3D sensors
ams OSRAM provides cutting-edge 3D sensing solutions in all three 3D technologies: structured light, time-of-flight (ToF) sensing and active stereo vision.
3D sensing
The rapidly growing field of 3D sensing is currently addressed by the following 3D camera technologies: stereoscopic imaging, time-of-flight (ToF) sensing, and structured light. ams OSRAM offers infrared illumination solutions for all these 3D camera platforms. Based on our state-of-the art vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) technology and our optical design and packaging capabilities, we provide unique solutions for all 3D sensing cameras: dot-pattern illuminators for structured light cameras as well as texture enhancement for stereo cameras, and a wide range of flood illuminators for ToF and video capture. We complement our VCSEL illuminators with software and system-level components to assist in the deployment of 3D cameras. Our solutions are used in a variety of consumer electronic platforms such as front-facing as well as world-facing applications for mobile devices, biometric authentication for payment, gesture and people recognition for home systems, robotics navigation, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) for automotive, and in AR/VR headsets.
Stereoscopic imaging
Most stereoscopic imaging platforms use two cameras at different angles to capture images. Image-processing software identifies common features in both images and extracts distance information through triangulation. Stereoscopic imaging systems, however, often suffer from impaired performance when the scene lacks features. ams OSRAM has developed a unique, proprietary solution to this problem. The ultra-compact dot-protector for stereoscopic imaging produces very high-contrast dot pattern that stereo-matching algorithms can use to mitigate the problem of lack of texture, and to produce high-accuracy depth maps. The presence of the infrared pattern also considerably reduces the computational load imposed by the software, as it offers many features to facilitate matching of the left and right images. ams OSRAM’s dot projector enables stereoscopic imaging to be implemented on a variety of platforms, from robotics to mobile devices.
Structured light illumination
In a structured light camera, the infrared illuminator plays a critical role for 3D sensing: it projects a pre-determined, or 'encoded,' pattern onto the scene, which can be 'decoded' by specific algorithms to extract depth information over the entire image. Structured light systems and design expertise from ams OSRAM enable 3D imaging applications to achieve extremely high accuracy.
Time-of-flight sensing
Low-power time-of-flight sensing technology from ams OSRAM enables host systems to measure distances accurately and at extreme speed. Accurate distance measurements are used in various applications including presence detection, user face recognition and advanced cameras. ams OSRAM 3D direct time-of-flight technology for world-facing mobile and XR wearables aims to achieve higher range and lower power consumption than other implementations. To minimize integration effort for mobile device OEMs, our 3D dToF system provides a complete technology stack – from optical sensing through to scene reconstruction and integration with RGB camera.
