Stereoscopic imaging method and system that divides a pixel matrix into subgroups

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9851483-B2
Application number	US-201113502907-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2011
Priority date	Sep 3, 2010
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A stereoscopic imaging method where a pixel matrix is divided into groups such that parallax information is received by one pixel group and original information is received by another pixel group. The parallax information may, specifically, be based on polarized information received by subgroups of the one pixel, group and by processing all of the information received multiple images are rendered by the method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A parallax imaging method comprising:
receiving, with a first pixel grow of a pixel matrix, a first polarized light of a subject output from a first polarizer and an imaging lens;
outputting, with the first pixel group, first electrical signals based on the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens;
further polarizing, with a second polarizer, the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens, the second polarizer including a first polarization area and a second polarization area different from the first polarization area, the first polarization area is configured to further polarize the first polarized light in a first direction, the second polarization area is configured to further polarize the first polarized light in a second direction different from the first direction;
receiving, with a second pixel group of the pixel matrix, the first polarized light that is further polarized in the first direction by the first polarization area and the first polarized light that is further polarized in the second direction by the second polarization area;
outputting, with the second pixel group, second electrical signals based on the polarized light that is further polarized in the first direction and the first polarized light that is further polarized in the second direction;
receiving, with an imaging processor, the first electrical signals and the second electrical signals;
generating, with the imaging processor, parallax information based on the first electrical signals;
generating, with the imaging processor, image information based on the second electrical signals; and
generating, with the imaging processor, one or more stereoscopic images based at least in part on the parallax information and the image information.

2. The parallax imaging method of claim 1 , wherein the second pixel group of the pixel matrix includes at least a pixel row, and the first pixel group of the pixel matrix includes pixel rows that are not included in the second pixel group.

3. The parallax imaging method of claim 1 , wherein the second pixel group of the pixel matrix includes at least a pixel row for every N-th row, where N≧2, the first pixel group of the pixel matrix comprises pixel rows not equal to every N-th row.

4. The parallax imaging method of claim 3 , wherein an upper limit of N is N=2n, where n is a natural number from 1 to 5.

5. The parallax imaging method of claim 4 , wherein n=3.

6. The parallax imaging method of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.

7. The parallax imaging method of claim 1 , wherein the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens has been polarized by the first polarizer having a first area with a first polarization state and a second area with a second polarization state that is different than the first polarization state,
wherein the first area has a first barycenter and the second area has a second barycenter, and
wherein a distance between the first barycenter and the second barycenter is a baseline length of parallax of both eyes.

8. A parallax imaging apparatus comprising:
a pixel matrix including a first pixel group and a second pixel group different from the first pixel group,
wherein the first pixel group is configured to
receive a first polarized light of a subject output from a first polarizer and an imaging lens, and
output first electrical signals based on the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens;
a second polarizer including a first polarization area and a second polarization area different from the first polarization area, the first polarization area is configured to further polarize the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens in a first direction, the second polarization area is configured to further polarize the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens in a second direction different from the first direction,
wherein the second pixel group is configured to
receive the first polarized light that is further polarized in the first direction by the first polarization area and the first polarized light that is further polarized in the second direction by the second polarization area, and
output second electrical signals based on the first polarized light that is further polarized in the first direction and the first polarized light that is further polarized in the second direction; and

an imaging processor configured to
receive the first electrical signals and the second electrical signals,
generate parallax information based on the first electrical signals,
generate image information based on the second electrical signals, and
generate one or more stereoscopic images based at least in part on the parallax information and the image information.

9. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the parallax imaging apparatus is one of a digital camera, a personal computer, a mobile terminal equipment, a video camera, or a game machine.

10. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second pixel group of the pixel matrix includes at least a pixel row, and the second first pixel group of the pixel matrix includes pixel rows that are not included in the first second pixel group.

11. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first second pixel group includes of at least a pixel row for every N-th row, where N≧2, and the second first pixel group comprises pixel rows not equal to every N-th row.

12. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second pixel group of the pixel matrix includes at least a pixel row, and the first pixel group of the pixel matrix includes pixel rows that are not included in the second pixel group.

13. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second pixel group of the pixel matrix includes at least a pixel row for every N-th row, where N≧2, the first pixel group of the pixel matrix comprises pixel rows not equal to every N-th row.

14. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 13 , wherein an upper limit of N is N=2n, where n is a natural number from 1 to 5.

15. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 14 , wherein n=3.

16. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second direction is orthogonal to the first direction.

17. The parallax imaging apparatus of claim 8 ,
wherein the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens has been polarized by the first polarizer having a first area with a first polarization state and a second area with a second polarization state that is different than the first polarization state,
wherein the first area has a first barycenter and the second area has a second barycenter, and
wherein a distance between the first barycenter and the second barycenter is a baseline length of parallax of both eyes.

18. A parallax imaging system comprising:
a pixel matrix including a first pixel group and a second pixel group different from the first pixel group, the first pixel group is configured to
receive a first polarized light of a subject output from a first polarizer and an imaging lens, and
output first electrical signals based on the first polarized light of the subject output from the first polarizer and the imaging lens; and
a second polarizer including a first polarization area and a second

Assignees

• Sato Shuzo
• Otani Eiji
• Ozawa Ken
• Kobayashi Seiji
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sato Shuzo
• Otani Eiji
• Ozawa Ken
• Kobayashi Seiji

Classifications

• H04N13/218

  using spatial multiplexing · CPC title

• H04N13/239 Primary

  using two two-dimensional [2D] image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance (H04N13/243 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B5/3058 Primary

  comprising electrically conductive elements, e.g. wire grids, conductive particles · CPC title

• G03B35/08

  by simultaneous recording · CPC title

• G03B35/26

  using polarised or coloured light separating different viewpoint images · CPC title