TEMPORALLY STRUCTURED LIGHT

• US 20130083997A1
• Filed: 10/04/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: MATTHEWS, Kim
• Application Number:
  US13/252,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20130083997A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/164
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/521 from laser ranging, e.g. using interferometry; from the projection of structured light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2226 Determination of depth image, e.g. for foreground/background separation determining depth by image analysis in general G06T7/50; segmentation by image analysis in general G06T7/10

Abstract

A method employing temporally structured light during scene production such that foreground/background separation/differentiation is enabled. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the temporally structured light differentially illuminates various regions, elements, or objects within the scene such that these regions, elements or objects may be detected, differentiated, analyzed and/or transmitted as desired and/or required.

Claims

1. A temporal method of differentiating elements in a scene comprising:

illuminating a first element of the scene with light having a particular temporal characteristic;

illuminating a second element the scene with light having a different temporal characteristic;

collecting images of the scene wherein the collected images include the first and second elements; and

differentiating the first element from the second element included in the images from their temporal illuminations.

2. The temporal method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

generating a differentiated image that includes an image of only desired elements.

3. The temporal method according to claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

compressing the differentiated image.

4. The temporal method according to claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

transmitting the differentiated image.

5. The temporal method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

synchronizing the temporal characteristic of one of the lights with an image capture device.

6. The temporal method according to claim 1 wherein one of the lights is a fluorescent light.

7. The temporal method according to claim 1 wherein one of the lights is an incandescent light.

8. The temporal method according to claim 1 wherein one of the lights is an LED light.

9. The temporal method according to claim 1 wherein the temporal characteristics of the lights are imperceptible to a human eye.

10. The temporal method according to claim 1 wherein the lights are independently programmable with respect to frequency, duty cycle, and phase for one or more of its RGB color components.

11. The temporal method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of:

adjusting one or more properties of the images wherein said properties are selected from the group consisting of;

intensity, color, hue, transparency, contrast, brightness, sharpness, distortion, size, and glare.

12. A recorded image comprising:

one or more scene elements wherein a number of the elements are illuminated with invisibly different lighting such that different portions of the scene may be differentiated.