Active stereo vision system boosts 3D adoption

Based on extensive 3D experience, ams has added Active Stereo Vision technology products to the portfolio to address additional and different 3D sensing applications as well as reach lower price points in the mobile segment. The first major smartphone OEMs are expected to launch products using ams ASV technology this fall. In addition, the new ASV technology can be used for applications in different industries such as computing, smart home and smart buildings.

Lukas Steinmann, Vice President and General Manager of 3D Sensing Modules and Solutions business line at ams, said: “While smartphone makers have pioneered the use of face recognition in premium consumer products, the depth maps on which face recognition relies support many other potential use cases in products for not only the consumer market, but also industrial and automotive markets. The development by ams of a new, simpler and cheaper way to generate depth maps opens up further possibilities for implementing 3D sensing applications in a much broader range of end products than before.”

ams has developed a new hardware and software solution for generating accurate 3D depth maps through the ASV technique, using twin infrared cameras that sense the target using the illumination from miniature laser projectors. 

The system supplied by ams includes: the ams Belago product, a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) illuminator which projects a semi-random high-density dot-pattern on the target; the ams PMSILPlus (VCSEL) flood projector, which features an improved wafer-level optical diffuser for uniform irradiance over the target plane; dual infrared cameras; ams software for generating a depth map image from the reflections captured by the cameras; ams system calibration software; and ams face-recognition software.

The new ams ASV solution produces a depth map of an object such as a face with high accuracy and precision. Compared to structured light solutions, it is more cost effective without compromising on depth map quality and resolution and supports easier assembly processes.

The depth maps generated by the ams ASV technology is highly accurate enabling face recognition to meet payment-grade quality standards, an industry first. They can also be used in other 3D sensing applications such as: AR/VR using simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM); driver monitoring in automotive systems; 3D scanning in smart factory production systems; and eLock and Point-of-Sales systems.

The launch version of the ams ASV reference design is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform optimised for mobile phones. It draws on ams’ world-class expertise in the design and production of wafer-level optical technology. Improvements to the Belago illumination module enable it to produce a randomised high-contrast dot pattern with full focus over the entire range that can be reliably captured by the IR cameras. By integrating optical components at wafer level, ams has miniaturised the design while maintaining high optical quality: the latest Belago device, supplied in a 4.2x3.6x3.3mm package, is ideal for integration into smartphones and other space-constrained designs. 

Both the Belago and PMSILPlus emitters incorporate an eye-safety interlock to shut down the device in the event of lens crack or lens detachment.