阅读说明：本技术 用于检测大气颗粒的存在的方法、装置和计算机程序 (Method, apparatus and computer program for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles ) 是由 C·纳勒尔 H·波兰克 A·施恩莱博 于 2020-02-13 设计创作，主要内容包括：示例涉及用于检测大气颗粒的存在的方法、装置和计算机程序。该方法包括获取(110)深度图像传感器模块的环境的参考测量。参考测量基于第一时间间隔内调制光的测量。调制光被深度图像传感器模块的环境的特征反射。该方法包括在第二时间间隔中获取调制光的后续测量。该方法包括基于调制光的后续测量来检测(130)大气颗粒的存在。通过使用在第一时间间隔内执行的参考测量来检测大气颗粒的存在,以忽略深度图像传感器模块的环境的全部或部分特征。该方法包括基于检测到的大气颗粒的存在生成(140)指示所检测到的大气颗粒的一个或多个特性的信号。(Examples relate to a method, apparatus and computer program for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles. The method comprises acquiring (110) a reference measurement of an environment of the depth image sensor module. The reference measurement is based on a measurement of modulated light over a first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The method includes acquiring subsequent measurements of the modulated light in a second time interval. The method includes detecting (130) the presence of the atmospheric particles based on a subsequent measurement of the modulated light. The presence of atmospheric particles is detected by using a reference measurement performed within a first time interval to ignore all or part of the characteristics of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The method comprises generating (140) a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on the presence of the detected atmospheric particles.)

1. A method for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles, the method comprising:

obtaining (110) a reference measurement of an environment of a depth image sensor module, wherein the reference measurement is based on a measurement of modulated light within a first time interval, wherein the modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module;

acquiring (120) subsequent measurements of the modulated light over a second time interval;

detecting (130) the presence of the atmospheric particles based on the subsequent measurements of the modulated light, wherein the presence of the atmospheric particles is detected by using the reference measurements performed within the first time interval to ignore all or part of the features of the environment of the depth image sensor module; and

generating (140) a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on detecting the presence of the atmospheric particles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated light is a light-based coded modulation, wherein the method comprises: determining (112) a distance between the depth image sensor module and a feature of the environment based on the reference measurement of the environment, and setting (114) a measurement range of coded modulation of the modulated light to a region located between the depth image sensor module and the feature of the environment within the second time interval.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the subsequent measurements of the modulated light comprise two or more coded modulation images representing two or more distances within the measurement range of coded modulation of the modulated light,

and/or wherein a distance between the depth image sensor module and a feature of the environment is determined (112) based on two or more coded modulation images comprised in the reference measurement.

4. A method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the method comprises: determining (132) information related to a position of the atmospheric particles based on the one or more coded modulation images, wherein the signal indicative of the one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles comprises the information related to the position of the atmospheric particles.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the method comprises: determining (134) information related to a composition of the atmospheric particles based on the one or more coded modulation images, wherein the signal indicative of the one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles comprises information related to the composition of the atmospheric particles.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information related to the composition indicates whether the atmospheric particulates comprise primarily steam or whether the atmospheric particulates comprise primarily smoke.

7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the composition of the atmospheric particles is determined using a machine learning algorithm, wherein the one or more coded modulation images are used as an input to the machine learning algorithm, wherein the machine learning algorithm is pre-trained using example coded modulation images as a training input and example composition information as a training output.

8. The method of any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the atmospheric particles form a particle cloud of atmospheric particles, wherein the signal indicative of the one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles comprises information relating to at least one of a location, a range, a volume, a density, and a composition of the particle cloud.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the method comprises: determining (136) information related to at least one of density, volume and extent of the particle cloud based on two or more coded modulation images representing two or more distances within a measurement range of coded modulation of the modulated light.

