Apparatus and method for capturing still images and video using coded aperture techniques

• US 20060157640A1
• Filed: 01/18/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rearden, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rearden, LLC
• Inventors: Busboom, Axel, Perlman, Stephen G., Cotter, Tim S., van der Laan, Roger, Speck, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,767,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/208.100
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/129 Coded aperture imaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/60 Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise

Abstract

A system is described for capturing images comprising: a display for displaying graphical images and text; a plurality of apertures formed in the display; an image detector array configured behind the display and configured to sense light transmitted through the apertures in the display, the light reflected from a subject positioned in front of the display; and image processing logic to generate image data using the light transmitted through the apertures, the image data representing an image of a subject.

Claims

1. A system for capturing images comprising:

a display for displaying graphical images and text;

a plurality of apertures formed in the display;

an image detector array positioned behind the display and configured to sense light transmitted through apertures in the display, the light reflected from a subject positioned in front of the display; and

image processing logic to generate image data using the light transmitted through the apertures, the image data representing an image of the subject.

2. The system as in claim 1 wherein the display is a light emitting diode (“

LED”

) display.

3. The system as in claim 2 wherein LEDs of the display are arranged into groups of one red LED, one blue LED and two green LEDs, and wherein the apertures are formed in place of one of the two green LEDs for at least some of the groups.

4. The system as in claim 1 wherein the image detector array is a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (“

CMOS”

) array comprised of a plurality of CMOS image sensors.

5. The system as in claim 1 wherein the image detector array is comprised of a plurality of Charge Coupled Devices (“

CCDs”

).

6. The system as in claim 1 wherein the apertures are arranged in a known coded aperture imaging mask pattern and wherein the image processing logic comprises coded aperture imaging (“

CAI”

) decoder logic.

7. The system as in claim 6 wherein the apertures are arranged in a Modified Uniformly Redundant Array (“

MURA”

) pattern and wherein the CAI decoder logic comprises MURA decoder logic.

8. The system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a graphics processing unit to reproduce an image of the subject on a display device using the image data generated by the image processing logic.

9. The system as in claim 1 further comprising:

a storage device to store the image data for later retrieval.

10. The system as in claim 1 further comprising:

an imaging application to control the image detector array and/or the imaging application responsive to user input.

11. The system as in claim 1 implemented within a portable data processing device, the portable data processing device having both wireless telephony capabilities and data processing capabilities.

12. A system comprising:

a display for displaying graphical images and text;

a plurality of imaging sensors spaced apart in a coded aperture imaging (“

CAI”

) pattern across the front surface of the display; and

image processing logic to generate image data using the light received by the imaging sensors, the image data representing an image of a subject positioned in front of the display.

13. The system as in claim 12 wherein the display is a liquid crystal display (“

LCD”

).

14. The system as in claim 12 wherein the imaging sensors are Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (“

CMOS”

) sensors.

15. The system as in claim 12 wherein the imaging sensors are Charge Coupled Devices (“

CCDs”

).

16. The system as in claim 12 wherein the image processing logic comprises coded aperture imaging (“

CAI”

) decoder logic to decode the light received by the imaging sensors using a CAI decoder algorithm.

17. The system as in claim 16 wherein the imaging sensors are arranged in a Modified Uniformly Redundant Array (“

MURA”

) pattern and wherein the CAI decoder logic comprises MURA decoder logic.

18. The system as in claim 12 further comprising:

a graphics processing unit to reproduce an image of the subject on a display device using the image data generated by the image processing logic.

19. The system as in claim 12 further comprising:

a storage device to store the image data for later retrieval.

20. The system as in claim 12 further comprising:

an imaging application to control the image detector array and/or the imaging application responsive to user input.

21. A coded aperture camera system comprising:

a coded aperture mask having a pattern of elements transparent to visible light formed thereon, the elements arranged in a predetermined mask pattern for capturing visible light, wherein each of the transparent elements are sized to allow the transmission of visible light; and

a sensor array spaced at a predetermined distance from the coded aperture mask, the predetermined distance selected based on one or more characteristics of visible light, the sensor array to sense visible light transmitted through the transparent elements; and

image processing logic to generate image data using the light sensed by the sensor array, the image data representing an image of a subject positioned in front of the coded aperture mask.

22. The system as in claim 21 further comprising a light-opaque housing coupled between the coded aperture mask and the sensor array.