Dual Sensor Video Camera

• US 20080030611A1
• Filed: 08/01/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: Lifesize, Inc. (Enghouse Systems Limited)
• Inventors: Jenkins, Michael V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,667,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2209/048 having several pick-up sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals

Abstract

Various embodiments of a dual-sensor video camera are disclosed. The dual-sensor video camera includes a color filter array (CFA) sensor, which has a low-pass filter. The dual-sensor video camera also includes a panchromatic sensor. A beam splitter directs an incoming light beam to both sensors. An output image is produced based on image information from the two sensors. The output image includes luminance information based on the image information from the panchromatic sensor and chrominance information based on the image information from the CFA sensor.

Claims

1. A dual-sensor video camera comprising:

a panchromatic sensor;

a color filter array (CFA) sensor including a low-pass filter; and

a beam splitter;

wherein the beam splitter is configured to split a beam of light into a first beam directed to the panchromatic sensor and a second beam directed to the CFA sensor;

wherein the panchromatic sensor produces first image information from the first beam;

wherein the CFA sensor produces second image information from the second beam;

wherein the dual-sensor video camera further comprises one or more computational elements operable to produce an output image from the first image information and the second image information, wherein the output image includes luminance information from the first image information from the panchromatic sensor and chrominance information from the second image information from the CFA sensor.

2. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 1,

wherein the output image does not include luminance information from the second image information from the CFA sensor.

3. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 1,

wherein the output image is represented as a plurality of pixels such that each pixel comprises one or more luminance components and one or more chrominance components, wherein the one or more luminance components are from the first image information from the panchromatic sensor and the one or more chrominance components are from the second image information from the CFA sensor.

4. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 1,

wherein the beam splitter is configured to direct more light to the panchromatic sensor than to the CFA sensor.

5. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 1, wherein the one or more computational elements comprise one or more of:

a processor; and

/or

an FPGA.

6. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory medium storing alignment difference information, wherein the alignment difference information indicates an alignment difference between pixels in the first image information and pixels in the second image information.

7. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 1,

wherein the low-pass filter of the CFA sensor reduces color aliasing;

and

wherein using the first image information from the panchromatic sensor for the luminance information of the output image results in improved image sharpness.

8. A dual-sensor video camera comprising:

a panchromatic sensor;

a color filter array (CFA) sensor including a low-pass filter; and

a beam splitter;

wherein the beam splitter is configured to split a beam of light into a first beam directed to the panchromatic sensor and a second beam directed to the CFA sensor;

wherein the panchromatic sensor produces first image information from the first beam;

wherein the CFA sensor produces second image information from the second beam;

wherein the dual-sensor video camera further comprises one or more computational elements operable to produce a YCbCr output image from the first image information and the second image information, wherein the Y components of the YCbCr output image are based on the first image information from the panchromatic sensor, and wherein the Cb and Cr components of the YCbCr output image are based on the second image information from the CFA sensor.

9. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 8,

wherein said producing the YCbCr output image comprises:

producing a first YCbCr image based on the second image information from the CFA sensor; and

replacing Y components of pixels in the first YCbCr image with luminance values from pixels in the first image information from the panchromatic sensor.

10. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 9,

wherein said producing the first YCbCr image based on the second image information from the CFA sensor comprises generating an RGB image from the second image information from the CFA sensor and converting the RGB image to YCbCr format.

11. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 9,

wherein the one or more computational elements are further operable to sub-sample the YCbCr output image to YCbCr 4:

2;

2 format.

12. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 9,

wherein the beam splitter is configured to direct more light to the panchromatic sensor than to the CFA sensor.

13. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 9, wherein the one or more computational elements comprise one or more of:

a processor; and

/or

an FPGA.

14. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 9, further comprising:

a memory medium storing alignment difference information, wherein the alignment difference information indicates an alignment difference between pixels in the first image information and pixels in the second image information.

15. The dual-sensor video camera of claim 9,

wherein the low-pass filter of the CFA sensor reduces color aliasing;

and

wherein using the first image information from the panchromatic sensor for the luminance information of the output image results in improved image sharpness.

16. A method for producing an output image for a video camera, the method comprising:

receiving first image information from a panchromatic sensor;

receiving second image information from a color filter array (CFA) sensor, wherein the CFA sensor includes a low-pass filter; and

producing a YCbCr output image from the first image information and the second image information, wherein the Y components of the YCbCr output image are based on the first image information from the panchromatic sensor, and wherein the Cb and Cr components of the YCbCr output image are based on the second image information from the CFA sensor.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein said producing the YCbCr output image comprises:

producing a first YCbCr image based on the second image information from the CFA sensor; and

replacing Y components of pixels in the first YCbCr image with luminance values from pixels in the first image information from the panchromatic sensor.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein said producing the first YCbCr image based on the second image information from the CFA sensor comprises generating an RGB image from the second image information from the CFA sensor and converting the RGB image to YCbCr format.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sub-sampling the YCbCr output image to YCbCr 4;

2;

2 format.