCD device by directing visible light toward an interior surface of the LCD device. The display system further comprises a wavelength-selective reflector disposed between the display backlight and the LCD device and having a smooth surface facing the interior surface of the LCD device, where the wavelength-selective reflector has a wavelength-selective coating configured to cause incident visible light from the display backlight to be transmitted through the wavelength-selective reflector to the LCD device, and cause incident infrared light reflected from an object on or near an exterior surface of the LCD device to be reflected off of the wavelength-selective reflector and directed to an infrared vision subsystem.

Infrared vision with liquid crystal display device

Various embodiments are disclosed for setting a depth camera light source operating temperature in a thermal tuning mode executed during a depth camera manufacturing process. One embodiment of a method includes illuminating a target with light from a light source at a plurality of light source temperatures; for each light source temperature, sensing an intensity of reflected light received at a light sensor through a light filter positioned intermediate the target and the light sensor; approximating a frequency response relationship between a light filter cutoff frequency and a light source emission wavelength based on a comparison of the sensed intensities and stored reference data; generating a temperature set point so that the light source emission wavelength does not overlap the light filter cutoff frequency by more than a predetermined overlap threshold; and programming a temperature controller to control the light source to the temperature set point during depth camera operation.

Thermally-tuned depth camera light source

Various embodiments related to rear-projection image display are disclosed. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a projector for projecting an image and a screen configured to display the image. The screen comprises a filter layer having a light reception side and an image display side. The filter layer includes an array of trapezoidal transmissive elements and an array of trapezoidal absorption elements, where a wider base of each of the trapezoidal transmissive elements faces the light reception side of the filter layer, and where a wider base of each of the trapezoidal absorption elements faces the image display side of the filer layer.

Growing community of inventors

Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Prafulla Jinendra Masalkar