Abstract: A system to determine a position of one or more objects includes a transmitter to emit a beam of photons to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects; multiple cameras that are spaced-apart with each camera having an array of pixels to detect photons; and one or more processor devices that execute stored instructions to perform actions of a method, including: directing the transmitter to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects with the beam of photons; for each of the regions, receiving, from the cameras, an array position of each pixel that detected photons of the beam reflected or scattered by the region of the one or more objects; and, for each of the regions detected by the cameras, determining a position of the regions using the received array positions of the pixels that detected the photons of the beam reflected or scattered by that region.

Abstract: A LIDAR system includes a scanner; a receiver; and one or more processor devices to perform actions, including: scanning a continuous light beam over the field of view in a first scan pass; detecting photons of the continuous light beam that are reflected from one or more objects; determining a coarse range to the one or more objects based on times of departure of the photons of the continuous light beam and times of arrival of the photons at the receiver; scanning light pulses over the field of view in a second scan pass; detecting photons from the light pulses that are reflected from the one or more objects; and determining a refined range to the one or more objects based on times of departure of the photons of the light pulses and times of arrival of the photons at the receiver.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward measuring a three dimensional range to a target. A transmitter emits light toward the target. An aperture may receive light reflections from the target. The aperture may direct the reflections toward a sensor that comprises rows of pixels that have columns. The sensor is offset a predetermined distance from the transmitter. Anticipated arrival times of the reflections on the sensor are based on the departure times and the predetermined offset distance. A portion of the pixels are sequentially activated based on the anticipated arrival times. The target's three dimensional range measurement is based on the reflections detected by the portion of the pixels.

Abstract: A system to scan a field of view with light beams can include a scanning mirror arrangement having a mirror and a drive mechanism configured to rotate the mirror about an axis between two terminal positions; at least one light source configured to simultaneously produce at least a first light beam and a second light beam directed at the mirror from different directions. Upon rotation of the mirror, the first and second light beams can scan a field of view. Another example of a scanning mirror arrangement includes a mirror; hinges attached at opposite sides of the mirror; and a drive mechanism attached to the hinges and configured to twist the hinges resulting in a larger twist to the mirror, wherein the hinges are disposed between the drive mechanism and the mirror.

Abstract: The invention is directed to recording, transmitting, and displaying a three-dimensional image of a face of a user in a video stream. Reflected light from a curved or geometrically shaped screen is employed to provide multiple perspective views of the user's face that are transformed into the image, which is communicated to remotely located other users. A head mounted projection display system is employed to capture the reflective light. The system includes a frame, that when worn by a user, wraps around and grips the user's head. Also, at least two separate image capture modules are included on the frame and generally positioned relatively adjacent to the left and right eyes of a user when the system is worn. Each module includes one or more sensor components, such as cameras, that are arranged to detect at least reflected non-visible light from a screen positioned in front of the user.

Abstract: A LIDAR system includes a scanner; a receiver; and one or more processor devices to perform actions, including: scanning a continuous light beam over the field of view in a first scan pass; detecting photons of the continuous light beam that are reflected from one or more objects; determining a coarse range to the one or more objects based on times of departure of the photons of the continuous light beam and times of arrival of the photons at the receiver; scanning light pulses over the field of view in a second scan pass; detecting photons from the light pulses that are reflected from the one or more objects; and determining a refined range to the one or more objects based on times of departure of the photons of the light pulses and times of arrival of the photons at the receiver.

Abstract: A three-dimension position tracking system is presented. The system includes transmitters and receivers. A transmitter scans continuous or pulsed coherent light beams across a target. The receiver detects the reflected beams. The system recursively determines the location of the target, as a function of time, via triangulation and observation of the time-of-flight of the incoming and outgoing beams. The transmitter includes ultra-fast scanning optics to scan the receiver's field-of-view. The receiver includes arrays of ultra-fast photosensitive pixels. The system determines the angles of the incoming beams based on the line-of-sight of the triggered pixels. By observing the incoming angles and correlating timestamps associated with the outgoing and incoming beams, the system accurately, and in near real-time, determines the location of the target.

Abstract: A system projects a user-viewable, computer-generated or -fed image, wherein a head-mounted projector is used to project an image onto a retro-reflective surface, so only the viewer can see the image. The projector is connected to a computer that contains software to create virtual 2-D and or 3-D images for viewing by the user. Further, one projector each is mounted on either side of the user's head, and, by choosing for example a retro angle of less than about 10 degrees, each eye can only see the image of one of the projectors at a given distance up to 3 meters, in this example, from the retro-reflective screen. The retro angle used may be reduced with larger viewing distance desired. These projectors use lasers to avoid the need for focusing, and in some cases these projectors use instead of lasers highly collimated LED light sources to avoid the need for focusing.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward measuring a three dimensional range to a target. A transmitter emits light toward the target. An aperture may receive light reflections from the target. The aperture may direct the reflections toward a sensor that comprises rows of pixels that have columns. The sensor is offset a predetermined distance from the transmitter. Anticipated arrival times of the reflections on the sensor are based on the departure times and the predetermined offset distance. A portion of the pixels are sequentially activated based on the anticipated arrival times. The target's three dimensional range measurement is based on the reflections detected by the portion of the pixels.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward a scanning LIDAR system that measures a distance to a target that reflects light from a transmitter to a receiver. A light transmitter is arranged to scan pulses of light that reflect off a remote surface (target) and illuminate fractions of the Field of View (FoV) of a receiver, such as a camera. These fractions of the FoV are smaller than a resolution provided by an array of pixels used to detect Time of Flight (ToF) reflections of the scanned pulses of light from a remote surface. The exemplary scanning LIDAR system may resolve an image of the remote surface at substantially higher resolution than the pixel resolution provided by its receiver.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward a scanning LIDAR system that measures a distance to a target that reflects light from a transmitter to a receiver. A light transmitter is arranged to scan pulses of light that reflect off a remote surface (target) and illuminate fractions of the Field of View (FoV) of a receiver, such as a camera. These fractions of the FoV are smaller than a resolution provided by an array of pixels used to detect Time of Flight (ToF) reflections of the scanned pulses of light from a remote surface. The exemplary scanning LIDAR system may resolve an image of the remote surface at substantially higher resolution than the pixel resolution provided by its receiver.