10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the modulated light is based on structured light emission.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the modulated light is a continuous wave modulation based on light, wherein the presence of the atmospheric particles is detected based on a comparison between the subsequent measurement and the reference measurement.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises emitting (150) the modulated light, wherein the modulated light uses two or more different wavelengths within the second time interval, wherein the subsequent measurements comprise two or more subsequent measurements based on the two or more different wavelengths, wherein the method comprises: determining (138) a material composition of the atmospheric particles from the two or more subsequent measurements based on the two or more different wavelengths.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code configured to, when loaded onto a computer, processor or programmable hardware component, implement the method of any preceding claim.

14. An apparatus (10) for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles, the apparatus comprising:

an interface (12) for communicating with a depth image sensor module (20);

a processing module (14) configured to:

obtaining a reference measurement of an environment of the depth image sensor module from the depth image sensor module, wherein the reference measurement is based on a measurement of modulated light in a first time interval, wherein the modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module;

obtaining subsequent measurements of modulated light from the depth image sensor module over a second time interval;

detecting a presence of the atmospheric particles based on the subsequent measurements of the modulated light, wherein the presence of the atmospheric particles is detected by using the reference measurements performed within the first time interval to ignore all or part of the features of the environment of the depth image sensor module; and

generating a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on detecting the presence of the atmospheric particles.

15. A system (100) comprising the apparatus (10) of claim 14 and a depth image sensor module (20), wherein the depth image sensor module is configured to perform the reference measurement and the subsequent measurement, and wherein the depth image sensor module is configured to provide the reference measurement and the subsequent measurement to the processing module (14) via the interface (12).

Technical Field

Examples relate to a method, apparatus and computer program for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles.

Background

Depth image cameras, such as time-of-flight (ToF) cameras or structured light cameras, are commonly used to determine the distance between the camera's sensor and objects around the camera. For example, ToF cameras are based on the measurement of the delay between the emission of an optical Infrared (IR) signal, which is then reflected by an object, and the reception of the optical signal at a Photonic Mixing Device (PMD) imager. The measured delay is proportional to the distance of the object. The structured light camera is based on projecting a predetermined pattern to a surface of an object in a sensor environment of the structured light camera. Based on the deformation of the predetermined pattern at the object surface, the distance between the sensor and the corresponding object may be calculated. Both methods may be used to determine a depth image based on the distance of an object relative to the sensor of the respective camera.

Disclosure of Invention

One example relates to a method for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles. The method includes acquiring a reference measurement of an environment of the depth image sensor module. The reference measurement is based on a measurement of the modulated light over a first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The method includes acquiring subsequent measurements of the modulated light during a second time interval. The method includes detecting the presence of the atmospheric particles based on a subsequent measurement of the modulated light. The presence of atmospheric particles is detected by using a reference measurement performed within a first time interval to ignore all or part of the characteristics of the environment of the depth sensor module. The method includes generating a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on detecting the presence of the atmospheric particles.

One example relates to an apparatus for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles. The apparatus includes an interface for communicating with a depth image sensor module. The apparatus includes a processing module configured to obtain a reference measurement of an environment of the depth image sensor module from the depth image sensor module. The reference measurement is a measurement based on the modulated light in the first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The processing module is configured to acquire subsequent measurements of the modulated light from the depth image sensor module over a second time interval. The processing module is configured to detect the presence of atmospheric particles based on subsequent measurements of the modulated light. The presence of atmospheric particles is detected by using a reference measurement performed within a first time interval to ignore all or part of the characteristics of the environment of the sensor module. The processing module is configured to generate a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on the detected presence of the atmospheric particles.

One example relates to a system that includes an apparatus for detecting a presence of atmospheric particles and a depth image sensor module. The apparatus includes an interface for communicating with a depth image sensor module. The apparatus includes a processing module configured to obtain a reference measurement of an environment of the depth image sensor module from the depth image sensor module. The reference measurement is a measurement based on the modulated light over a first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The processing module is configured to acquire subsequent measurements of the modulated light from the depth image sensor module over a second time interval. The processing module is configured to detect the presence of atmospheric particles based on subsequent measurements of the modulated light. The presence of atmospheric particles is detected by using a reference measurement performed within a first time interval to ignore all or part of the characteristics of the environment of the depth sensor module. The processing module is configured to generate a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on the detected presence of the atmospheric particles. The depth image sensor module is configured to perform a reference measurement and a subsequent measurement. The depth image sensor module is configured to provide the reference measurement and the subsequent measurement to the processing module via the interface.

