Integrating point source for texture projecting bulb

• US 10,612,749 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2019
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Inventors: Kaehler, Adrian, Bradski, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Laura K
• Application Number:
  US16/407,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20190316753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• Field of Search: 362 16, 36231101, 36231114, 36231113
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/66 Details of globes or covers forming part of the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21K 9/68 Details of reflectors forming part of the light source
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 19/006 of point-like light sources, e.g. incandescent or halogen lamps, with screw-threaded or bayonet base of sources having contact pins, wires or blades F21V19/0005; of LEDs or sources mounted on printed-circuit board F21V19/001
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 3/02 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/395 with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of 2D image planes

Abstract

A texture projecting light bulb includes an extended light source located within an integrator. The integrator includes at least one aperture configured to allow light to travel out of the interior of the integrator. In various embodiments, the interior of the integrator may be a diffusely reflective surface and the integrator may be configured to produce a uniform light distribution at the aperture to approximate a point source. The integrator may be surrounded by a light bulb enclosure. In various embodiments, the light bulb enclosure may include transparent and opaque regions configured to project a structured pattern of visible and/or infrared light.

Claims

1. A light bulb comprising:

at least one light source that is configured to produce infrared light and visible light; and

at least one structure that encloses the at least one light source and that is transmissive to the visible light, wherein the at least one structure includes at least one first region that is transmissive to infrared light and at least one second region that is opaque to infrared light.

2. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source includes a light source that produces both the infrared light and the visible light.

3. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source includes a first light source that produces the infrared light and a second light source that produces the visible light.

4. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one first region is arranged to project a pattern of the infrared light that is detectable by a computer vision system.

5. The light bulb of claim 4, wherein the pattern comprises at least one of a grid, a plurality of point-like images, or a plurality of bars.

6. The light bulb of claim 1, further comprising one or more baffles disposed at least partially within the at least one structure.

7. The light bulb of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more baffles is located along a straight line path between the at least one light source and the at least one first region.

8. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one structure includes an integrator surrounding at least a portion of the at least one light source and an enclosure at least partially surrounding the integrator.

9. The light bulb of claim 8, wherein the at least one light source comprises a first light source that produces the infrared light and a second light source that produces the visible light, the first light source being disposed within the integrator, the second light source being disposed outside the integrator.

10. The light bulb of claim 8, wherein the integrator comprises an aperture configured to allow light to pass out of the integrator.

11. The light bulb of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the at least one first region and at least a portion of the at least one second region are disposed within a half-space bounded by a plane tangent to the integrator at the aperture.

12. The light bulb of claim 8, wherein the enclosure comprises the at least one first region and the at least one second region.

13. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source comprises an incandescent filament.

14. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source comprises a light-emitting diode.

15. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one structure includes an interior surface comprising a specularly reflective material.

16. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one structure includes an interior surface coated with a specularly reflective coating.

17. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one structure includes an interior surface comprising a diffusive material.

18. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one structure includes an interior surface coated with a diffusive coating.

19. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one second region comprises a hot mirror transmissive to visible light and reflective to infrared light.

20. The light bulb of claim 1, wherein the at least one second region comprises a material capable of absorbing infrared light.