Structured light projector and three-dimensional image sensing device

Abstract

A structured light projector includes a first light source, a second light source, a light refracting element, and a light shaping element. The first light source and the second light source are configured to emit a first non-coherent light and a second non-coherent light, respectively. The light refracting element is disposed above the first light source and the second light source to refract the first non-coherent light and the second non-coherent light. The light shaping element is disposed above the light refracting element to shape the first non-coherent light to generate a first structured light having a plurality of first optical patterns and to shape the second non-coherent light to generate a second structured light having a plurality of second optical patterns, wherein the first structured light and the second structured light overlap in a spatial region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to structured light projection, and more particularly to a structured light projector and a three-dimensional image sensing device. Background Technology

[0002] 3D image sensing technology has been increasingly adopted in various applications, such as facial recognition and obstacle detection. For recognition applications, different types of structured light projectors can be used for various purposes. For example, a structured light projector can project a pattern of light dots to calculate the surface contours of a face, and it can project a pattern of light rays to calculate human movements. On the other hand, the projection uniformity of the structured light projector is one of the key factors affecting the sensing quality. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a structured light projector and a three-dimensional image sensing device that project a light pattern with high uniformity to achieve better three-dimensional sensing quality.

[0004] One aspect of the present invention relates to a structured light projector comprising a first light source, a second light source, a light refraction element, and a light shaping element. The first and second light sources are configured to emit a first non-homogeneous light and a second non-homogeneous light, respectively. The light refraction element is disposed above the first and second light sources to refract the first and second non-homogeneous light. The light shaping element is disposed above the light refraction element to shape the first non-homogeneous light to generate a first structured light having a plurality of first optical patterns, and to shape the second non-homogeneous light to generate a second structured light having a plurality of second optical patterns, wherein the first and second structured lights overlap in a spatial region.

[0005] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the distance between the first light source and the light refraction element is substantially the same as the distance between the second light source and the light refraction element.

[0006] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the first light source and the second light source are both vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs).

[0007] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the first optical patterns and the second optical patterns are both M×N light spot patterns, and the (M-1)×N light spot patterns of the first optical pattern and the (M-1)×N light spot patterns of the second optical pattern overlap in the spatial region, wherein M and N are integers greater than 1.

[0008] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned optical shaping element is a two-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element (DOE).

[0009] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned light shaping element is a microlens array.

[0010] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the structured light projector further includes a light patterning element disposed between the light refraction element and the light shaping element.

[0011] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned optical patterning element is a diffractive linear pattern generating element.

[0012] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the first optical patterns and the second optical patterns are all M×N ray-shaped patterns, and the (M-1)×N ray-shaped patterns of the first optical patterns and the (M-1)×N ray-shaped patterns of the second optical patterns overlap in spatial region, wherein M and N are integers greater than 1.

[0013] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned optical shaping element and the above-mentioned optical patterning element are both one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical elements.

[0014] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned light refraction element and the above-mentioned light patterning element are integrated one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical elements.

[0015] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the structured light projector further includes a light patterning element disposed above the light projection side of the light shaping element.

[0016] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the above-mentioned optical shaping element is a two-dimensional planar diffractive optical element, and the above-mentioned optical patterning element is a diffractive linear pattern generating element.

[0017] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the structured light projector further includes a third light source and a fourth light source, which are respectively configured to emit third non-homogeneous light and fourth non-homogeneous light. The light refraction element is also disposed above the third light source and the fourth light source to refract the third non-homogeneous light and the fourth non-homogeneous light, and the light shaping element is also configured to shape the third non-homogeneous light to generate third structured light with multiple third optical patterns, and to shape the fourth non-homogeneous light to generate fourth structured light with multiple fourth optical patterns, and the first to fourth structured lights overlap in the spatial region.

[0018] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the first to fourth light sources are respectively disposed at the four corners of an imaginary square.

[0019] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the first to fourth optical patterns are overlapped in two mutually perpendicular directions.

[0020] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the first optical patterns, the second optical patterns, the third optical patterns and the fourth optical patterns are all M×N light spot patterns, and the (M-1)×(N-1) light spot patterns of the first optical patterns, the second optical patterns, the third optical patterns and the fourth optical patterns overlap in spatial regions, where M and N are integers greater than 1.

[0021] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the structured light projector further includes a light patterning element disposed between the light refraction element and the light shaping element. The first optical patterns, the second optical patterns, the third optical patterns, and the fourth optical patterns are all M×N ray-shaped patterns, and the (M-1)×(N-1) ray-shaped patterns of the first optical patterns, the second optical patterns, the third optical patterns, and the fourth optical patterns overlap in the spatial region, where M and N are integers greater than 1.

