Camera with tunable filter and active illumination
First Claim
1. A camera comprising:
- a sensor array including a plurality of sensors;
an optical filter for the sensor array including a plurality of liquid crystal layers switchable between a reflection state and a transmission state, each liquid crystal layer configured to block spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band and transmit spectral light outside of the spectral light sub-band in the reflection state, and to transmit spectral light in the spectral light sub-band in the transmission state;
a spectral controller machine configured to;
switch one or more liquid crystal layers of the plurality of liquid crystal layers from the transmission state to the reflection state to tune the optical filter to block spectral light in all but a selected spectral light sub-band, andaddress the sensors of the sensor array to measure spectral light in the selected spectral light sub-band; and
an output machine operatively connected to the sensor array and configured to output a matrix of pixels based on measurements of the sensor array, each pixel of the matrix including a spectral value for the selected spectral light sub-band.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A camera includes an optical filter for a sensor array of the camera. The optical filter includes a plurality of liquid crystal layers switchable between a reflection state and a transmission state. Each liquid crystal layer is configured to block spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band and transmit spectral light outside of the spectral light sub-band in the reflection state, and to transmit spectral light in the spectral light sub-band in the transmission state. An active illuminator of the camera is configured to emit active light in a selected spectral light sub-band. One or more of the plurality of liquid crystal layers is switched from the transmission state to the reflection state to tune the optical filter to block spectral light in all but the selected spectral light sub-band. The sensors of the sensor array are addressed to measure spectral light in the selected spectral light sub-band.
32 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A camera comprising:
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a sensor array including a plurality of sensors; an optical filter for the sensor array including a plurality of liquid crystal layers switchable between a reflection state and a transmission state, each liquid crystal layer configured to block spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band and transmit spectral light outside of the spectral light sub-band in the reflection state, and to transmit spectral light in the spectral light sub-band in the transmission state; a spectral controller machine configured to; switch one or more liquid crystal layers of the plurality of liquid crystal layers from the transmission state to the reflection state to tune the optical filter to block spectral light in all but a selected spectral light sub-band, and address the sensors of the sensor array to measure spectral light in the selected spectral light sub-band; and an output machine operatively connected to the sensor array and configured to output a matrix of pixels based on measurements of the sensor array, each pixel of the matrix including a spectral value for the selected spectral light sub-band. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An image acquisition method, the method comprising:
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switching one or more liquid crystal layers of a plurality of switchable liquid crystal layers of an optical filter of a camera from a transmission state to a reflection state to tune the optical filter to block light in all but a selected spectral light sub-band, each liquid crystal layer of the plurality of liquid crystal layers configured to block spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band and transmit spectral light outside of the spectral light sub-band in the reflection state, and to transmit spectral light in the spectral light sub-band in the transmission state; addressing each of a plurality of sensors of a sensor array of the camera to measure spectral light in the selected spectral light sub-band; and outputting a matrix of pixels based on measurements of the sensor array, each pixel of the matrix including a spectral value for the selected spectral light sub-band. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A camera comprising:
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a sensor array including a plurality of sensors; an IR illuminator configured to emit active IR light in an IR light sub-band; a plurality of spectral illuminators, each spectral illuminator configured to emit active spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band; an optical filter for the sensor array including a plurality of liquid crystal layers individually switchable between a reflection state and a transmission state, each liquid crystal layer configured to block spectral light in a different spectral light sub-band and transmit spectral light outside of the spectral light sub-band in the reflection state, and to transmit spectral light in the spectral light sub-band along with spectral light outside the spectral light sub-band in the transmission state; a depth controller machine configured to; switch the plurality of liquid crystal layers of the optical filter to the reflection state, activate the IR illuminator to illuminate a subject with the active IR light, address each of the sensors of the sensor array to measure an aspect of the active IR light emitted from the IR illuminator and reflected from the subject back to each of the sensors, and determine, for each of the sensors, a depth value indicative of a depth of the subject based on the measured aspect of the active IR light, and a spectral controller machine is configured to, for each of the plurality of spectral illuminators; switch one or more of the plurality of liquid crystal layers of the optical filter from the transmission state to the reflection state to tune the optical filter to block spectral light outside of the spectral light sub-band of the spectral illuminator and allow transmission of spectral light in the spectral light sub-band of the spectral illuminator, activate the spectral illuminator to illuminate the subject with active spectral light in the spectral light sub-band of the spectral illuminator, and address each of the sensors of the sensor array to measure the active spectral light in the spectral light sub-band emitted from the spectral illuminator and reflected from the subject back to each of the sensors, and an output machine configured to output a matrix of pixels, each pixel corresponding to one of the plurality of sensors and including a depth value and a spectral value for each spectral light sub-band, each spectral value calculated based on the depth value estimated for the sensor corresponding to the pixel.
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Specification