Wearable apparatus and method for capturing image data using multiple image sensors

• US 10,326,922 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OrCam Technologies Ltd
• Original Assignee: OrCam Technologies Ltd
• Inventors: Wexler, Yonatan, Shashua, Amnon
• Primary Examiner(s): Moyer, Andrew M
• Application Number:
  US14/807,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 382154
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/18 Packaging or power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/188 Mounting of power supply units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/53 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/532 Query formulation, e.g. graphical querying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/217 Validation; Performance evaluation; Active pattern learning techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 : Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 : Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 : Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 : User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 : Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 : based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 : Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 : Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30232 : Surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 : Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 : involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/97 : Determining parameters from multiple pictures depth or shape recovery from multiple images G06T7/55; stereo camera calibration G06T7/85
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/776 : Validation; Performance evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 : in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/30 : in albums, collections or shared content, e.g. social network photos or video
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/41 : Higher-level, semantic clustering, classification or understanding of video scenes, e.g. detection, labelling or Markovian modelling of sport events or news items segmenting video sequences G06V20/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 : Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/647 : by matching two-dimensional images to three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/07 : Target detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/09 : Recognition of logos
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 : Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 : Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 : Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• 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 23/50 : Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 : Housings
• 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 23/58 : Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 : based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 : where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 : Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 : Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 : Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 : based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 : by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 : Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 : from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A wearable apparatus and method are provided for capturing image data. In one implementation, a wearable apparatus for capturing image data is provided. The wearable apparatus includes a plurality of image sensors for capturing image data of an environment of a user. Each of the image sensors is associated with a different field of view. The wearable apparatus also includes a processing device programmed to process image data captured by at least two of the image sensors to identify an object in the environment. The processing device is also programmed to identify a first image sensor, which has a first optical axis closer to the object than a second optical axis of a second image sensor. After identifying the first image sensor, the processing device is also programmed to process image data from the first image sensor using a first processing scheme, and process image data from the second image sensor using a second processing scheme.

Claims

1. A wearable apparatus for capturing image data from a plurality of fields of view, the wearable apparatus comprising:

a plurality of image sensors for capturing image data of an environment of a user, wherein each of the image sensors is associated with a different field of view of the user;

and

at least one processor programmed to;

process image data captured by at least two of the image sensors to identify an object in the environment of the user;

compare a first position of the object appearing in a first image from a first image sensor of the at least two image sensors and a second position of the object appearing in a second image from a second image sensor of the at least one images sensors, the first image and the second image being captured at a first time;

determine, based on the comparison, which image sensor has an optical axis closer to the object, thereby identifying the first image sensor has a first optical axis that is closer to the object than a second optical axis of the second image sensor; and

after identifying the first image sensor, continue to process image data from the first image sensor, and discontinue processing image data from the second image sensor.

2. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second optical axes associated with the first and second image sensors are oriented in different directions.

3. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second optical axes associated with the first and second image sensors are divergent.

4. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein an angle between two or more optical axes associated with the image sensors is greater than 20°

.

5. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein an angle between two or more optical axes associated with the image sensors is less than 90°

.

6. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein a combined angle of the fields of view of the image sensors is more than 100°

.

7. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of the fields of view of the image sensors overlap.

8. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least some of the fields of view of the image sensors do not overlap.

9. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to resume processing the image data captured by the second image sensor after a predetermined time period has elapsed.

10. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to discontinue processing image data from the first image sensor when the object is no longer in the field of view of the first image sensor.

11. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to cause the second image sensor to discontinue capturing image data for at least a portion of a time period during which image data from the first image sensor is being processed.

12. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to combine image data captured by at least two of the image sensors to create an image having a higher resolution than an individual resolution of any of the image sensors.

13. The wearable apparatus of claim 11, wherein the image sensors are each configured to provide an image resolution less than 1.5 Megapixels.

14. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to a visual trigger identified in at least one image captured by at least one of the image sensors, the processor is further programmed to cause at least two of the image sensors to operate simultaneously.

15. The wearable apparatus of claim 14, wherein the visual trigger includes one or more of detection of text, detection of a face, and detection of a logo.

16. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one solar cell configured to provide power to at least one of image sensors.

17. The wearable apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one solar cell is included in a capturing unit that includes the image sensors.

18. The wearable apparatus of claim 17, wherein the image sensors are associated with corresponding lenses located on the capturing unit, and the capturing unit includes a plurality of solar cells interspersed between the lenses.

19. The wearable apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a battery for storing at least some energy generated by the at least one solar cell.

20. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a battery configured to store energy derived from movements of the user.

21. The wearable apparatus of claim 20, wherein the stored energy is used to power at least one of the image sensors.

22. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to identify a chin of the user in at least one image captured by at least one of the image sensors.

23. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a microphone, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to identify a direction of sound received by the microphone.

24. The wearable apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to select one of the image sensors to capture image data based on the direction of the sound received by the microphone.

25. The wearable apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a microphone, wherein the at least one processor is further programmed to select at least one of the image sensors to capture image data based on sound captured by the microphone.

26. A method for capturing image data from a wearable device, the method comprising:

processing, by at least one processor included in the wearable device, image data captured by at least two image sensors included in the wearable device to identify an object in an environment of the user, wherein each of the image sensors includes a different field of view of the user;

comparing a first position of the object appearing in a first image from a first image sensor of the at least two image sensors and a second position of the object appearing in a second image from a second image sensor of the at least one images sensors, the first image and the second image being captured at a first time;

determining, by the at least one processor and based on the comparison, which image sensor has an optical axis closer to the object, thereby identifying the first image sensor has a first optical axis that is closer to the object than a second optical axis of the second image sensor; and

after identifying the first image sensor, continuing to process, by the at least one processor, image data from the first image sensor, and discontinuing processing image data from the second image sensor.

27. A software product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising data and computer implementable instructions for carrying out the method of claim 26.