[0022] According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, the light refraction element is a collimating lens.

[0023] Another aspect of the present invention relates to a three-dimensional image sensing device comprising a plurality of light sources, a light refraction element, a light shaping element, an image sensor, and a processor. The light sources are configured to emit a plurality of dissonant lights. The light refraction element is disposed above the light sources to refract the dissonant lights. The light shaping element is disposed on the light refraction element to shape the dissonant lights to generate a plurality of structured lights, each of which has a plurality of optical patterns and overlaps in a spatial region. The image sensor is configured to acquire an image from the aforementioned spatial region. The processor is configured to perform operations on the image to obtain three-dimensional data associated with the spatial region. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To gain a more complete understanding of the embodiments and their advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector based on an example;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3A Illustratively showing by Figure 2 Structured light with a dotted pattern projected by a structured light projector;

[0028] Figure 3B , 3C Show each Figure 3A Structured light with light spot patterns;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7A Illustratively shown Figure 6 Structured light with a ray-shaped pattern projected by a structured light projector;

[0033] Figure 7B , 7C Show each Figure 7A Structured light with ray-shaped patterns;

[0034] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 9 Exemplary configurations of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention are shown;

[0036] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 11A Explanatory Figure 10 Structured light with a dotted pattern projected by a structured light projector;

[0038] Figure 11B-11E Show each Figure 11A Structured light with light spot patterns;

[0039] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector according to one or more embodiments of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 13A Explanatory Figure 12 Structured light with a ray-shaped pattern projected by a structured light projector;

[0041] Figure 13B-13E Show each Figure 13A Structured light with linear patterns;

[0042] Figure 14A , 14B The structured light with ray-shaped patterns projected by the comparative example and the structured light projector in Figure 11 are illustrated separately.

[0043] Figure 15A , 15B Explanatory examples are shown separately for comparison and Figure 10 Structured light with a dotted pattern projected by a structured light projector; and

[0044] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional image sensing device according to one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0045] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0046] 100, 200, 400, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000, 1200, 1602: Structured light projectors

[0047] 110, 210A, 210B, 410A, 410B, 510A, 510B, 610A, 610B, 810A, 810B, 910A, 910B, 1010A-1010D, 1210A-1210D, 1610: Light source

[0048] 120, 220, 420, 620, 820, 920, 1020, 1220, 1620: Light refracting elements

[0049] 130, 230, 440, 530, 640, 830, 930, 1030, 1240, 1630: Optical shaping elements

[0050] 430, 630, 840, 1230: Optical patterning elements

[0051] 520: Integrated diffractive optical elements

[0052] 930M: Microstructure

[0053] 1600: Three-dimensional image sensing device

[0054] 1604: Image Sensor

[0055] 1606: Processor

[0056] DPA, DPB, DPC, DPD: Spot patterns

[0057] LPA, LPB, LPC, LPD: Ray pattern

[0058] α: Angle

[0059] θ: included angle

[0060] d: Spacing

[0061] S: Spatial region

[0062] SLA, SLB, SLC, SLD: Structured Light Detailed Implementation

[0063] The embodiments of this disclosure are discussed in detail below. However, it will be understood that the embodiments provide many applicable concepts that can be implemented in a wide variety of specific situations. The discussed and disclosed embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0064] It is understood that although terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” and “fourth” may be used in this document to describe various components and / or parts, these terms should not limit these components and / or parts. These terms are used only to distinguish one component and / or part from another.

[0065] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the claims. Unless otherwise limited, the singular forms “a” or “the” may also be used to denote multiple forms. Furthermore, the use of spatial relativity is to indicate different orientations of the device during use or operation, and is not limited to the orientation shown in the figures. The device may also be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relativity descriptions used herein can be interpreted in the same manner.

[0066] For the sake of simplicity and clarity, element symbols and / or letters may be repeated in various embodiments herein, but this does not imply a causal relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed.

[0067] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 100 based on an example. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the structured light projector 100 includes a light source 110, a light refraction element 120, and a light shaping element 130. The light source 110 is configured to emit light. The light refraction element 120 is disposed above the light source 110 to refract the light emitted by the light source 110 toward the light shaping element 130. The light shaping element 130 is disposed above the light refraction element 120 to convert the refracted light into a projected light pattern and project the projected light pattern onto the spatial region S.

