Imaging range finder fabrication

• US 9,683,841 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Last, Matthew Emanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Ratcliffe, Luke
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woldemaryam, Assres H
• Application Number:
  US13/708,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 356 301- 31, 356 401- 41, 356 501- 515, 29825, 295921
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/32 by focusing the object, e.g. on a ground glass screen
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4815 using multiple transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

Fabrication of an imaging range finder is disclosed. The range finder can be formed of an imaging lens and an array of emitters and photodetectors in optical communication with the lens. The emitters in the array can be formed to emit light that is directed by the lens toward a target object. The photodetectors in the array can be formed to detect light received from the object through the lens and onto the photodetectors. The lens, the array, or both can be movable to adjust the light emitted by the range finder. The range finder can be formed to find the object'"'"'s range based on characteristics of the emitted light and/or the detected light.

Claims

1. An imaging range finder comprising:

an integrated circuit;

an array comprised of emitters capable of emitting light and photodetectors capable of detecting light;

an imaging lens formed proximate to and in optical communication with the array;

a driver circuit included in the integrated circuit and capable of driving the array; and

a movable prism formed in a cavity;

wherein

one or more walls of the cavity are formed by at least the integrated circuit,

the moveable prism is positioned between the imaging lens and the array, and the movable prism is capable of moving about a plurality of axes.

2. The range finder of claim 1, further comprising:

a device coupled to at least one of the array or the imaging lens to move the array or the imaging lens,

wherein the driver circuit is coupled to the device to drive the device.

3. The range finder of claim 1, wherein the driver circuit is coupled to the movable prism to cause the movable prism to move.

4. The range finder of claim 1, further comprising:

a second imaging lens formed in alignment with the imaging lens; and

a device coupled to the imaging lens and the second imaging lens to move the imaging lenses,

wherein the driver circuit is coupled to the device to drive the device.

5. The range finder of claim 1, further comprising:

a second imaging lens formed adjacent to the imaging lens to receive scattered light from the object and focus the scattered light onto the photodetectors.

6. The range finder of claim 1 incorporated into at least one of a mobile telephone, a digital media player, or a portable computer.

23. The imaging range finder of claim 1, wherein the moveable prism is further capable of moving about a first axis of the plurality of axes in a plurality of directions.

24. The imaging range finder of claim 1, wherein:

a first wall of the cavity is formed by at least by the integrated circuit;

a second wall is positioned opposite to the first wall and formed at least by the imaging lens; and

the first and second walls are coupled together at opposite ends of the cavity.

25. The imaging range finder of claim 24, wherein:

the first and second wall are separated by a first distance;

the moveable prism has a length greater than the distance separating the first and second walls.

7. A method of fabricating an imaging range finder comprising:

forming an imaging lens to receive and output light;

aligning with the imaging lens an array of emitters to emit light received at the imaging lens and photodetectors to detect light outputted from the imaging lens;

positioning an integrated circuit to support the array of emitters;

including a driver circuit in the integrated circuit to drive the array;

forming a cavity wherein one or more of the walls of the cavity are formed by at least the integrated circuit;

positioning a movable prism in the cavity and between the imaging lens and array; and

positioning a device adjacent to the movable prism to move the movable prism about a plurality of axes.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

fixing the imaging lens and the array in place.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

coupling the driver circuit to the device to drive the device.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

positioning a device adjacent the array to move the array; and

coupling the driver circuit to the device to drive the device.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

positioning a device adjacent the imaging lens to move the imaging lens; and

coupling the driver circuit to the device to drive the device.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

positioning at least one device proximate to the imaging lens and the array to move the imaging lens and the array; and

coupling the driver circuit to the device to drive the device.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

forming a second imaging lens in alignment with the imaging lens;

positioning at least one device proximate to the two imaging lenses to move the two imaging lenses; and

coupling the driver circuit to the device to drive the device.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

forming at least one second imaging lens adjacent to the imaging lens,

wherein the second imaging lens is capable of receiving and outputting scattered light.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

combining at least one emitter and at least one photodetector as a single node on the array.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

forming at least one emitter and at least one photodetector as separate nodes on the array.

17. An imaging range finder system comprising:

an imaging range finder formed to include

an integrated circuit,

an array of nodes, each node formed to have at least one of an emitter or a photodetector, and

an imaging lens formed proximate to the array and capable of transmitting light from an emitter in one of the nodes toward an object, and transmitting light from the object to a photodetector in one of the nodes for detection; and

a movable prism formed in a cavity;

wherein

one or more walls of the cavity are formed by at least the integrated circuit,

the moveable prism is positioned between the imaging lens and the array of nodes, and

the moveable prism is capable of moving about a plurality of axes to adjust a path of light from an emitter; and

a processor coupled to the range finder and capable of processing a detection signal from the photodetector in the one node, the signal indicative of a characteristic of the object.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the object characteristic includes at least one of a proximate range of the object, a sound wave emanating from the object, data sent to the object, data received from the object, or presence of the object in a predefined space.

19. A method of fabricating an imaging range finder system comprising:

forming an imaging range finder including

an integrated circuit,

an imaging lens formed to receive and output light,

an array formed to emit light from a set of emitters to the imaging lens and to detect light outputted from the imaging lens at a set of photodetectors, and

a movable prism formed in a cavity, wherein one or more walls of the cavity are formed by at least the integrated circuit, and the moveable prism is positioned to move about a plurality of axes to adjust a path of the emitted light; and

coupling a processor to the imaging range finder to process a light detection signal from the set of photodetectors so as to find a range of an object from the range finder.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

forming the range finder to include a driver circuit positioned proximate to the array to drive the array.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the driver circuit is formed to drive at least one of the set of emitters to emit light or one of the set of photodetectors to detect light.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the processor is further capable of recording a sound emanating from the object, encoding data for sending via the emitted light to the object, decoding data received via the detected light from the object, or detecting the object within a predefined space.