Thin color camera

• US 20050225654A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Optics Corp. (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Feldman, Michael R., Te Kolste, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,773,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/272
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/52 RGB geometrical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/41 Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/48 Increasing resolution by shifting the sensor relative to the scene

Abstract

A color camera includes at least three sub-cameras, each sub-camera having an imaging lens, a color filter, and an array of detectors, The color camera combines images from the three sub-cameras to form a composite multi-color image, wherein the three sub-cameras include a total number of detectors N and a total number of different color sets X, wherein a first number of signals of a first color set is less than N/X and a second number of signals of a second color set is greater than N/X, signals of the second color set being output from at least two of the three sub-cameras, wherein resolution of a composite image of the second color set is greater than resolution of an individual sub-camera and a resolution of the composite image. Corresponding images of the same color set may be shifted, either sequentially or simultaneously, relative to one another.

Claims

1. A color camera, comprising:

at least three sub-cameras, each sub-camera including

an imaging lens,

a color filter, and

an array of detectors; and

means for combining images from the at least three sub-cameras to form a composite multi-color image, wherein the at least three sub-cameras include a total number of detectors N and a total number of different color sets X, wherein a first number of signals of a first color set is less than N/X and a second number of signals of a second color set is greater than N/X, signals of the second color set being output from at least two of the at least three sub-cameras, wherein resolution of a composite image of the second color set is greater than resolution of an individual sub-camera and a resolution of the composite image of the first color set is no greater than that of an individual sub-camera.

2. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein filters associated with a color set are substantially the same.

3. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first image of the second color set output from a first sub-camera is shifted relative to a second image of the second color set output from a second sub-camera.

4. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sub-camera includes means for shifting the first image.

5. The color camera as claimed in claim 4, wherein means for shifting the first image includes an aperture between the imaging lens and the array of detectors.

6. The color camera as claimed in claim 4, wherein means for shifting the first image includes means for offsetting a center of an imaging lens of the first sub-camera from an imaging lens of the second sub-camera by a non-integer amount of a detector size in the array of detectors.

7. The color camera as claimed in claim 4, wherein means for shifting the first image includes means for offsetting along a first direction a center of an imaging lens of the first sub-camera from an imaging lens of the second sub-camera by a non-integer amount of a detector size in the array of detectors and an aperture between the imaging lens and the array of detectors blocking light along a second direction.

8. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for sequentially shifting images in the sub-cameras

9. The color camera as claimed in claim 8, wherein means for sequentially shifting includes a voltage controlled liquid lens.

10. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein color filters associated with the color sets are provided on top of each imaging lens.

11. The color camera as claimed in claim 10, wherein each sub-camera further comprises another color filter between the imaging lens and the detector array.

12. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a blocking element between adjacent imaging lenses.

13. The color camera as claimed in claim 12, wherein the blocking element is tapered to be wider near the imaging lenses and narrower towards the array of detectors.

14. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein each imaging lens includes a refractive element on a first surface of a substrate and another lens element on a second surface of the substrate.

15. The color camera as claimed in claim 14, wherein the another lens element is a diffractive element.

16. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein each imaging lens includes a refractive element on a first surface of a first substrate and another lens element on a second surface of a second substrate.

17. The color camera as claimed in claim 16, wherein the another lens element is a diffractive element.

18. The color camera as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first and second substrates are secured together.

19. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resolution of an image of the first color set is substantially equal to a resolution of a sub-camera.

20. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second color set includes green light.

21. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second color set includes luminance information.

22. The color camera as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sub-camera is associated with one color set.

23. A color camera, comprising:

an electrically controllable lens;

at least three color sets;

an imaging lens;

a detector array receiving an image of the at least three color sets from the imaging lens; and

a processor, the processor receiving electrical signals from the detector array, sequentially supplying a control signal applied to the electrically controllable lens to shift an image on the detector array, and forming a composite image from the electrical signals from the detector array.

24. The color camera as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor varies and sequentially supplies the control signal until a desired resolution of the composite image is realized.

25. The color camera as claimed in claim 23, wherein the second color set includes luminance information and the first color set includes chromatic information.

26. A color camera, comprising:

at least three sub-cameras, each sub-camera including

an imaging lens,

a color filter, and

an array of detectors; and

means for combining images from the at least three sub-cameras to form a composite multi-color image, further including at least one different optical element in an optical path of a first detector relative to a corresponding second detector receiving substantially the same wavelength, thereby increasing a resolution of the composite multi-color image to be greater than that of an individual sub-camera.

27. The color camera as claimed in claim 26, wherein the different optical element is a mask used to block light in the first detector, wherein a shape of the mask for the first detector is different from a mask for the second detector.

28. The color camera as claimed in claim 27, wherein there is no mask for the second detector.

29. The color camera as claimed in claim 26, wherein the first and second sub-cameras have substantially same color filters, and the first and second detectors are in the first and second sub-cameras, respectively.

30. The color camera as claimed in claim 29, where the color filters of the first and second sub-cameras transmit substantially only green light.

31. The color camera as claimed in claim 29, where the color filters of the first and second sub-cameras transmit substantially only luminance information.

32. The color camera as claimed in claim 29, wherein first and second sub-cameras are adjacent to one another.

33. The color camera as claimed in claim 26, wherein the color filters are provided on top of each imaging lens.

34. The color camera as claimed in claim 33, wherein each sub-camera further comprises another color filter between the imaging lens and the detector array.

35. The color camera as claimed in claim 26, wherein the color filter within each sub-camera has substantially identical transmission.

36. A color camera, comprising:

at least three sub-cameras, each sub-camera including

an imaging lens,

a color filter, and

an array of detectors; and

means for combining images from the at least three sub-cameras to form a composite multi-color image, at least two of the at least three sub-cameras each generate an image for a substantially same color spectra, the at least two images for the substantially same color spectra having a variation therebetween to provide a resolution of a composite image for the substantially same color spectra which is higher than that of an individual sub-camera, a resolution of a color image not having the substantially same color spectra being less than the resolution of the composite image.