Lens system

• US 8,159,682 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Longhorn Automotive Group LLC (Alpha Alpha Intellectual Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 67 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bell, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Tarifur
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stock, Jr., Gordon
• Application Number:
  US12/269,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20090251685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,252 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 356/614
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/002 for measuring two or more coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/66 Tracking systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0066 in the form of an LED array
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0085 for use with both a detector and a source , e.g. in a transceiver, G02B19/009, G02B19/0095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/009 for use with infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0006 Arrays G02B3/02, G02B5/188 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/08 with discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lens diffractive Fresnel lenses G02B5/1876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A fragmented lens system for creating an invisible light pattern useful to computer vision systems is disclosed. Random or semi-random dot patterns generated by the present system allow a computer to uniquely identify each patch of a pattern projected by a corresponding illuminator or light source. The computer may determine the position and distance of an object by identifying the illumination pattern on the object.

Claims

1. A system for projecting a pattern of light, the system comprising:

a light source including a plurality of emitters configured to emit light, the plurality of emitters arranged in a pattern; and

a cluster of lenses comprising a plurality of lenses, wherein at least some of the lenses of the cluster of lenses have different focal lengths and each lens of the cluster of lenses is configured to focus the emitted light from each of the plurality of emitters into a plurality of points that form a light pattern, wherein at least some of the focused light falls on a portion of a human and at least some of the focused light that falls on the portion of the human is detectable by one or more imaging devices in order to determine a position of the human.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a quantity of the plurality of points in which the emitted light is focused is substantially equal to a quantity of lenses in the cluster of lenses multiplied by a quantity of the emitters.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emitters are arranged in a random pattern.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emitters are configured to be activated in a random spatial pattern.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one emitter in the plurality of emitters is configured to be strobed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emitters are arranged in a non-uniform arrangement.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a condenser lens configured to concentrate the emitted light on a predetermined location of the cluster of lenses.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the cluster of lenses comprises a plurality of pieces of a single lens reassembled in a different configuration from an original configuration of the single lens.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined location is a center of the cluster of lenses.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein a first piece and a second piece of the plurality of pieces are differently sized.

11. A method for projecting a light pattern, the method comprising:

emitting light from a plurality of light emitters;

directing the emitted light towards a lens cluster comprising a plurality of lenses, wherein at least some of the lenses have different focal lengths; and

focusing the emitted light onto a plurality of points, wherein each lens of the lens cluster focuses the emitted light from each of the plurality of light emitters into a pattern of light that is at least semi-random, wherein at least some of the focused light falls on a portion of an object and is detectable by an imaging device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light emitters are arranged in a rectangular grid of light emitters with at least one light emitter randomly removed.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light emitters are arranged in a rotated grid of light emitters with columns shifted by random amounts and with at least one light emitter randomly removed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light emitters are randomly positioned in a tightly packed pattern of light emitters with at least one light emitter randomly removed.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light emitters that emit light are configured to manipulate one or more of the pattern, frequency, or strobing of the emitted light.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of light emitters are arranged in a non-uniform arrangement.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a quantity of the plurality of points in which the emitted light is focused is substantially equal to a quantity of lenses in the cluster of lenses multiplied by a quantity of the light emitters.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the light emitted from at least one light emitter is emitted in a cone configuration substantially perpendicular to a surface upon which the at least one light emitter is mounted.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the lens cluster comprises a plurality of pieces of a single lens reassembled in a different configuration from an original configuration of the single lens.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein a center of each light cone is directed toward a center of the lens cluster.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein a first piece and a second piece of the plurality of pieces are differently sized.