Systems and methods for wedge-based imaging using flat surfaces

• US 9,377,902 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2013
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Powell, Karlton
• Primary Examiner(s): Henn, Timothy J
• Application Number:
  US13/769,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20140232692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0046 Tapered light guide, e.g. wedge-shaped light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

A wedge imager and techniques of imaging with a wedge imager are disclosed. In one embodiment, a wedge image comprises: a simple wedge comprising substantially opposing flat faces; a multi-camera and/or optical system to capture light input into the wedge—which is then partitioned into at least two parities of image content. In another embodiment, image processing techniques are disclosed to correct distortion of each parity image content and merge or ‘stitch’ the two parities together to form a single image of the object input surface of the shim wedge. In another embodiment, in order to limit extreme high-FOV (field-of-view) requirements, multiple laterally-neighboring narrow sub-sections may be captured by use of an array of the dual-image sensors and imaging optics, along a single end of the wedge.

Claims

1. A method for image processing light data from a wedge imager, said wedge imager comprising:

a wedge, a first image sensor and a second image sensor, the method comprising;

inputting image data from the first image sensor, said first image sensor capturing image data of a plurality of bands from a first parity of light transmitted by the wedge imager, said wedge imager comprising a first substantially flat surface and a second substantially flat surface;

inputting image data from the second image sensor, said second image sensor capturing image data of a plurality of bands from a second parity of light transmitted by said wedge imager;

mapping each said band from said first parity and said second parity according to an arc segment associated with each said band to form a plurality of undistorted arc segments, each undistorted arc segment associated with one of said bands; and

stitching the image of each of said undistorted arc segments together to form an image input at the first substantially flat surface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein mapping each said band further comprises:

mapping the image input at x-y positions across said first substantially flat surface substantially to a wedge layout angle β

.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein mapping the image input at x-y positions further comprises:

converting said wedge layout angle β

to a sag height of the resulting arc'"'"'d imaging surface.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said method further comprises:

constructing a contour plot, said contour plot mapping image data at said xy positions and z positions from said first substantially flat surface to said bands of image data;

mapping said bands of said image data to substantially image the light input into said first substantially flat surface according to said contour plot.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein said method further comprises:

mapping image data from x-y positions along said first substantially flat surface along an optical system to the plane of said first image sensor and to the plane of said second image sensor.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said mapping image data from x-y positions along said first substantially flat surface along an optical system to plane of said first image sensor and to the plane of said second image sensor further comprises:

mapping image data from an aspheric mirror, said optical system further comprising said aspheric mirror, to the plane of said first image sensor and to the plane of said second image sensor.