[0068] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the structured light projector 200 includes light sources 210A and 210B, a light refraction element 220, and a light shaping element 230. Each light source 210A and 210B is configured to emit incoherent light and can be a laser source, such as a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a distributed feedback (DFB) semiconductor laser source, or other suitable light source. The light refraction element 220 is disposed above the light sources 210A and 210B to refract the incoherent light emitted by the light sources 210A and 210B toward the light shaping element 230. The light refraction element 220 can be, but is not limited to, a collimating lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a liquid crystal lens, or a Fresnel lens. For the same dissonant light emitted by light sources 210A and 210B respectively, the distance between light source 210A and light refraction element 220 can be substantially the same as the distance between light source 210B and light refraction element 220. A light shaping element 230 is disposed above light refraction element 220 to shape the dissonant light refracted by light refraction element 220 to generate structured light SLA and SLB. For the structured light projector 200, each structured light SLA and SLB can be generated with multiple optical patterns, such as spot patterns or similar. The light shaping element 230 can be a two-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element (DOE), a microlens array, a Fresnel lens array, a holographic optical element (HOE), or other optical elements that shape dissonant light into structured light with optical patterns. The structured light SLA and SLB are projected onto spatial region S and overlap in spatial region S. The intensity distribution of the optical pattern of structured light SLA and SLB can be adjusted by the profile of the light shaping element 230.

[0069] Figure 3A Illustratively showing by Figure 2 The structured light projector 200 projects structured light SLA with a dot pattern DPA and structured light SLB with a dot pattern DPB. For example... Figure 3A As shown, within the overlapping regions of the structured light SLA and SLB, the spot pattern DPA overlaps with the spot pattern DPB. This overlapping region is also known as the high uniformity projection region, and the spot patterns DPA and DPB overlap in a one-to-one manner within the high uniformity projection region. Figure 3B, 3C Also shown separately Figure 3A Structured light SLA with DPA and structured light SLB with DPB are examples of light spot pattern structures. Figures 3A-3C As shown, the topmost spot pattern DPA does not overlap with any spot pattern DPB, and the bottommost spot pattern DPB does not overlap with any spot pattern DPA. Figures 3A-3C In the exemplary example shown, the structured light SLA and SLB overlap in the vertical direction. In other embodiments, by appropriately adjusting the positions of the light sources 210A and 210B, the structured light SLA and SLB can overlap in the horizontal or diagonal direction.

[0070] In some embodiments, the light spot patterns of both the structured light SLA and SLB are M×N light spot patterns. Specifically, when the structured light SLA and SLB overlap in the vertical direction, in some embodiments, the (M-1)×N light spot pattern of the structured light SLA overlaps with the (M-1)×N light spot pattern of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1; or, in other embodiments, the (Mi)×N light spot pattern of the structured light SLA overlaps with the (Mi)×N light spot pattern of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1, and i is an integer greater than 1 and less than M. In some embodiments, when the structured light SLA and SLB overlap in the horizontal direction, the M×(N-1) light spot pattern of the structured light SLA overlaps with the M×(N-1) light spot pattern of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1; or, in other embodiments, the M×(Nj) light spot pattern of the structured light SLA overlaps with the M×(Nj) light spot pattern of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1, and j is an integer greater than 1 and less than N.

[0071] Figures 3A-3C The high uniformity of the projection of the overlapping area of ​​the light spot pattern shown can be achieved by... Figure 2 Other structured light projectors derived from the structured light projector 200 have been achieved. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 400 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4As shown, the structured light projector 400 includes light sources 410A and 410B, a light refraction element 420, a light patterning element 430, and a light shaping element 440. Each light source 410A and 410B is configured to emit dissonant light and can be a laser source, such as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser source, a distributed feedback semiconductor laser source, or other suitable light source. The light refraction element 420 is disposed above the light sources 410A and 410B to refract the dissonant light from the light sources 410A and 410B toward the light patterning element 430. The light refraction element 420 can be, but is not limited to, a collimating lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a liquid crystal lens, or a Fresnel lens. For the same dissonant light emitted by the light sources 410A and 410B, the distance between the light source 410A and the light refraction element 420 can be substantially the same as the distance between the light source 410B and the light refraction element 420. An optical patterning element 430 is disposed between the optical refraction element 420 and the optical shaping element 440 to pattern the dissonant light refracted by the optical refraction element 420 into diffracted light spots. The optical patterning element 430 can be a diffractive linear pattern generating element, such as a one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element or other optical elements suitable for generating diffracted light spots in one direction. The optical shaping element 440 is disposed above the optical patterning element 430 to shape the diffracted light pattern to generate structured light SLA and SLB, each with a light spot pattern, and projects the structured light SLA and SLB onto the spatial region S. The optical shaping element 440 can be a diffractive linear pattern generating element, such as a one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element or other optical elements suitable for generating diffracted light spots in a direction perpendicular to the diffraction direction of the optical patterning element 430. The configuration of the structured light projector 400 also provides zero-order elimination.

