Three-dimensional imaging and display system

• US 9,958,960 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Krah, Christoph H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke D
• Application Number:
  US14/522,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/00 Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/085 with electronic parallax measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/12 with monocular observation at a single point, e.g. coincidence type G01C3/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/14 wherein a voltage or current pulse is initiated and terminated in accordance with the pulse transmission and echo reception respectively, e.g. using counters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/36 with phase comparison between the received signal and the contemporaneously transmitted signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/48 Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4861 Circuits for detection, sampling, integration or read-out
• 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: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• 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: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A three-dimensional imaging and display system is provided in which input is optically detected in an imaging volume by measuring the path length of an amplitude modulated scanning beam as a function of the phase shift thereof. Visual image feedback concerning the detected input is presented.

Claims

1. A scanning apparatus, comprising:

a first radiation source, capable of emitting a modulated infrared beam;

a second radiation source, capable of emitting a visible light beam;

a scanning mirror capable of scanning, in a raster pattern, both the modulated infrared and the visible light beams over an imaging volume;

a receiver capable of detecting the modulated infrared beam returning from the imaging volume; and

a processor capable of processing a signal from the receiver in order to detect an object in the imaging volume and to control the second radiation source to project images.

2. The scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the images projected using the second radiation source and the scanning mirror comprise one or more virtual objects in the imaging volume.

3. The scanning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to:

process the signal from the receiver to detect a movement of the object in the imaging volume; and

manipulate the one or more virtual objects in response to the detected movement.

4. The scanning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the one or more virtual objects comprise a virtual keyboard.

5. The scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver comprises a photodiode and a high-speed amplifier, the high-speed amplifier configured to amplify signals output by the photodiode.

6. The scanning apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to:

process the amplified signals to determine an offset between the amplified signals and the scanned modulated infrared beam; and

derive from the offset a distance that the scanned modulated infrared beam has traveled.

7. The scanning apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to define a position of the detected object in the imaging volume based on the distance and a scan angle of the scanning mirror.

8. The scanning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scanning mirror oscillates at a resonant frequency.

9. A method for scanning, comprising:

emitting a modulated infrared beam and a visible light beam;

scanning, using a scanning mirror, both the modulated infrared and the visible light beams over an imaging volume in a raster pattern;

detecting the modulated infrared beam returning from the imaging volume;

generating a signal in response to the detected modulated infrared beam;

processing the signal to detect an object in the imaging volume; and

controlling the visible light beam to project images in response to the detected object.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein controlling the visible light beam comprises controlling the visible light beam to present one or more virtual objects in the imaging volume.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting a movement of the object in the imaging volume; and

manipulating at least one of the one or more virtual objects in response to the detected movement.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more virtual objects comprise a virtual keyboard.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein processing the signal comprises:

determining an offset between the detected modulated infrared beam and the scanned modulated infrared beam; and

deriving from the offset a distance that the scanned modulated infrared beam has traveled.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein processing the signal further comprises defining a position of the detected object in the imaging volume based on the distance and a scan angle of the scanning mirror.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a scanning apparatus, comprising;

a first radiation source, capable of emitting a modulated infrared beam;

a second radiation source, capable of emitting a visible light beam;

a scanning mirror capable of scanning, in a raster pattern, both the modulated infrared and the visible light beams over an imaging volume;

a receiver capable of detecting the modulated infrared beam returning from the imaging volume; and

a processor capable of processing a signal from the receiver to detect an object in the imaging volume and to control the second radiation source to project images.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the projected images comprise one or more virtual objects in the imaging volume.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to process the signal from the receiver to detect a movement of the object and to manipulate the one or more virtual objects in response to the detected movement.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the one or more virtual objects comprise a virtual keyboard.