Real time position sensing of objects

• US 10,274,588 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Semiconductor Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Smits, Gerard Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke D
• Application Number:
  US15/694,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20180246189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/003 Bistatic lidar systems; Multistatic lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4808 Evaluating distance, position or velocity data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/484 Transmitters

Abstract

Embodiments are directed toward measuring a three dimensional range to a target. A transmitter emits light toward the target. An aperture may receive light reflections from the target. The aperture may direct the reflections toward a sensor that comprises rows of pixels that have columns. The sensor is offset a predetermined distance from the transmitter. Anticipated arrival times of the reflections on the sensor are based on the departure times and the predetermined offset distance. A portion of the pixels are sequentially activated based on the anticipated arrival times. The target'"'"'s three dimensional range measurement is based on the reflections detected by the portion of the pixels.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a three-dimensional range to a target, comprising:

emitting, by a transmitter, light toward the target;

receiving, by an aperture, one or more reflections of the light from the target;

directing, by the aperture, the one or more reflections toward a sensor that comprises a plurality of pixels arranged in one or more rows having a plurality of columns, wherein the sensor is positioned at a location that is offset by a predetermined distance from another location of the transmitter;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, one or more departure times of the emitted light towards the target;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, one or more anticipated arrival times of the one or more light reflections on the sensor based on the one or more departure times and the predetermined offset distance;

activating, by the one or more processor devices, one or more portions of the plurality of pixels arranged in the one or more rows based on the one or more anticipated arrival times; and

in response to a first portion of the one or more rows of pixels containing the one or more pixels that indicate capture of the one or more light reflections, determining, by the one or more processor devices, a disparity of the indicated capture of the one or more light reflections in regard to a disparity threshold, wherein the target'"'"'s three-dimensional range measurement is based on the disparity of the one or more light reflections detected by the one or more portions of the plurality of pixels.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, employing a shutter to control an amount of the one or more light reflections passing through the aperture that are captured by one or more portions of one or more adjacent rows of pixels to the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more adjacent rows of pixels have another determined disparity to the disparity threshold that is less than the disparity of the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a power of the light emitted toward the target based on an amount of a distance to the target in comparison to a distance threshold, wherein the amount of the power of the emitted light is decreased in response to the amount of the distance being less than the distance threshold and the power of the emitted light is increased in response to the amount of the distance being more than the distance threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the one or more portions of pixels indicating capture of the one or more pixels, further comprises turning off the one or more portions of pixels indicating capture after a time period to reduce subsequent capture of one or more other light reflections from one or more of a background object or a foreground object that are separate from the target.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scanning, by a scanner, the emitted light to detect the target moving across a volume of a sky; and

in response to the one or more portions of the rows of pixels indicating capture of the one or more reflections from the moving target, improving a resolution for tracking the moving target across the volume of the sky by modifying one or more of a sensitivity of the one or more pixels in the one or more rows of pixels to capture the one or more reflections, a time of flight for indicating capture of the one or more reflections by the one or more pixels in the one or more rows, a power of the emitted light, or a rate for scanning the emitted light across the volume of the sky.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising another sensor that comprises a plurality of other pixels arranged in one or more other rows having a plurality of columns, wherein the other sensor is positioned at yet another location that is offset by separate predetermined distances from both the transmitter'"'"'s other location and the sensor'"'"'s location, wherein the other sensor enables compensation for one or more of effects caused by one or more lens employed to direct the one or more reflections or the emitted light.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the transmitter, temporally separate bursts of light, wherein each of the bursts includes light of a distinct color as compared to each other burst in the temporally separate bursts of light;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, for each respective one of the distinct colors, each portion of the one or more rows of pixels that contain one or more pixels that indicate capture of light having one or more of the distinct colors;

for each respective portion of the one or more pixel rows that contains one or more pixels that indicate capture of light of one or more of the distinct colors, determining, by the one or more processor devices, a respective disparity for the respective portion of the one or more rows of pixels; and

determining, by the one or more processor devices, that the range to the target is the distance based on the respective disparity for each respective portion of the one or more rows of pixels that contain one or more pixels that indicate capture of light having the one or more distinct colors.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the disparity for the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels being below the disparity threshold, emitting, by the transmitter, one or more bursts of light;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, one or more times of flight of the one or more bursts of light based on the sensor indicating capture of one or more reflections of the one or more bursts of light; and

determining, by the one or more processor devices, that the range to the target is a distance based on the one or more determined times of flight of the one or more bursts of light.

9. A system to measure a three-dimensional range to a target, comprising:

a transmitter that emits light toward the target;

an aperture that receives one or more reflections of the light from the target, wherein the aperture directs the one or more reflections toward a sensor;

a sensor that comprises a plurality of pixels arranged in one or more rows having a plurality of columns, wherein the sensor is positioned at a location that is offset by a predetermined distance from another location of the transmitter;

one or more memory devices that store instructions;

one or more processor devices that execute the stored instructions to perform actions, including;

determining one or more departure times of the emitted light towards the target;

determining one or more anticipated arrival times of the one or more light reflections on the sensor based on the one or more departure times and the predetermined offset distance;

activating, by the one or more processor devices, one or more portions of the plurality of pixels arranged in the one or more rows based on the one or more anticipated arrival times; and

