Stereoscopic imaging device and method for image processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11652974-B2
Application number	US-202016925264-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2020
Priority date	Jul 9, 2019
Publication date	May 16, 2023
Grant date	May 16, 2023

Abstract

A stereoscopic imaging device includes at least a first and a second image recording unit configured to record a first and a second original image of an object from different perspectives, wherein the original images differ at least with regard to one item of image information, an image display unit for imaging displayed images, an image processing unit for further processing the original images, and the image processing unit is configured to supplement at least one of the two original images with at least one item of image information from the other original image to generate a displayed image. In addition, a method for generating at least one displayed image that can be imaged on an image display unit is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stereoscopic imaging device, comprising:
a first image recording unit configured to record a first original image of an object;
a second image recording unit configured to record a second original image of the object, wherein the first and second recording units are configured to record the first and second original images from different perspectives, wherein the first and second original images differ with regard to at least one item of image information, wherein the image information includes at least one optical property of the first and second original images, and wherein the at least one optical property comprises an object resolution;
an image display unit configured to image displayed images; and
an image processing unit configured to:
further process the first and second original images, and
supplement at least one of the first and second original images by adding the at least one item of the image information from the first original image to the second original image to generate a displayed image and transfer higher-resolution image data from a higher-resolution original image towards image data of a lower-resolution original image, wherein the object resolution of the displayed image generated from the lower-resolution original image, for objects in or near the focal plane, is equated to the object resolution of the higher-resolution original image.

2. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second image recording units are arranged such that focal planes of the first and second image recording units are identical or such that the focal planes of the at first and second image recording units are inclined with respect to one another and intersect on or near an optical axis or the focal planes are spaced apart from one another maximally by a length of a full or half a depth of field.

3. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second original images differ from one another with regard to items of the image information of a depth of field and/or a resolution.

4. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein an object resolution of the displayed image generated from an original image of lower resolution for objects in or near a focal plane is increased compared with an original image of a lower resolution.

5. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein the object resolution of the displayed image generated from the original image of lower resolution for objects in or near the focal plane corresponds to the object resolution of an original image of higher resolution.

6. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein an object resolution of the displayed image generated from an original image of lower depth of field for objects outside a focal plane is increased compared with the original image of lower depth of field.

7. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein the object resolution of the displayed image generated from the original image of lower depth of field for objects outside the focal plane corresponds to the object resolution of an original image of a higher depth of field.

8. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein in at least two displayed images an object resolution for all objects within a depth of field range of an original image of higher depth of field is at least approximately the same.

9. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 3 , wherein the image processing unit is configured to carry out matching of at least one further item of the image information for the displayed images.

10. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one further item of the image information are brightness, contrast or items of color information.

11. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein one the first and second image recording units is a color camera and another one of the first and second image recording units is a monochrome camera.

12. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the image processing unit is configured to create a depth map from the first and second original images.

13. The stereoscopic imaging device according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a depth sensor configured to generate the depth map.

14. A method for generating at least one displayed image that can be imaged by an image display unit from at least two original images recorded by at least two image recording units, the method comprising:
recording the at least two original images of an object, which differ at least with regard to one item of image information, from different perspectives, wherein the image information includes at least one optical property of the at least two original images, and wherein the at least one optical property comprises an object resolution; and
supplementing at least one of the at least two original images by adding at least one item of the image information from one of the at least two original images to another of the at least two original images to generate the at least one displayed image; and
transferring higher-resolution image data from a higher-resolution original image towards image data of a lower-resolution original image, wherein the object resolution of the displayed image generated from the lower-resolution original image, for objects in or near the focal plane, is equated to the object resolution of the higher-resolution original image.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
recording the at least two original images with a depth of field, an object resolution and/or a focal plane that are different from one another; and
supplementing at least one of the at least two original images with an item of the image information of the depth of field and/or the object resolution from another one of the at least two original images.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein an object resolution of a displayed image generated from an original image of lower resolution is increased for objects in or near a focal plane.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein an object resolution of a displayed image generated from an original image of lower depth of field is increased for objects outside a depth of field range.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the object resolution of the displayed image generated from the original image of lower depth of field, for objects outside the depth of field range, is equated to the object resolution of an original image of higher depth of field.

19. The method according to claim 14 , wherein an object resolution for all objects within a depth of field range of an original image of higher depth of field is at least approximately equated in both displayed images.

20. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
carrying out a matching of at least one further item of the image information for displayed images.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the at least one further item of the image information is brightness, contrast or color information.

22. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
generating a first intermediate image from a first original image using texture information of a second original image with a disparity transformation; and
generating a first displayed image regionally from those regions of the first original image or of the first intermediate image which each ha

Assignees

• Carl Zeiss Meditec
• Zeiss Carl Meditec Ag

Inventors

• Regensburger Alois
• Kohlhammer Susanne
• Essig Jonathan

Classifications

• H04N13/15

  for colour aspects of image signals · CPC title

• H04N13/239 Primary

  using two two-dimensional [2D] image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance (H04N13/243 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N13/296

  Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof · CPC title

• H04N13/254

  in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects · CPC title

• H04N13/106

  Processing image signals (for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597) · CPC title