Light field image capturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9807367-B2
Application number	US-201514979755-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2015
Priority date	Nov 24, 2015
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A light field image capturing apparatus includes: a main lens, configured to transmit light of an object environment, and including an optical axis; a beam generation unit, configured to receive the light transmitted by the main lens and generate plurality Bessel-beams, where the beam generation unit includes plurality slits or conical lenses arranged in an array manner and configured to generate the Bessel-beam respectively; a micro-lens unit, configured to receive the Bessel-beam generated by the beam generation unit, and including plurality micro-lens elements corresponding to the beam generation unit, wherein each micro-lens element is configured to determine a focus point generated after the Bessel-beam passes through each micro-lens element, and a focal length of a distance between the focus point and the micro-lens element; and a light sensing unit, including a focal plane, and configured to enable the focus point to be focused on the focal plane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light field image capturing apparatus, comprising:
a main lens, configured to transmit light of an object environment, and comprising an optical axis;
a beam generation unit, configured to receive the light transmitted by the main lens and generate plurality Bessel-beams, wherein the beam generation unit comprises plurality slits arranged in an array manner and configured to generate the Bessel-beams respectively, and the slits are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the main lens;
a micro-lens unit, configured to receive the Bessel-beams generated by the beam generation unit, and comprising plurality micro-lens elements corresponding to the beam generation unit, wherein the micro-lens elements are also arranged along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the main lens, and each micro-lens element is configured to determine a focus point generated after the Bessel-beam passes through each micro-lens element, and a focal length of a distance between the focus point and the micro-lens element according to each focus point; and
a light sensing unit, comprising a focal plane, and configured to enable the focus point to be focused on the focal plane;
wherein:
the slits enable a beam to generate, after the beam passes through the slits, corresponding Bessel-beams respectively; and
the micro-lens elements are arranged in an array manner and correspond to the slits respectively.

2. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the slits are completed by forming a metal film on a transparent substrate and then making the slits on a metal surface of the metal film.

3. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the slits are annular slits.

4. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein an inner diameter width of each of the slits is between 16 μm and 50 μm, and a slit width of each of the slits is between 150 nm and 300 nm.

5. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: an image capturing and analyzing unit, configured to analyze and calibrate at least one circle of confusion formed on the focal plane.

6. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein circles of confusion of different wavelength gains generated, by the Bessel-beams of different wavelengths generated by the slits of different sizes, on the focal plane of the light sensing unit after the Bessel-beams pass through the corresponding micro-lens elements.

7. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensing unit is an image sensor.

8. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the image sensor is a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) photosensitive element or a charge coupled device (CCD).

9. A light field image capturing apparatus, comprising:
a main lens, configured to transmit light of an object environment, and comprising an optical axis;
a beam generation unit, configured to receive the light transmitted by the main lens and generate plurality Bessel-beams, wherein the beam generation unit comprises plurality slits arranged in an array manner and configured to generate the Bessel-beams respectively, and the slits are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the main lens;
a micro-lens unit, configured to receive the Bessel-beams generated by the beam generation unit, and comprising plurality micro-lens elements corresponding to the beam generation unit, wherein the micro-lens elements are also arranged along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the main lens, and each micro-lens element is configured to determine a focus point generated after the Bessel-beam passes through each micro-lens element, and a focal length of a distance between the focus point and the micro-lens element according to each focus point; and
a light sensing unit, comprising a focal plane, and configured to enable the focus point to be focused on the focal plane;
wherein the slits are completed by forming a metal film on a transparent substrate and then making the slits on a metal surface of the metal film.

10. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the slits are annular slits.

11. The light field image capturing apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein an inner diameter width of each of the slits is between 16 μm and 50 μm, and a slit width of each of the slits is between 150 nm and 300 nm.

12. A light field image capturing apparatus, comprising:
a main lens, configured to transmit light of an object environment, and comprising an optical axis; a beam generation unit, configured to receive the light transmitted by the main lens and generate plurality Bessel-beams, wherein the beam generation unit comprises plurality slits arranged in an array manner and configured to generate the Bessel-beams respectively, and the slits are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the main lens;
a micro-lens unit, configured to receive the Bessel-beams generated by the beam generation unit, and comprising plurality micro-lens elements corresponding to the beam generation unit, wherein the micro-lens elements are also arranged along a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the main lens, and each micro-lens element is configured to determine a focus point generated after the Bessel-beam passes through each micro-lens element, and a focal length of a distance between the focus point and the micro-lens element according to each focus point;
a light sensing unit, comprising a focal plane, and configured to enable the focus point to be focused on the focal plane; and
an image capturing and analyzing unit, configured to analyze and calibrate at least one circle of confusion formed on the focal plane;
wherein circles of confusion of different wavelength gains generated, by the Bessel-beams of different wavelengths generated by the slits of different sizes, on the focal plane of the light sensing unit after the Bessel-beams pass through the corresponding micro-lens elements.

Assignees

• Metal Ind Res & Dev Ct

Inventors

• Jan Chia-Ming
• Lin Ying-Chieh

Classifications

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• H04N25/00

  Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof · CPC title

• H04N13/0246

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06T2207/10052

  Images from lightfield camera · CPC title

• H04N5/2256

  Electricity · mapped topic