Illuminator For Camera System Having Three Dimensional Time-Of-Flight Capture With Movable Mirror Element

• US 20160182892A1
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ko, Jamyuen, Wan, Chung Chun
• Granted Patent: US 9,854,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/894 3D imaging with simultaneous measurement of time-of-flight at a 2D array of receiver pixels, e.g. time-of-flight cameras or flash lidar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4815 using multiple transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4817 relating to scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/001 Constructional or mechanical details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means

Abstract

An apparatus is described that includes a camera system having a time-of-flight illuminator. The time of flight illuminator has a light source and one or more tiltable mirror elements. The one or more tiltable mirror elements are to direct the illuminator'"'"'s light to only a region within the illuminator'"'"'s field of view.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a camera system comprising a time-of-flight illuminator, said time of flight illuminator having a light source and one or more tiltable mirror elements, the one or more tiltable mirror elements to direct the illuminator'"'"'s light to only a region within the illuminator'"'"'s field of view.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the illuminator further comprises a lens along the illuminator'"'"'s optical path.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more tiltable mirror elements comprises a MEMs device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the light source further comprises a plurality of light source devices.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the light source devices are arranged in an array.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the light source devices are VCSELs.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the light source devices are LEDs.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the illuminator includes a voice-coil motor to effect tilting of the one or more movable mirror elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the light source is affixed to an underside of an arm that extends to a vertical height that resides above the one or more tiltable mirror elements.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more tiltable mirrors further comprise a plurality of tiltable mirrors that are individually tiltable.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said illuminator further comprises a turntable motor that is mechanically coupled to said one or more tiltable mirrors.

12. A method, comprising:

performing the following with a time-of-flight camera system illuminator;

emitting light from a light source and impinging said light upon one or more tiltable mirrors;

tilting said one or more tiltable mirrors to direct said light to only a region of said illuminator'"'"'s field of view.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said tilting further comprises tilting a plurality of mirrors at different tilting angles.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said method further comprises focusing said light reflected from said one or more tiltable mirrors with a lens.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein said tilting further comprises activating a voice-coil motor that is mechanically coupled to said one or more tiltable mirrors to implement said tilting.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said one or more tiltable mirrors comprises a MEMS device.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein said method further comprises spinning said one or more tiltable mirrors.

18. A computing system, comprising:

an applications processor, said applications processor comprising a plurality of processing cores and a memory controller, said memory controller coupled to a system memory;

a 2D/3D camera system coupled to said applications processor, said 2D/3D camera system comprising a time-of-flight illuminator, said time of flight illuminator having a light source and one or more tiltable mirror elements, the one or more tiltable mirror elements to direct the illuminator'"'"'s light to only a region within the illuminator'"'"'s field of view.

19. The computing system of claim 18 wherein the illuminator further comprises a lens along the illuminator'"'"'s optical path.

20. The computing system of claim 18 wherein the one or more tiltable mirror elements comprises a MEMs device.

21. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the illuminator includes a voice-coil motor to effect tilting of the one or more movable mirror elements.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the light source is affixed to an underside of an arm that extends to a vertical height that resides above the one or more tiltable mirror elements.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the one or more tiltable mirrors further comprise a plurality of tiltable mirrors that are individually tiltable.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the illuminator further comprises a turntable motor that is mechanically coupled to the one or more tiltable mirrors.