LIGHT FIELD IMAGING DEVICE AND IMAGE PROCESSING DEVICE

• US 20130215231A1
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiramoto, Masao, Ishii, Yasunori
• Granted Patent: US 9,100,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/46
• 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 3/00 Simple or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/10 having single camera with stereoscopic-base-defining system
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10052 Images from lightfield camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/557 from light fields, e.g. from plenoptic cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/20 Image signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/271 wherein the generated image signals comprise depth maps or disparity maps
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/957 Light-field or plenoptic cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

This image capture device includes: an image sensor 2 including first and second types of pixels that have mutually different spectral transmittance characteristics; a light-transmitting section 1 that is arranged to face the imaging area of the image sensor 2; and an imaging section 3 that includes at least a first imaging area having a first focal length and a second imaging area having a second focal length that is longer than the first focal length. The light-transmitting section 1 has a first light-transmitting area 1a comprised of multiple partial areas that are separated from each other and a second light-transmitting area 1b having a different spectral transmittance characteristic from the first light-transmitting area 1a. The distance from the light-transmitting section 1 to the imaging section 3 is equal to the first focal length f1 and the distance from the imaging area of the image sensor 2 to the imaging section 3 is equal to the second focal length f2.

Claims

1. A light field image capture device comprising:

an image sensor in which a plurality of unit blocks, each including first and second types of pixels that have mutually different spectral transmittance characteristics, are arranged on an imaging area;

a light-transmitting section that is arranged so as to face the imaging area of the image sensor and that has a first light-transmitting area comprised of multiple partial areas that are separated from each other and a second light-transmitting area having a different spectral transmittance characteristic from the first light-transmitting area; and

an imaging section that includes at least a first imaging area having a first focal length and a second imaging area having a second focal length that is longer than the first focal length, and

wherein the distance from the light-transmitting section to the imaging section is equal to the first focal length and the distance from the imaging area of the image sensor to the imaging section is equal to the second focal length.

2. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein the spectral transmittance characteristics of the first and second types of pixels are the same as the spectral transmittance characteristics of the first and second light-transmitting areas, respectively.

3. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein the multiple partial areas are surrounded with the second light-transmitting area.

4. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein the multiple partial areas are arranged at regular intervals to form a matrix pattern.

5. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein each of the multiple partial areas has a circular shape.

6. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein a micro lens is arranged on one side of the first light-transmitting area so as to be located closer to a light source.

7. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein first and second functions representing the spectral transmittance characteristics of the first and second light-transmitting areas, respectively, both have multiple local maximum values in a visible radiation wavelength range, and waveforms at which one of the two functions has the local maximum values are different from wavelengths at which the other function has the local maximum values.

8. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second functions representing the spectral transmittance characteristics of the first and second light-transmitting areas has local maximum values in wavelength ranges representing the colors red, green and blue.

9. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein one of the spectral transmittance characteristics of the first and second light-transmitting areas has no wavelength dependence.

10. The light field image capture device of claim 9, wherein one of the first and second light-transmitting areas is transparent.

11. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein the second light-transmitting area is a set of multiple color filters.

12. The light field image capture device of claim 11, wherein the multiple color filters are either a combination of magenta and green filters or a combination of red, green and blue filters.

13. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein each said unit block of the image sensor further includes third and fourth types of pixels that sense light rays in mutually different colors.

14. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein the first type of pixels are comprised of a pixel that senses a light beam ray within the color red wavelength range, a pixel that senses a light beam ray within the color green wavelength range, and a pixel that senses a light beam ray within the color blue wavelength range, and

wherein the second type of pixel is a single pixel that senses a light beam ray within each of the colors red, green and blue wavelength ranges.

15. The light field image capture device of claim 1, wherein the first imaging area is located in a peripheral portion of the imaging section and the second imaging area is located in a central portion of the imaging section.

16. The light field image capture device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first light-transmitting member that is arranged on one side of the first imaging area so as to be located closer to the light source and that has the same spectral transmittance characteristic as the first light-transmitting area; and

a second light-transmitting member that is arranged on one side of the second imaging area so as to be located closer to the light source and that has the same spectral transmittance characteristic as the second light-transmitting area.

17. The light field image capture device of claim 1, further comprising an image processing section that generates first image information and second image information that are represented by light beams that have been incident on the first and second light-transmitting areas, respectively, based on pixel signals supplied from the first and second types of pixels.

18. The light field image capture device of claim 17, wherein the image processing section generates subject'"'"'s depth information based on the first image information.

19. The light field image capture device of claim 17, wherein each said unit block of the image sensor further includes third and fourth types of pixels that sense light beams in mutually different colors, and

wherein the image processing section generates a color image based on pixel signals supplied from the third and fourth types of pixels and the second image information.

20. An image processing apparatus that generates first image information represented by a light beam that is going to be incident on the first light-transmitting area and second image information represented by a light beam that is going to be incident on the second light-transmitting area based on signals supplied from the light field image capture device of claim 1.