Dual Sensor Camera

• US 20100238327A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jisoo, Griffith, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,542,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/240.990
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0075 with means for altering, e.g. increasing, the depth of field or depth of focus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

A dual sensor camera that uses two aligned sensors each having a separate lens of different focal length but the same f-number. The wider FOV image from one sensor is combined with the narrower FOV image from the other sensor to form a combined image. Up-sampling of the wide FOV image and down-sampling of the narrow FOV image is performed. The longer focal length lens may have certain aberrations introduced so that Extended Depth of Field (EDoF) processing can be used to give the narrow FOV image approximately the same depth of field as the wide FOV image so that a noticeable difference in depth of field is not see in the combined image.

Claims

1. A camera, comprising:

a first sensor that captures a first image;

a first lens that directs light to the first sensor, the first lens having a first focal length and having an f-number;

a second sensor that captures a second image;

a second lens that directs light to the second sensor, the second lens having a second focal length that is longer than the first focal length and having an f-number substantially equal to that of the first lens, the second lens also having been designed to work with extended depth of field (EDoF) processing by the introduction of specified aberrations into the image formed on the second sensor;

wherein the second image is subsequently subjected to EDoF processing to focus the second image;

wherein the combination of the first sensor and the first lens are substantially aligned with the combination of the second sensor and the second lens to allow each to be directed toward the same subject;

wherein the first and second images are combined together to form a single combined image with the second image forming a central portion of the single combined image and a peripheral portion of the first image forming a peripheral portion of the single combined image.

2. A camera as defined in claim 1, wherein the first lens has been designed to work with EDoF processing by the introduction of specified aberrations into the image formed on the first sensor, and wherein the first image is subsequently subjected to EDoF processing to focus the second image.

3. A camera as defined in claim 1, further including:

a third sensor that captures a third image;

a third lens that directs light to the third sensor, the third lens having a third focal length and having an f-number;

wherein the combination of the third sensor and the third lens are substantially aligned with the combination of the first sensor and the first lens and the combination of the second sensor and the second lens to allow each to be directed toward the same subject;

wherein the first, second, and third images are combined together to form a single combined image with the second image forming a central portion of the single combined image, a peripheral portion of the first image forming a peripheral portion of the single combined image, and an intermediate portion of the third image forming an intermediate portion of the single combined image.

4. A camera as defined in claim 1, wherein the combining of the first and the second images includes up-sampling the first image and down-sampling the second image.

5. A camera as defined in claim 4, wherein the up-sampling is performed with a scaling factor A and the down-sampling is performed with a scaling factor B.

6. A camera as defined in claim 5, wherein Z is the ratio of the FOV of the first sensor to the FOV of the second sensor, and Z=A×

B.

7. A camera as defined in claim 6, wherein A is a value in the range between and including 1 and Z.

8. A camera as defined in claim 5, wherein A is a value in the range between and including 1 and Z, where Z is the ratio of the FOV of the first sensor to the FOV of the second sensor.

9. A camera as defined in claim 4, wherein the first image is sharpened after the up-sampling.

10. A camera as defined in claim 4, wherein the first image has a mask applied to it before it is combined with the second image, the mask blocking a central portion of the first image and allowing a peripheral portion to be used in forming the combined image.

11. A camera as defined in claim 4, wherein the second image has a mask applied to it before it is combined with the first image, the mask blocking a peripheral portion of the second image and allowing a central portion to be used in forming the combined image.