DIGITAL IMAGER WITH DUAL ROLLING SHUTTERS

• US 20090153710A1
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: John, George C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/296
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/689 Motion occurring during a rolling shutter mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/531 by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/772 comprising A/D, V/T, V/F, I/T or I/F converters

Abstract

A method of forming an image of a moving object is provided. The method includes capturing a first digital image of a moving object using a first rolling shutter scanning in a first direction. Likewise, a second digital image of the moving object is captured using a second rolling shutter scanning in a second direction different from the first direction. The first and second digital images are processed to form a composite digital image of the moving image.

Claims

1. A method of forming an image of a moving object, comprising:

capturing a first digital image of a moving object using a first rolling shutter scanning in a first direction;

capturing a second digital image of the moving object using a second rolling shutter scanning in a second direction different from the first direction; and

processing the first and second digital images to form a composite digital image of the moving image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second digital images are processed to remove distortion of the moving object.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing to remove distortion comprises identifying the moving object in each of the first and second images using image registration.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing is performed using as input data only the first and second images and a sweep speed of the first rolling shutter and a sweep speed of the second rolling shutter.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second rolling shutters sequentially read out selected rows of integrated pixels in the first and second directions, respectively, along a pixel array.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second digital images are captured in overlapping periods of time.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second digital images are captured in common periods of time.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising capturing a third digital image of the moving object using a third rolling shutter scanning in a third direction different from the first and second directions.

10. An imaging device, comprising:

a pixel array having a plurality of rows and columns of pixels, each pixel including a photosensor; and

a rolling shutter circuit operationally coupled to the pixel array, said shutter circuit being configured to capture a first image by sequentially reading out selected rows of integrated pixels in a first direction along the pixel array and a second image by sequentially reading out selected rows of integrated pixels in a second direction along the pixel array different from the first direction.

11. The imaging device of claim 10 wherein the imaging device is incorporated in one of a digital camera or a cellular telephone.

12. The imaging device of claim 10 further comprising a processor configured to form a composite digital image from first and second images respectively captured using the first and second rolling shutters.

13. The imaging device of claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to remove distortion of the moving object.

14. The imaging device of claim 13 wherein the processor is further configured to remove the distortion using as input data only the first and second images and a sweep speed of the first rolling shutter and a sweep speed of the second rolling shutter.

15. An image processing device, comprising:

a digital image sensor having first and second rolling shutters configured to scan an image in different directions from one another;

a processor configured to form a composite digital image from first and second images respectively captured using the first and second rolling shutters.

16. The image processing device of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to remove distortion of the moving object.

17. The image processing device of claim 15 wherein the image processing device is incorporated in one of a digital camera or a cellular telephone.

18. The image processing device of claim 15 wherein the digital image sensor is a CMOS pixel array.

19. The image processing device of claim 15 wherein the first second rolling shutters are implemented by a rolling shutter circuit operationally coupled to the pixel array.

20. The image processing device of claim 15 wherein the digital image sensor includes at least a third rolling shutter that is configured to scan the image in a direction different from the first and second rolling shutters.

21. At least one computer-readable medium encoded with instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs a method including:

receiving a first data stream representing a first digital image of a moving object captured using a first rolling shutter scanning in a first direction;

receiving a second data stream representing a second digital image of the moving object captured using a second rolling shutter scanning in a second direction different from the first direction; and

processing the first and second digital images to form a composite digital image of the moving image.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the first and second digital images are processed to remove distortion of the moving object.