QUANTUM NANODOT CAMERA

• US 20080099682A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Pictures Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gordon, Demian, Dobrin, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,767,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/338.4
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14621 Colour filter arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14649 Infrared imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/131 including elements passing infrared wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A quantum nanodot camera, comprising: a quantum nanodot camera sensor including: at least one visible pixel sensor configured to capture scenes including actors and/or objects in a visible band; and at least one IR pixel sensor configured to capture motions of at least one quantum nanodot (QD) marker tuned to emit a narrowband IR signal.

Claims

1. A quantum nanodot camera, comprising:

a quantum nanodot camera sensor including;

at least one visible pixel sensor configured to capture scenes including actors and/or objects in a visible band; and

at least one IR pixel sensor configured to capture motions of at least one quantum nanodot (QD) marker tuned to emit a narrowband IR signal.

2. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 1,

wherein each pixel sensor of said at least one visible pixel sensor includes one of following:

a green filter to pass the green component of light;

a blue filter to pass the blue component of light; and

a red filter to pass the red component of light.

3. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 2,

wherein each pixel sensor of said at least one IR pixel sensor includes an infra-red filter to pass the narrowband IR signal.

4. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 3,

wherein the green, blue, red, and infra-red filters are evenly distributed on said quantum nanodot camera sensor, each filter occupying approximately 25% of space occupied by said quantum nanodot camera sensor.

5. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 3,

wherein the infra-red filter is configured with a center wavelength at around 850 nm and a bandwidth of approximately 10 nm.

6. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 3,

wherein each pixel sensor of said at least one visible pixel sensor and said at least one IR pixel sensor further includes:

a microlens configured to direct the light onto a corresponding filter of the green, blue, red, or infra-red filter; and

a photo sensor configured to collect the component of light passing through the corresponding filter, and to convert it into an electrical charge.

7. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 1, further comprising

a processor configured to control said quantum nanodot camera at a predetermined timing to generate frames of marked scenes.

8. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 7,

wherein the predetermined timing is 24 frames per second.

9. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 7,

wherein said processor further includes

a control module configured to trigger said quantum nanodot camera to perform capture at the predetermined timing, and to receive data from said quantum nanodot camera.

10. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 9,

wherein the received data includes the scenes captured from said at least one visible pixel sensor and the motions of the at least one QD marker captured in the narrowband IR signal by said at least one IR pixel sensor.

11. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 9,

wherein said processor further includes

an integration module configured to receive commands from said control module to collate, reconcile, and to integrate the scenes captured from said at least one visible pixel sensor and the motions of the at least one QD marker captured in the narrowband IR signal by said at least one IR pixel sensor.

12. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 11,

wherein said processor further includes

a generator module configured to receive the integrated scenes from said integration module, said generator module operating to generate scenes marked with hidden marks using the integrated scenes,

wherein the scenes marked with hidden marks are processed so that the actors and/or objects are later replaced, deleted, or inserted from the scenes.

13. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 1,

wherein said quantum nanodot camera sensor is configured as a charge-coupled device (CCD).

14. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 1,

wherein said quantum nanodot camera sensor is configured as an active pixel sensor (APS).

15. A quantum nanodot camera, comprising:

a light splitting apparatus to split incoming light into visible and IR components;

a single unit camera sensor including;

a visible sensor portion configured to capture scenes including actors and/or objects in a visible band; and

an IR sensor portion configured to capture motions of at least one quantum nanodot (QD) marker tuned to emit a narrowband IR signal,

wherein the visible component is directed to said visible sensor and the IR component is directed to said IR sensor.

16. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 15,

wherein said light splitting apparatus is a prism.

17. The quantum nanodot camera of claim 15,

wherein said visible sensor portion is configured as a charge-coupled device (CCD) and said IR sensor portion is configured as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS).