Video Camera System Using Multiple Image Sensors

• US 20080170140A1
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Menefee, Michael C., Silver, Alan G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,319,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/265
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0075 with means for altering, e.g. increasing, the depth of field or depth of focus
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0043 Inhomogeneous or irregular arrays, e.g. varying shape, size, height
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 Microlenses
• 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 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

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a system for generating a reconstructed image generally includes a carrier substrate, a number of image sensors, and an image processing circuit. The image sensors are mounted on a surface of the carrier substrate. The image processing circuit is coupled to each of the image sensors and operable to receive a raw image from each of a plurality of image sensors and combine the raw image of each of the image sensors into the reconstructed image.

Claims

1. A system for generating a reconstructed image comprising:

a carrier substrate;

a plurality of image sensors that are mounted to a surface of the carrier substrate, the carrier substrate being formed from a substrate material that is different from a sensor material from which the plurality of image sensors are formed, the plurality of image sensors comprising a first subset of image sensors that are sensitive to a first color range and a second subset of image sensors that are sensitive to a second color range, the first color range being different from the second color range, the first color range and second color range each selected from the group consisting of;

near infrared, short wavelength infrared, mid wavelength infrared, long wavelength infrared, very long wavelength infrared, and a visible light color range;

a lens disposed proximate each of the plurality of image sensors; and

an image processing circuit coupled to each of the plurality of image sensors and operable to;

receive a raw image from each of a plurality of image sensors using hardware compression; and

combine the raw image of each of the plurality of image sensors into the reconstructed image.

2. A system for generating a reconstructed image comprising:

a carrier substrate;

a plurality of image sensors mounted to a surface of the carrier substrate; and

an image processing circuit coupled to each of the plurality of image sensors and operable to;

receive a raw image from each of a plurality of image sensors; and

combine the raw image of each of the plurality of image sensors into the reconstructed image.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the carrier substrate being formed from a substrate material that is different from a sensor material from which the plurality of image sensors are formed.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of image sensors comprise a first subset of image sensors that are sensitive to a first color range and a second subset of image sensors that are sensitive to a second color range, the first color range being different from the second color range.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first color range and second color range are each selected from the group consisting of near infrared, short wavelength infrared, mid wavelength infrared, long wavelength infrared, very long wavelength infrared, and a visible light color range.

6. The system of claim of claim 2, wherein the plurality of image sensors comprise at least three image sensor types, each image sensor type being sensitive to a color range that is different from one another.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising a lens disposed proximate each of the plurality of image sensors, the plurality of image sensors comprising a first subset of image sensors and a second subset of image sensors, the lenses of the first subset of image sensors having a focal length that is different from the focal length of the lenses of the second subset of image sensors.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of image sensors comprise a first subset of image sensors and a second subset of image sensors, the lenses of the first subset of image sensors having a polarization that is different from the polarization of the lenses of the second subset of image sensors.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of image sensors has a field of view with an axis, the axis of each of the plurality of image sensors forming an angle with respect to a geometric normal of the surface that is different from one another.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the image processing circuit is further operable to receive a raw image from each of a plurality of image sensors using hardware compression.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the image processing circuit is further operable to receive a block of a raw image from each of a plurality of image sensors, the block being a contiguous subset of pixels forming the raw image.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the image processing circuit is further operable to receive a block of a raw image from each of a plurality of image sensors, the block being a single pixel forming the raw image.

13. A method for generating a reconstructed image comprising:

transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image to an image processing circuit; and

generating a reconstructed image by combining, by the image processing circuit, the transmitted portions, the transmitted portion of each respective one of the plurality of image sensors that is combined to generate the reconstructed image being less than all of the respective raw images.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image, further comprises transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a pixel of a respective raw image.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image, further comprises transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a contiguous block of pixels of a respective raw image.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image, further comprises transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image at a raw frame rate that is slower than a reconstruction frame rate.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image, further comprises sequentially transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein sequentially transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image, further comprises sequentially transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image using a coded random access sequence.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein generating a reconstructed image by combining, by the image processing circuit, the transmitted portions, further comprises generating a reconstructed image by combining, by the image processing circuit, the transmitted portions using a constrained wavelet inference on a finite kernel space-time window.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors, a portion of a respective raw image to an image processing circuit, further comprises transmitting, from each of a plurality of image sensors that are mounted to the surface of a carrier substrate, a portion of a respective raw image to an image processing circuit, the image processing circuit being integrally formed on the carrier substrate.