US 11,733,524 B1
Depth camera assembly based on near infra-red illuminator
Zhaoming Zhu, Redmond, WA (US); and Nicholas Daniel Trail, Bothell, WA (US)
Assigned to Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed by Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC, Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed on May 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/329,799.
Application 17/329,799 is a continuation of application No. 15/886,233, filed on Feb. 1, 2018, granted, now 11,061,234.
Int. Cl. G02B 27/01 (2006.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G01S 17/10 (2020.01)
CPC G02B 27/0172 (2013.01) [G01S 17/10 (2013.01); G06T 7/70 (2017.01); G02B 2027/0178 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An illumination source comprising:
an emitter array including a plurality of pixels configured to emit a plurality of optical beams in accordance with emission instructions; and
a controller configured to:
generate the emission instructions for controlling the pixels in the emitter array, and
code, in grayscale with a defined bit resolution, an intensity level of a plurality of intensity levels for each optical beam of the plurality of optical beams by activating each pixel of the plurality of pixels to start emitting each optical beam of the plurality of optical beams at a respective first time instant based on the emission instructions and by deactivating each pixel of the plurality of pixels to stop emitting each optical beam of the plurality of optical beams at a respective second time instant based on the emission instructions, a number of the plurality of intensity levels for each optical beam of the plurality of optical beams emitted from each pixel of the plurality of pixels is more than two, and the number of the plurality of intensity levels depends on the defined bit resolution.