3D imaging system

• US 7,224,384 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft International Holdings BV (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: 3DV Systems Ltd. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Iddan, Gavriel J., Yahav, Giora, Braun, Ori J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Tung
• Assistant Examiner(s): SENFI, BEHROOZ M
• Application Number:
  US10/070,774
• Time in Patent Office: 2,820 Days
• Field of Search: 348/353, 348/354, 348/572, 348/574, 348/576, 348/584, 348/607, 348/263, 348/362, 348/364, 348/229, 382/362, 382/154, 382/285, 382/274, 382/286, 382/148, 382/293, 382/276, 382/106, 356/375, 356/352, 356/237, 356/376, 356/601, 356/511, 356/23, 356/608, 356/607, 396/89, 396/106
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4812 transmitted and received beams following a coaxial path
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2226 Determination of depth image, e.g. for foreground/background separation determining depth by image analysis in general G06T7/50; segmentation by image analysis in general G06T7/10

Abstract

An optical imaging system comprising: a taking lens system that collects light from a scene being imaged with the optical imaging system; a 3D camera comprising at least one photosurface that receives light from the taking lens system simultaneously from all points in the scene and provides data for generating a depth map of the scene responsive to the light; and an imaging camera comprising at least one photosurface that receives light from the taking lens system and provides a picture of the scene responsive to the light.

Claims

1. An optical imaging system comprising:

a taking lens that collects light from a scene being imaged with the optical imaging system;

a 3D camera comprising at least one photosurface that receives light from the taking lens simultaneously from all points in the scene and provides data for generating a depth map of the scene responsive to the light; and

an imaging camera comprising at least one photosurface that receives light from the taking lens and provides a picture of the scene responsive to the light; and

a light control system that controls an amount of light from the taking lens that reaches at least one of the 3D camera and the imaging camera without affecting an amount of light that reaches the other of the 3D camera and the imaging camera.

2. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the 3D camera and the imaging camera are boresighted with the taking lens.

3. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one photosurface of the 3D camera and the at least one photosurface of the imaging camera are homologous.

4. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the light control system comprises a light controller adjustable to control the amount of light from the taking lens that reaches the imaging camera without affecting the amount of light from the taking lens that reaches the 3D camera.

5. An optical imaging system according to claim 4 wherein the light controller comprises an iris.

6. An optical imaging system according to claim 4 wherein the light controller comprises a neutral density filter.

7. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the light control system comprises a light controller adjustable to control the amount of light collected by the taking lens that enters the imaging system.

8. An optical imaging system according to claim 7 wherein the light controller that controls the amount of light collected by the taking lens that enters the imaging system comprises an iris.

9. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 and comprising a light controller adjustable to control the amount of light from the taking lens that reaches the 3D camera without affecting the amount of light from the taking lens that reaches the imaging camera.

10. An optical imaging system according to claim 9 wherein the light controller that controls the amount of light from the taking lens that reaches the 3D camera comprises an iris.

11. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the 3D camera is a gated 3D camera.

12. An optical imaging system according to claim 11 and comprising a pulsed light source that radiates a train of light pulses to illuminate a scene being imaged with the optical imaging system.

13. An optical imaging system according to claim 12 wherein the pulsed light source radiates IR light.

14. An optical imaging system according to claim 11 wherein the 3D camera comprises at least 2 photosurfaces.

15. An optical imaging system according to claim 14 wherein the 3D camera comprises a light guide that receives light from the taking lens and directs portions of the light that it receives to each of the at least two photosurfaces.

16. An optical imaging system according to claim 15 and comprising a single shutter, which when gated open enables light from the taking lens to reach the light guide.

17. An optical imaging system according to claim 16 and comprising a controller that gates the single shutter open and closed.

18. An optical imaging system according to claim 17 wherein the controller controls each of the photosurfaces to be activated and deactivated and wherein when a photosurface is activated, it is sensitive to light incident thereon.

19. An optical imaging system according to claim 18 wherein each time that the controller gates on the single shutter it activates one and only one of the at least two photosurfaces.

20. An optical imaging system according to claim 19 wherein the at least two photosurfaces comprises three photosurfaces.

21. An optical imaging system according to claim 20 wherein following a time that at least one light pulse is radiated, the controller gates on the single shutter for a first gate and turns on a first photosurface and wherein the first gate is timed so that light reflected from the at least one light pulse by a region in the scene is registered by the first photosurface.

22. An optical imaging system according to claim 21 wherein following a time that at least one light pulse in the train of light pulses is radiated, the controller gates on the single shutter for a second gate and activates a second one of the photosurfaces and wherein the second gate is timed so that during the second gate no light from the at least one light pulse reflected by the region is registered by the second photosurface.

23. An optical imaging system according to claim 22 wherein following a time that at least one light pulse in the train of light pulses is radiated the controller gates on the single shutter for a third gate and activates a third one of the photosurfaces and wherein the controller controls the gate width and timing of the third gate so that during the third gate substantially all light from the at least one pulse that is reflected by the region, which is collected by the taking lens, is registered by the third photosurface.

24. An optical imaging system according to claim 15 wherein the light guide is a three-way prism.

25. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 and comprising a beam splitter that receives light from the taking lens and directs a portion of the received light towards the 3D camera and a portion of the received light to the imaging camera.

26. An optical imaging system according to claim 7 wherein the light guide is a four-way prism that receives light from the taking lens and directs a portion of the received light to the imaging camera.

27. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the imaging camera comprises a color camera.

28. An optical imaging system according to claim 1 wherein the imaging camera is a color camera comprising separate R, G and B photosurfaces and comprising a four way prism that receives light from the taking lens and directs a portion of the received light to each of the R, G and B photosurfaces and to the single shutter of the 3D camera.