OPTICAL PATTERN PROJECTOR

摘要

An optical pattern projector used for projecting a structured-light pattern onto an object for dimensioning is presented. The optical pattern projector utilizes a laser array, a lenslet array, a lens, and a diffractive optical element to create a repeated pattern of projected dots. The pattern repetition is based on the grid pattern of laser array. Each laser's collimated beam, when projected through the lens, impinges on the diffractive optical element from a slightly different direction. The diffractive optical element creates a sub-patterns that continue propagating along these different directions and combine on a target to produce a repeating optical pattern.

主权项

1. An optical pattern projector, comprising:
a laser array, having a plurality of lasers equally spaced in a grid pattern and configured to radiate light in the same direction; a lenslet array having a plurality of lenslets arranged so that each lenslet is aligned with a particular laser, the lenslet array positioned in front of the laser array to focus the radiated light from the lasers into a plurality of collimated laser beams; a lens positioned in front of the lenslet array and sufficiently large to receive all of the laser beams, the lens redirecting each laser beam along a particular incident angle determined by the spatial position of the particular laser beam in the grid pattern; and a diffractive optical element (DOE) positioned in front of the lens to receive all of the laser beams and, for each laser beam, to (i) create a sub-pattern and (ii) project each laser beam's sub-pattern towards a target along a particular angle determined by the particular laser beam's incident angle, wherein the sub-patterns from each laser beam combine on the target to form an optical pattern.