Pattern projector

• US 9,400,177 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2015
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pesach, Benny
• Primary Examiner(s): Doak, Jennifer L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCGEE, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US14/690,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20150226545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 464 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/254 Projection of a pattern, viewing through a pattern, e.g. moiré
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1842 Gratings for image generation G02B5/1847 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence

Abstract

A pattern projector, comprising a light source, configured to emit a beam of light. A transparent substrate, which has a pair of mutually-opposed planar surfaces is configured to receive and propagate the beam within the substrate by total internal reflection between the planar surfaces. The transparent substrate comprises a diffractive structure that is formed on one of the planar surfaces and is configured to direct at least a part of the beam to propagate out of the substrate in a direction that is angled away from the surface and to create a pattern comprising multiple interleaved light and dark areas.

Claims

1. A pattern projector, comprising:

a light source, which is configured to emit a beam of light;

a transparent substrate, which has a pair of mutually-opposed planar surfaces and is configured to receive and propagate the beam within the substrate by total internal reflection between the planar surfaces and which comprises a diffractive structure that is formed on one of the planar surfaces and is configured to direct at least a part of the beam to propagate out of the substrate in a direction that is angled away from the surface and to create a pattern comprising multiple interleaved light and dark areas; and

at least one diffractive element through which light exiting the substrate through the diffractive structure passes on its way to a target,

wherein the at least one diffractive element is configured to duplicate the pattern that is created by the diffractive structure formed on the one of the planar surfaces.

2. The projector of claim 1, wherein the diffractive structure comprises both diffractive sub-areas and non-diffractive sub-areas arranged to define a projected pattern in the light exiting the substrate.

3. The projector of claim 1, wherein the diffractive structure on one of the planar surfaces creates a diffraction pattern comprising multiple interleaved light and dark areas in far-field.

4. The pattern projector of claim 1, wherein the pattern comprises a quasi-random distribution of light spots.

5. A method of pattern projection, comprising:

directing a light beam into a transparent substrate through one of its greatest area surfaces;

propagating the light beam through the substrate by total internal reflection to a diffractive structure on the substrate; and

emitting at least a part of the light beam to propagate out of the substrate through the diffractive structure so as to project a pattern comprising multiple interleaved light and dark areas that is defined by the diffractive structure,

wherein emitting at least a part of the light beam comprises passing light exiting the substrate through at least one diffractive element on its way to a target, and wherein passing the light through at least one diffractive element comprises duplicating, by the at least one diffractive element, the pattern that is defined by the diffractive structure on the substrate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the diffractive structure includes diffractive areas and plain areas.

7. A three dimensional mapping system, comprising:

a light source which generates a light beam for illuminating an object;

a transparent substrate defining a diffractive structure thereon, the transparent substrate being configured to receive the light beam from the light source through one of its greatest area surfaces, and to direct the light beam within the substrate, by total internal reflection, to the diffractive structure which directs the light beam to propagate out of the substrate while projecting a pattern comprising multiple interleaved light and dark areas that is defined by the diffractive structure onto the object;

a light detector configured to collect light from the light source reflected from the object; and

a processor configured to process light collected by the light detector for three-dimensional mapping of the object, responsive to patterns of the light projected on the object from the diffractive structure.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the diffractive structure comprises both diffractive sub-areas and non-diffractive sub-areas arranged to define an image in the light beam exiting the substrate through the diffractive structure.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the diffractive structure is designed to project a quasi-random distribution of light spots.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein an edge of the transparent substrate is treated to prevent reflection of light received from the diffractive structure from returning to the diffractive structure.

11. The system of claim 7, comprising a diffractive element through which the light emitted from the diffractive structure defined on the transparent substrate passes on its way to the object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the diffractive element is configured to duplicate the pattern that is created by the diffractive structure defined on the transparent substrate.