Methods and apparatus for capturing images using optical chains and/or for using captured images
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
H04N-005/225
G02B-013/16
H04N-005/232
H04N-005/343
G02B-005/04
G02B-005/08
G02B-003/00
H04N-005/235
G02B-027/10
G02B-013/00
H04N-005/265
H04N-005/268
H04N-005/335
H04N-005/378
G02B-013/02
G02B-015/00
G02B-017/08
H04N-005/262
출원번호
US-0327514
(2014-07-09)
등록번호
US-9578252
(2017-02-21)
발명자
/ 주소
Laroia, Rajiv
출원인 / 주소
Light Labs Inc.
대리인 / 주소
Straub, Michael P.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
14인용 특허 :
39
초록▼
Methods and apparatus relating to image capture of image portions using optical chains with non-parallel optical axis are described. In some embodiments different portions of a scene area of interest captured by different optical chains operating in parallel are combined. The use of multiple optical
Methods and apparatus relating to image capture of image portions using optical chains with non-parallel optical axis are described. In some embodiments different portions of a scene area of interest captured by different optical chains operating in parallel are combined. The use of multiple optical chains in parallel facilitates generation of an image with a higher overall pixel count than would be possible using a single sensor of one of the optical chains and/or with more light capture than would be captured using a single one of the optical chains.
대표청구항▼
1. A method of capturing images, comprising: capturing, using a first optical chain of a camera, a first image of a first portion of a scene area of interest, said first optical chain including a first mirror and a first sensor and having a first optical axis portion extending between the first mirr
1. A method of capturing images, comprising: capturing, using a first optical chain of a camera, a first image of a first portion of a scene area of interest, said first optical chain including a first mirror and a first sensor and having a first optical axis portion extending between the first mirror and the first sensor;capturing, using a second optical chain of said camera, a second image of a second portion of said scene area of interest, said second optical chain having a second optical axis portion which is not parallel to the first optical axis portion of the first optical chain; capturing, using a third optical chain of said camera, a third image, said third optical chain not including a mirror and having a focal length that is smaller than a first focal length of the first optical chain;capturing, using a fourth optical chain of said camera a fourth image, said fourth optical chain not including a mirror, said fourth image including at least a portion of said scene area of interest;capturing, using a fifth optical chain of the camera, a fifth image, said fifth optical chain including a third mirror and a fifth sensor, said fifth image being an image of a third portion of the scene area of interest, said fifth optical chain having a fifth optical axis portion extending between the third mirror and the fifth sensor, said fifth optical axis portion not being parallel to said second optical axis portion; andcapturing, using a sixth optical chain of the camera, a sixth image, said sixth optical chain including a fourth mirror and a sixth sensor, said sixth image being an image of a fourth portion of the scene area of interest, said sixth optical chain having a sixth optical axis portion extending between the fourth mirror and the sixth sensor, said sixth optical axis portion not being parallel to said first or fifth optical axis portions. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second optical chains have the same focal length; and wherein the second optical chain includes a second mirror and a second sensor, said second optical axis portion extending between the second mirror and the second sensor. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first sensor is located in a first top corner portion of said camera;wherein the second optical chain includes a second sensor that is located in a second bottom corner portion of said camera;wherein said third optical chain includes a third sensor that is located in a center portion of said camera; andwherein said third image captured using the third optical chain includes the scene area of interest. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said third optical chain includes a third optical axis portion which extends straight from said third sensor through an opening in a front face of the camera. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the third optical axis portion is perpendicular to the front face of the camera;wherein the first optical chain captures the first image using the first sensor; andwherein the third optical chain captures the third image using the third sensor. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fourth optical chain includes a fourth sensor and has a fourth optical axis portion;wherein said third and fourth optical axis portions are parallel to each other and extend straight through different openings in a front face of the camera; andwherein said third optical axis portion and fourth optical axis portion are not parallel to the first optical axis portion or the second optical axis portion. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a composite image by combining at least said first, second, fifth and sixth images. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said composite image is a composite image of said scene area of interest, said composite image having a larger number of pixel values than either of said first, second, third and fourth images individually have. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said first, second, third, and fourth portions of said scene area of interest correspond to different corner portions of said scene area of interest;wherein said first, second, fifth, and sixth images each have a first number of pixel values, and wherein the method further comprises:generating a composite image from at least said first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth images, said composite image have a number of pixel values more than three times the first number of pixel values but less than six times the first number of pixel values. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said composite image includes a number of pixel values which is less than the number of pixel values resulting from the sum of the number of pixel values combined to generate said composite image. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing a seventh image, using a seventh optical chain of the camera including a fifth mirror and a seventh sensor, said seventh optical chain having the same focal length as said first optical chain, said seventh optical chain having a seventh optical axis portion extending between the fifth mirror and the seventh sensor, said seventh optical axis portion extending at an angle relative to a bottom of said camera which is different from angles at which said first, second, fifth and sixth optical axis portions extend relative to the bottom of the camera. 12. The method of claim 1 wherein said first mirror is a movable mirror. 