US 12,332,381 B2
3D sensing
David Richards, Cambridge (GB); and Joshua Carr, Cambridge (GB)
Assigned to CAMBRIDGE MECHATRONICS LIMITED, Cambridge (GB)
Appl. No. 17/265,337
Filed by CAMBRIDGE MECHATRONICS LIMITED, Cambridge (GB)
PCT Filed Aug. 7, 2019, PCT No. PCT/GB2019/052227
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 2, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/030916, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 13, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1812818 (GB), filed on Aug. 7, 2018; application No. 1906885 (GB), filed on May 15, 2019; and application No. 1909605 (GB), filed on Jul. 3, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0311171 A1, Oct. 7, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01S 7/497 (2006.01); G01S 17/42 (2006.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01)
CPC G01S 7/4815 (2013.01) [G01S 7/4817 (2013.01); G01S 7/497 (2013.01); G01S 17/42 (2013.01); G01S 17/894 (2020.01)] 31 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for use in generating a three-dimensional representation of a scene, the apparatus comprising:
a time-of-flight (ToF) imaging camera system comprising a multipixel sensor and a light source and arranged to emit illumination having a spatially-nonuniform intensity over the field of view of the sensor, wherein the light source comprises a plurality of lasers arranged in an array; and
an actuation mechanism for moving the illumination across at least part of the field of view of the sensor, thereby enabling generation of the representation, wherein the actuation mechanism comprises at least one shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator;
wherein the actuation mechanism further comprises at least one lens movable in one or more orthogonal directions in a plane at least substantially parallel to the array of lasers to move the illumination across the at least part of the field of view of the sensor.