Scanning depth engine

• US 9,651,417 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shpunt, Alexander, Erlich, Raviv
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abraham, Samantha K
• Application Number:
  US13/766,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20130207970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/04 for assembling or disassembling parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/44 Electric circuits for command of an exposure part G03B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4466 Avalanche
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S17/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4812 transmitted and received beams following a coaxial path
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4865 Time delay measurement, e.g. time-of-flight measurement, time of arrival measurement or determining the exact position of a peak peak detection in noise, signal conditioning G01S7/487
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4868 Controlling received signal intensity or exposure of sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0961 Lens arrays lens arrays per se G02B3/0006
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0071 Beam steering, e.g. whereby a mirror outside the cavity is present to change the beam direction
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02253 using lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02257 using windows, e.g. specially adapted for back-reflecting light to a detector inside the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02325 Mechanically integrated components on mount members or optical micro-benches
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4012 Beam combining, e.g. by the use of fibres, gratings, polarisers, prisms
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4075 Beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/423 : having a vertical cavity
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 : Electrical device making

Abstract

Mapping apparatus includes a transmitter, which emits a beam comprising pulses of light, and a scanner, which is configured to scan the beam, within a predefined scan range, over a scene. A receiver receives the light reflected from the scene and to generate an output indicative of a time of flight of the pulses to and from points in the scene. A processor is coupled to control the scanner so as to cause the beam to scan over a selected window within the scan range and to process the output of the receiver so as to generate a 3D map of a part of the scene that is within the selected window.

Claims

1. Mapping apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter, which is configured to emit a beam comprising pulses of light;

a scanner, which is configured to scan the beam, within a predefined scan range, over a scene,

wherein the scanner is a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device and comprises;

a substrate, which comprises a micromirror and a support, along with spindles connecting the micromirror to the support along a first axis, while the support is configured to rotate about a second axis; and

an electromagnetic drive, which causes the micromirror and the support to rotate about the first and second axes,

wherein the electromagnetic drive causes the micromirror to rotate about the first axis at a first frequency, which is a resonant frequency of rotation, while causing the support to rotate about the second axis at a second frequency, which is lower than the first frequency,

wherein the transmitter is configured to direct the beam to reflect from the micromirror toward the scene;

a receiver, which is configured to receive the light reflected from the scene and to generate an output indicative of a time of flight of the pulses to and from points in the scene; and

a processor, which is coupled to control the scanner so as to cause the beam to scan over a selected window within the scan range and to process the output of the receiver so as to generate a 3D map of a part of the scene that is within the selected window.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to select a different window to scan in each scan of the beam.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to process the output of the receiver during a first scan so as to generate a first 3D map of the scene, and to select the window to scan preferentially during a second scan responsively to a feature of the first 3D map.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first scan covers the entire scan range of the scanner.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object comprises at least a part of a body of a user of the apparatus, and wherein the processor is configured to identify the part of the body responsively to a gesture made by the user during the first scan.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to identify an object in the first 3D map, and to define the window so as to contain the identified object.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to drive the scanner to scan the selected window with a resolution that is enhanced relative to the first scan.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to drive the scanner to scan the second window at a frame rate that is higher than during the first scan.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein for at least some scans, the selected window is not centered within the predefined scan range.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is coupled to control a range of rotation of the micromirror about at least one of the axes in order to define the window.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is coupled to vary a speed of rotation of the micromirror about at least one of the axes in order to define the window.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to process the output of the receiver during a first scan so as to generate a first 3D map of the scene, and to select the window to scan preferentially during a second scan responsively to a feature of the first 3D map,

wherein a range of the rotation of the micromirror is the same in both the first and second scans, and wherein the processor is coupled to vary the speed of the rotation about the at least one of the axes during the second scan so that the speed of scanning of the micromirror over the selected window is slower than over other parts of the range.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic drive comprises:

a stator assembly, comprising at least one magnetic core having an air gap and at least one coil wound on the magnetic core; and

at least one rotor, on which the micromirror and the support are mounted and which is suspended in the air gap so as to move within the air gap in response to a current driven through the at least one coil.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one magnetic core and the at least one rotor comprise two cores and two rotors suspended in respective air gaps of the cores, and wherein the electromagnetic drive is configured to drive coils on the two cores with differential currents so as to cause the micromirror and the support to rotate at different, respective speeds so that the micromirror scans in a raster pattern.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second frequency is not a resonant frequency of rotation.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support comprises:

a first support, which is connected by first spindles to the micromirror;

a second support, which is connected by second spindles to the substrate; and

third spindles, connecting the first support to the second support,

wherein the electromagnetic drive is configured to cause the first support to rotate relative to the second support about the third spindles.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises a detector, which is configured to receive the reflected light from the scene via the micromirror.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, and comprising a micro-optical substrate, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are mounted together on the micro-optical substrate in a single integrated package.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, and comprising a beamsplitter, which is positioned so as to direct the beam emitted by the transmitter toward the micromirror, while permitting the reflected light to reach the detector, wherein the emitted beam and the reflected light have respective optical axes, which are parallel between the beamsplitter and the micromirror.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the beamsplitter is patterned with a polarizing reflective coating over only a part of a surface of the beamsplitter, and is positioned so that the patterned part of the surface intercepts the beam from the transmitter and reflects the beam toward the micromirror.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the beamsplitter comprises a bandpass coating on a reverse side of the beamsplitter, configured to prevent light outside an emission band of the transmitter from reaching the receiver.

22. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to variably control a power level of the pulses emitted by the transmitter responsively to a level of the output from the receiver in response to one or more previous pulses.

23. A method for mapping, comprising:

operating a scanner so as to scan a beam comprising pulses of light, within a predefined scan range, over a scene,

wherein the scanner is a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) device, and comprises a substrate, which comprises a micromirror and a support, along with spindles connecting the micromirror to the support along a first axis, while the support is configured to rotate about a second axis, and

wherein operating the scanner comprises directing the beam to reflect from the micromirror toward the scene while actuating an electromagnetic drive so as to cause the micromirror and the support to rotate about the first and second axes,

wherein actuating the electromagnetic drive comprises rotating the micromirror about the first axis at a first frequency, which is a resonant frequency of rotation, while rotating the support about the second axis at a second frequency, which is lower than the first frequency;

receiving the light reflected from the scene and generating an output indicative of a time of flight of the pulses to and from points in the scene;

controlling the scanner so as to cause the beam to scan over a selected window within the scan range; and

processing the output of the receiver so as to generate a 3D map of a part of the scene that is within the selected window.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein controlling the scanner comprises selecting a different window to scan in each scan of the beam.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein processing the output comprises processing a first output received during a first scan of the beam so as to generate a first 3D map of the scene, and

wherein controlling the scanner comprises selecting the window to scan preferentially during a second scan responsively to a feature of the first 3D map.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the first scan covers the entire scan range.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein selecting the window comprises identifying an object in the first 3D map, and defining the window so as to contain the identified object.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the object comprises at least a part of a body of a user of the method, and wherein identifying the object comprises identifying the part of the body responsively to a gesture made by the user during the first scan.

29. The method according to claim 25, wherein controlling the scanner comprises driving the scanner to scan the selected window with a resolution that is enhanced relative to the first scan.

30. The method according to claim 25, wherein controlling the scanner comprises driving the scanner to scan the second window at a frame rate that is higher than during the first scan.

31. The method according to claim 23, wherein for at least some scans, the selected window is not centered within the predefined scan range.

32. The method according to claim 23, wherein controlling the scanner comprises controlling a range of rotation of the micromirror about at least one of the axes in order to define the window.

33. The method according to claim 23, wherein controlling the scanner comprises varying a speed of rotation of the micromirror about at least one of the axes in order to define the window.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein processing the output comprises processing a first output received during a first scan of the beam so as to generate a first 3D map of the scene, and

wherein controlling the scanner comprises selecting the window to scan preferentially during a second scan responsively to a feature of the first 3D map, and

wherein a range of the rotation of the micromirror is the same in both the first and second scans, and wherein varying the speed of the rotation about the at least one of the axes comprises controlling the speed of the rotation during the second scan so that the speed of scanning of the micromirror over the selected window is slower than over other parts of the range.

35. The method according to claim 23, wherein the electromagnetic drive comprises a stator assembly, comprising at least one magnetic core having an air gap and at least one coil wound on the magnetic core, and at least one rotor, on which the micromirror and the support are mounted, and

wherein operating the scanner comprises suspending the rotor in the air gap so as to move within the air gap in response to a current driven through the at least one coil.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the at least one magnetic core and the at least one rotor comprise two cores and two rotors suspended in respective air gaps of the cores, and

wherein actuating the electromagnetic drive comprises driving coils on the two cores with differential currents so as to cause the micromirror and the support to rotate at different, respective speeds so that the micromirror scans in a raster pattern.

37. The method according to claim 23, wherein the second frequency is not a resonant frequency of rotation.

38. The method according to claim 23, wherein the support comprises:

a first support, which is connected by first spindles to the micromirror;

a second support, which is connected by second spindles to the substrate; and

third spindles, connecting the first support to the second support,

wherein actuating the electromagnetic drive causes the first support to rotate relative to the second support about the third spindles.

39. The method according to claim 23, wherein receiving the light comprises positioning a detector, to receive the reflected light from the scene via the micromirror.

40. The method according to claim 39, receiving the light comprises positioning a beamsplitter so as to direct the beam of the pulses of light toward the micromirror, while permitting the reflected light to reach the detector, wherein the emitted beam and the reflected light have respective optical axes, which are parallel between the beamsplitter and the micromirror.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein a transmitter of the beam and the detector are mounted together on a micro-optical substrate in a single integrated package.

42. The method according to claim 40, wherein operating the scanner comprises variably controlling a power level of the pulses emitted by the transmitter responsively to a level of the output from the receiver in response to one or more previous pulses.

43. Mapping apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter, which is configured to emit a beam comprising pulses of light;

a scanner, which is configured to scan the beam over a scene;

a receiver, which is configured to receive the light reflected from the scene and to generate an output indicative of a time of flight of the pulses to and from points in the scene; and

a processor, which is coupled to process the output of the receiver during a first scan of the beam so as to generate a 3D map of the scene, while controlling a power level of the pulses emitted by the transmitter responsively to a level of the output from the receiver in response to one or more previous pulses.

44. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the processor is configured to control the power level of the pulses so as to reduce variations in an intensity of the reflected light that is received from different parts of the scene.

45. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the one or more previous pulses comprise scout pulses emitted by the transmitter in order to assess and adjust the power level.