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JAMESMORGENSTERN-0766 asked JohnMitchell-2817 answered

Kinect SDK Ambiguous Range

This is about how Kinect ranging/depth map/ works under the hood. Kinect supposedly is a TOF sensor ... that is, it measures range according to time of flight. Some systems for ranging transmit pulses and some system operate by transmitting CW [continuous wave]. Moreover, CW systems measure range ambiguously and so the systems use multiple modulation frequencies to derive unambiguous range from several ambiguous measurements -- this is part of the Kinect processing that occurs in the SDK.

Can you confirm that the Kinect is working CW? And I would like to know the modulation frequencies used for Kinect range/depth.

Also, for my problem I can work with relative ranges within a single sensed image; therefore I can use ambiguous range/depth information. How can I obtain this data ? that is, the raw Kinect sensor data without range processing and without other transformations in the SDK ?

azure-kinect-dk
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Hello @JAMESMORGENSTERN-0766 Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Platform and thanks for your query. Community SME's on this topic or our team will review your query and circle back at the possible earliest time.

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JohnMitchell-2817 answered

I too would like to know more about the modulation frequencies for the ToF camera. Is it possible for the user to specify a particular frequency for a particular application (as is the case, for example, with the Texas Instruments ToF sensor) or must one stick with what MS has determined is best. My potential application would require that I be able to set a single known mod frequency of my choosing....

John

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AshokPeddakotla-MSFT answered JAMESMORGENSTERN-0766 commented

@JAMESMORGENSTERN-0766

Can you confirm Kinect is working on CW?

Yes. Here is a link to the paper about our ToF chip used in AKDK.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8310200

Also, It’s not clear what the problem you are trying to solve. Please share more details regarding your scenario. Suggest you to check this link that specifies the available operating modes. Azure Kinect DK hardware specifications


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Once again, a Microsoft answer that is 100% accurate and 100% worthless ... I cannot access the document as IEEE has it locked up. How much effort on your part would it have taken to put a copy of the article here or on some part of the Kinect documentation ? You race to check off your completed task without a thought about how your users would access it. Please finish the job properly ... I am anxious to read it.

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Sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. There is no access restriction on the doc link shared. I understand your concern regarding the doc link. Let me update you the context of it.

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the link you shared is only the abstract. pls send the entire article pdf!

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Found this: "The [Kinect] sensor uses multiple different frequencies at the same time and the firmware combines the results. That could be low frequencies that tell you approximately where something is and high frequencies to locate it precisely,"

So again I ask and please answer with specifics [something your 'technical spec' doc omits!]
What frequencies are used to modulate the laser?
I am willing to work with ambiguous range: How can I receive the raw sensed data and not the processed depth ?

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i have been in contact with Quentin Miller re this ... he has all the info; pls coordinate with him. The more i dig into this the more I am convinced that having access to the ambiguous range data from a single look could be quite helpful. can microsoft enable this for us?

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