Image capturing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9341935-B2
Application number	US-201113520873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 2, 2011
Priority date	Mar 3, 2010
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

An image capture device includes: a plurality of microlenses; an image capture element in which a plurality of element groups including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that receive light fluxes and that output image signals are arranged; a generation unit that extracts a plurality of region image signals respectively corresponding to a plurality of different partial regions upon the pupil surface of the photographic optical system, and that generates a plurality of sets of image data corresponding to the partial regions as a plurality of sets of viewpoint image data whose viewpoint positions are different with each other; and a reception unit that receives a viewpoint number selection operation to select a number of viewpoints; wherein the generation unit generates the sets of viewpoint image data by extracting the region image signals whose number is equal to a number of selected viewpoints.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image capture device, comprising:
a plurality of microlenses that are arranged in a two dimensional configuration in a vicinity of a focal plane of a photographic optical system;
an image capture element in which a plurality of element groups are arranged in a two dimensional configuration so as respectively to correspond to the microlenses, each element group including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that receive via the microlenses light fluxes from a photographic subject that have passed through the photographic optical system and that output image signals;
a setting unit that sets a plurality of different region upon the pupil surface of the photographic optical system;
a generation unit that extracts, among the image signals outputted from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements included in each of the plurality of element groups, region image signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of different partial regions that are set by the setting unit and that generates, on the basis of the region image signals, a plurality of sets of image data as a plurality of sets of viewpoint image data whose viewpoint positions are different with each other, each of the plurality of sets of image data respectively corresponding to the regions set by the setting unit; and
a viewpoint condition input operation member that inputs a viewpoint condition input operation to input a viewpoint condition, wherein
the setting unit sets the plurality of different region upon the pupil surface of the photographic optical system based upon the viewpoint condition input by the viewpoint condition input operation member,
the viewpoint condition input operation member receives parallax selection operation to select a parallax that specifies an amount of change of viewpoint between the plurality of sets of viewpoint image data,
the setting unit sets the regions at positional intervals that correspond to the parallax selected by the parallax selection operation, and
the generation unit generates the sets of viewpoint image data by extracting the region image signal corresponding to each of the set regions that are positioned apart at the intervals.

2. An image capture device according to claim 1 , wherein;
the generation unit generates one of the sets of viewpoint image data by combining together the region image signals that have been extracted from different ones of the element groups among the plurality of region image signals respectively extracted from the plurality of element groups, the different ones of the element groups corresponding to the single region.

3. An image capture device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the viewpoint condition input operation member receives a depth selection operation to select the depth of photographic subject field of the image;
the setting unit sets size of the regions according to the depth of photographic subject field selected by the depth selection operation; and
the generation unit generates the sets of viewpoint image data by combining the plurality of the image signals corresponding to the size of the regions that has been set, and extracting the image signals as a single region image signal.

4. An image capture device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the viewpoint condition input operation member further receives a viewpoint position selection operation to change the viewpoint positions in a direction in two dimensions and a viewpoint number selection operation to select a number of viewpoints;
the setting unit sets a direction for extraction of the regions whose number is equal to the number of viewpoints, according to the viewpoint position selection operation; and
the generation unit generates the sets of viewpoint image data by extracting the region image signals along the direction set by the setting unit.

5. An image capture device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display control unit that generates image data for display on the basis of a plurality of the sets of viewpoint image data generated by the generation unit, and that displays an image corresponding to the image data for display as a three dimensional image upon a display device.

6. An image capture device according to claim 1 , wherein
the viewpoint condition includes at least one of a position of the region, a size of the region, a number of the region, an interval between the different regions, and direction of the regions.

7. An image capture device according to claim 1 , wherein
the viewpoint condition input operation is at least one of operations to input a position of viewpoint, a number of the plurality of the viewpoint image data, a direction of change of viewpoint, amount of change of viewpoint, and a depth of the photographic subject field of the viewpoint image.

8. An image capture device, comprising:
a plurality of microlenses that are arranged in a two dimensional configuration in a vicinity of a focal plane of a photographic optical system;
an image capture element in which a plurality of element groups are arranged in a two dimensional configuration so as respectively to correspond to the microlenses, each element group including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that receive via the microlenses light fluxes from a photographic subject that have passed through the photographic optical system and that output image signals;
a setting unit that sets a plurality of different region upon the pupil surface of the photographic optical system; and
a generation unit that extracts, among the image signals outputted from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements included in each of the plurality of element groups, region image signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of different partial regions that are set by the setting unit and that generates, on the basis of the region image signals, a plurality of sets of image data as a plurality of sets of viewpoint image data whose viewpoint positions are different with each other, each of the plurality of sets of image data respectively corresponding to the regions set by the setting unit, wherein
if the region set by the setting unit corresponds to a portion of one photoelectric conversion element, the generation unit performs weighting upon the image signal outputted from that the one photoelectric conversion element according to proportion of the corresponding region, and extracts the region image signal.

9. An image capture device, comprising:
a plurality of microlenses that are arranged in a two dimensional configuration in a vicinity of a focal plane of a photographic optical system;
an image capture element in which a plurality of element groups are arranged in a two dimensional configuration so as respectively to correspond to the microlenses, each element group including a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements that receive via the microlenses light fluxes from a photographic subject that have passed through the photographic optical system and that output image signals;
a setting unit that sets a plurality of different region upon the pupil surface of the photographic optical system; and
a generation unit that extracts, among the image signals outputted from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements included in each of the plurality of element groups, region image signals respectively corresponding to the plurality of different partial regions that are set by the setting unit and that generates, on the basis of the region image signals, a plurality of sets of image data as a plurality of sets of viewpoint image data whose viewpoint positions are different with each other, each of the plurality of sets of image data respectively correspondin

Assignees

• Hamashima Muneki
• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Hamashima Muneki

Classifications

• G02B30/27

  involving lenticular arrays · CPC title

• H04N13/239

  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

• G03B35/08 Primary

  by simultaneous recording · CPC title

• H04N13/211

  using temporal multiplexing · CPC title

• H04N13/189

  Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals · CPC title