Three-dimensional imaging system

• US 10,742,957 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2018
• Issued: 08/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: California Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Gharib, Morteza, Harvard, Alexei, Hsieh, Scott, Lu, Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Yulin
• Application Number:
  US16/209,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20190174117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 348 50
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20016 Hierarchical, coarse-to-fine, multiscale or multiresolution image processing; Pyramid transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30036 Dental; Teeth
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30244 Camera pose
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/579 from motion
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/207 using a single 2D image sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/214 using spectral multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/25 using two or more image sensors with different characteristics other than in their location or field of view, e.g. having different resolutions or colour pickup characteristics; using image signals from one sensor to control the characteristics of another sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/257 Colour aspects

Abstract

Hardware and software configurations, optionally, for performing profilometry of an object are disclosed. An advantageous imaging device is described. An advantageous approach to determining imager position is also described. Each aspect described may be used independently of the other. Moreover, the teaching may find use in other fields including velocimetry, etc.

Claims

1. An improved imaging apparatus, the apparatus comprising an image sensor;

an array of apertures, arranged in a pattern having a specified shape, arranged between said imaging sensor and a scene;

a lens part, the lens part, the imaging sensor and the apertures being arranged to capture light reflected from or emitted by a large plurality of isolated distinguishable points of the scene that pass through each of the plurality of apertures and that is received at the image sensor as a plurality of isolated distinguishable point images, the isolated distinguishable point images each including a number of image points that is equal to a number of the plurality of apertures; and

a processor to analyze each image point in each isolated distinguishable point image from the image sensor to determine relative positions of each isolated distinguishable point in the scene relative to each other isolated distinguishable point in the scene to map a complete three dimensional image of the scene, wherein the improvement comprises;

the image sensor having three color channels; and

the array of apertures consisting of two apertures, each aperture coded to one of two lighting element colors to isolate the distinguishable points of the scene onto corresponding image sensor color channels.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of lighting elements of only two colors.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the colors channels of the image sensor are red, green and blue, and the colors of the lighting elements are red and blue.

4. An improved method comprising imaging a scene using a plurality of the apertures arranged in a pattern of a specified shape by allowing light from the scene to pass only through the plurality of apertures onto an imager;

associating each of the apertures with a different and separate portion of the imager, so that light which passes through each aperture is imaged on a different portion of the imager;

capturing light reflected from or emitted by a large plurality of isolated distinguishable points of the scene that pass through each of the plurality of apertures and that is received at the imager as a plurality of isolated distinguishable point images, the isolated distinguishable point images each including a number of image points that is equal to a number of the plurality of apertures; and

analyzing each image point in each isolated distinguishable point image from the imager to determine relative positions of each isolated distinguishable point in the scene relative to each other isolated distinguishable point in the scene to map a complete three dimensional image of the scene, the improvement comprising;

providing an imager with three color channels for the imaging; and

utilizing only two apertures and two of the three channels to accomplish the imaging.

5. The method of claim of claim 4, wherein the three channels provided are red, green and blue, and the two channels utilized are red and blue.