Abstract: A system to determine a position of one or more objects includes a transmitter to emit a beam of photons to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects; multiple cameras that are spaced-apart with each camera having an array of pixels to detect photons; and one or more processor devices that execute stored instructions to perform actions of a method, including: directing the transmitter to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects with the beam of photons; for each of the regions, receiving, from the cameras, an array position of each pixel that detected photons of the beam reflected or scattered by the region of the one or more objects; and, for each of the regions detected by the cameras, determining a position of the regions using the received array positions of the pixels that detected the photons of the beam reflected or scattered by that region.

Abstract: Provided is a disclosure for user authentication using biometric features such as detection of micro-expressions of a user.

Abstract: An image projection device for displaying an image onto a remote surface. The image projection device employs a scanner to project image beams of visible light and tracer beams of light onto a remote surface to form a display of the image. The device also employs a light detector to sense at least the reflections of light from the tracer beam pulses incident on the remote surface. The device employs the sensed tracer beam light pulses to predict the trajectory of subsequent image beam light pulses and tracer beam light pulses that form a display of the image on the remote surface in a pseudo random pattern. The trajectory of the projected image beam light pulses can be predicted so that the image is displayed from a point of view that can be selected by, or automatically adjusted for, a viewer of the displayed image.

Abstract: A three-dimension position tracking system is presented. The system includes transmitters and receivers. A transmitter scans continuous or pulsed coherent light beams across a target. The receiver detects the reflected beams. The system recursively determines the location of the target, as a function of time, via triangulation and observation of the time-of-flight of the incoming and outgoing beams. The transmitter includes ultra-fast scanning optics to scan the receiver's field-of-view. The receiver includes arrays of ultra-fast photosensitive pixels. The system determines the angles of the incoming beams based on the line-of-sight of the triggered pixels. By observing the incoming angles and correlating timestamps associated with the outgoing and incoming beams, the system accurately, and in near real-time, determines the location of the target.

Abstract: Systems and methods for machine vision are presented. Such machine vision includes ego-motion, as well as the segmentation and/or classification of image data of one or more targets of interest. The projection and detection of scanning light beams that generate a pattern are employed. Real-time continuous and accurate spatial-temporal 3D sensing is achieved. The relative motion between an observer and a projection surface is determined. A combination of visible and non-visible patterns, as well as a combination of visible and non-visible sensor arrays is employed to sense 3D coordinates of target features, as well as acquire color image data to generate 3D color images of targets. Stereoscopic pairs of cameras are employed to generate 3D image data. Such cameras are dynamically aligned and calibrated. Information may be encoded in the transmitted patterns. The information is decoded upon detection of the pattern and employed to determine features of the reflecting surface.

Abstract: Systems and methods for machine vision are presented. Such machine vision includes ego-motion, as well as the segmentation and/or classification of image data of one or more targets of interest. The projection and detection of scanning light beams that generate a pattern are employed. Real-time continuous and accurate spatial-temporal 3D sensing is achieved. The relative motion between an observer and a projection surface is determined. A combination of visible and non-visible patterns, as well as a combination of visible and non-visible sensor arrays is employed to sense 3D coordinates of target features, as well as acquire color image data to generate 3D color images of targets. Stereoscopic pairs of cameras are employed to generate 3D image data. Such cameras are dynamically aligned and calibrated. Information may be encoded in the transmitted patterns. The information is decoded upon detection of the pattern and employed to determine features of the reflecting surface.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward measuring a three dimensional range to a target. A transmitter emits light toward the target. An aperture may receive light reflections from the target. The aperture may direct the reflections toward a sensor that comprises rows of pixels that have columns. The sensor is offset a predetermined distance from the transmitter. Anticipated arrival times of the reflections on the sensor are based on the departure times and the predetermined offset distance. A portion of the pixels are sequentially activated based on the anticipated arrival times. The target's three dimensional range measurement is based on the reflections detected by the portion of the pixels.

Abstract: Methods and systems for navigating a vehicle along a surface employ a scanner to scan a light beam over the surface; employ light reflected by one or more fiducial markers on the surface onto pixels of a receiver to determine a spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers on the surface; and compare the spatial arrangement of the fiducial markers with a predetermined map of the fiducial markers to determine a location of the vehicle.

Abstract: A system to determine a position of one or more objects includes a transmitter to emit a beam of photons to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects; multiple cameras that are spaced-apart with each camera having an array of pixels to detect photons; and one or more processor devices that execute stored instructions to perform actions of a method, including: directing the transmitter to sequentially illuminate regions of one or more objects with the beam of photons; for each of the regions, receiving, from the cameras, an array position of each pixel that detected photons of the beam reflected or scattered by the region of the one or more objects; and, for each of the regions detected by the cameras, determining a position of the regions using the received array positions of the pixels that detected the photons of the beam reflected or scattered by that region.