Optical modules that reduce speckle contrast and diffraction artifacts
First Claim
1. A depth camera system for use in obtaining a depth image of a capture area, comprising:
- an optical module configured to output infrared (IR) light that illuminates the capture area;
an image pixel detector array configured to detect a portion of the IR light, output by the optical module, that has reflected off one or more objects within the capture area and is incident on the image pixel detector array; and
a processor configured to produce the depth image based on the portion of the IR light detected by the image pixel detector;
wherein the optical module includesa plurality of laser emitting elements each of which is operable to emit a corresponding IR laser beam; and
a micro-lens array including a two-dimensional array of substantially identical lenslets provided along two axes on a common surface of the micro-lens array;
wherein adjacent ones of the laser emitting elements are configured to emit IR laser beams that at least partially overlap one another prior to being incident on the micro-lens array;
wherein a number of lenslets, in the two-dimensional array of lenslets provided on the common surface of the micro-lens array, is greater than a number of laser emitting elements;
wherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are adjacent to one another is less than 100 μ
m; and
wherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are not adjacent to one another is less than 1 mm.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical module, for use in a depth camera, includes a plurality of laser emitting elements, each of which emits a corresponding laser beam, and a micro-lens array (MLA) that includes a plurality of lenslets. Laser beams emitted by adjacent laser emitting elements at least partially overlap one another prior to being incident on the MLA For each lenslet of at least a majority of the lenslets of the MLA, the lenslet is at least partially filled by light corresponding to laser beams emitted by at least two of the laser emitting elements. The inclusion of the plurality of laser emitting elements is used to reduce speckle contrast. The overlap of the laser beams, and the at least partially filling of the lenslets of the MLA with light corresponding to laser beams emitted by multiple laser emitting elements, is used to reduce diffraction artifacts.
195 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A depth camera system for use in obtaining a depth image of a capture area, comprising:
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an optical module configured to output infrared (IR) light that illuminates the capture area; an image pixel detector array configured to detect a portion of the IR light, output by the optical module, that has reflected off one or more objects within the capture area and is incident on the image pixel detector array; and a processor configured to produce the depth image based on the portion of the IR light detected by the image pixel detector; wherein the optical module includes a plurality of laser emitting elements each of which is operable to emit a corresponding IR laser beam; and a micro-lens array including a two-dimensional array of substantially identical lenslets provided along two axes on a common surface of the micro-lens array; wherein adjacent ones of the laser emitting elements are configured to emit IR laser beams that at least partially overlap one another prior to being incident on the micro-lens array; wherein a number of lenslets, in the two-dimensional array of lenslets provided on the common surface of the micro-lens array, is greater than a number of laser emitting elements; wherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are adjacent to one another is less than 100 μ
m; andwherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are not adjacent to one another is less than 1 mm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for use by a depth camera, the method comprising:
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outputting infrared (IR) light from an optical module of the depth camera to thereby illuminate a capture area with the IR light, wherein a portion of the IR light that has reflected off one or more objects within the capture area is detected by an image pixel detector array; wherein the outputting IR light from the optical module includes emitting a plurality of separate IR laser beams from a plurality of laser emitting elements towards a micro-lens array that includes a two-dimensional array of substantially identical lenslets provided along two axes on a common surface of the micro-lens array such that adjacent IR laser beams at least partially overlap one another prior to being incident on the micro-lens array, and for each lenslet of at least a majority of the lenslets in the two-dimensional array of lenslets provided on the common surface of the micro-lens array, the lenslet is at least partially filled by IR light corresponding to more than one of the IR laser beams; wherein a number of the lenslets is greater than a number of laser emitting elements; wherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are adjacent to one another is less than 100 μ
m; andwherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are not adjacent to one another is less than 1 mm. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An optical module for use with a depth camera system for use in obtaining a depth image of a capture area, the optical module comprising:
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a plurality of laser emitting elements each of which is configured to emit a corresponding infrared (IR) laser beam, wherein a portion of IR light corresponding to the IR laser beams reflects off one or more objects within the capture area and is detected by an image pixel detector array; and a micro-lens array including a two-dimensional array of substantially identical lenslets provided along two axes on a common surface of the micro-lens array; wherein IR laser beams emitted by adjacent ones of the laser emitting elements at least partially overlap one another prior to being incident on the micro-lens array; wherein for each lenslet of at least a majority of the lenslets in the two-dimensional array of substantially identical lenslets provided on the common surface of the micro-lens array, the lenslet is configured to be at least partially filled by IR light corresponding to IR laser beams emitted by more than one of the laser emitting elements; wherein a number of lenslets, in the two-dimensional array of substantially identical lenslets provided on the common surface of the micro-lens array, is greater than a number of laser emitting elements; wherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are adjacent to one another is less than 100 μ
m; andwherein a center-to-center distance between any two of the laser emitting elements that are not adjacent to one another is less than 1 mm. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification