Three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus

• US 7,804,517 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwasaki, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): DIEP, NHON THANH
• Application Number:
  US11/140,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20050231590A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing

Abstract

A three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus includes an image-capturing device having a plurality of image-capturing regions and a plurality of optical systems for forming images of a subject in the image-capturing regions. The optical systems includes a plurality of reflectors for reflecting rays from the subject a number of times and at least a lens provided to be closer to the image-capturing device than the reflection means closest to the subject. The reflectors and the lens are used to form, in the image-capturing regions, separate images of the subject which are captured from different viewpoints.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus comprising:

a single solid-state image-sensing device having a plurality of image capturing regions;

a plurality of optical systems for forming a different image of a subject in each image-capturing region, each one of the optical systems corresponding to a different one of the image-capturing regions and each optical system having

(1) an imaging-side reflection unit located in front of the corresponding image-capturing region and directed in an obliquely outward direction,

(2) a subject-side reflection unit located outward from said imaging-side reflection unit and directed in an obliquely inward direction,

(3) a lens provided in an optical path between said imaging-side reflection unit and said single solid-state image-sensing device,

(4) a light-limiting unit provided in an optical path between the subject-side reflection unit and the imaging-side reflection unit and closer to the subject-side reflection unit than to the imaging-side reflection unit, and

(5) a light-shielding unit provided normal to the single solid-state image-sensing device and extending at least between the single solid-state image-sensing device and the imaging-side reflection unit,

wherein,

each image capture region is configured to simultaneously capture a different image on the single solid-state image-sensing device,

the light-limiting unit is effective to only exclude rays closer to the subject side reflection unit with a greatest angle of incidence on the image sensing device,

the light shielding unit is effective to prevent optical cross talk between the optical systems, and

the optical systems are used to form, in the corresponding image-capturing regions, separate and different images of said subject which are captured from different viewpoints having a distance therebetween.

2. A three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processing unit which divides a video signal from said single solid-state image-sensing device into video signals representing the different images of said subject captured in the image-capturing regions for capturing images of said subject from the different viewpoints.

3. A three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein parallax which is the distance between the viewpoints is one centimeter or greater.

4. A stereo-camera recording/reproducing system comprising:

a single solid-state image-sensing device having a plurality of image capturing regions;

a plurality of optical systems for forming a different image of a subject in each image-capturing region, each one of the optical systems corresponding to a different one of the image-capturing regions and each optical system having

(1) an imaging-side reflection unit located in front of the corresponding image-capturing region and directed in an obliquely outward direction,

(2) a subject-side reflection unit located outward from said imaging-side reflection unit and directed in an obliquely inward direction,

(3) a lens provided in an optical path between said imaging-side reflection unit and said single solid-state image-sensing device, and

(4) a light-limiting unit provided in an optical path between the subject-side reflection unit and the imaging-side reflection unit and closer to the subject-side reflection unit than to the imaging-side reflection unit, and

(5) a light-shielding unit provided normal to the single solid-state image-sensing device and extending at least between the single solid-state image-sensing device and the imaging-side reflection unit,

wherein,

each image capture region is configured to simultaneously capture a different image on the single solid-state image-sensing device,

the light-limiting unit is effective to only exclude rays closer to the subject side reflection unit with a greatest angle of incidence on the image sensing device,

the light shielding unit is effective to prevent optical cross talk between the optical systems, and

the optical systems are used to form, in the corresponding image-capturing regions, separate and different images of said subject which are captured from different viewpoints having a distance therebetween.