Systems and methods for estimating depth and visibility from a reference viewpoint for pixels in a set of images captured from different viewpoints
First Claim
1. An array camera, comprising:
- a plurality of cameras;
a processor;
memory containing an image processing application and calibration data;
wherein the processor is configured by the image processing application to produce an image by;
directing the plurality of cameras to capture a plurality of images including a reference image and at least one alternate view image;
retrieving the calibration data from memory;
rectifying the plurality of captured images using the calibration data;
performing a calibration process;
determining a range of disparities to search based upon characteristics of at least one of the plurality of images;
measuring similarity of corresponding pixels in the plurality of images at a plurality of disparities;
generating an initial depth map; and
refocusing the reference image using the initial depth map;
wherein the processor is configured by the image processing application to measure similarity of corresponding pixels in the plurality of images at the plurality of disparities using a cost function.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention can perform parallax detection and correction in images captured using array cameras. Due to the different viewpoints of the cameras, parallax results in variations in the position of objects within the captured images of the scene. Methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention provide an accurate account of the pixel disparity due to parallax between the different cameras in the array, so that appropriate scene-dependent geometric shifts can be applied to the pixels of the captured images when performing super-resolution processing. In a number of embodiments, generating depth estimates considers the similarity of pixels in multiple spectral channels. In certain embodiments, generating depth estimates involves generating a confidence map indicating the reliability of depth estimates.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An array camera, comprising:
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a plurality of cameras; a processor; memory containing an image processing application and calibration data; wherein the processor is configured by the image processing application to produce an image by; directing the plurality of cameras to capture a plurality of images including a reference image and at least one alternate view image; retrieving the calibration data from memory; rectifying the plurality of captured images using the calibration data; performing a calibration process; determining a range of disparities to search based upon characteristics of at least one of the plurality of images; measuring similarity of corresponding pixels in the plurality of images at a plurality of disparities; generating an initial depth map; and refocusing the reference image using the initial depth map; wherein the processor is configured by the image processing application to measure similarity of corresponding pixels in the plurality of images at the plurality of disparities using a cost function. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification