Systems and methods for generating a digital image

• US 10,129,514 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2018
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duelight LLC
• Original Assignee: Duelight LLC
• Inventors: Rivard, William, Feder, Adam, Kindle, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Jerabek, Kelly L
• Application Number:
  US15/885,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20180160092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/13 with multiple sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/16 Optical arrangements associated therewith, e.g. for beam-splitting or for colour correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 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 Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/77 Circuits for processing the brightness signal and the chrominance signal relative to each other, e.g. adjusting the phase of the brightness signal relative to the colour signal, correcting differential gain or differential phase circuits for matrixing H04N9/67

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product for generating a digital image is disclosed. In use, a first image set is captured by a first image sensor, the first image set including two or more first source images and a plurality of chrominance values, and a second image set is captured by a second image sensor, the second image set including two or more second source images and a plurality of luminance values. Next, a first image of the first source images and a second image of the first source images are combined to form a first pair of source images, and a first image of the second source images and a second image of the second source images are combined to form a second pair of source images. Additionally, a first resulting image by is generated combining the first pair of source images with the second pair of source images. Additional systems, methods, and computer program products are also presented.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first image sensor configured to capture a first ambient image comprising a first plurality of chrominance values, and a first strobe image comprising a second plurality of chrominance values;

a second image sensor configured to capture a second ambient image comprising a first plurality of luminance values, and a second strobe image comprising a second plurality of luminance values;

a processor configured to generate a first resulting image by combining the first plurality of chrominance values and the first plurality of luminance values;

the processor configured to generate a second resulting image by combining the second plurality of chrominance values and the second plurality of luminance values; and

the processor configured to generate a third resulting image by combining the first resulting image and the second resulting image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ambient image and the second ambient image are captured simultaneously.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first strobe image and the second strobe image are captured simultaneously.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ambient image is captured with a first set of exposure parameters, and the first strobe image is captured with a second, different set of exposure parameters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first ambient image and the second ambient image is warped to correct for a disparate viewpoint.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor utilizes a rolling shutter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first image sensor is further configured to capture a third ambient image comprising a third plurality of chrominance values, and the second image sensor is further configured to capture a fourth ambient image comprising a third plurality of luminance values.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein to generate the first resulting image, the processor is further configured to combine the third plurality of chrominance values and the third plurality of luminance values with the combined the first plurality of chrominance values and the first plurality of luminance values.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a strobe unit, wherein the processor is configured to capture an image under ambient illumination, analyze the image to determine a white balance, and enable the strobe unit to provide strobe illumination of a particular color based on the white balance.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a camera interface circuit that is configured to accumulate color statistics for estimating the white balance.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the strobe unit comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to generate at least two different colors of illumination.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first image sensor, the second image sensor, and the processor are included in a wireless mobile device.

13. A method, comprising:

capturing, by a first image sensor, a first ambient image comprising a first plurality of chrominance values, and a first strobe image comprising a second plurality of chrominance values;

capturing, by a second image sensor, a second ambient image comprising a first plurality of luminance values, and a second strobe image comprising a second plurality of luminance values;

generating, by a processor, a first resulting image by combining the first plurality of chrominance values and the first plurality of luminance values;

generating, by the processor, a second resulting image by combining the second plurality of chrominance values and the second plurality of luminance values; and

generating, by the processor, a third resulting image by combining the first resulting image and the second resulting image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first ambient image and the second ambient image are captured simultaneously.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor utilizes a rolling shutter.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the first resulting image comprises:

converting the first plurality of chrominance values into a plurality of hue and saturation pairs; and

generating a first pixel of the first resulting image based on at least one of the first plurality of luminance values and at least one hue and saturation pair.