Depth estimating image capture device and image sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9456198-B2
Application number	US-201213813503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2012
Priority date	Oct 13, 2011
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A depth estimating image capture device includes: an image sensor; an optical lens; a light-transmitting member arranged on the plane; and a signal processing section. The member includes a first mirror inside to reflect the light at least partially and a second mirror with the same reflection property as the first mirror on its upper surface. The first mirror has a reflective surface tilted with respect to the upper surface of the member. The second mirror has a reflective surface that is parallel to the upper surface. The first and second mirrors and are arranged so that a light beam coming from a point on a subject through the lens is reflected from the first mirror and from the second mirror and irradiates some area on an image capturing plane to make the irradiated area change according to the depth of the point on the subject.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A depth estimating image capture device comprising:
an image sensor having a plurality of photosensitive cells arranged on its image capturing plane;
an optical lens that is arranged to condense light on the image capturing plane;
a light-transmitting member that is arranged on the image capturing plane and that includes a first mirror inside to reflect the light at least partially and a second mirror with the same reflection property as the first mirror on an upper surface of the light-transmitting member; and
a signal processor that processes photoelectrically converted signals supplied from the plurality of photosensitive cells,
wherein the first mirror has a reflective surface that is tilted with respect to the upper surface of the light-transmitting member,
wherein the second mirror has a reflective surface that is parallel to the upper surface,
wherein the first and second mirrors are arranged so that a light beam that has been come from a point on a subject through the optical lens is reflected from the first mirror, further reflected from the second mirror and irradiates some area on the image capturing plane to make the irradiated area change according to the depth of the point on the subject,
wherein the second mirror includes an opening, at least a portion of the first mirror is located directly below the opening of the second mirror, and the first mirror includes an opening directly below the opening of the second mirror, and
wherein the first and second mirrors have a property to reflect light falling within a particular wavelength range and transmit visible radiation falling out of the particular wavelength range,
the depth estimating image capture device further comprising:
an optical filter that cuts light falling within the particular wavelength range; and
a filter driver that introduces and removes the optical filter into/from an optical path leading from the subject to the image sensor, and
a controller that controls the filter driver and the image sensor to perform image capturing sessions twice in a row in a first state in which the optical filter is introduced into the optical path and in a second state in which the optical filter is removed from the optical path,
wherein the signal processor generates an image based on the photoelectrically converted signals supplied in the first state from the plurality of photosensitive cells and generates information indicating the depth of that point on the subject by sensing, through processing including calculating the difference between the photoelectrically converted signals supplied in the first state from the plurality of photosensitive cells and the photoelectrically converted signals supplied in the second state from the plurality of photosensitive cells, what area on the image capturing plane is irradiated with the light falling within the particular wavelength range.

2. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the signal processor generates information indicating the depth of that point on the subject by sensing, based on the photoelectrically converted signals supplied from the plurality of photosensitive cells, what area is irradiated with the light beam.

3. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 2 , wherein the signal processor generates the information indicating the depth by reference to pieces of information that have been collected in advance to define a correspondence between the size of the area irradiated with the light beam and the depth of that point on the subject.

4. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 1 , wherein when projected onto a plane that is parallel to the upper surface of the light-transmitting member, the first mirror casts either a ringlike shadow or a circular shadow.

5. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 1 , wherein when projected onto a plane that is parallel to the upper surface of the light-transmitting member, the second mirror casts a shadow that surrounds the first mirror's shadow.

6. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the light-transmitting member has a first group of mirrors that is comprised of a plurality of mirrors that include the first mirror and that have the same reflection property, the same shape and the same tilt angle with respect to the upper surface, and
wherein each said mirror of the first group is arranged so that a light beam reflected from that mirror is further reflected from the second mirror and then irradiates one of multiple different areas on the image capturing plane.

7. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 6 , wherein when projected onto the plane that is parallel to the upper surface of the light-transmitting member, the second mirror casts a shadow that surrounds each said mirror of the first group.

8. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second mirrors has a light transmitting property.

9. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the light falling within the particular wavelength range is infrared light.

10. The depth estimating image capture device of claim 1 , wherein the lower limit of the particular wavelength range is longer than 650 nm.

11. A depth estimating image capture device comprising:
an image sensor having a plurality of photosensitive cells arranged on its image capturing plane;
an optical lens that is arranged to condense light on the image capturing plane;
a light-transmitting member that is arranged on the image capturing plane and that has a light beam splitting area configured to divide a light beam falling within a particular wavelength range and having come from a portion of a subject through the optical lens, into at least three light beams; and
a signal processor that processes photoelectrically converted signals supplied from the plurality of photosensitive cells,
wherein the light beam splitting area is made up of at least three partial areas including first, second and third partial areas, of which the respective upper surfaces are located on the same plane, a first mirror that reflects light falling within the particular wavelength range is arranged in the first partial area, a second mirror having the same reflection property as the first mirror is arranged in the second partial area, and a third mirror having the same reflection property as the first and second mirrors is arranged on the upper surface of each said partial area,
wherein the first and second mirrors have a reflective surface that is tilted with respect to the upper surface of the light beam splitting area,
wherein the third mirror has a reflective surface that is parallel to the upper surface, and
wherein the first, second and third mirrors are arranged so that:
the light beam falling within the particular wavelength range that has been incident on the first partial area from that portion of the subject through the optical lens is reflected at least partially from the first mirror, further reflected from the third mirror, and irradiates a first group of photosensitive cells included in the plurality of photosensitive cells, and
the light beam falling within the particular wavelength range that has been incident on the second partial area from that portion of the subject through the optical lens is reflected at least partially from the second mirror, further reflected from the third mirror, and irradiates a second group of photosensitive cells included in the plurality of photosensitive cells, and
the light beam falling within the particular wavelength range that has been incident on the third partial area from that portion of the subject thr

Assignees

• Hiramoto Masao
• Ishii Yasunori
• Monobe Yusuke
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hiramoto Masao
• Ishii Yasunori
• Monobe Yusuke

Classifications

• H04N13/0235 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01B11/24 Primary

  for measuring contours or curvatures · CPC title

• H04N13/0271

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0217

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G03B35/10

  having single camera with stereoscopic-base-defining system · CPC title