13. A camera, comprising: a first optical chain including a first mirror and a first sensor, said first optical chain having a first optical axis portion extending between the first mirror and the first sensor, said first optical chain having a first focal length;a second optical chain having a second optical axis portion which is not parallel to the first optical axis portion of the first optical chain; anda third optical chain which does not include a mirror, said third optical chain having a focal length that is smaller than said first focal length of said first optical chaina fourth optical chain of said camera, said fourth optical chain not including a mirror;a fifth optical chain including a third mirror and a fifth sensor, said fifth optical chain having a fifth optical axis portion extending between the third mirror and the fifth sensor, said fifth optical axis portion not being parallel to said second optical axis portion; anda sixth optical chain of the camera, said sixth optical chain including a fourth mirror and a sixth sensor, said sixth optical chain having a sixth optical axis portion extending between the fourth mirror and the sixth sensor, said sixth optical axis portion not being parallel to said first or fifth optical axis portions. 14. The camera of claim 13, wherein said third optical chain includes a third sensor and has a third optical axis portion which extends straight through an opening of the third optical chain in a face of said camera to the third sensor, said opening of the third optical chain being different from a first opening of the first optical chain through which light passes into the first optical chain. 15. The camera of claim 14, wherein the first sensor of the first optical chain is located in a first corner portion of said camera; andwherein the third sensor of the third optical chain is located in a center portion of said camera. 16. The camera of claim 14, wherein the fourth optical chain which does not include a mirror includes a fourth sensor and has a fourth optical axis portion which extends straight through an opening of the fourth optical chain in the face of said camera; and wherein said third optical axis portion and said fourth optical axis portion are not parallel to the first or second optical axis portions. 17. The camera of claim 16, further comprising: a processor configured to generate a composite image by combining at least a first image captured by said first optical chain, a second image captured by said second optical chain, a third image captured by said third optical chain and a fourth image captured by said fourth optical chain, said first image being an image of a first corner portion of a scene area of interest, said second image being an image of a second corner portion of said scene area of interest, said third image being an image of said scene area of interest and said fourth image including a second image of said scene area of interest, said first and second corner portions of the scene area of interest being different corner portions. 18. The camera of claim 17, wherein said processor is further configured to generate the composite image from at least said first image, said second image, said third image, said fourth image, a fifth image captured by said fifth optical chain, and a sixth image captured by said sixth optical chain, said fifth image being an image of a third corner portion of the scene area of interest and said sixth image being an image of a fourth corner portion of the scene area of interest, said first, second, third and fourth corner portions of the scene area of interest being different corner portions. 19. The camera of claim 13, wherein said first mirror is a movable mirror. 20. The camera of claim 13, wherein said camera includes a set of at least two optical chains without mirrors in a center region of said camera, said third optical chain being in said set of at least two optical chains. 21. The camera of claim 20, wherein said set of at least two optical chains without mirrors includes at least four optical chains. 22. A non-transitory computer readable medium, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising: instructions, which when executed by a processor, control a first optical chain of a camera to capture a first image of a first portion of a scene area of interest, said first optical chain including a first mirror and a first sensor and having a first optical axis portion extending between the first mirror and the first sensor;instructions, which when executed by said processor, control a second optical chain of said camera to capture a second image of a second portion of said scene area of interest, said second optical chain including a second mirror and a second sensor and having a second optical axis portion extending between the second mirror and the second sensor, said second optical axis portion not being parallel to the first optical axis portion;instructions, which when executed by said processor, control a third optical chain of said camera which does not include a mirror to capture a third image, said third optical chain having a focal length that is smaller than a first focal length of said first optical chain, said third image including said scene area of interest;instructions which when executed by said processor, control a fourth optical chain of said camera to capture a fourth image;instructions which when executed by said processor, control a fifth optical chain of said camera to capture a fifth image, the fifth optical chain including a third mirror and a fifth sensor, said fifth image being an image of a third portion of the scene area of interest, said fifth optical chain having a fifth optical axis portion extending between the third mirror and the fifth sensor, said fifth optical axis portion not being parallel to said second optical axis portion; andinstructions which when executed by said processor, control a sixth optical chain of the camera to capture a sixth image, said sixth optical chain including a fourth mirror and a sixth sensor, said sixth image being an image of a fourth portion of the scene area of interest, said sixth optical chain having a sixth optical axis portion extending between the fourth mirror and the sixth sensor, said sixth optical axis portion not being parallel to said first or fifth optical axis portions. 23. A camera, comprising: a first optical chain including a first mirror and a first sensor, said first optical chain having a first optical axis portion extending between the first mirror and the first sensor, said first optical chain having a first focal length;a second optical chain having a second optical axis portion which is not parallel to the first optical axis portion of the first optical chain; anda third optical chain which does not include a mirror, said third optical chain having a focal length that is smaller than said first focal length of said first optical chain;wherein said camera includes a set of at least two optical chains without mirrors in a center region of said camera, said third optical chain being in said set of at least two optical chains; andwherein said set of at least two optical chains without mirrors is surrounded by optical chains which include mirrors, said first and second optical chains being in said optical chains which include mirrors which surround said set of at least two optical chains without mirrors.
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