Multi-camera array with adjacent fields of view

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9330436-B2
Application number	US-201414308495-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 18, 2014
Priority date	Apr 1, 2014
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

Multiple cameras are arranged in an array at a pitch, roll, and yaw that allow the cameras to have adjacent fields of view such that each camera is pointed inward relative to the array. The read window of an image sensor of each camera in a multi-camera array can be adjusted to minimize the overlap between adjacent fields of view, to maximize the correlation within the overlapping portions of the fields of view, and to correct for manufacturing and assembly tolerances. Images from cameras in a multi-camera array with adjacent fields of view can be manipulated using low-power warping and cropping techniques, and can be taped together to form a final image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a common outer lens;
a plurality of cameras in a camera array, each camera including a plurality of lenses, an image sensor, and a housing securing the plurality of lenses and image sensor such that, for each camera of the plurality of cameras, light passing through the common outer lens and through an aperture of the camera is directed by the plurality of lenses to be incident upon the image sensor;
wherein each camera in the plurality of cameras is oriented at a pitch, roll, and yaw such that an image captured by a first camera in the plurality of cameras comprises an overlapping portion with at least one other camera in the plurality of cameras when images are synchronously captured by the plurality of cameras, and such that each camera in the plurality of cameras faces in a direction that converges in at least one dimension with a direction faced by at least one other camera in the plurality of cameras, wherein the pitch is greater than 60 degrees and less than 80 degrees.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the camera array is a 2×1 camera array including two cameras.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the camera array is a 2×2 camera array including four cameras.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each camera in the plurality of cameras in the camera array include a housing mold, wherein an outer layer of the housing mold is less than 5 mm from inner components within the housing mold, the inner components including a plurality of lenses and an image sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the common outer lens is a cone lens.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the common outer lens is a ball lens.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a first camera is coupled adjacent to a second camera, wherein an edge of the first camera is substantially parallel to a corresponding edge of the second camera, and wherein the front surface of the first and second cameras are rotated inwards at the respective pitch, roll and yaw of the first and second cameras such that a substantial center of a forward-most lens for each of the first and second cameras are within a threshold distance.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the threshold distance is 5 mm.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein vectors normal to each forward-most lens of each pair of cameras in the plurality of cameras intersect within an overlapping field of view of the pair of cameras.

10. An apparatus comprising:
a common outer lens;
a plurality of cameras in a camera array, each camera including a plurality of lenses, an image sensor, and a housing securing the plurality of lenses and image sensor such that, for each camera of the plurality of cameras, light passing through the common outer lens and through an aperture of the camera is directed by the plurality of lenses to be incident upon the image sensor;
wherein each camera in the plurality of cameras is oriented at a pitch, roll, and yaw such that an image captured by a first camera in the plurality of cameras comprises an overlapping portion with at least one other camera in the plurality of cameras when images are synchronously captured by the plurality of cameras, and such that each camera in the plurality of cameras faces in a direction that converges in at least one dimension with a direction faced by at least one other camera in the plurality of cameras, wherein the roll is greater than 30 degrees and less than 50 degrees.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the camera array is a 2×1 camera array including two cameras.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the camera array is a 2×2 camera array including four cameras.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each camera in the plurality of cameras in the camera array include a housing mold, wherein an outer layer of the housing mold is less than 5 mm from inner components within the housing mold, the inner components including a plurality of lenses and an image sensor.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the common outer lens is a cone lens.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the common outer lens is a ball lens.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein a first camera is coupled adjacent to a second camera, wherein an edge of the first camera is substantially parallel to a corresponding edge of the second camera, and wherein the front surface of the first and second cameras are rotated inwards at the respective pitch, roll and yaw of the first and second cameras such that a substantial center of a forward-most lens for each of the first and second cameras are within a threshold distance.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the threshold distance is 5 mm.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein vectors normal to each forward-most lens of each pair of cameras in the plurality of cameras intersect within an overlapping field of view of the pair of cameras.

19. An apparatus comprising:
a common outer lens;
a plurality of cameras in a camera array, each camera including a plurality of lenses, an image sensor, and a housing securing the plurality of lenses and image sensor such that, for each camera of the plurality of cameras, light passing through the common outer lens and through an aperture of the camera is directed by the plurality of lenses to be incident upon the image sensor;
wherein each camera in the plurality of cameras is oriented at a pitch, roll, and yaw such that an image captured by a first camera in the plurality of cameras comprises an overlapping portion with at least one other camera in the plurality of cameras when images are synchronously captured by the plurality of cameras, and such that each camera in the plurality of cameras faces in a direction that converges in at least one dimension with a direction faced by at least one other camera in the plurality of cameras, wherein the yaw is greater than 60 degrees and less than 80 degrees.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the camera array is a 2×1 camera array including two cameras.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the camera array is a 2×2 camera array including four cameras.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein each camera in the plurality of cameras in the camera array include a housing mold, wherein an outer layer of the housing mold is less than 5 mm from inner components within the housing mold, the inner components including a plurality of lenses and an image sensor.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the common outer lens is a cone lens.

24. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the common outer lens is a ball lens.

25. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein a first camera is coupled adjacent to a second camera, wherein an edge of the first camera is substantially parallel to a corresponding edge of the second camera, and wherein the front surface of the first and second cameras are rotated inwards at the respective pitch, roll and yaw of the first and second cameras such that a substantial center of a forward-most lens for each of the first and second cameras are within a threshold distance.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 , wherein the threshold distance is 5 mm.

27. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein vectors normal to each forward-most lens of each pair of cameras in the plurality of cameras intersect within an overlapping field of view of the pair of cameras.

Assignees

• Gopro Inc

Inventors

• Macmillan Timothy
• Campbell Scott Patrick

Classifications

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title

• H04N25/41 Primary

  Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/45

  for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images · CPC title

• H04N23/698

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

• H04N23/951

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