[0072] Derived from structured light projector 200 to achieve Figures 3A-3C Other examples of structured light projectors shown in the illustration are as follows: Figure 5 middle. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 500 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5As shown, the structured light projector 500 includes light sources 510A and 510B, an integrated diffractive optical element 520, and a light shaping element 530. Each light source 510A and 510B is configured to emit dissonant light and can be a laser source, such as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser source, a distributed feedback semiconductor laser source, or other suitable light source. The integrated diffractive optical element 520 is disposed above the light sources 510A and 510B to refract the dissonant light and patterned dissonant light from the light sources 510A and 510B toward the light shaping element 530 to form diffracted spots. The integrated diffractive optical element 520 can be an integrated one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element, which integrates an optical lens and a one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element to generate diffracted spots in one direction. With regard to the same dissonant light emitted by light sources 510A and 510B respectively, the distance between light source 510A and integrated diffractive optical element 520 can be substantially the same as the distance between light source 510B and integrated diffractive optical element 520. A light shaping element 530 is disposed above the integrated diffractive optical element 520 to shape diffracted light spots, generating structured light beams SLA and SLB, each with a light spot pattern, and projecting the structured light beams SLA and SLB onto the spatial region S. The light shaping element 530 can be a diffractive linear pattern generating element, such as a one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element or other optical element suitable for generating diffracted light spots in a direction perpendicular to the diffraction direction of the integrated diffractive optical element 520.

[0073] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 600 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 6As shown, the structured light projector 600 includes light sources 610A and 610B, a light refraction element 620, a light patterning element 630, and a light shaping element 640. Each light source 610A and 610B is configured to emit dissonant light and can be a laser source, such as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser source, a distributed feedback semiconductor laser source, or other suitable light source. The light refraction element 620 is disposed above the light sources 610A and 610B to refract the dissonant light from the light sources 610A and 610B toward the light patterning element 630. The light refraction element 620 can be, but is not limited to, a collimating lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a liquid crystal lens, or a Fresnel lens. For the dissonant light emitted by the light sources 610A and 610B respectively, the distance between the light source 610A and the light refraction element 620 can be substantially the same as the distance between the light source 610B and the light refraction element 620. An optical patterning element 630 is disposed between an optical refraction element 620 and an optical shaping element 640 to pattern the non-homogeneous light refracted by the optical refraction element 620 into diffractive ray patterns. The optical patterning element 630 can be a diffractive linear pattern generating element, such as a linear generating diffractive optical element or other optical elements suitable for generating diffractive ray patterns. The optical shaping element 640 is disposed on the optical patterning element 630 to shape the diffractive ray patterns to generate structured light SLA and SLB. For the configuration of the structured light projector 600, each structured light SLA and SLB can be generated with multiple optical patterns, such as ray patterns or similar. The optical shaping element 640 can be a two-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element or other optical elements suitable for shaping non-homogeneous light into structured light with optical patterns. The structured light SLA and SLB are projected onto and overlap in the spatial region S.

[0074] Figure 7A Explanatory Figure 6 The structured light projector 600 projects structured light SLA with a ray-shaped pattern LPA and structured light SLB with a ray-shaped pattern LPB. For example... Figure 7A As shown, in the overlapping region of structured light SLA and SLB, the ray pattern LPA overlaps with the ray pattern LPB respectively. The overlapping region is also called the high uniformity projection region, and the ray patterns LPA and LPB overlap in a one-to-one manner in the high uniformity projection region. Figure 7B , 7C Also shown separately Figure 7A Structured light SLA and SLB, which feature ray-shaped patterns such as LPA and LPB. For example... Figures 7A-7C As shown, the topmost ray pattern LPA does not overlap with any ray pattern LPB, and the bottommost ray pattern LPB does not overlap with any ray pattern LPA. Figures 7A-7CIn the exemplary example shown, the structured light SLA and SLB overlap in the vertical direction. In other embodiments, by appropriately adjusting the relative positions of the light sources 610A and 610B, the structured light SLA and SLB can overlap in the horizontal or diagonal direction.

[0075] In some embodiments, the number of ray patterns for both the structured light SLA and SLB is M×N. Specifically, when the structured light SLA and SLB overlap in the vertical direction, in some embodiments, the (M-1)×N ray patterns of the structured light SLA overlap with the (M-1)×N ray patterns of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1; or, in other embodiments, the (Mi)×N ray patterns of the structured light SLA overlap with the (Mi)×N ray patterns of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1, and i is an integer greater than 1 and less than M. In some embodiments, when the structured light SLA and SLB overlap in the horizontal direction, the M×(N-1) ray patterns of the structured light SLA overlap with the M×(N-1) ray patterns of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1; or, in other embodiments, the M×(Nj) ray patterns of the structured light SLA overlap with the M×(Nj) ray patterns of the structured light SLB in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1, and j is an integer greater than 1 and less than N.

