Adaptive 3D Sensing With Attention-Guided Laser Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D sensing methodologies in mobile devices and wearables consume excessive energy and pose eye safety concerns due to high energy consumption and full-field illumination, particularly in line and point scanning systems.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive 3D sensing system that selectively illuminates specific areas of a real-world scene using a distributed laser beam based on attention masks, computed from depth estimates and confidence values, reducing energy consumption and enhancing eye safety by extending exposure duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If full-field illumination is used in 3D sensing, then complete scene coverage is achieved, but energy consumption increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the field of view into multiple scan lines that are illuminated sequentially rather than simultaneously. Each scan line represents a segment of the overall scene, allowing the system to cover the complete area while consuming far less energy at any given moment compared to full-field illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic scanning where laser beams systematically sweep through different scan lines in a repeating sequence. This periodic action allows complete scene coverage over time while maintaining low instantaneous energy consumption, as only a small portion of the scene is illuminated at any given moment.
2Measurement precision
If high energy laser beams are used for 3D sensing, then sensing precision is improved, but eye safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses periodic scanning with low-duty-cycle laser illumination, where the laser is activated only briefly for each scan line and then turned off. This temporal separation reduces the cumulative exposure duration to well below the 0.25-second safety threshold, maintaining eye safety while achieving sufficient measurement precision through repeated scans.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the illumination into discrete scan lines that are activated sequentially. This segmentation in both space and time allows the system to use higher peak power for each scan line (improving precision) while the overall exposure remains safe due to the brief duration and gaps between scans.
3Use of energy by moving object
If line scanning is used instead of full pattern projection, then energy consumption is reduced, but scanning time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements rapid periodic scanning where multiple scan lines are processed in quick succession. Although each individual scan line takes longer than simultaneous full-field projection, the high scanning rate and efficient sequential processing minimize the total time required, achieving a practical balance between energy consumption and scanning speed.
4Use of energy by moving object
If distributed laser beams are used for selective area illumination, then energy efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the illumination into multiple independent scan lines that can be controlled separately. This segmentation allows selective activation of only the necessary scan lines based on scene requirements, improving energy efficiency while the modular nature of line-by-line control keeps the system complexity manageable compared to full distributed beam control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adaptive 3D sensing system reduces energy usage and improves eye safety by focusing laser energy on necessary areas, achieving energy-efficient and safer 3D data capture.
Implementation Method 1
the projector is commanded to project a distributed laser beam into one or more specified areas of the real-world scene
Data Source
AI summary
An energy-efficient adaptive 3D sensing system. The adaptive 3D sensing system includes one or more cameras and one or more projectors. The adaptive 3D sensing system captures images of a real-world scene using the one or more cameras and computes depth estimates and depth estimate confidence values for pixels of the images. The adaptive 3D sensing system computes an attention mask based on the one or more depth estimate confidence values and commands the one or more projectors to send a distributed laser beam into one or more areas of the real-world scene based on the attention mask. The adaptive 3D sensing system captures 3D sensing image data of the one or more areas of the real-world scene and generates 3D sensing data for the real-world scene based on the 3D sensing image data.