ENCODING DATA IN DEPTH PATTERNS

• US 20130342651A1
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zatloukal, Peter, DeSeranno, Shane M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,471,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06159 the marking being relief type, e.g. three-dimensional bar codes engraved in a support

Abstract

A depth imaging system comprises a depth camera input to receive a depth map representing an observed scene imaged by a depth camera, the depth map including a plurality of pixels and a depth value for each of the plurality of pixels. The depth imaging system further comprises a tag identification module to identify a 3D tag imaged by the depth camera and represented in the depth map, the 3D tag comprising one or more depth features, each of the one or more depth features comprising one or more characteristics recognizable by the depth camera. The depth imaging system further comprises a tag decoding module to translate the one or more depth features into machine-readable data.

Claims

1. A depth imaging system, comprising:

a depth camera input to receive a depth map representing an observed scene imaged by a depth camera, the depth map including a plurality of pixels and a depth value for each of the plurality of pixels;

a tag identification module to identify a 3D tag imaged by the depth camera and represented in the depth map, the 3D tag comprising one or more depth features, each of the one or more depth features comprising one or more characteristics recognizable by the depth camera; and

a tag decoding module to translate the one or more depth features into machine-readable data.

2. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features include one or more depressed surfaces.

3. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features include one or more raised surfaces.

4. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more characteristics include a depth gradient.

5. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more characteristics includes reflectivity.

6. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features collectively encode information that is not human readable, the 3D tag further comprising a visible light image overlaying the one or more depth features, the visible light image providing information that is human readable.

7. The depth imaging system of claim 6, where the visible light image includes a human-readable representation of the information encoded by the one or more depth features.

8. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features include one or more registration features.

9. A depth imaging system, comprising:

a depth camera input to receive a depth map representing an observed scene imaged by a depth camera, the depth map including a plurality of pixels and a depth value for each of the plurality of pixels;

a tag identification module to identify a 3D tag imaged by the depth camera and represented in the depth map, the 3D tag comprising one or more depth features comprising one or more depth gradients; and

a tag decoding module to translate the one or more depth gradients into machine-readable data.

10. The depth imaging system of claim 9, where the one or more depth gradients collectively encode information that is not human readable, the 3D tag further comprising a visible light image overlaying the one or more depth features, the visible light image providing information that is human readable.

11. The depth imaging system of claim 10, where the visible light image includes a human-readable representation of information encoded by the one or more depth gradients.

12. A 3D tag, comprising:

a plurality of distinguishable depth features including one or more characteristics readable by a depth camera, the plurality of distinguishable depth features collectively encoding information that is not human readable; and

a visible light image overlaying the one or more distinguishable depth features, the visible light image providing information that is human readable.

13. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the plurality of distinguishable depth features include one or more depressed surfaces.

14. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the plurality of distinguishable depth features include one or more raised surfaces.

15. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the one or more characteristics include reflectivity.

16. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the one or more characteristics include a depth gradients.

17. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the visible light image includes a human-readable representation of information encoded by the plurality of distinguishable depth features.

18. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the visible light image includes a plurality of distinguishable 2D features configured to be read by a visible light camera, the plurality of distinguishable 2D features collectively encoding information that is not human readable.

19. The 3D tag of claim 18, where the information encoded by the plurality of distinguishable 2D features includes at least a subset of the information encoded by the plurality of distinguishable depth features.

20. The 3D tag of claim 18, where each of the distinguishable 2D features corresponds to one or more distinguishable depth features.