METHODS FOR REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION OF A 3D IMAGE CAPTURE SYSTEM

• US 20140267631A1
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xrpro
• Original Assignee: Occipital, Inc.
• Inventors: Powers, Jeffrey, O'Keefe, Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 11,172,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• 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 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/651 for reducing power consumption by affecting camera operations, e.g. sleep mode, hibernation mode or power off of selective parts of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A method for reducing power consumption of a 3D image capture system includes capturing 3D image data with the 3D image capture system while the 3D image capture system is in a first power state, detecting a power state change trigger, and switching from the first power state to a second power state based on the power state change trigger, wherein the 3D image capture system consumes less power in the second power state than in the first power state.

Claims

1. A method for reducing power consumption of a 3D image capture system comprising:

capturing, at a first time, using an RGB camera and an active depth camera, 3D image data with the 3D image capture system while the 3D image capture system is in a first power state, wherein the 3D image data includes pose data;

capturing, at a second time, using an RGB camera, 2D image data, wherein the 2D image data includes estimated pose data;

refining, using an image warping technique operating on the 2D image data and the 3D image data, the estimated pose data into refined pose data;

determining, based on results of the image warping technique, a refined pose data quality level;

generating, based on the refined posed data quality level satisfying a quality threshold, a power state change trigger; and

switching, on the 3D image capture system, from the first power state to a second power state based on the power state change trigger, wherein the active depth camera is disabled and pose data is captured using 2D image data in the second power state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the active depth camera is a structured light camera having a structured light emitter and an infrared camera.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing additional 2D image data at a third time using an RGB camera, wherein the additional 2D image data includes new estimated pose data;

refining, using an image warping technique operating on the additional 2D image data, the new estimated pose data into new refined pose data;

determining, based on results of the image warping technique, a new refined pose data quality level;

generating, based on the new refined posed data quality level not satisfying a second quality threshold, a second power state change trigger; and

switching, on the 3D image capture system, from the second power state to the first power state based on the second power state change trigger.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing 2D image data further comprises capturing estimated pose data using an inertial motion unit.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing 3D image data while the 3D image capture system is in the second power state, using a derived data technique operating on the 2D image data.

6. A method for reducing power consumption of a 3D image capture system comprising:

capturing 3D image data with the 3D image capture system while the 3D image capture system is in a first power state;

detecting, on the 3D image capture system, a power state change trigger; and

switching, on the 3D image capture system, from the first power state to a second power state based on the power state change trigger, wherein the 3D image capture system consumes less power in the second power state than in the first power state.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein capturing 3D image data with the 3D image capture system while the 3D image capture system is in a first power state comprises capturing 3D image data with an active depth camera and an RGB camera.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising capturing a pose of the 3D image capture system;

wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises determining that the 3D image capture system has already collected 3D image data for the pose;

wherein the active depth camera of the 3D image capture system is disabled in the second power state.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising capturing a pose of the 3D image capture system, wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises determining that the 3D image data results in updates to an environment map, wherein modification to the environment map by the updates is below a threshold;

wherein the active depth camera of the 3D image capture system is disabled in the second power state.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises detecting that a battery charge level of the 3D image capture system is below a low battery threshold;

wherein the active depth camera of the 3D image capture system is disabled in the second power state.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising capturing 3D image data while the 3D image capture system is in the second power state, using a derived data technique operating on 2D image data from the RGB camera.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises detecting that motion of the 3D image capture system is below a low-motion threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the active depth camera operates at a first pulse pattern having a first duty cycle in the first power state and the active depth camera operates at a second pulse pattern having a second duty cycle in the second power state;

wherein the first duty cycle is greater than the second duty cycle.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises detecting that a distance between the 3D image capture system and an imaging target is below a distance threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the active depth camera operates at a first emitter power in the first power state and the active depth camera operates at a second emitter power in the second power state;

wherein the first emitter power is greater than the second emitter power.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the active depth camera has an emitter that can spatially direct emission;

wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises detecting an area of interest in the 3D image data;

wherein the emitter spatially directs emission to the area of interest in the second power state.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises detecting that a rate of 3D image capture is greater than a threshold rate in the first power state;

wherein the active depth camera pulses at the threshold rate in the second power state.

18. The method of claim 6, wherein capturing 3D image data with the 3D image capture system while the 3D image capture system is in a first power state comprises capturing 3D image data with two RGB cameras using a stereoscopic technique.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein one of the two RGB cameras is disabled in the second power state.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein capturing 3D image data with the 3D image capture system while the 3D image capture system is in a first power state further comprises running a technique tracking algorithm;

wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises detecting a power state change trigger generated by the technique tracking algorithm.

21. The method of claim 6, wherein capturing 3D image data with the 3D image capture system while the 3D image capture system is in a first power state further comprises running a technique tracking algorithm;

wherein detecting a power state change trigger comprises detecting a power state change trigger generated by the technique tracking algorithm.