Image shooting unit and apparatus, integrated display and image shooting apparatus, and image shooting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9456133-B2
Application number	US-201414583361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2014
Priority date	Jun 28, 2012
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

The image shooting unit is configured to collect image information, and a formed image is a pixel block including one or several pixels, and the image shooting unit includes a tubular directional hood, a lens group, and a light sensitive module that are arranged sequentially along a light incidence direction and a same optical axis, where the tubular directional hood eliminates non-parallel light signals entering the tubular directional hood and enables parallel light signals parallel to an axis of the tubular directional hood to pass; the lens group converges, onto the light sensitive module, the parallel light signals passing through the tubular directional hood; and the light sensitive module converts the parallel light signals into electrical signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image shooting unit that performs collection based on pixels, wherein the image shooting unit is configured to collect image information, wherein a formed image is a pixel block comprising one or several pixels, and wherein the image shooting unit comprises:
a tubular directional hood;
a lens group; and
a light sensitive module that is arranged sequentially along a light incidence direction and a same optical axis,
wherein the light sensitive module comprises a plurality light sensitive components arranged in an array manner to form a light sensitive matrix,
wherein the tubular directional hood eliminates non-parallel light signals entering the tubular directional hood and enables parallel light signals parallel to an axis of the tubular directional hood to pass,
wherein the lens group converges onto the light sensitive module,
wherein the parallel light signals passes through the tubular directional hood, and
wherein the light sensitive module converts the parallel light signals into electrical signals.

2. The image shooting unit according to claim 1 , wherein a material of the tubular directional hood is a light-absorbing material, and wherein the non-parallel light signals entering the tubular directional hood travel to the inner wall of the tubular directional hood and are absorbed by the light-absorbing material.

3. The image shooting unit according to claim 1 , wherein an inner wall of the tubular directional hood is coated with a light-absorbing material, and wherein the non-parallel light signals entering the tubular directional hood travel to the inner wall of the tubular directional hood and are absorbed by the light-absorbing material.

4. The image shooting unit according to claim 1 , wherein the lens group is affixed against a light signal outgoing end of the tubular directional hood, and wherein the tubular directional hood encircles an edge of the lens group to form a tubular light ray path.

5. An image shooting apparatus comprising:
multiple image shooting units that perform collection based on pixels, wherein the image shooting units are configured to collect image information, wherein a formed image is a pixel block comprising one or several pixels, and wherein the image shooting units comprise:
a tubular directional hood;
a lens group; and
a light sensitive module that is arranged sequentially along a light incidence direction and a same optical axis,

wherein the tubular directional hood eliminates non-parallel light signals entering the tubular directional hood and enables parallel light signals parallel to an axis of the tubular directional hood to pass,
wherein the lens group converges onto the light sensitive module,
wherein the parallel light signals pass through the tubular directional hood,
wherein the light sensitive module converts the parallel light signals into electrical signals,
wherein the image shooting units are arranged in an array manner to form an N×M image shooting array,
wherein both N and M are non-zero natural numbers,
wherein each image shooting unit uses its respective tubular directional hood to shoot a scene block in a shot scene,
wherein each scene block independently forms an image,
wherein the scene blocks shot by the multiple image shooting units are combined to form a complete image, and
wherein each scene block corresponds to one or several pixels in the complete image.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising at least one processor configured to:
filter electrical signals output by light sensitive points on the light sensitive module to obtain electrical signals corresponding to direct parallel light; and
convert the obtained electrical signals into one or several pixels,
wherein one processor is connected to the light sensitive module of one of the multiple image shooting units.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
perform a correlation calculation on the electrical signals output by the light sensitive points on the light sensitive module; and
filter, according to a result of the correlation calculation, the electrical signals corresponding to the parallel light received by the light sensitive module to obtain the electrical signals corresponding to the direct parallel light; and
convert, using normalization processing, the obtained electrical signals corresponding to the direct parallel light into the one or several pixels.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising:
an amplifier connected to the light sensitive module and configured to amplify the electrical signals output by the light sensitive module; and
an analog-to-digital converter connected to the amplifier and configured to convert the amplified electrical signals into digital signals,
wherein the processor is a digital processor, is connected to one or several analog-to-digital converters, and is configured to:
perform correlation calculation on the digital signals output by the analog-to-digital converter;
obtain, by filtering according to a result of the correlation calculation, the electrical signals corresponding to the direct parallel light; and
convert the obtained electrical light sensitive module signals corresponding to the direct parallel light into one or several pixels.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising at least one light signal generator connected to the processor, wherein the light signal generator is disposed in the image shooting array, formed by the image shooting units, in the image shooting apparatus or is disposed on an external perimeter of the image shooting apparatus, so as to illuminate a shot object, wherein the light signal generator is configured to emit specific light signals that have a specific time sequence and are distinct from ambient illumination light, wherein the specific light signals return after being reflected by the shot object, wherein the image shooting units in the image shooting array are configured to collect the specific light signals that return, and wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a time difference between emission and receiving of the specific light signals that return after being reflected, so as to obtain depth information of the pixels.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the light signal generator is a polarized light generator or an infrared light generator.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the image shooting unit further comprises a light filtering optical component configured to obtain, by filtering, the specific light signals emitted by the light signal generator and disposed, facing incident light, in front of the light sensitive module, and wherein light signals entering the image shooting unit fall on the light sensitive module after the light filtering optical component filters out the ambient illumination light.

12. The apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising a light converging component configured to enlarge an angle of view of the image shooting apparatus, wherein the light converging component is disposed, facing incident light, in front of the image shooting array, and wherein an incident light beam enters the image shooting array after being converged by the light converging component.

13. The image shooting unit according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensitive components are complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor components.

14. The image shooting unit according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensitive components are charge-coupled device components.

15. The image shooting unit according to clai

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yang Haiyao

Classifications

• G03B11/045 Primary

  Lens hoods or shields · 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

• H04N25/61

  the noise originating only from the lens unit, e.g. flare, shading, vignetting or "cos4" · CPC title

• H04N7/144 Primary

  camera and display on the same optical axis, e.g. optically multiplexing the camera and display for eye to eye contact · CPC title

• H04N23/80

  Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof · CPC title