ATTACHABLE THREE-DIMENSIONAL SCAN MODULE

• US 20160029009A1
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EYS3D Microelectronics, Co.
• Original Assignee: Etron Technology Inc
• Inventors: Lu, Chao-Chun, Hsueh, Le-Shan, Lin, Wen-Kuo
• Granted Patent: US 9,456,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/2545 with one projection direction and several detection directions, e.g. stereo
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/042 Calibration or calibration artifacts G01B3/30, G01B9/02072 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/0004 Supports G01B5/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/20 using local operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/271 wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0077 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

An attachable three-dimensional scan module includes an attachable unit, at least two image sensing units, a depth map generation unit, and an output interface. The attachable unit fixes the attachable three-dimensional scan module on a mobile device. When the mobile device is moved around an object, a first image sensing unit and a second image sensing unit of the at least two image sensing units capture a plurality of first images including the object and a plurality of second images including the object, respectively. A plurality of depth maps generated by the depth map generation unit, the plurality of first images, and the plurality of second images are used for generating a color three-dimensional scan result corresponding to the object. The output interface outputs the color three-dimensional scan result, or the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

Claims

1. An attachable three-dimensional scan module, comprising:

an attachable unit fixing the attachable three-dimensional scan module on a mobile device or a user, wherein a size of the attachable three-dimensional scan module is less than a size of the mobile device or a hand of the user;

at least two image sensing units, wherein when the attachable three-dimensional scan module is moved around an object, a first image sensing unit of the at least two image sensing units captures a plurality of first images comprising the object, and a second image sensing unit of the at least two image sensing units captures a plurality of second images comprising the object, wherein each first image of the plurality of first images corresponds to a second image of the plurality of second images, when the first image sensing unit generates the each first image, a corresponding distance exists between the attachable three-dimensional scan module and the object, wherein the plurality of first images or the plurality of second images are color images, and the corresponding distance is varied with time;

a depth map generation unit generating a corresponding depth map according to the each first image and the second image, wherein a plurality of depth maps generated by the depth map generation unit according to the plurality of first images and the plurality of second images, the plurality of first images, and the plurality of second images are used for generating a color three-dimensional scan result corresponding to the object; and

an output interface outputting the color three-dimensional scan result, or the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

2. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein when the first image sensing unit captures the each first image, a corresponding angle exists between a first line determined by a center of the first image sensing unit and the object and a second line determined by a center of the second image sensing unit and the object, and the object is located at an intersection of the first line and the second line.

3. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 2, further comprising:

a lookup table storing relations between the corresponding distance, the corresponding angle, and the corresponding depth map.

4. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 2, wherein when the first image sensing unit captures the each first image, a corresponding baseline exists between the first image sensing unit and the second image sensing unit.

5. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 4, further comprising:

a lookup table storing relations between the corresponding distance, the corresponding angle, the corresponding baseline, and the corresponding depth map.

6. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein a corresponding baseline exists between the first image sensing unit and the second image sensing unit.

7. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 6, further comprising:

a lookup table storing relations between the corresponding distance, the corresponding baseline, and the corresponding depth map.

8. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first images and the plurality of second images are RGB images or YUV images.

9. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein the depth map generation unit further comprising:

a filter unit coupled between the first image sensing unit, the second image sensing unit, and the depth map generation unit for converting the plurality of first images and the plurality of second images into monochrome images.

10. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, further comprising:

a synchronization unit coupled between the first image sensing unit, the second image sensing unit, and the depth map generation unit for outputting a first synchronization signal to the each first image and a corresponding second synchronization signal to the second image.

11. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 10, wherein the first synchronization signal corresponds to an image block of a plurality of image blocks comprised in the each first image, and the corresponding second synchronization signal corresponds to a corresponding image block of a plurality of image blocks comprised in the second image.

12. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, further comprising:

a register storing an image block of the each first image corresponding to each scan line of the first image sensing unit and a corresponding image block of the second image, wherein after the register completely stores image blocks of the each first image corresponding to scan lines of the first image sensing unit and corresponding image blocks of the second image, the register outputs the each first image and the second image.

13. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, further comprising:

a calibration unit coupled to the first image sensing unit and the second image sensing unit, wherein before the first image sensing unit outputs the each first image and the second image sensing unit outputs the second image, the calibration unit executes calibration processing on the each first image and the second image.

14. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 13, wherein the calibration processing comprises at least one of a color space calibration and an assembly calibration.

15. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 10, further comprising:

a memory coupled to the synchronization unit and the depth map generation unit for storing the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

16. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 15, further comprising:

an image processing unit coupled to the memory for generating the color three-dimensional scan result according to the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

17. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory coupled to the first image sensing unit, the second image sensing unit, and the depth map generation unit for storing the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

18. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 17, further comprising:

an image processing unit coupled to the memory for generating the color three-dimensional scan result according to the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

19. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein when the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps are transmitted to the mobile device through the output interface, the mobile device generates the color three-dimensional scan result according to the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

20. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein the output interface is a mobile-industry-processor-interface (MIPI) or a universal serial bus (USB).

21. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein the output interface is a wireless communication interface of a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4), a Bluetooth, a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN), a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a third generation (3G), a fourth generation (4G), a fifth generation (5G), or an actor network theory+ (Ant+), the output interface transmits the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps to an operation apparatus located in a cloud, and the operation apparatus generates the color three-dimensional scan result according to the plurality of first images, the plurality of second images, and the plurality of depth maps.

22. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, further comprising:

a light source emitting a predetermined light pattern to the object, wherein when the corresponding distance exists between the first image sensing unit and the object, a ratio is determined according to a size of a predetermined light pattern formed on a surface of the object and a size of the predetermined light pattern emitted by the light source, wherein the light source has an emitting angle.

23. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 22, further comprising:

a lookup table storing relationships of the corresponding distance, the ratio, the emitting angle, and the corresponding depth map.

24. The attachable three-dimensional scan module of claim 1, wherein the object is moved or rotated.