Image capturing system obtaining scene depth information and focusing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9749614-B2
Application number	US-201514717901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2015
Priority date	Aug 15, 2014
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

An image capturing system comprises a first image capturing module, a second image capturing module and a depth map processing/generating device. The first image capturing module having a first lens, a first aperture and a first image sensor generates a first image corresponding to a first optical-wavelength range. The second image capturing module having a second lens, a second aperture, a third aperture and a second image sensor generates a second image of the first optical-wavelength range and a third image of a second optical-wavelength range. The depth map processing/generating device generates a first depth map according to the parallax of the scene observed in the first image and the second image, and generates a second depth map according to the difference/ratio of sharpness/blur between the second image and the third image, therefore wider range of resolving the object distance and accuracy of the image could be both considered.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image capturing system, comprising:
a first image capturing module, having a first lens, a first aperture and a first image sensor, wherein the first lens is used for imaging a scene to the first image sensor, the first aperture is used to limit the amount of light with a first optical-wavelength range, the first image sensor has a first optical-wavelength detection range, the first image capturing module is used to generate a first image corresponding to the first optical-wavelength range;
a second image capturing module, having a second lens, a second aperture, a third aperture and a second image sensor, wherein the second lens is used for imaging the scene to the second image sensor, the second aperture is used to limit the amount of light with the first optical-wavelength range, the third aperture is used to limit the amount of light with a second optical-wavelength range, the second image sensor has the first optical-wavelength detection range and a second optical-wavelength detection range, the second image capturing module is used to generate a second image corresponding to the first optical-wavelength range and a third image corresponding to the second optical-wavelength range, there is a distance between the optical axis of the second image capturing module and the optical axis of the first image capturing module; and
a depth map processing/generating device, generating a first depth map according to the parallax of the scene observed in the first image and the second image, and generating a second depth map according to the difference/ratio of sharpness/blur between the second image and the third image.

2. The image capturing system according to claim 1 , wherein the depth map processing/generating device further comprises:
a first depth map generating module, used for receiving the first image and the second image, and generating the first depth map accordingly; and
a second depth map generating module, used for receiving the second image and the third image, and generating the second depth map accordingly.

3. The image capturing system according to claim 2 , wherein the depth map processing/generating device further comprises:
a depth map combing module, used for receiving the first depth map and the second depth map, and generating a combined depth map according to the first depth map and the second depth map.

4. The image capturing system according to claim 2 , wherein the depth map processing/generating device further comprises:
a depth map selecting module, used for receiving the first depth map and the second depth map, selecting the first depth map having the depth information of the scene or the second depth map having the depth information of the scene when the depth information of the scene is only in one of the first depth map or the second depth map, or selecting the first depth map when the depth information of the scene is in both of the first depth map and the second depth map.

5. The image capturing system according to claim 2 , wherein the depth map processing/generating device further comprises:
a depth map selecting module, used for receiving the first depth map and the second depth map, when the depth information of the scene is only in one of the first depth map or the second depth map, selecting the first depth map having the depth information of the scene or the second depth map having the depth information of the scene, or when the depth information of the scene is in both of the first depth map and the second depth map selecting one of the first depth map and the second depth map according to the accuracy.

6. The image capturing system according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an auto-focus driving module, wherein the auto-focus driving module performs auto focusing procedure according to the combined depth map.

7. The image capturing system according to claim 4 , further comprising:
an auto-focus driving module, used for receiving the first depth map or the second depth map selected by the depth map selecting module, and utilizing the received first depth map or the second depth map to perform auto focusing procedure.

8. The image capturing system according to claim 5 , further comprising:
an auto-focus driving module, used for receiving the first depth map or the second depth map selected by the depth map selecting module, and utilizing the received first depth map or the second depth map to perform auto focusing procedure.

9. A focusing method of an image capturing system according to claim 1 , the focusing method comprising: the focusing method comprising: generating a first depth map according to the parallax of the scene observed in the first image and the second image, generating a second depth map according to the difference/ratio of sharpness/blur between the second image and the third image, and finding out the depth information of the scene in the first depth map and the second depth map; and obtaining the depth information of the scene in at least one of the first depth map and the second depth map.

10. The focusing method of the image capturing system according to claim 9 , wherein the first image capturing module has a first lens, a first aperture and a first image sensor, the first lens is used for imaging the scene to the first image sensor, the first aperture is used to limit the amount of light with the first optical-wavelength range, the first image sensor has a first optical-wavelength detection range, the first image capturing module is used to generate the first image corresponding to the first optical-wavelength range, wherein the second image capturing module has a second lens, a second aperture, a third aperture and a second image sensor, the second lens is used for imaging the scene to the second image sensor, the second aperture is used to limit the amount of light with the first optical-wavelength range, the third aperture is used to limit the amount of light with the second optical-wavelength range, the second image sensor has the first optical-wavelength detection range and a second optical-wavelength detection range, the second image capturing module is used to generate the second image corresponding to the first optical-wavelength range and the third image corresponding to the second optical-wavelength range, there is a distance between the optical axis of the second image capturing module and the optical axis of the first image capturing module.

11. The focusing method of the image capturing system according to claim 9 , further comprising:
utilizing the first depth map having the depth information of the scene or the second depth map having the depth information of the scene to perform focus procedure, when the depth information of the scene is only in one of the first depth map or the second depth map.

12. The focusing method of the image capturing system according to claim 9 , further comprising:
utilizing the depth information in the first depth map to perform focus procedure, when the depth information of the scene is in both of the first depth map and the second depth map.

13. The focusing method of the image capturing system according to claim 9 , further comprising:
comparing the accuracy of the depth information in the first depth map and the second depth map, and selecting the depth information according to the accuracy, when the depth information of the scene is in both of the first depth map and the second depth map.

14. A focusing method of an image capturing system according to claim 1 , the focusing method comprising: utilizing the first image, the second image and the third image to obtain a combined depth map, and obt

Assignees

• Lite On Technology Corp

Inventors

• Chen Jau-Yu

Classifications

• H04N23/959

  by adjusting depth of field during image capture, e.g. maximising or setting range based on scene characteristics · CPC title

• H04N13/0271 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0203

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0022

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N13/0242

  Electricity · mapped topic