Method and apparatus for determining distance between image sensor and object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9736392-B2
Application number	US-201414521241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2014
Priority date	Apr 23, 2014
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A method for determining a distance between an image sensor and an object includes acquiring a first image for an object and a second image distinguished from the first image, using a cut-off filter for cutting off one of R G and B signals, and determining a distance between the image sensor and the object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of determining a distance between an image sensor and an object by at least one of hardware components or software components, comprising:
acquiring a first image of an object from the image sensor, wherein the first image is acquired from light passing through a cut-off filter that filters out at least one of red, green, or blue light signals;
acquiring a second image distinguished from the first image, wherein the second image is acquired from light passing through a pin hole in the cutoff filter that is unfiltered by the cutoff filter;
amplifying a brightness value of the second image by the at least one of hardware components or software components; and
determining a distance between the image sensor and the object by a comparison of the first image and the amplified second image by the at least one of hardware components or software components.

2. The method of determining the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 1 , wherein the amplifying of the brightness value of the second image comprises:
increasing a gain of an amplifier coupled to at least one cell of the image sensor associated with the at least one red, green, or blue light signals that are filtered out by the cut-off filter that pass through the pin hole in the cut-off filter.

3. The method of determining the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 1 , comprising:
filtering out infrared light signals from being incident on the image sensor using an infrared cut-off filter.

4. The method of determining the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the distance between the image sensor and the object comprises:
determining a focal position of the image sensor and the object based on differences in blur of the object between the first image and the second image by the at least one of hardware components or software components; and
calculating a distance between the image sensor and the focal position of the image sensor by the at least one of hardware components or software components.

5. The method of determining the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 1 , comprising:
combining the first image and the second image and generating a RGB image using of the red signal, the green signal and the blue signal from the combination of the first image and the second image.

6. The method of determining the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 1 , wherein the amplifying of the brightness value of the second image comprises:
decreasing a gain of an amplifier coupled to at least one cell of the image sensor associated with the at least one of red, green, or blue light signals that passes through the cut-off filter.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
acquiring a first image of an object from an image sensor, wherein the first image is acquired from light passing through a cut-off filter that filters out at least one of red, green, or blue light signals;
acquiring a second image distinguished from the first image, wherein the second image is acquired from light passing through a pin hole in the cutoff filter that is unfiltered by the cutoff filter;
amplifying a brightness value of the second image; and
determining a distance between the image sensor and the object by a comparison of the first image and the amplified second image.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the amplifying of the brightness value of the second image comprises:
increasing a gain of an amplifier coupled to at least one cell of the image sensor associated with the at least one red, green, or blue light signals that are filtered out by the cut-off filter that pass through the pin hole in the cut-off filter.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the amplifying of the brightness value of the second image comprises:
decreasing a gain of an amplifier coupled to at least one cell of the image sensor associated with the at least one of red, green, or blue light signals that passes through the cut-off filter.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 , comprising:
filtering out infrared light signals from being incident on the image sensor using an infrared cut-off filter.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the determining of the distance between the image sensor and the object comprises:
determining a focal position of the image sensor and the object based on differences in blur of the object between the first image and the second image by the at least one of hardware components or software components; and
calculating a distance between the image sensor and the focal position of the image sensor by the at least one of hardware components or software components.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7 , comprising:
combining the first image and the second image and generating a RGB image using of the red signal, the green signal and the blue signal from the combination of the first image and the second image.

13. An apparatus that determines a distance between an image sensor and an object comprising:
a cut-off filter that filters out at least one of red, green, or blue light signals;
an image sensor that acquires a first image of an object and a second image of an object, wherein:
the first image is acquired from light passing through the cut-off filter incident on the image sensor, and
the second image is acquired from light passing through a pin hole in the cutoff filter that is unfiltered by the cutoff filter incident on the image sensor;

an amplification unit that amplifies a brightness value of the second image; and
a distance determination unit that determines a distance between the image sensor and the object based on in blur for the object between the first image and the second image by at least one of hardware components or software components.

14. The apparatus that determines the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 13 , wherein the amplification unit increases a gain of an amplifier coupled to at least one cell of the image sensor associated with the at least one red, green, or blue light signals that are filtered out by the cut-off filter that pass through the pin hole in the cut-off filter.

15. The apparatus that determines the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 13 , comprising:
an infrared cut-off filter that filters out infrared signals from being incident on the image sensor.

16. The apparatus that determines the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 13 , wherein the distance determination unit:
determines a focal position of the image sensor and the object based on differences in blur of the object between the first image and the second image; and
determines a distance between the image sensor and the focal of image sensor.

17. The apparatus that determines the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 13 , wherein the image sensor combines the first image and the second image with each other and generates a RGB image using of the red signal, the green signal and the blue signal from combination of the first image and the second image.

18. The apparatus that determines the distance between the image sensor and the object of claim 13 , wherein the amplification unit decreases a g

Assignees

• Ct Integrated Smart Sensors Found
• Dual Aperture Int Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Sang Gil
• Park Jong Ho
• Kyung Chong Min

Classifications

• H04N23/84 Primary

  for processing colour signals · CPC title

• G01C11/12 Primary

  the pictures being supported in the same relative position as when they were taken · CPC title

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/67

  Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals · CPC title

• H04N23/76 Primary

  by influencing the image signals · CPC title