[0076] Figures 7A-7C The high uniformity of the projection of the overlapping area of ​​the ray-shaped pattern shown can be achieved by... Figure 6 Other structured light projectors derived from the structured light projector 600 have been achieved. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 800 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 8As shown, the structured light projector 800 includes light sources 810A and 810B, a light refraction element 820, a light shaping element 830, and a light patterning element 840. Each light source 810A and 810B is configured to emit dissonant light and can be a laser source, such as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser source, a distributed feedback semiconductor laser source, or other suitable light source. The light refraction element 820 is disposed above the light sources 810A and 810B to refract the dissonant light from the light sources 810A and 810B toward the light shaping element 830. The light refraction element 820 can be, but is not limited to, a collimating lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a liquid crystal lens, or a Fresnel lens. For the same dissonant light emitted by the light sources 810A and 810B respectively, the distance between the light source 810A and the light refraction element 820 can be substantially the same as the distance between the light source 810B and the light refraction element 820. An optical shaping element 830 is disposed between an optical refraction element 820 and an optical patterning element 840 to shape the diffracted light rays refracted by the optical refraction element 820, thereby generating structured light beams SLA and SLB, each with a light spot pattern, and projecting the structured light beams SLA and SLB onto the spatial region S. The optical shaping element 830 can be a two-dimensional tiled diffractive optical element, a microlens array, a Fresnel lens array, a holographic optical element, or other optical element suitable for shaping dissonant light into structured light with a light spot pattern. The optical patterning element 840 is disposed above the light projection side of the optical shaping element 830 to pattern and transform the light spot patterns of the structured light beams SLA and SLB into a light beam pattern. The optical patterning element 840 can be a diffractive linear pattern generating element, such as a one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element or other optical element suitable for generating diffracted light spots in one direction.

[0077] Figure 9 An exemplary configuration of a structured light projector 900 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the structured light projector 900 includes light sources 910A and 910B, a light refraction element 920, and a light shaping element 930. The light sources 910A and 910B, the light refraction element 920, and the light shaping element 930 are similar to... Figure 2 The structured light projector 200 includes light sources 210A and 210B, a light refraction element 220, and a light shaping element 230. Specifically, the light refraction element 920 is a convex lens, and the light shaping element 930 is a microlens array having multiple microstructures 930M arranged in an array. Figure 9 In the middle, angle α is tan -1 (d / f eff ), where d is the distance between light sources 910A and 910B, and f eff This is the effective focal length of the optical refractive element 920. The effective focal length f of the optical refractive element 920... effThe distance is essentially the same as the distance between the light source 910A / 910B and the light refraction element 920. The angle θ between the center of the structured light SLA and the center of the structured light SLB relative to the center of the light shaping element 930 is sin -1 (d / f eff If the included angle θ equals angle α, then the light spot patterns of the structured light SLA and SLB overlap. The placement positions of light sources 910A and 910B can be determined according to the above description. The placement positions of the light sources according to each embodiment can be determined in a similar manner.

[0078] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 1000 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 10 As shown, the structured light projector 1000 includes light sources 1010A-1010D, a light refraction element 1020, and a light shaping element 1030. The light sources 1010A-1010D can be respectively positioned at the four corners of an imaginary square. Each light source 1010A-1010D is configured to emit dissonant light and can be a laser source, such as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser source, a distributed feedback semiconductor laser source, or other suitable light source. The light refraction element 1020 is positioned above the light sources 1010A-1010D to refract the dissonant light from the light sources 1010A-1010D toward the light shaping element 1030. The light refraction element 1020 can be, but is not limited to, a collimating lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a liquid crystal lens, or a Fresnel lens. Taking the same non-homogeneous light emitted by light sources 1010A-1010D as examples, the distance between light source 1010A and light refraction element 1020 can be substantially the same as the distance between light source 1010B and light refraction element 1020, substantially the same as the distance between light source 1010C and light refraction element 1020, and substantially the same as the distance between light source 1010D and light refraction element 1020. A light shaping element 1030 is disposed above the light refraction element 1020 to shape the non-homogeneous light refracted by the light refraction element 1020 to generate structured light SLA and SLB. For the configuration of the structured light projector 1000, each structured light SLA and SLB can be generated with multiple optical patterns, such as spot patterns or similar. The light shaping element 1030 can be a two-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element, a microlens array, or other optical element suitable for shaping non-homogeneous light into structured light with optical patterns. Structured light SLA and SLB are projected onto spatial region S and overlap in spatial region S.

[0079] Figure 11A Explanatory Figure 10 The structured light projector 1000 projects structured light SLA with a dot pattern DPA, structured light SLB with a dot pattern DPB, structured light SLC with a dot pattern DPC, and structured light SLD with a dot pattern DPD. For example... Figure 11AAs shown, in the overlap region of the structured light SLA-SLD, the spot pattern DPA overlaps with the spot pattern DPB, the spot pattern DPC, and the spot pattern DPD, respectively. The spot pattern DPA overlaps with the spot pattern DPB in the overlap regions of the structured light SLA and SLB, and the spot pattern DPA overlaps with the spot pattern DPB in the overlap regions of the structured light SLA and SLB, and the spot pattern DPA overlaps with the spot pattern DPB in the overlap regions of the structured light SLA and SLB, and the spot pattern DPA overlaps with the spot pattern DPB in the overlap regions of the structured light SLA and SLB. The overlap region of the structured light SLA-SLD is also called the high uniformity projection region, and the spot patterns DPA and DPD overlap in a one-to-one manner. Figure 11B-11E Also shown separately Figure 11A Structured light SLA-SLD with light spot patterns (DPA-DPD). For example... Figure 11A-11E As shown, the top left spot pattern DPA does not overlap with any spot patterns DPB-DPD; the top right spot pattern DPB does not overlap with any spot patterns DPA, DPC, or DPD; the bottom left spot pattern DPC does not overlap with any spot patterns DPA, DPB, or DPD; and the bottom right spot pattern DPD does not overlap with any spot patterns DPA, DPB, or DPC. Figure 11A-11E In the exemplary example shown, the structures overlap in two mutually perpendicular directions (e.g., vertical and horizontal). In other embodiments, the structured light SLA-SLD can overlap in two mutually perpendicular diagonal directions by appropriately adjusting the relative positions of the light sources 1010A-1010D.

[0080] In some embodiments, the spot patterns of structured light SLA, structured light SLB, structured light SLC, and structured light SLD are all M×N spot patterns. Specifically, in cases where structured light SLA-SLD overlap in both the vertical and horizontal directions, in some embodiments, the (M-1)×(N-1) spot patterns of the structured light SLA, the (M-1)×(N-1) spot patterns of the structured light SLB, the (M-1)×(N-1) spot patterns of the structured light SLC, and the (M-1)×(N-1) spot patterns of the structured light SLD overlap in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1; or, in other embodiments, the (Mi)×(Nj) spot patterns of the structured light SLA, the (Mi)×(Nj) spot patterns of the structured light SLB, the (Mi)×(Nj) spot patterns of the structured light SLC, and the (Mi)×(Nj) spot patterns of the structured light SLD overlap in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1, i is an integer greater than 1 and less than M, and j is an integer greater than 1 and less than N.

[0081] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of a structured light projector 1200 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 12 As shown, the structured light projector 1200 includes light sources 1210A-1210D, a light refraction element 1220, a light patterning element 1230, and a light shaping element 1240. The light sources 1210A-1210D can be respectively positioned at the four corners of an imaginary square. Each light source 1210A-1210D is configured to emit dissonant light and can be a laser source, such as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser source, a distributed feedback semiconductor laser source, or other suitable light sources. The light refraction element 1220 is positioned above the light sources 1210A-1210D to refract the dissonant light from the light sources 1210A-1210D toward the light patterning element 1230. The light refraction element 1220 can be, but is not limited to, a collimating lens, a convex lens, a concave lens, a liquid crystal lens, or a Fresnel lens. Taking the same non-homogeneous light emitted by light sources 1210A-1210D as examples, the distance between light source 1210A and light refraction element 1220 can be substantially the same as the distance between light source 1210B and light refraction element 1220, substantially the same as the distance between light source 1210C and light refraction element 1220, and substantially the same as the distance between light source 1210D and light refraction element 1220. An optical patterning element 1230 is disposed between light refraction element 1220 and optical shaping element 1240 to pattern the non-homogeneous light refracted by light refraction element 1220 to form a diffracted light beam pattern. The optical patterning element 1230 can be a diffractive optical pattern generating element, such as a linear diffractive optical element or other optical elements suitable for generating diffracted light beam patterns. The optical shaping element 1240 is disposed above the optical patterning element 1230 to shape the diffracted light beam pattern to generate structured light SLA-SLD. For the configuration of the structured light projector 1200, each structured light SLA-SLD can be generated with multiple optical patterns, such as light-shaped patterns or similar. The light shaping element 1240 can be a two-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element or other optical element suitable for shaping dissonant light into structured light with optical patterns. The structured light SLA-SLD is projected onto and overlaps in the spatial region S.

