Color scannerless range imaging system using an electromechanical grating
First Claim
1. A scannerless range imaging system for capturing range information of a scene, said system comprising;
- an illumination system for controllably illuminating the scene with modulated illumination of a predetermined modulation frequency, whereby modulated illumination reflected from an object in the scene incorporates a phase delay corresponding to a distance of the object from the range imaging system;
an electromechanical light modulator positioned in an optical path of the modulated illumination reflected from the object, wherein the electromechanical light modulator operates at a reference frequency that corresponds to the predetermined modulation frequency and accordingly modulates the modulated illumination reflected from the object, thereby generating a phase image from the interference between the reference frequency and the modulated illumination reflected from the object; and
an image capture section positioned in the optical path of the modulated illumination reflected from the object for capturing the phase image, whereby the range information is derived from the phase image.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A scannerless range imaging system includes an illumination system and an electromechanical light modulator. The illumination system illuminates objects in the scene with modulated illumination of a predetermined modulation frequency, and the modulated illumination reflected from objects in the scene incorporates a phase delay corresponding to the distance of the objects from the range imaging system. The electromechanical light modulator, which is positioned in an optical path of the reflected illumination, operates at a reference frequency that corresponds to the predetermined modulation frequency and accordingly modulates the modulated illumination reflected from the object, thereby generating a phase image from the interference between the reference frequency and the reflected modulated illumination. The system further includes an optical system that deflects the reflected illumination to the electromechanical light modulator and redirects the phase image generated by the electromechanical light modulator to an image capture section. A color image may be captured by moving the optical system out of the optical path such that reflected illumination from the object will pass directly to the image capture section without contacting the electromechanical light modulator.
20 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A scannerless range imaging system for capturing range information of a scene, said system comprising;
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an illumination system for controllably illuminating the scene with modulated illumination of a predetermined modulation frequency, whereby modulated illumination reflected from an object in the scene incorporates a phase delay corresponding to a distance of the object from the range imaging system;
an electromechanical light modulator positioned in an optical path of the modulated illumination reflected from the object, wherein the electromechanical light modulator operates at a reference frequency that corresponds to the predetermined modulation frequency and accordingly modulates the modulated illumination reflected from the object, thereby generating a phase image from the interference between the reference frequency and the modulated illumination reflected from the object; and
an image capture section positioned in the optical path of the modulated illumination reflected from the object for capturing the phase image, whereby the range information is derived from the phase image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A color scannerless range imaging system for capturing both color and range information of a scene, said system comprising;
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an illumination system for controllably illuminating objects in the scene with modulated illumination of a predetermined modulation frequency, whereby modulated illumination reflected from an object in the scene incorporates a phase delay corresponding to a distance of the object from the range imaging system;
a modulation section including (a) an electromechanical light modulator positioned in an optical path of the modulated illumination reflected from the object, wherein the electromechanical light modulator operates at a reference frequency that corresponds to the predetermined modulation frequency and accordingly modulates the modulated illumination reflected from the object, thereby generating a phase image from the interference between the reference frequency and the modulated illumination reflected from the object, wherein said phase images are used to derive the range information, and (b) an optical system located in the optical path to transmit the reflected modulated illumination to the image capture section via the electromechanical grating when a phase image is to be captured;
an image capture section positioned in the optical path of the modulated illumination reflected from the object for capturing a plurality of images thereof, including (a) at least one phase image corresponding to the reflected modulated illumination and (b) at least one other image of reflected unmodulated illumination corresponding to color in the scene; and
a controller for activating the modulation section when a phase image is to be captured and inactivating the modulation section when a color image is to be captured. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification