SELECTIVE ILLUMINATION

• US 20130335302A1
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Published: 12/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Crane, Randall T., Fleck, Rod G., Bohn, David D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

In embodiments of selective illumination, an illumination system includes light sources implemented for selective illumination of a target within a field of view of an imaging system. The illumination system also includes optics that can be positioned to direct light that is generated by a subset of the light sources to illuminate a region within the field of view. An imaging application can activate the subset of the light sources and position the optics to illuminate the region within the field of view that includes the target of the selective illumination.

Claims

1. An illumination system, comprising:

light sources configured for selective illumination of a target within a field of view of an imaging system;

optics configured for positioning to direct light that is generated by a subset of the light sources to illuminate a region within the field of view; and

an imaging application configured to activate the subset of the light sources and position the optics to illuminate the region within the field of view that includes the target of the selective illumination.

2. An illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein the imaging application is further configured to deactivate the light sources that do not illuminate the region within the field of view that includes the target to conserve power utilized by the light sources to generate the light.

3. An illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein the imaging application is configured to one of:

activate all of the light sources at less than full power when the target of the selective illumination approximately encompasses the field of view at a position near the imaging system;

or

activate the subset of the light sources at the full power when the target of the selective illumination is positioned in the region within the field of view away from the imaging system.

4. An illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein the imaging application is configured to transition activation from the subset of the light sources to an additional subset of the light sources to maintain the selective illumination of the target as the target moves from the region to an adjacent region within the field of view.

5. An illumination system as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the region and the adjacent region within the field of view at least partially overlap; and

the imaging application is configured to activate one or more of the light sources as part of the subset and the additional subset of the light sources to maintain the selective illumination as the target moves between the partially overlapping region and adjacent region.

6. An illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein the light sources comprise one of an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), an array of lasers, or a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) array.

7. An illumination system as recited in claim 1, wherein the optics comprise one of a micro-electro-mechanical (MEMs) scanning mirror, a liquid crystal (LC) optic, or a Switchable Bragg Grating (SBG).

8. A method, comprising:

tracking a target within a field of view of an imaging system with light sources configured for selective illumination of the target;

activating a subset of the light sources to illuminate a region within the field of view that includes the target of the selective illumination; and

transitioning activation from the subset of the light sources to an additional subset of the light sources to maintain the selective illumination of the target as the target moves from the region to an adjacent region within the field of view.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising positioning optics to direct light that is generated by the subset of the light sources to illuminate the region within the field of view.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising deactivating the light sources that do not illuminate the region within the field of view that includes the target to conserve power utilized by the light sources to generate light.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising activating one or more of the light sources as part of the subset and the additional subset of the light sources to maintain the selective illumination as the target moves between the region and the adjacent region.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, further comprising activating all of the light sources at less than full power when the target of the selective illumination approximately encompasses the field of view at a position near the imaging system.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the subset of the light sources are activated at the full power when the target of the selective illumination is positioned in the region within the field of view away from the imaging system.

14. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein:

the target is a hand of a user that is tracked by the imaging system of a wearable display device; and

the light sources illuminate the region within the field of view with non-visible light that the imaging system detects to track the hand.

15. A wearable display device, comprising:

an imaging system configured to image hands of a user of the wearable display device;

light sources configured for selective illumination of the hands within a field of view of the imaging system;

optics configured to direct light that is generated by a subset of the light sources to illuminate one or more regions within the field of view; and

an imaging application configured to activate the subset of the light sources and position the optics to illuminate the one or more regions within the field of view that includes the hands of the user for the selective illumination.

16. A wearable display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the imaging application is further configured to:

activate a first subset of the light sources to illuminate a first region within the field of view for selective illumination of a right hand of the user; and

activate a second subset of the light sources to illuminate a second region within the field of view for selective illumination of a left hand of the user.

17. A wearable display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the imaging application is further configured to deactivate the light sources that do not illuminate the one or more regions within the field of view that includes the hands to conserve power utilized by the light sources to generate the light.

18. A wearable display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the imaging application is further configured to:

activate all of the light sources at less than full power when a hand approximately encompasses the field of view at a position near the imaging system;

or

activate the subset of the light sources at the full power when the hand is positioned in a region within the field of view away from the imaging system.

19. A wearable display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the imaging application is configured to transition activation from the subset of the light sources to an additional subset of the light sources to maintain the selective illumination of a hand as the hand moves from a region to an adjacent region within the field of view.

20. A wearable display device as recited in claim 19, wherein:

the region and the adjacent region within the field of view at least partially overlap; and

the imaging application is configured to activate one or more of the light sources as part of the subset and the additional subset of the light sources to maintain the selective illumination as the hand moves between the partially overlapping region and adjacent region.