System and method for using multiple images in a digital image capture device

• US 7,084,910 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2002
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Amerson, Frederic C, Gennetten, K Douglas, McConica, Charles H, Campbell, David K., Hunter, Susan, Stavely, Donald J, Hubel, Paul M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Nelson D.
• Application Number:
  US10/071,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20030151679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 348/263, 348/43, 348/49, 348/135, 348/221.1, 348/231.2, 348/50, 348/52, 348/222.1, 348/231.3, 348/231.6, 348/231.9, 348/240.99, 348/240.3, 348/239, 348/578, 348/42, 382/154, 382/255, 382/282, 382/254
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/676 Bracketing for image capture at varying focusing conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/60 Noise processing, e.g. detecting, correcting, reducing or removing noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence

Abstract

A digital image capture and processing system, comprising a lens coupled to a lens control element is disclosed. The image capture system includes an image sensor configured to capture images from the lens, and a memory element and a processor coupled to the lens control element. The memory element includes image capture software, where the image capture software causes the lens and the image sensor to capture at least two images, each of the at least two images captured using a varying parameter and stored as a single file where the at least two images are combined to form a new image having at least one characteristic different from corresponding characteristics of the at least two images.

Claims

1. A digital image capture and processing system comprising:

a lens coupled to a lens control element;

an image sensor configured to capture images from the lens;

a memory element and a processor coupled to the lens control element, the memory element including image capture software, where the image capture software cause the lens and the image sensor to capture at least two images, each of the at least two images captured using a varying parameter and stored as a single file, where the at least two images are combined to form a new image having at least one characteristic different from corresponding characteristics of the at least two images;

a user interface associated with the image capture software, where the user interface allows the user to combine attributes of the at least two images to form the new image, wherein the user interface further comprises a lens shift and an image plane tilt adjustment, a lens shift referring to a physical shift of the lens in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction with respect to an image plane and a plane tilt referring to a physical tilt of the lens with respect to the image plane, wherein the image capture software and the user interface are used to simulate at least one of the lens shift and plane tilt characteristics in the new image by capturing the at least two images at a plurality of focal lengths; and

a depth of field indicator assigned to each of the at least two images, where the depth of field indicator allows a user to determine a depth of field for each of the at least two images.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the varying parameter is focus distance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface allows the different focus of each of the at least two images to be blended into the new image that includes an apparent focus between the two focus distances.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a lens position indicator configured to indicate the position of the lens for each of the at least two images;

a focus determination element configured to analyze each of a plurality of regions associated with each of the at least two images, the focus determination element also configured to determine whether each of the plurality of regions are in focus; and

where the image capture software assembles each of the in-focus regions into the new image.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a distance indicator assigned to each of the regions, the distance indicator configured to assign a distance measurement to an alpha channel for each region.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a depth of field adjustment that allows a user to select the depth of field of the new image from the depth of field of each of the at least two images.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a first of the at least two images is captured using conventional photography and a second of the at least two images is captured using infrared photography.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the varying parameter comprises the number of bits used by each pixel in the image sensor.

9. A method for operating a digital image capture and processing device, the method comprising the steps of:

coupling a lens to a lens control element;

coupling an image sensor to the lens;

capturing at least two images, each of the at least two images captured using a varying parameter, where the at least two images are combined to form a new image having at least one characteristic different from corresponding characteristics of the at least two images;

storing the at least two images as a single file;

assigning a depth of field indicator to each of the at least two images;

determining a depth of field for each of the at least two images;

providing lens shift and image plane tilt indicators, a lens shift referring to a physical shift of the lens in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction with respect to an image plane and plane tilt referring to a physical tilt of the lens with respect to the image plane;

simulating at least one of the lens shift and plane tilt characteristics in the new image from the at least two images captured at a plurality of focal lengths; and

combining attributes of the at least two images to form the new image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the varying parameter comprises focus distance.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of blending each of the at least two images into the new image that includes an apparent focus between the focus distance of each of the at least two images.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

indicating the position of the lens for each of the at least two images;

dividing each of the at least two images into a plurality of regions;

analyzing each of the regions to determine whether each of the plurality of regions are in focus; and

assembling each of the in-focus regions into the new image.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of assigning a distance indicator to each of the regions, the distance indicator configured to assign a distance measurement to an alpha channel for each region.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of using a depth of field adjustment to select the depth of field of the new image from the depth of field of each of the at least two images.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

capturing a first of the at least two images using conventional photography; and

capturing a second of the at least two images using infrared photography.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of varying the number of bits used by each pixel in the image sensor.

17. An image processing system, comprising:

an image storage device;

at least two similar images contained in the image storage device;

a processor coupled to the image storage device;

a code segment for processing the at least two similar images, where the at least two similar images are combined to form a new image having at least one characteristic different from corresponding characteristics of the at least two images, the at least one characteristic including at least one of lens tilt and lens shift characteristics, a lens shift referring to a physical shift of the lens in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction with respect to an image plane and a plane tilt referring to a physical tilt of the lens with respect to the image plane;

wherein the code segment simulates at least one of the lens shift and plane tilt characteristics in the new image from the at least two images captured at a plurality of focal lengths; and

an output element for rendering the new image.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the image processing system is contained within an image capture device such that the at least two similar images are captured by the image capture device and placed in the image storage device.

19. The system of claim 18, where the image processing system instructs the image capture device to vary at least one parameter of the image capture device so that the at least two similar images differ due to the variance of the at least one parameter.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one parameter includes image illumination.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the image storage device for one of the at least two similar images is the image sensor of the image capture device.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one characteristic includes different depth of field.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one characteristic includes different exposure.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least two similar images differ primarily in focus.

25. The system of claim 17, where the at least two similar images differ in color.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein a first of the at least two similar images is captured using visible light and the second of the at least two similar images is captured using infrared exposure.