Encoding data in depth patterns

• US 9,471,864 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Zatloukal, Peter, DeSeranno, Shane M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Aghevli, Reza
• Application Number:
  US13/531,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20130342651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06159 the marking being relief type, e.g. three-dimensional bar codes engraved in a support

Abstract

A depth imaging system comprises a depth camera input to receive a depth map representing an observed scene imaged by a depth camera, the depth map including a plurality of pixels and a depth value for each of the plurality of pixels. The depth imaging system further comprises a tag identification module to identify a 3D tag imaged by the depth camera and represented in the depth map, the 3D tag comprising one or more depth features, each of the one or more depth features comprising one or more characteristics recognizable by the depth camera. The depth imaging system further comprises a tag decoding module to translate the one or more depth features into machine-readable data.

Claims

1. A depth imaging system, comprising:

a depth camera input to receive a depth map representing an observed scene optically imaged by a depth camera, the depth map including a depth value for each pixel in a two-dimensional matrix of pixels, each depth value representing a distance from the depth camera to a surface that is optically imaged by the depth camera for a corresponding pixel in the two-dimensional matrix of pixels, the depth camera including an infrared transmitter and an infrared image sensor configured to measure a time-of-flight of infrared light transmitted from the infrared transmitter and reflected back to the infrared image sensor for each pixel in the two-dimensional matrix of pixels, the depth camera further comprising visible light imaging sensors configured to measure visible ambient light reflected to the visible light imaging sensors for each pixel in the two dimensional matrix of pixels;

a tag identification module to identify a 3D tag imaged by the depth camera and represented in the depth map, the 3D tag comprising one or more depth features, each of the one or more depth features comprising one or more characteristics recognizable by the depth camera; and

a tag decoding module to translate the one or more depth features into machine-readable data.

2. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features include one or more depressed surfaces.

3. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features include one or more raised surfaces.

4. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more characteristics include a depth gradient.

5. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more characteristics includes reflectivity.

6. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features collectively encode information that is not human readable, the 3D tag further comprising a visible light image separate from and overlaying the one or more depth features, the visible light image providing information that is human readable.

7. The depth imaging system of claim 6, where the visible light image includes a human-readable representation of the information encoded by the one or more depth features.

8. The depth imaging system of claim 1, where the one or more depth features include one or more registration features.

9. A depth imaging system, comprising:

a depth camera input to receive a depth map representing an observed scene optically imaged by a depth camera, the depth map including a depth value for each pixel in a two-dimensional matrix of pixels, each depth value representing a distance from the depth camera to a surface that is optically imaged by the depth camera for a corresponding pixel in the two-dimensional matrix of pixels, the depth camera including an infrared transmitter and an infrared image sensor configured to measure a time-of-flight of infrared light transmitted from the infrared transmitter and reflected back to the infrared image sensor for each pixel in the two-dimensional matrix of pixels, the depth camera further comprising visible light imaging sensors configured to measure visible ambient light reflected to the visible light imaging sensors for each pixel in the two dimensional matrix of pixels;

a tag identification module to identify a 3D tag imaged by the depth camera and represented in the depth map, the 3D tag comprising one or more depth features comprising one or more depth gradients; and

a tag decoding module to translate the one or more depth gradients into machine-readable data.

10. The depth imaging system of claim 9, where the one or more depth gradients collectively encode information that is not human readable, the 3D tag further comprising a visible light image separate from and overlaying the one or more depth features, the visible light image providing information that is human readable.

11. The depth imaging system of claim 10, where the visible light image includes a human-readable representation of information encoded by the one or more depth gradients.

12. A 3D tag, comprising:

a two-dimensional matrix of distinguishable depth features including one or more characteristics optically depth-readable by a depth camera, the two-dimensional matrix of distinguishable depth features collectively encoding information that is not human readable; and

a visible light image separate from and overlaying at least a portion of the two-dimensional matrix of distinguishable depth features, wherein the visible light image includes;

a plurality of distinguishable 2D features configured to be read by a visible light camera, and

at least a subset of the information encoded by the plurality of distinguishable depth features, wherein the visible light image does not interfere with optical depth-reading of the two-dimensional matrix of distinguishable depth features by the depth camera.

13. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the two-dimensional matrix of distinguishable depth features include one or more depressed surfaces.

14. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the two dimensional matrix of distinguishable depth features include one or more raised surfaces.

15. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the one or more characteristics include reflectivity.

16. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the one or more characteristics include a depth gradient.

17. The 3D tag of claim 12, where the visible light image includes a human-readable representation of information encoded by the two-dimensional matrix of distinguishable depth features.

18. The 3D tag of claim 12, where each of the distinguishable 2D features corresponds to one or more distinguishable depth features.