[0082] Figure 13A Explanatory Figure 12 The structured light projector 1200 projects structured light SLA with ray-shaped patterns LPA, structured light SLB with ray-shaped patterns LPB, structured light SLC with ray-shaped patterns LPC, and structured light SLD with ray-shaped patterns LPD. For example... Figure 13AAs shown, in the overlap region of structured light SLA-SLD, the ray pattern LPA overlaps with ray pattern LPB, overlaps with ray pattern LPC, and overlaps with ray pattern LPD. In the overlap regions of structured light SLA and SLB, ray pattern LPA overlaps with ray pattern LPB; in the overlap regions of structured light SLA and SLC, ray pattern LPA overlaps with ray pattern LPC; ray pattern LPB overlaps with ray pattern LPD in the overlap regions of structured light SLB and SLD; and ray pattern LPC overlaps with ray pattern LPD in the overlap regions of structured light SLC and SLD. The overlap region of structured light SLA-SLD is also called the high uniformity projection region, and ray patterns LPA and LPD overlap in a one-to-one manner within the high uniformity projection region. Figure 13B-13E Also shown separately Figure 13A Structured light SLA-SLD with a light-ray patterned LPA-LPD. For example... Figures 13A-13E As shown, the top left ray pattern LPA does not overlap with any of the ray patterns LPB-LPD; the top right ray pattern LPB does not overlap with any of the ray patterns LPA, LPC, or LPD; the bottom left ray pattern LPC does not overlap with any of the ray patterns LPA, LPB, or LPD; and the bottom right ray pattern LPD does not overlap with any of the ray patterns LPA-LPC. Figures 13A-13E In the exemplary example shown, the structured light SLA-SLD overlaps in two mutually perpendicular directions (e.g., in the vertical and horizontal directions). In other embodiments, by appropriately adjusting the relative positions of the light sources 1210A-1210D, the structured light SLA-SLD can overlap in two mutually perpendicular diagonal directions.

[0083] In some embodiments, the ray pattern of structured light SLA, structured light SLB, structured light SLC, and structured light SLD are all M×N ray patterns. Specifically, in cases where structured light SLA-SLD overlap in both the vertical and horizontal directions, in some embodiments, the (M-1)×(N-1) ray patterns of the structured light SLA, the (M-1)×(N-1) ray patterns of the structured light SLB, the (M-1)×(N-1) ray patterns of the structured light SLC, and the (M-1)×(N-1) ray patterns of the structured light SLD overlap in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1; or, in other embodiments, the (Mi)×(Nj) ray patterns of the structured light SLA, the (Mi)×(Nj) ray patterns of the structured light SLB, the (Mi)×(Nj) ray patterns of the structured light SLC, and the (Mi)×(Nj) ray patterns of the structured light SLD overlap in the spatial region S, where M and N are integers greater than 1, i is an integer greater than 1 and less than M, and j is an integer greater than 1 and less than N.

[0084] Figure 14A , 14B Explanatory examples are shown separately for comparison and Figure 12 Structured light with a ray-shaped pattern projected by the structured light projector 1200. The comparative example is similar to... Figure 1 The structured light projector 100 has non-overlapping projection light patterns. Figure 14A , 14B It can be seen that the uniformity of the ray pattern projected by the structured light projector 1200 is significantly higher than the uniformity of the ray pattern projected by the comparative example. Furthermore, Figure 15A , 15B Explanatory examples are shown separately for comparison and Figure 10 Structured light with a dotted pattern projected by the structured light projector 1000. The comparative example is similar to... Figure 1 The structured light projector 100 projects light spots in a pattern that does not overlap. Figure 15A , 15B It can be seen that the uniformity of the light spot pattern projected by the structured light projector 1000 is significantly higher than that of the light spot pattern projected by the comparative example.

[0085] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional image sensing device 1600 according to one or more embodiments of the present invention. Figure 16 As shown, the three-dimensional image sensing device 1600 includes a light source 1610, a light refraction element 1620, a light shaping element 1630, an image sensor 1604, and a processor 1606. The light source 1610, the light refraction element 1620, and the light shaping element 1630 can be similar to... Figure 2 The light sources 210A and 210B, light refraction element 220, and light shaping element 230 of the structured light projector 200 can be included in the structured light projector 1602. In other words, the structured light projector 1602 can be similar to... Figure 2 A structured light projector 200 is provided. In various embodiments, the structured light projector 1602 may be implemented as a structured light projector 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, or other similar structured light projectors. The structured light projector 1602 is configured to project overlapping structured light onto the spatial region S. An image sensor 1604 is configured to acquire an image of the corresponding optical pattern from the spatial region. The image sensor 1604 may be a structured light sensor, a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, or a combination thereof, and may include a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, etc. A processor 1606 is configured to process the image acquired by the image sensor to obtain three-dimensional data related to the spatial region S.

