Image creating method and imaging device

• US 20070177004A1
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Tokkonen, Timo, Rytivaara, Markku, Makela, Jakke, Kolehmainen, Timo, Ojala, Kai
• Application Number:
  US10/582,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20070177004A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of creating an image file in an imaging device and an imaging device comprising at least two image capturing apparatus, each apparatus being arranged to produce an image. The apparatus is configured to utilize at least a portion of the images produced with different image capturing apparatus with each other to produce an image with an enhanced image quality.

Claims

1. An imaging device comprising at least two image capturing apparatus, each apparatus being arranged to produce an image comprising pixels, the apparatus being configured to utilize at least a portion of the images produced with different image capturing apparatus with each other to produce an image with an enhanced image quality, wherein at least one image capturing apparatus has a different light gathering capability and the image produced by the at least one apparatus is used for enhancing the dynamic range of the image produced with the other image capturing apparatus by combining at least a portion of the images using an averaging method for each pixel to be combined.

2. The device of claim 1, comprising an image capturing apparatus configured to analyse the images produced with the image capturing apparatus and to determine which portions of an image to utilize.

3. The device of claim 1, comprising an image capturing apparatus configured to combine at least a portion of the images produced with different image capturing apparatus with each other.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one image capturing apparatus has a small aperture.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one image capturing apparatus has higher aperture than other apparatus.

6. The device of claim 1, comprising an image capturing apparatus configured to utilise a weighted mean method for each pixel to be combined.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one image capturing apparatus comprises a polarisation filter.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the image capturing apparatus comprise a lens system and a sensor array configured to produce electric signal and the device comprises a processor operationally connected to the sensor arrays and configured to produce an image proportional to the electrical signal received from the sensor arrays.

9. The device of claim 8, comprising a sensor array divided between at least two image capturing apparatus.

10. The device of claim 1, comprising a lenslet array with at least four lenses.

11. The device of claim 8, comprising a sensor array and four image capturing apparatus, each apparatus using one lens from the lenslet array and a portion of the sensor array.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein three image capturing apparatus are configured to produce a colour image;

that the fourth image capturing apparatus is configured to produce an image; and

the device comprises a processor configured to combine at least a portion of the images with each other to produce an image with an enhanced image quality.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the three image capturing apparatus each comprise an unique colour filter from a group of filters red, green or blue.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein each of the three image capturing apparatus comprises a unique colour filter from a group of filters cyan, magenta or yellow.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the fourth image capturing apparatus comprises a Bayer matrix.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the fourth image capturing apparatus produces infra-red images.

17. The device of claim 1, comprising at least one image capturing apparatus shielded for producing a dark reference.

18. The device of claim 1, comprising at least one image capturing apparatus is configured to measure white balance.

19. The device of claim 1, comprising at least one image capturing apparatus configured to measure exposure parameters.

20. The device of claim 1, comprising at least one image capturing apparatus comprising a polarization filter.

21. The device of claim 1, comprising at least one image capturing apparatus configured to produce images from which a specific light polarization direction has been removed.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein each image capturing apparatus comprises a different aperture and is dedicated to a different spectral band.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein each image capturing apparatus comprises a lens arrangement.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one image capturing apparatus is configured to use a different exposure time compared to other apparatus.

25. A method of creating an image file in an imaging device, comprising producing images comprising pixels with at least two image capturing apparatus, utilising at least a portion of the images produced with different image capturing apparatus with each other to produce an image with an enhanced image quality, producing images with image capturing apparatus of a different light gathering capability and combining at least a portion of the images using an averaging method for each pixel to be combined.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

analysing the images produced with the image capturing apparatus and determining which portions of the images to utilize.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the combining is made using a weighted mean method for each pixel to be combined.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

producing images with image capturing apparatus comprising a lens system and a sensor array configured to produce an electric signal and

processing the images proportional to the electric signal with a processor operationally connected to the sensor arrays.

29. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

producing images with a sensor array and four image capturing apparatus, each apparatus using one lens from the lenslet array and a portion of the sensor array.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

producing a colour image with three image capturing apparatus,

producing an image with the fourth image capturing apparatus and

combining at least a portion of the images with each other to produce an image with an enhanced image quality.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

producing a colour image with the fourth capturing apparatus by using a Bayer matrix filter.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

producing an infra-red image with the fourth capturing apparatus.

33. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

combining at least a portion of the images produced with different image capturing apparatus with each other.

34. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

using at least one image capturing apparatus for producing a dark reference.

35. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

using at least one image capturing apparatus for measuring white balance.

36. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

using at least one image capturing apparatus for measuring exposure parameters.

37. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

using at least one image capturing apparatus for producing images from which a specific light polarization direction has been removed.

38. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

producing images by each image capturing apparatus with a lens arrangement of its own.

39. An imaging device comprising at least two image capturing apparatus, each apparatus being arranged to produce an image, where in at least one image capturing apparatus is used for measuring exposure parameters.

40. The imaging device of claim 39, comprising at least four image capturing apparatus, wherein three image capturing apparatus each comprise an unique colour filter from a group of filters red, green or blue or from a group filters cyan, magenta or yellow.

41. An imaging device comprising at least two image capturing apparatus and a sensor array configured to produce an electric signal when exposed to light, the sensor array being divided between at least two image capturing apparatus.

42. A method of creating an image file in an imaging device, comprising producing images with at least two image capturing apparatus and using at least one image capturing apparatus for measuring exposure parameters.