Depth sensing with adaptive illumination patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional structured light depth sensing systems often produce image information with poor quality due to issues like defocus blur, overexposure, and underexposure, which existing technologies do not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive depth sensing system (ADSS) that generates a composite pattern with varying component patterns and illumination intensities based on an analysis of the last-generated depth map, specifically assigning different features and intensities to different depth regions to improve image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a fixed 2D pattern is projected onto the scene, then the depth sensing system can operate with simple illumination, but the image information quality deteriorates due to defocus blur, overexposure, and underexposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different illumination intensities and pattern features to different depth regions. Specifically, closer regions receive different illumination characteristics than farther regions, allowing each region to be optimally illuminated for its specific depth, thereby reducing defocus blur and exposure issues while maintaining manageable system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by making the illumination pattern adaptive rather than fixed. The system dynamically adjusts the projected pattern based on previously captured depth maps, modifying illumination intensity and pattern features in real-time to account for varying scene depths, which improves image quality without requiring overly complex static illumination hardware
2Ease of operation
If uniform illumination intensity is applied to all regions, then the illumination system is simple to control, but image quality worsens due to overexposure of close regions and underexposure of far regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying illumination intensity as a function of depth region. Different depth regions are assigned different intensity parameters based on their distance from the camera, with closer regions receiving lower intensity and farther regions receiving higher intensity. This dynamic parameter adjustment improves exposure quality across all regions while maintaining automated control that simplifies operation
3Device complexity
If a single pattern size is used for all depth regions, then the pattern generation is simple, but measurement precision deteriorates due to defocus blur affecting different depths equally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different pattern feature sizes to different depth regions. Specifically, smaller pattern features are used for closer regions while larger features are used for farther regions. This local adaptation allows each depth region to receive appropriately scaled patterns that maintain measurement precision despite defocus effects, while the automated assignment process keeps generation complexity manageable
Data Source
AI summary
An adaptive depth sensing system (ADSS) illuminates a scene with a pattern that is constructed based on an analysis of at least one prior-generated depth map. In one implementation, the pattern is a composite pattern that includes two or more component patterns associated with different depth regions in the depth map. The composite pattern may also include different illumination intensities associated with the different depth regions. By using this composite pattern, the ADSS can illuminate different objects in a scene with different component patterns and different illumination intensities, where those objects are located at different depths in the scene. This process, in turn, can reduce the occurrence of defocus blur, underexposure, and overexposure in the image information.