Solid state imaging device, calculating device, and calculating program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9479760-B2
Application number	US-201414451835-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a solid state imaging device includes a first imaging device, a second imaging device, and a calculating unit. The first imaging device includes a first optical system, a first imaging unit, and a second optical system provided between the first optical system and the first imaging unit. The second imaging device includes a third optical system, a second imaging unit, and a fourth optical system provided between the third optical system and the second imaging unit. The calculating unit is configured to perform a first calculation and a second calculation. The first calculation includes deriving a first distance from stereo disparity. The second calculation includes deriving a second distance from a parallax image. The calculating unit is configured to estimate a target distance based on at least one selected from the first distance and the second distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solid state imaging device, comprising:
a first imaging device including
a first optical system,
a first imaging unit provided between the first optical system and an imaging position of the first optical system, the first imaging unit including a plurality of imaging pixels, and
a second optical system provided between the first optical system and the first imaging unit, the second optical system including a first microlens array;

a second imaging device provided to be separated from the first imaging device, the second imaging device including
a third optical system,
a second imaging unit provided between the third optical system and an imaging position of the third optical system, the second imaging unit including a plurality of imaging pixels, and
a fourth optical system provided between the third optical system and the second imaging unit, the fourth optical system including a second microlens array; and

a calculating unit configured to perform a first calculation and a second calculation, the first calculation including deriving a first distance from stereo disparity using a first image signal and a second image signal, the first image signal being of an object as obtained by the first imaging device, the second image signal being of the object as obtained by the second imaging device, the second calculation including deriving a second distance from a parallax image obtained via at least one selected from the first microlens array and the second microlens array, the calculating unit being configured to estimate a target distance based on at least one selected from the first distance and the second distance, wherein
the calculating unit is configured to adopt the first distance as the target distance in response to the first distance exceeding a threshold, and adopt the second distance as the target distance in response to the first distance not being more than the threshold.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the calculating unit performs the first calculation for an overlapping region where a first imaging region of the first imaging device and a second imaging region of the second imaging device overlap, and
the calculating unit performs the second calculation for one other region of the first imaging region and second imaging region other than the overlapping region.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the calculating unit performs the first calculation and the second calculation for an overlapping region where a first imaging region of the first imaging device and a second imaging region of the second imaging device overlap, and
the calculating unit performs the second calculation for one other region of the first imaging region and second imaging region other than the overlapping region.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculating unit is configured to select one selected from the first distance and the second distance according to an instruction transmitted from an outside.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the calculating unit is configured to implement the second calculation and the first calculation in parallel.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein an optical axis of the first optical system is non-parallel to an optical axis of the third optical system.

7. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a third imaging device disposed between the first imaging device and the second imaging device, the third imaging device including:
a fifth optical system;
a third imaging unit provided between the fifth optical system and an imaging position of the fifth optical system, the third imaging unit including a plurality of imaging pixels; and
a sixth optical system provided between the fifth optical system and the third imaging unit, the sixth optical system including a third microlens array,
the calculating unit being configured to further perform a third calculation including deriving a third distance from a parallax image obtained via the third microlens array, and configured to estimate the target distance based on the third distance.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a focal distance of the first optical system and a focal distance of the second optical system are different.

9. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a substrate configured to have the first imaging device, the second imaging device, and the calculating unit mounted on the substrate.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first calculation is performed in a first interval, and
the second calculation is performed in a second interval different from the first interval.

11. A calculating device comprising:
calculating circuitry configured to perform a first calculation and a second calculation,
the first calculation including deriving a first distance from stereo disparity using a first image signal and a second image signal, the first image signal being of an object obtained by a first imaging device, the second image signal being of the object obtained by a second imaging device, and
the second calculation including deriving a second distance from a parallax image obtained via at least one selected from a first microlens array and a second microlens array,

the calculating circuitry being configured to adopt the first distance as a target distance in response to the first distance exceeding a threshold, and adopt the second distance as the target distance in response to the first distance not being more than the threshold,
the first imaging device including:
a first optical system;
a first imaging unit, implemented by circuitry, provided between the first optical system and an imaging position of the first optical system, the first imaging unit including a plurality of imaging pixels; and
a second optical system provided between the first optical system and the first imaging unit, the second optical system including the first microlens array,

the second imaging device being provided to be separated from the first imaging device and including:
a third optical system;
a second imaging unit, implemented by the circuitry, provided between the third optical system and an imaging position of the third optical system, the second imaging unit including a plurality of imaging pixels; and
a fourth optical system provided between the third optical system and the second imaging unit, the fourth optical system including the second microlens array.

12. The calculating device according to claim 11 , wherein the calculating circuitry is configured to perform
the first calculation for an overlapping region where a first imaging region of the first imaging device and a second imaging region of the second imaging device overlap, and
the second calculation for one other region of the first imaging region and second imaging region other than the overlapping region.

13. The calculating device according to claim 11 , wherein the calculating circuitry is configured to perform
the first calculation and the second calculation for an overlapping region where a first imaging region of the first imaging device and a second imaging region of the second imaging device overlap, and
the second calculation for one other region of the first imaging region and second imaging region other than the overlapping region.

14. The calculating device according to claim 11 , wherein the calculating circuitry is configured to select one selected from the first distance and the second distance according to an instruction transmitted from an outside.

15. The calculating device according to claim 11 , wherein the ca

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Suzuki Kazuhiro
• Ueno Risako
• Kobayashi Mitsuyoshi
• Kwon Honam
• Funaki Hideyuki

Classifications

• G02B3/0037

  characterized by the distribution or form of lenses · CPC title

• G06T7/0075

  Physics · mapped topic

• H04N5/2251

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G01S5/00

  Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations {(using active systems G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00)} · CPC title

• H04N13/0239

  Electricity · mapped topic