High resolution thin multi-aperture imaging systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9538152-B2
Application number	US-201314386823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2013
Priority date	Nov 28, 2012
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A multi-aperture imaging system comprising a first camera with a first sensor that captures a first image and a second camera with a second sensor that captures a second image, the two cameras having either identical or different FOVs. The first sensor may have a standard color filter array (CFA) covering one sensor section and a non-standard color CFA covering another. The second sensor may have either Clear or standard CFA covered sections. Either image may be chosen to be a primary or an auxiliary image, based on a zoom factor. An output image with a point of view determined by the primary image is obtained by registering the auxiliary image to the primary image.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multi-aperture imaging system comprising:
a) a first camera that provides a first image, the first camera having a first field of view (FOV 1 ) and a first sensor with a first plurality of sensor pixels covered at least in part with a standard color filter array (CFA);
b) a second camera that provides a second image, the second camera having a second field of view (FOV 2 ) such that FOV 2 <FOV 1 and a second sensor with a second plurality of sensor pixels, the second plurality of sensor pixels being either Clear or covered with a standard CFA, the second image having an overlap area with the first image; and
c) a processor configured to provide an output image from a point of view of the first camera based on a zoom factor (ZF) input that defines a respective field of view (FOV ZF ), the first image being a primary image and the second image being a non-primary image, wherein if FOV 2 <FOV ZF <FOV 1 then the point of view of the output image is that of the first camera, the processor further configured to register the overlap area of the second image as non-primary image to the first image as primary image to obtain the output image.

2. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 1 , wherein, if FOV 2 ≧FOV ZF , then the processor is further configured to provide an output image from a point of view of the second camera.

3. A method of acquiring images by a multi-aperture imaging system, the method comprising:
a) providing a first image generated by a first camera of the imaging system, the first camera having a first field of view (FOV 1 ) and a first sensor with a first plurality of sensor pixels covered at least in part with a standard color filter array (CFA);
b) providing a second image generated by a second camera of the imaging system, the second camera having a second field of view (FOV 2 ) such that FOV 2 <FOV and a second sensor with a second plurality of sensor pixels, the second plurality of sensor pixels being either Clear or covered with a standard CFA, the second image having an overlap area with the first image;
c) using a processor to provide an output image from a point of view of the first camera based on a zoom factor (ZF) input that defines a respective field of view (FOV ZF ), the first image being a primary image and the second image being a non-primary image, wherein if FOV 2 <FOV ZF <FOV 1 then the point of view of the output image is that of the first camera; and
d) using the processor to register the overlap area of the second image as non-primary image to the first image as primary image to obtain the output image.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, if FOV 2 ≧FOV ZF , using the processor to provide an output image from a point of view of the second camera.

Assignees

• Corephotonics Ltd

Inventors

• Shabtay Gal
• Cohen Noy
• Gigushinski Oded
• Goldenberg Ephraim

Classifications

• H04N25/133

  including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light · CPC title

• H04N23/951 Primary

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

• H04N23/843

  Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values · CPC title

• H04N23/45 Primary

  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

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title