Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Illumination for zoned time-of-flight imaging
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Application No.: US17152143Application Date: 2021-01-19
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Publication No.: US11675056B2Publication Date: 2023-06-13
- Inventor: Onur C. Akkaya , Cyrus S. Bamji
- Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Applicant Address: US WA Redmond
- Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Current Assignee Address: US WA Redmond
- Agency: Alleman Hall Creasman & Tuttle LLP
- Main IPC: G01S7/481
- IPC: G01S7/481 ; G02B27/30 ; G01S7/499 ; G01S17/42 ; G01S17/89 ; G01S17/894

Abstract:
A zoned time-of-flight (ToF) arrangement includes a sensor and a steerable light source that produces an illumination beam having a smaller angular extent than the field of view (FoV) of the sensor. The illumination beam is steerable within the sensor's FoV to optionally move through the sensor's FoV or dwell in a particular region of interest. Steering the illumination beam and sequentially generating a depth map of the illuminated region permits advantageous operations over ToF arrangements that simultaneously illuminate the entire sensor's FoV. For example, ambient performance, maximum range, and jitter are improved. Multiple steering alternative configurations are disclosed, including mechanical, electro optical, and electrowetting solutions.
Public/Granted literature
- US20210141066A1 ILLUMINATION FOR ZONED TIME-OF-FLIGHT IMAGING Public/Granted day:2021-05-13
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