Systems and Methods for Transmitting and Receiving Array Camera Image Data

• US 20140218546A1
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pelican Imaging Corporation
• Inventors: McMahon, Andrew Kenneth John
• Granted Patent: US 9,197,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• 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 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/957 Light-field or plenoptic cameras or camera modules

Abstract

Systems and methods for transmitting and receiving image data captured by an imager array including a plurality of focal planes are described. One embodiment of the invention includes capturing image data using a plurality of active focal planes in a camera module, where an image is formed on each active focal plane by a separate lens stack, generating lines of image data by interleaving the image data captured by the plurality of active focal planes, and transmitting the lines of image data and the additional data.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting image data, comprising:

capturing image data using a plurality of active focal planes in a camera module, where an image is formed on each active focal plane by a separate lens stack;

generating lines of image data by interleaving the image data captured by the plurality of active focal planes; and

transmitting the lines of image data and the additional data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating additional data providing information for deinterleaving a plurality of images from the captured image data and transmitting the additional data with the lines of image data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the additional data describes the imager array.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the additional data includes data selected from the group consisting of additional data describing:

the number of focal planes in the imager array;

the dimensions of the array of focal planes in the imager array;

the number of pixels in each dimension of the active focal planes;

the integration time of the pixels in each of the active focal planes; and

the gain of the pixels in each of the active focal planes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional data describing the gain of pixels includes additional data describing the analog gain of the pixels in each of the active focal planes and additional data describing the digital gain of the pixels in each of the active focal planes.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the lines of image data further comprises combining captured image data from the plurality of active focal planes using a predetermined process.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the predetermined process is selected from a plurality of predetermined processes for combining captured image data; and

the additional data includes additional data indicating the predetermined process used to combine the captured image data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

each active focal plane comprises an array of pixels including a plurality of rows of pixels that also form a plurality of columns of pixels; and

the predetermined process for combining captured image data comprises interleaving image data from a row selected from each of the active focal planes.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined process for combining captured image data comprises using a modulo process, where the modulo process involves combining the image data captured by each of the pixels in the selected rows of the active focal planes by interleaving predetermined numbers of pixels from each of the selected rows.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the additional data describes at least one of the lines of image data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the additional data includes data selected from the group consisting of additional data describing:

the time at which each active focal plane started capturing the image data; and

the row numbers of the rows in each of the active focal planes used to capture the image data used to generate the line of image data.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

packetizing the lines of image data and the additional data describing the captured image data to produce at least one packet of data; and

wherein transmitting the lines of image data and the additional data further comprises transmitting the at least one packet of data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the packet of data comprises a packet header containing at least a portion of the additional data and a plurality of lines of image data; and

the additional data contained in the packet header describes the imager array.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the packet of data further comprises a packet footer indicating the end of the transmission of the plurality of lines of image data.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the packet of data comprises a plurality of lines of image data and a line header associated with each of the plurality of lines of image data; and

each line header includes additional data describing the line of image data with which the line header is associated.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the line head further comprises additional data describing the imager array.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

pausing transmission during frame blanking intervals;

transmitting the plurality of lines of image data and the additional data describing the captured image data between frame intervals; and

pausing during the transmission of the plurality of lines of image data and the additional data describing the captured image data during line blanking intervals.

18. The method of claim 2, further comprising continuously transmitting the lines of image data and the additional data until all of the data is transmitted.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein each lens stack in the camera module has a different field of view.

20. A method of receiving image data captured by a camera module, where the camera module captures image data using pixels in a plurality of focal planes, the method comprising:

receiving image data from a camera module including a plurality of focal planes using interface circuitry, where the image data comprises lines of image data generated by interleaving pixels from a plurality of images captured using the plurality of focal planes; and

identifying the pixels in the image data that are part of at least one of the plurality of images using the interface circuitry.