in response to a first portion of the one or more rows of pixels containing the one or more pixels that indicate capture of the one or more light reflections, determining, by the one or more processor devices, a disparity of the indicated capture of the one or more light reflections in regard to a disparity threshold, wherein the target'"'"'s three-dimensional range measurement is based on the disparity of the one or more light reflections detected by the one or more portions of the plurality of pixels.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising, employing a shutter to control an amount of the one or more light reflections passing through the aperture that are captured by one or more portions of one or more adjacent rows of pixels to the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more adjacent rows of pixels have another determined disparity to the disparity threshold that is less than the disparity of the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising modifying a power of the light emitted toward the target based on an amount of a distance to the target in comparison to a distance threshold, wherein the amount of the power of the emitted light is decreased in response to the amount of the distance being less than the distance threshold and the power of the emitted light is increased in response to the amount of the distance being more than the distance threshold.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the activation of the one or more portions of pixels indicating capture of the one or more pixels, further comprises turning off the one or more portions of pixels indicating capture after a time period to reduce subsequent capture of one or more other light reflections from one or more of a background object or a foreground object that are separate from the target.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

scanning, by a scanner, the emitted light to detect the target moving across a volume of a sky; and

in response to the one or more portions of the rows of pixels indicating capture of the one or more reflections from the moving target, improving a resolution for tracking the moving target across the volume of the sky by modifying one or more of a sensitivity of the one or more pixels in the one or more rows of pixels to capture the one or more reflections, a time of flight for indicating capture of the one or more reflections by the one or more pixels in the one or more rows, a power of the emitted light, or a rate for scanning the emitted light across the volume of the sky.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising another sensor that comprises a plurality of other pixels arranged in one or more other rows having a plurality of columns, wherein the other sensor is positioned at yet another location that is offset by separate predetermined distances from both the transmitter'"'"'s other location and the sensor'"'"'s location, wherein the other sensor enables compensation for one or more of effects caused by one or more lens employed to direct the one or more reflections or the emitted light.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting, by the transmitter, temporally separate bursts of light, wherein each of the bursts includes light of a distinct color as compared to each other burst in the temporally separate bursts of light;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, for each respective one of the distinct colors, each portion of the one or more rows of pixels that contain one or more pixels that indicate capture of light having one or more of the distinct colors;

for each respective portion of the one or more pixel rows that contains one or more pixels that indicate capture of light of one or more of the distinct colors, determining, by the one or more processor devices, a respective disparity for the respective portion of the one or more rows of pixels; and

determining, by the one or more processor devices, that the range to the target is the distance based on the respective disparity for each respective portion of the one or more rows of pixels that contain one or more pixels that indicate capture of light having the one or more distinct colors.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to the disparity for the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels being below the disparity threshold, emitting, by the transmitter, one or more bursts of light;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, one or more times of flight of the one or more bursts of light based on the sensor indicating capture of one or more reflections of the one or more bursts of light; and

determining, by the one or more processor devices, that the range to the target is a distance based on the one or more determined times of flight of the one or more bursts of light.

17. A non-transitory processor readable storage media that includes instructions for measuring a three-dimensional range to a target, wherein execution of the instructions by one or more processor devices cause the one or more processor devices to perform actions, comprising:

emitting, by a transmitter, light toward the target;

receiving, by an aperture, one or more reflections of the light from the target;

directing, by the aperture, the one or more reflections toward a sensor that comprises a plurality of pixels arranged in one or more rows having a plurality of columns, wherein the sensor is positioned at a location that is offset by a predetermined distance from another location of the transmitter;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, one or more departure times of the emitted light towards the target;

determining, by the one or more processor devices, one or more anticipated arrival times of the one or more light reflections on the sensor based on the one or more departure times and the predetermined offset distance;

activating, by the one or more processor devices, one or more portions of the plurality of pixels arranged in the one or more rows based on the one or more anticipated arrival times; and

in response to a first portion of the one or more rows of pixels containing the one or more pixels that indicate capture of the one or more light reflections, determining, by the one or more processor devices, a disparity of the indicated capture of the one or more light reflections in regard to a disparity threshold, wherein the target'"'"'s three-dimensional range measurement is based on the disparity of the one or more light reflections detected by the one or more portions of the plurality of pixels.

18. The media of claim 17, further comprising, employing a shutter to control an amount of the one or more light reflections passing through the aperture that are captured by one or more portions of one or more adjacent rows of pixels to the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels, wherein the one or more portions of the one or more adjacent rows of pixels have another determined disparity to the disparity threshold that is less than the disparity of the first portion of the one or more rows of pixels.

19. The media of claim 17, further comprising:

scanning, by a scanner, the emitted light to detect the target moving across a volume of a sky; and

in response to the one or more portions of the rows of pixels indicating capture of the one or more reflections from the moving target, improving a resolution for tracking the moving target across the volume of the sky by modifying one or more of a sensitivity of the one or more pixels in the one or more rows of pixels to capture the one or more reflections, a time of flight for indicating capture of the one or more reflections by the one or more pixels in the one or more rows, a power of the emitted light, or a rate for scanning the emitted light across the volume of the sky.

20. The media of claim 17, further comprising another sensor that comprises a plurality of other pixels arranged in one or more other rows having a plurality of columns, wherein the other sensor is positioned at yet another location that is offset by separate predetermined distances from both the transmitter'"'"'s other location and the sensor'"'"'s location, wherein the other sensor enables compensation for one or more of effects caused by one or more lens employed to direct the one or more reflections or the emitted light.