STEREOSCOPIC CAMERA USING ANAGLYPHIC DISPLAY DURING CAPTURE

• US 20120287243A1
• Filed: 05/13/2011
• Published: 11/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Parulski, Kenneth Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/06 with axial movement of lens or gate between exposures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/00 Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/282 for generating image signals corresponding to three or more geometrical viewpoints, e.g. multi-view systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/334 using spectral multiplexing

Abstract

A digital camera for capturing stereoscopic images, comprising: an image sensor; an optical system; a user interface; a color image display; a data processing system; a buffer memory; a storage memory; and a program memory storing instructions configured to implement a method for capturing stereoscopic images. The method includes: capturing a first digital image of a scene in response to user activation of a user interface element; storing the first digital image; displaying a stream of stereoscopic preview images on the color image display, wherein the stereoscopic preview images are anaglyph stereoscopic images formed by combining the stored first digital image with a stream of evaluation digital images of the scene captured using the image sensor; capturing a second digital image of the scene in response to user activation of a user interface element; and storing a stereoscopic image based on the first digital image and the second digital image.

Claims

1. A digital camera for capturing stereoscopic images, comprising:

an image sensor for capturing a digital image;

an optical system for forming an image of a scene onto the image sensor;

a user interface having user interface elements;

a color image display;

a data processing system;

a buffer memory;

a storage memory for storing captured images; and

a program memory communicatively connected to the data processing system and storing instructions configured to cause the data processing system to implement a method for capturing stereoscopic images, wherein the method includes;

selecting a stereoscopic image capture mode using the user interface elements;

capturing a first digital image of a scene using the image sensor in response to user activation of a user interface element;

storing the first digital image in the buffer memory;

displaying a stream of stereoscopic preview images on the color image display, wherein the stereoscopic preview images are anaglyph stereoscopic images formed by combining the stored first digital image with a stream of evaluation digital images of the scene captured using the image sensor;

capturing a second digital image of the scene in response to user activation of a user interface element; and

storing a stereoscopic image based on the first digital image and the second digital image in the storage memory.

2. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the user views the stream of stereoscopic preview images using anaglyph glasses having different colored filters for the user'"'"'s left and right eyes.

3. The digital camera of claim 2 wherein the anaglyph glasses include a red filter for the user'"'"'s left eye and a cyan filter for the user'"'"'s right eye.

4. The digital camera of claim 1 further including a set of anaglyph glasses having different colored filters for the user'"'"'s left and right eyes adapted for viewing the stream of stereoscopic preview images.

5. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the anaglyph stereoscopic images are formed by combining a red color channel from the first digital image with green and blue color channels from the evaluation digital images, or by combining a red color channel from the evaluation digital image with green and blue color channels from the first digital image.

6. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the anaglyph stereoscopic images are formed by combining one or more color channels from the first digital image with complementary color channels from the evaluation digital images.

7. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the method further includes displaying user instructions on the image display to guide the user through the process of capturing the stereoscopic image.

8. The digital camera of claim 7 wherein at least some of the user instructions are overlaid on the stereoscopic preview images.

9. The digital camera of claim 7 wherein the user instructions are displayed for a predetermined time interval at one or more points in process of capturing the stereoscopic image.

10. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the stereoscopic image is stored in a pair of associated image files, wherein one image file stores the first digital image and the second image file stores the second digital image.

11. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the stereoscopic image is stored in a single image file including both the first digital image and the second digital image.

12. The digital camera of claim 11 wherein the single image file further includes an anaglyph image.

13. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the stereoscopic image is stored as an anaglyph image.

14. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the wherein the method further includes:

capturing a third digital image of the scene using the image sensor in response to user activation of a user interface element;

forming a modified stereoscopic image by replacing either the first digital image or the second digital image with the third digital image; and

storing the modified stereoscopic image in the storage memory.

15. The digital camera of claim 14 wherein during the capture of each additional image a stream of stereoscopic preview images is displayed on the color image display, wherein the stereoscopic preview images are anaglyph stereoscopic images formed by combining either the first digital image or the second digital image with a stream of evaluation digital images of the scene captured using the image sensor.

16. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the method further includes:

capturing one or more additional digital image of the scene using the image sensor in response to user activation of a user interface element; and

storing the one or more additional digital images in the storage memory in association with the stored stereoscopic image.

17. The digital camera of claim 16 wherein during the capture of each additional image a stream of stereoscopic preview images is displayed on the color image display, wherein the stereoscopic preview images are anaglyph stereoscopic images formed by combining the most recently captured digital image with a stream of evaluation images of the scene captured using the image sensor.

18. The digital camera of claim 1 wherein the program memory further includes instructions configured to cause the data processing system to implement a method for reviewing the stored stereoscopic image, wherein the method includes:

forming an anaglyph stereoscopic review image from the stored stereoscopic image; and

displaying the anaglyph stereoscopic review image on the color image display.

19. A computer program product for controlling a programmable digital camera to capture a stereoscopic image, the programmable digital camera including an image sensor, an optical system for forming an image of a scene onto the image sensor, a user interface having user interface elements, a color image display, a data processing system, a buffer memory, and a storage memory, comprising an executable software application for causing the data processing system to perform the steps of:

capturing a first digital image of the scene using the image sensor in response to user activation of a user interface element;

storing the first digital image in the buffer memory;

displaying a stream of stereoscopic preview images on the color image display, wherein the stereoscopic preview images are anaglyph stereoscopic images formed by combining the stored first digital image with a stream of evaluation digital images of the scene captured using the image sensor;

capturing a second digital image of the scene in response to user activation of a user interface element; and

storing a stereoscopic image in the storage memory, wherein the stereoscopic image is formed using the first digital image and the second digital image.

20. The software program of claim 19, wherein the programmable digital camera is a smart phone.

21. The software program of claim 19, wherein the executable software application is downloaded to the programmable digital camera over a communications network.