DEVICE FOR RECORDING IMAGES OF AN OBJECT SCENE

• US 20100097459A1
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Company KG (Diehl VA Systeme Stiftung & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Diehl BGT Defence GmbH & Company KG (Diehl VA Systeme Stiftung & Company KG)
• Inventors: Tholl, Hans Dieter, Romasew, Eugen, Barenz, Joachim
• Granted Patent: US 8,605,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/135
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4815 using multiple transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning

Abstract

A device for recording images of an object scene has a lighting unit for illuminating the object scene with several lighting elements and an optical system for directing radiation of the lighting elements reflected from the object scene onto a detector. In order to achieve a simple and compact camera, the device includes a marking device for marking the radiation from each of the lighting elements and an evaluation device for differentiating the reflected radiation of the individual lighting elements by way of the marking.

Claims

1. A device for recording images of an object scene, comprising:

a lighting unit for illuminating the object scene, said lighting unit having a plurality of lighting elements;

a detector;

an optical system configured to direct radiation of the lighting elements reflected from the object scene onto said detector;

a marking device for marking the radiation from each of said lighting elements; and

an evaluation device for differentiating the reflected radiation of the individual said lighting elements by way of the marking.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said optical system is configured to direct an entirety of the reflected radiation of the lighting elements, to be evaluated for an image generation, onto a single detector cell of said detector.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the marking is transmission time marking and said marking device is configured to assign unique transmission time windows for each lighting element.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the marking is a ray frequency marking and said lighting elements are configured to emit with a different frequency in each case.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said evaluation device is configured to assign information from a marking analysis of the reflected radiation to a position in an image of the object scene.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein said evaluation device is configured to generate an image from a plurality of position assignments.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein said optical system is configured to direct the radiation of the individual lighting elements into a separate area of the object scene in each case.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said optical system is configured to direct radiation from said lighting elements in raster form into the object scene, with each said lighting element illuminating exactly one raster point.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said lighting elements are disposed in a raster array.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein each said lighting element comprises a separate lighting source.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein each said lighting element is equipped with a respective modulation means, which is assigned only to the respective said lighting element.

12. The device according to claim 1, which comprises modulation means for time modulating the radiation of said lighting elements, and wherein said evaluation device is configured for determining depth information from an image of the object scene with the help of the modulation.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said detector includes a position-sensitive detector cell.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein said evaluation device is configured to perform a position assignment of radiation information from the individual said lighting elements, from marking information and signals of said position sensitive detector cell.