Imaging system and device

• US 8,547,423 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alex Ning
• Original Assignee: Alex Ning
• Inventors: Ning, Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): PHILIPPE, GIMS S
• Application Number:
  US12/888,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20110069160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 348/65, 348/36, 348/21.6, 348/335, 345/32
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00188 with focusing or zooming features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/04 Reversed telephoto objectives
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/243 Objectives for endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0012 Optical design, e.g. procedures, algorithms, optimisation routines
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/06 Topological mapping of higher dimensional structures onto lower dimensional surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/80 Geometric correction

Abstract

An imaging system and method of application, including lens designs tailored to be used with particular transformation algorithms, electronic hardware and algorithms for image transformations is described. Exemplary application of the system including automotive, photographic and medical endoscopic are also described. The system enables improved image view and allows customization of views by the end user even after installation of the image system hardware.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising

a lens, the design of said lens is characterized by a mapping function given by:

h(θ

)=(f/β

)*tan(β

*θ

) for β

>

0

h(θ

)=(f/β

)*sin(β

*θ

) for β

<

0

where h is the image height formed at the focal plane of the lens, by off-axis rays entering the lens at a field angle θ

, f is the effective focal length and β

is the rectilinearity of the lens,

an electronic image sensor,

an electronic processor, said electronic processor including a means for accepting a user'"'"'s input, and,

said processor programmed to acquire, store, display, select images, said images having an overall field of view, accept a user'"'"'s input, and perform mathematical transformations on said images thereby producing a transformed image,

wherein said mathematical transformations are at least one selected from;

distortion transformation, TV distortion correction, spherical projection, cylindrical projection, and transitional projection.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the lens is a wide-angle lens comprising 6 elements arranged in three groups, said groups comprising, in order from object to image,

a. a first group comprising two elements, wherein at least one of the two elements is an aspheric element

b. a second group comprising a lens element having a positive power, and,

c. a third group having a positive optical power and comprising a cemented doublet lens and a positive power double convex aspheric lens

and comprising an aperture stop positioned between said second group and said third group.

3. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the lens is a wide-angle lens comprising 7 elements arranged in three groups, said groups comprising, in order from object to image,

a. a first group comprising two elements, wherein at least one of the two elements is an aspheric element

b. a second group comprising a lens element having a positive power, and,

c. a third group having a positive optical power and comprising:

a cemented doublet lens, a positive power double convex lens, and an aspheric element having a varying power, said power positive at the vertex and decreases with increasing radial distance from the vertex,

and comprising an aperture stop positioned between said second group and said third group.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the mathematical transformation is the distortion transformation and the user'"'"'s input includes selection of parameters f₂ and β

₂, said parameters describing the focal length and rectilinearity of a second lens wherein at least one of the parameters is different from the focal length and rectilinearity of the lens and the transformed image appears as if acquired using a second lens having focal length f₂ and rectilinearity β

₂.

5. The imaging system of claim 4 wherein the parameters f₂ and β

₂, are constrained to maintain the overall field of view of the original image.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 wherein the imaging systems is used in at least one selected from an endoscope, brachioscope, angioscope and arthroscope.

7. The imaging system of claim 1 used to provide views from the surroundings of an automotive vehicle.

8. The imaging system of claim 1 where the user'"'"'s inputs are automatically selected by the processor based upon the contents of the digital image data.

9. The imaging system of claim 1 where the means for accepting a user'"'"'s inputs are at least one selected from:

a slider, a rotary knob, and a keyboard.

10. The imaging system of claim 4 wherein the imaging systems is used in at least one selected from an endoscope, brachioscope, angioscopes, colonscopes, laparoscope and arthroscopes.

11. The imaging system of claim 4 used to provide views from the surroundings of an automotive vehicle.

12. The imaging system of claim 4 where the user'"'"'s inputs are automatically selected by the processor based upon the contents of the digital image data.

13. The imaging system of claim 4 where the means for accepting a user'"'"'s inputs are at least one selected from:

a slider, a rotary knob, and a keyboard.

14. The imaging system of claim 2 wherein the mathematical transformation is the distortion transformation and the user'"'"'s input includes selection of parameters f₂ and β

₂, said parameters describing the focal length and rectilinearity of a second lens wherein at least one of the parameters is different from the focal length and rectilinearity of the lens and the transformed image appears as if acquired using a second lens having focal length f₂ and rectilinearity β

₂.

15. The imaging system of claim 14 wherein the parameters f₂ and β

₂, are constrained to maintain the overall field of view of the original image.

16. The imaging system of claim 15 where the means for accepting a user'"'"'s inputs are at least one selected from:

a slider, a rotary knob, and a keyboard.

17. The imaging system of claim 15 wherein the imaging systems is used in at least one selected from an endoscope, brachioscope, angioscopes, colonscopes, laparoscope and arthroscopes.

18. The imaging system of claim 15 used to provide views from the surroundings of an automotive vehicle.

19. The imaging system of claim 3 wherein the mathematical transformation is the distortion transformation and the user'"'"'s input includes selection of parameters f₂ and β

₂, said parameters describing the focal length and rectilinearity of a second lens wherein at least one of the parameters is different from the focal length and rectilinearity of the lens and the transformed image appears as if acquired using a second lens having focal length f₂ and rectilinearity β

₂.

20. The imaging system of claim 19 wherein the parameters f₂ and β

₂, are constrained to maintain the overall field of view of the original image.

21. The imaging system of claim 20 where the means for accepting a user'"'"'s inputs are at least one selected from:

a slider, a rotary knob, and a keyboard.

22. The imaging system of claim 20 wherein the imaging systems is used in at least one selected from an endoscope, brachioscope, angioscopes, colonscopes, laparoscope and arthroscopes.

23. The imaging system of claim 20 used to provide views from the surroundings of an automotive vehicle.

24. A method for transforming a digital image comprising

acquiring an image from an image sensor using a lens having a focal length, f, and a rectilinearity β

, the design of said lens constrained to follow a mapping function given by;

h(θ

)=(f/β

)*tan(β

*θ

) for β

>

0

h(θ

)=(f/β

)*sin(β

*θ

) for β

<

0

where h is the height from the optical axis of the image of a point formed at the focal plane of the lens, light from said point entering the lens at a field angle θ

, said image having an overall field of view

storing said image in digital memory,

selecting an image from said digital memory and loading said image into a digital processor,

acquiring a user'"'"'s input, said user'"'"'s input comprising;

selecting a transformation to apply to the selected image including at least one selected from;

distortion transformation, TV distortion correction, spherical projection, cylindrical projection, and transitional projection, and a set of parameters wherein said parameters include a selection of which transformation to be performed and if the selection includes a distortion transformation, said parameters further include parameters f₂ and β

₂, said parameters describing the focal length and rectilinearity of a second lens wherein at least one of the parameters f₂ and β

₂ is different from the focal length and rectilinearity of the lens, f and β

,

programming said digital processor to perform the selected transformation on the selected image resulting in a transformed image,

viewing the transformed image on a display.

25. The imaging system of claim 24 wherein the parameters f₂ and β

₂, are constrained to maintain the overall field of view of the original image.