LINE PATTERN PROJECTOR FOR USE IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL DISTANCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

A line pattern projector (400) includes a light source array (420), a lens (440) and a diffractive microlens array (460). The light source array (420) includes a plurality of light sources (420_1-420_4) that emit light beams, wherein the plurality of light sources (420_1-420 4) are arranged along a first direction. The lens (440) is configured to collimate the light beams. The diffractive microlens array (MLA) (460) is configured to diffract the collimated light beams thereby to project an illumination pattern, wherein a lens pitch of the diffractive MLA (460) with respect to the first direction is wider than a lens pitch of the diffractive MLA (460) with respect to a second direction. The illumination pattern is formed by overlapping multiple dot patterns that are projected by the light sources (420_1-4204); and the illumination pattern includes a plurality of line light patterns in the first direction.