Drawings

Some examples of apparatus and/or methods will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1a and 1b show a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles.

Fig. 1c shows an embodiment of an apparatus for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles and a block diagram of a system comprising the apparatus for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles and a depth image sensor module.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of an embodiment for detecting dust particles.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a comparison of code modulation and continuous wave ToF sensing.

Detailed Description

Various examples will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some examples are shown. In the drawings, the thickness of lines, layers and/or regions may be exaggerated for clarity.

Accordingly, while further examples are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, specific examples thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. However, the detailed description does not limit further examples to the particular forms described. Further examples may cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure. The same or similar numerals denote the same or similar elements throughout the description of the drawings, and these elements may be embodied identically or in modified forms when compared with each other while providing the same or similar functions.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled through one or more intervening elements. If an "or" is used to combine two elements a and B, this is to be understood as disclosing all possible combinations, i.e. only a, only B and a and B, if not explicitly or implicitly defined otherwise. Another alternative expression of the same combination is "at least one of a and B" or "a and/or B". The same applies, mutatis mutandis, to combinations of more than two elements.

The terminology used herein to describe particular examples is not intended to be limiting of further examples. Further examples may also use multiple elements to perform the same function whenever singular forms such as "a," "an," and "the" are used and the use of only a single element is neither explicitly nor implicitly defined as mandatory. Similarly, when functionality is subsequently described as being implemented using multiple elements, further examples may implement the same functionality using a single element or processing entity. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, processes, acts, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, operations, processes, acts, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same general meaning as the art to which examples belong.

Fig. 1a and 1b show a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles. The method includes acquiring 110 a reference measurement of an environment of the depth image sensor module. The reference measurement is a measurement based on modulating light within a first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The method includes acquiring 120 subsequent measurements of the modulated light during a second time interval. The method includes detecting 130 the presence of the atmospheric particles based on a subsequent measurement of the modulated light. The presence of atmospheric particles is detected by using a reference measurement performed within a first time interval to ignore all or part of the characteristics of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The method generates 140 a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on detecting the presence of the atmospheric particles.

Fig. 1c shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a (corresponding) device 10 for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles. Fig. 1c further shows a block diagram of an embodiment of a system 100 comprising means for detecting the presence of atmospheric particles and comprising a depth image sensor module 20. The apparatus 10 includes an interface 12 for communicating with a depth image sensor module 20. The apparatus 10 includes a processing module 14 coupled to the interface 12. The processing module may be configured to perform the methods introduced in connection with fig. 1a and/or fig. 1b, e.g. in cooperation with the interface 12. The processing module 14 is configured to obtain a reference measurement of the environment of the depth image sensor module from the depth image sensor module. The reference measurement is a measurement based on modulating light within a first time interval. The modulated light is reflected by features of the environment of the depth image sensor module. The processing module 14 is configured to acquire subsequent measurements of the modulated light from the depth image sensor module over a second time interval. The processing module 14 is configured to detect the presence of atmospheric particles based on subsequent measurements of the modulated light. The presence of atmospheric particles is detected by using a reference measurement performed within a first time interval to ignore all or part of the characteristics of the environment of the sensor module. The processing module is configured to generate a signal indicative of one or more characteristics of the detected atmospheric particles based on the presence of the detected atmospheric particles. System 100 includes device 10 and depth image sensor module 20. The depth image sensor module 20 may be configured to perform a reference measurement and a subsequent measurement. The depth image sensor module may be configured to provide the reference measurement and subsequent measurements to the processing module 14 via the interface 12.

The following description relates to the method of fig. 1a and/or 1b and the apparatus 10 and/or system 100 of fig. 1 c.