Deeper depth of field for video
First Claim
1. A method for digitally imaging a scene comprising:
- providing an imaging lens and a digital image sensing surface for receiving light through the lens;
changing an optical distance between the lens and sensing surface such that a hyperfocal distance varies with a downscale ratio that relates a captured image at the sensing surface and another image deriving from the captured image.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A digital camera apparatus has a sensing surface that captures images at a first resolution. A derivative of the captured image is displayed at a viewfinder or stored in a memory, after encoding, with a second, generally lower resolution. The resolutions are related by a downscale ratio. A method for digitally imaging a scene includes providing an imaging lens and a digital image sensing surface such as a CCD sensing surface, and changing a focusing of the lens with respect to the sensing surface in correspondence with a variance of a parameter that relates a captured image at the sensing surface and another image deriving from the captured image. Preferably, the variance of the parameter is the downscale ratio. The focusing of the lens with respect to the sensing surface may be changed by changing the physical distance or by changing a shape of the lens, for example. Apparatus and computer program products are also detailed.
59 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for digitally imaging a scene comprising:
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providing an imaging lens and a digital image sensing surface for receiving light through the lens; changing an optical distance between the lens and sensing surface such that a hyperfocal distance varies with a downscale ratio that relates a captured image at the sensing surface and another image deriving from the captured image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus comprising:
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a digital sensing surface; an optical lens; means for changing an optical distance between the optical lens and the digital sensing surface; a computer readable memory for storing data indicative of a relation between the optical distance and downscale ratio in which, for at least some downscale ratios, the optical distance corresponds to a hyperfocal distance; and a processor coupled to the memory, to the means for changing the optical distance, and to the digital sensing surface, said processor for operating the means for changing an optical distance to vary the optical distance according to the stored relation. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A mobile station comprising:
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a digital sensing surface; an optical lens; means for changing an optical distance between the optical lens and the digital sensing surface; a computer readable memory for storing data indicative of a relation between the optical distance and downscale ratio; and a processor coupled to each of the memory, the means for changing the optical distance, and the digital sensing surface, said processor for operating the digital sensing surface to capture a video image and for operating the means for changing an optical distance to vary the optical distance according to the stored relation.
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15. A program of machine-readable instructions, tangibly embodied on an information bearing medium and executable by a digital data processor, to perform actions directed toward changing an optical distance between an optical lens and a sensing surface, the actions comprising:
correlating movement of a lens relative to a sensing surface of a digital image capturing component so as to vary a hyperfocal length with a downscale ratio that relates an image captured at the sensing surface and a derivative image deriving from the image captured at the sensing device. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification