Texas Instruments Corporation

Southern Methodist University

Vikrant R Bhakta

Marc P Christensen

Jeffrey Scott Farris

Prasanna V Rangarajan

Jeffrey Matthew Kempf

Michael Terry Davis

Panos Papamichalis

Sajjad Ali Khan

John Marshall Ferri

Alexander Lyubarsky

Stephen Aldridge Shaw

Steven Paul Krycho

Gavin Camillo Perrella

Jeff Farris

Manjunath Somayaji

An automotive headlamp is provided that includes a digital micromirror device (DMD) headlight module, the DMD headlight module including a DMD, a white light module to provide a white light beam to illuminate the DMD, illumination optics optically coupled between the DMD and the white light module to prepare the white light beam for illuminating the DMD, and projection optics optically coupled to the DMD to receive pixelated light reflected by the DMD and project a pixelated light beam on road, in which at least one of the DMD, the white light module, and the illumination optics shape a beam profile of the white light beam such that the light reflected by the DMD has a pixelated non-uniform beam profile suitable for projecting a white light beam that forms a portion of a white light beam of the headlamp.

Pixelated projection for automotive headlamp

In described examples, a DMD includes micromirrors. A first light source generates a first beam profile illuminating a first set of micromirrors of the DMD. A second light source generates a second beam profile illuminating a second set of micromirrors of the DMD. The first and second beam profiles partially overlap on at least some micromirrors of the DMD. The first light source is source-modulated independently of the second light source for adjusting power and brightness in response to a sensed driving condition. The micromirrors of the DMD are modulated in response to the sensed driving condition.

Quasi-sparse optical illumination

A depth imaging system includes an optical image sensor, an optical beam steering system, an object identification system, and a depth measurement system. The object identification system is coupled to the optical image sensor. The object identification system is configured to identify an object in an image captured by the optical image sensor. The depth measurement system is coupled to the optical beam steering device. The depth measurement system is configured to, responsive to identification of the object by the object identification system: direct an optical signal, via the optical beam steering device, to the object, and to determine a distance to the object based on a time-of-flight of the optical signal.

Depth imaging system

Intrinsically safe laser sourced illumination. A system for illumination is disclosed, including a plurality of laser illumination sources configured to transmit laser beams; a dichroic mirror spaced from the plurality of laser illumination sources and having an aperture configured to allow the laser beams to pass through the dichroic mirror, the remaining surfaces of the dichroic mirror configured to reflect the laser beams; a phosphor element spaced from the dichroic mirror and coated with a substance to fluoresce when struck by the laser beams and configured to disperse the laser beams and to output combined light that includes fluorescent light and the dispersed laser beams; and an illumination output arranged to receive the combined light from the phosphor element and to output illuminating light containing both the fluorescent light and the dispersed laser beams. Methods are also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for intrinsically safe laser sourced illumination

To generate a projected light beam, a headlamp includes: a light source to provide light; and a digital micromirror device (DMD). Illumination optics are optically coupled between the light source and the DMD to illuminate the DMD with the light from the light source. The DMD is arranged to reflect the light as pixelated light. Projection optics are optically coupled to the DMD to project the pixelated light as a mid-beam portion of the projected light beam. The mid-beam portion has a non-uniform mid-range beam profile shaped by at least the DMD and the illumination optics. A field of view and an intensity of the projected light beam are controllable by the light source and the DMD. Also, the headlamp includes a high beam module to provide a high beam portion of the projected light beam.

Described examples include an optical apparatus having a first lens, a first optical element having a first aperture, a second lens, and a second optical element having a second aperture. The optical apparatus includes a third lens having a first portion to receive projected light from the first lens through the first aperture and to project the projected light onto a target. Also, the third lens has a second portion to receive reflected light reflected from the target and to provide the reflected light to the second lens through the second aperture.

Split aperture projector/camera

An illumination system includes at least first and second laser illumination sources. A down converter material emits light when illuminated by one or more of the laser illumination sources. The first laser illumination source is arranged to illuminate only a first portion of the down converter material. The second laser illumination source is arranged to illuminate only a second portion of the down converter material. Control circuitry causes the first laser illumination source to adaptively vary a first intensity of illuminating the first portion of the down converter material, causes the second laser illumination source to adaptively vary a second intensity of illuminating the second portion of the down converter material, and causes the light modulator to allow a selected amount of the down converter material's emitted light to be projected from the system.

Methods and apparatus for illumination with laser modulated adaptive beam shaping

Described examples include a projection device having a light source. The projection device also has a spatial light modulator arranged to receive light from the light source and provide modulated light. The projection device also has projection optics arranged to receive and project the modulated light. The projection device also has a field splitting element between the spatial light modulator and the projection optics, a first portion of the field splitting element being structured to pass at least a first portion of the modulated light to the projection optics for projection at a first focal length, and a second portion of the field splitting element being structured to pass at least a second portion of the modulated light to the projection optics for projection at a second focal length.

Projection device with field splitting element

A system includes a camera and a projector for capturing spatial detail having resolution exceeding that afforded by the imaging optics, and recovering topographic information lost to the projective nature of imaging. The projector projects a spatial pattern onto the scene to be captured. The spatial patterns may include any pattern or combination of patterns that result in complex sinusoidal modulation. Spatial detail such as texture on the objects in the scene modulate the amplitude of the spatial pattern, and produce Moir&#xe9; fringes that shifts previously unresolved spatial frequencies into the camera's optical passband. The images may be demodulated, and the demodulated components may be combined with the un-modulated components. The resulting image has spatial detail previously inaccessible to the camera owing to the band-limited nature of the camera optics. A spatial pattern may also be projected and received by the camera to estimate topographic information about the scene.

Enhancing imaging performance through the use of active illumination

In described examples of an automotive headlamp, a first illumination source outputs a first color light, and a second illumination source outputs a second color light different from the first color light. A digital micromirror device receives the first color light and the second color light and reflects the first color light and the second color light. A projection optics receives reflected light from the digital micromirror device and outputs a beam from the automotive headlamp having a color that is a combination of the first and second colors. A controller controls intensity and duration of the first illumination source and the second illumination source, controls a pattern on the digital micromirror device, and spectrally tunes the color of the output beam.

Apparatus for spatially and spectrally adaptable dichromatic white light source using spatial light modulator

An illumination apparatus is provided that includes a yellow phosphor converter to receive a blue laser light beam and to convert a portion of the blue laser light beam to yellow light, a dichroic mirror optically coupled to the yellow phosphor converter to receive the phosphor-emitted light beam and to filter the phosphor-emitted light beam to provide a dichroic-filtered light beam, the dichroic mirror configured to pass yellow light and to reflect at least some blue light, and a blue light source optically coupled to the dichroic mirror to provide a blue light beam, the dichroic mirror configured to reflect the blue light beam in a same direction as the dichroic-filtered light beam.

Apparatus having blue light source, dichroic mirror and phosphor converter to generate white light

In described examples of a headlamp to project a beam of light from a lens, the headlamp includes: an illumination module to output a light beam to an illumination path; and illumination optics to receive the light beam and to provide illumination to a programmable spatial light modulator. The programmable spatial light modulator is arranged to receive the illumination and to output non-uniform illumination as patterned light to projection optics. The projection optics are arranged to receive the patterned light and to output the patterned light through the lens. At least one of the illumination optics and the projection optics includes an anamorphic lens to shape the light beam.

Methods and apparatus for light efficient programmable headlamp with anamorphic optics

In described examples, one or more devices include: a light source to generate a beam of light; and optics to generate a spot of light in response to the beam of light. A color wheel revolves in a direction of rotation about an axis, so the spot of light illuminates an area of the color wheel. The spot of light has: a first width; and a second width wider than the first width and orthogonal to the first width. The first width is aligned tangential to the direction of rotation.

Assymetric spot area spoke reduction

A headlamp includes a digital micromirror device (DMD) reflector, a light source, and projection optics. The DMD reflector includes a DMD and a static reflector disposed on a plurality of sides of the DMD. The light source is disposed to illuminate the DMD reflector. The projection optics are configured to project light reflected by the DMD and light reflected by the static reflector via a same lens system.

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Vikrant R Bhakta