Device for imaging partial fields of view, multi-aperture imaging device and method of providing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11457152-B2
Application number	US-201916585693-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2019
Priority date	Apr 13, 2017
Publication date	Sep 27, 2022
Grant date	Sep 27, 2022

Abstract

A device includes an image sensor and an array of optical channels, each optical channel including an optic for projecting a partial field of view of a total field of view onto an image sensor area of the image sensor. A first optical channel of the array is configured to image a first partial field of view of the total field of view. A second optical channel of the array is configured to image a second partial field of view of the total field of view. The device includes a calculating unit configured to obtain image information of the first and second partial fields of view on the basis of the imaged partial fields of view, and to obtain image information of the total field of view, and to combine the image information of the partial fields of view with the image information of the total field of view so as to generate combined image information of the total field of view.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
an image sensor;
an array of optical channels, each optical channel comprising an optic for projecting a partial field of view of a total field of view onto an image sensor area of the image sensor, a first optical channel of the array being configured to image a first partial field of view of the total field of view, and a second optical channel of the array being configured to image a second partial field of view of the total field of view; and
a calculating unit configured to acquire image information of the first and second partial fields of view on the basis of the imaged partial fields of view, and to acquire image information of the total field of view, and to combine the image information of the partial fields of view with the image information of the total field of view so as to generate combined image information of the total field of view;
wherein the device is configured to acquire the image information of the total field of view comprising a first degree of scanning, to acquire the image information of the first or second partial field of view comprising a second degree of scanning, which is larger than the first degree of scanning, and to provide the combined image information of the total field of view comprising a third degree of scanning larger than the first degree of scanning; or
wherein the calculating unit is configured to subdivide the image information of the total field of view and the image information of the partial fields of view into image blocks and to associate, block by block, image information, which is comprised by a first image block of the total field of view, with matching image information of a second image block of the first or second partial fields of view so as to increase, by combining the first and second image blocks, a degree of scanning of the image information of the total field of view in the combined image information;
wherein a first partial image and a second partial image, which represent the image information of the first and second partial fields of view, comprise, along a first image direction, within a tolerance range, a same dimension as a total image representing the image information of the total field of view, and comprise, along a second image direction, a different dimension as compared to the total image.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second optical channels are part of a group of optical channels configured to image one partial field of view of the total field of view, respectively, the group of optical channels being configured to jointly fully image the total field of view.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the group of optical channels is configured to capture precisely two partial fields of view.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , configured to provide the image information of the imaged first and second partial fields of view comprising single-color luminance information.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , configured to acquire the image information of the total field of view comprising the first degree of scanning, wherein the second degree of scanning is at least 30% larger, along first and second image directions, than the first degree of scanning.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calculating unit is configured to subdivide the image information of the total field of view and the image information of the partial fields of view into image blocks, wherein the calculating unit is configured to associate the first block with the second block while applying an association criterion so as to perform the combination only if the association criterion is met, and to provide the combined image information of the total field of view within the first block without any combination if the association criterion is not met.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calculating unit is configured to perform stitching of the image information of the partial fields of view on the basis of the image information of the total field of view.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calculating unit is configured to generate a depth map for the image information of the total field of view while using a first disparity between an image of the total field of view and an image of the first partial field of view and a second disparity between the image of the total field of view and an image of the second partial field of view.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the partial fields of view overlap within an overlap area within the total field of view, the calculating unit being configured to generate a depth map for the image information of the total field of view within the overlap area while using the image information of the first and second partial fields of view.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising an optical image stabilizer for image stabilization along a first image axis by generating a first relative movement between the image sensor and the array and for image stabilization along a second image axis by generating a second relative movement between the image sensor and the array.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising focusing device comprising at least one actuator for adjusting a focus of the device, said actuator being configured to provide a relative movement between at least one optic of one of the optical channels and the image sensor.

12. A supplementation device comprising a device as claimed in claim 1 and configured to be coupled to a camera so as to acquire therefrom the image information of the total field of view.

13. The multi-aperture imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tolerance range is at most 20%.

14. A multi-aperture imaging device comprising:
an image sensor; and
an array of optical channels, each optical channel comprising an optic for projecting at least one partial field of view of a total field of view onto an image sensor area of the image sensor;
a first optical channel of the array being configured to image a first partial field of view of the total field of view, a second optical channel of the array being configured to image a second partial field of view of the total field of view, and a third optical channel being configured to fully image the total field of view;
wherein the device comprises a calculating unit configured to acquire image information of the first and second partial fields of view on the basis of the imaged partial fields of view, and to acquire image information of the total field of view on the basis of the imaged total field of view, and to combine the image information of the partial fields of view with the image information of the total field of view so as to generate combined image information of the total field of view; and the calculating unit is configured to subdivide the image information of the total field of view and the image information of the partial fields of view into image blocks and to associate, block by block, image information, which is comprised by a first image block of the total field of view, with matching image information of a second image block of the first or second partial fields of view so as to increase, by combining the first and second image blocks, a degree of scanning of the image information of the total field of view in the combined image information; or
wherein the device is configured to acquire image information of the total field of view comprising a first degree of scanning from the sensor, to acquire the image information of the first or second partial field of view comprising a second degree of scanning, which is l

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Wippermann Frank
• Brückner Andreas
• Duparré Jacques
• Oberdörster Alexander

Classifications

• H04N23/685

  performed by mechanical compensation · CPC title

• H04N23/698 Primary

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/69 Primary

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title

• H04N23/58

  Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/951

  by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio · CPC title