[0086] Although this disclosure has been presented above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any person skilled in the art may make some changes and modifications without departing from the concept and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure shall be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A structured light projector, comprising: A first light source and a second light source are configured to emit a first non-coherent light and a second non-coherent light, respectively. A light refraction element is disposed above the first light source and the second light source to refract the first dissonant light and the second dissonant light; and An optical shaping element is disposed above the optical refraction element to shape the first asynchronous light to generate a first structured light with multiple first optical patterns and to shape the second asynchronous light to generate a second structured light with multiple second optical patterns. The first structured light and the second structured light overlap in a spatial region. The first optical patterns and the second optical patterns are both M×N light spot patterns, and the (M-1)×N light spot patterns of the first optical pattern overlap with the (M-1)×N light spot patterns of the second optical pattern in the spatial region. M and N are integers greater than 1.

2. The structured light projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between the first light source and the light refraction element is substantially the same as a distance between the second light source and the light refraction element.

3. The structured light projector as described in claim 1, wherein the first light source and the second light source are both vertical cavity surface-emitting laser sources.

4. The structured light projector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light shaping element is a two-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element.

5. The structured light projector of claim 1, wherein the light shaping element is a microlens array.

6. The structured light projector of claim 1, further comprising: A light patterning element is disposed between the light refraction element and the light shaping element.

7. The structured light projector of claim 6, wherein the light patterning element is a diffractive line pattern generating element.

8. The structured light projector of claim 7, wherein the first optical patterns and the second optical patterns are each M×N ray-shaped patterns, and the (M-1)×N ray-shaped patterns of the first optical patterns overlap with the (M-1)×N ray-shaped patterns of the second optical patterns in the spatial region, wherein M and N are integers greater than 1.

9. The structured light projector of claim 6, wherein the light shaping element and the light patterning element are both one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical elements.

10. The structured light projector of claim 9, wherein the light refraction element and the light patterning element are an integrated one-dimensional fan-out diffractive optical element.

11. The structured light projector of claim 1, further comprising: A light patterning element is disposed above a light projection side of the light shaping element.

12. The structured light projector of claim 11, wherein the light shaping element is a two-dimensional tiled diffractive optical element, and the light patterning element is a diffractive line pattern generating element.

13. The structured light projector of claim 1, further comprising: A third light source, configured to emit a third non-coherent light; and A fourth light source, configured to emit a fourth non-coherent light; The light refraction element is also disposed above the third light source and the fourth light source to refract the third non-coherent light and the fourth non-coherent light. The light shaping element is also configured to shape the third non-coherent light to generate a third structured light with multiple third optical patterns and shape the fourth non-coherent light to generate a fourth structured light with multiple fourth optical patterns. The first structured light to the fourth structured light overlap in the spatial region.

14. The structured light projector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first light source, the second light source, the third light source and the fourth light source are respectively disposed at the four corners of an imaginary square.

15. The structured light projector of claim 13, wherein the first optical patterns, the second optical patterns, the third optical patterns, and the fourth optical patterns overlap in two mutually perpendicular directions.

16. The structured light projector of claim 13, wherein the first optical patterns, the second optical patterns, the third optical patterns, and the fourth optical patterns are all M×N spot patterns, and the (M-1)×(N-1) spot patterns of the first optical pattern, the second optical pattern, the third optical pattern, and the fourth optical pattern overlap in the spatial region, wherein M and N are integers greater than 1.

17. The structured light projector of claim 13, further comprising: A light patterning element is disposed between the light refraction element and the light shaping element; The first optical patterns, the second optical patterns, the third optical patterns, and the fourth optical patterns are all M×N ray-shaped patterns, and the (M-1)×(N-1) ray-shaped patterns of the first optical patterns, the (M-1)×(N-1) ray-shaped patterns of the second optical patterns, the (M-1)×(N-1) ray-shaped patterns of the third optical patterns, and the (M-1)×(N-1) ray-shaped patterns of the fourth optical patterns overlap in the spatial region, where M and N are integers greater than 1.

18. The structured light projector of claim 1, wherein the light refraction element is a collimating lens.

19. A three-dimensional image sensing device, comprising: Multiple light sources are configured to emit multiple non-coherent lights; A light refraction element is disposed above the light sources to refract the non-coherent light; An optical shaping element is disposed on the optical refraction element to shape the non-homogeneous light to generate multiple structured lights, wherein each of the structured lights has multiple optical patterns, and the structured lights overlap in a spatial region, wherein each of the optical patterns is an M×N light spot pattern, and wherein (M-1)×(N-1) light spot patterns of the optical patterns overlap in the spatial region, wherein M and N are integers greater than 1; An image sensor is configured to acquire an image from the spatial region; and A processor is configured to perform operations on the image to obtain three-dimensional data related to the spatial region.

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