Back to all patents
In the public domainroboticsAssigned to Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Method and apparatus for recognizing objects

Time-of-flight 3D object recognition that unlocks range-aware robotic perception without ongoing licensing fees.

What it is

The system uses 3D sensing like time-of-flight (or modulated light) to measure distance to parts of an object, then uses those range maps for recognition. It turns depth into actionable geometry by computing object range information rather than relying only on 2D images, enabling recognition in cluttered scenes. Previously, deploying this specific range-based recognition method required licensing from the patent holder.

What you could build

Build depth-based warehouse picking, autonomous obstacle classification, or robot parts identification from off-the-shelf ToF cameras.

Patent number
7307748B2
Expiration
Invalid Da
Assignee
Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
Inventors
Gary R. Bradski, Naman Goel, Sourabh M. Sinha

More in robotics

Building on this patent?

Submit a problem you're solving with this technology and connect with founders, investors, and researchers.