Various examples with respect to infrared (IR) patter characteristics for stereo matching are described. A control circuit of an apparatus controls an IR projector to project a patterned IR light. In response, the control circuit receives first data of a left image of a scene from a first camera and second data of a right image of the scene from a second camera. The control circuit then performs stereo matching of the left image and the right image to generate a depth map of the scene. The patterned IR light satisfies one or more characteristic requirements.