Image capturing device including lens array and processing

• US 8,842,201 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 09/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tajiri, Shinichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, HUNG H
• Application Number:
  US13/339,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20120176506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 348/239, 348/335, 348/340, 348/343, 348/345, 348/369, 348/E05.022, 348/222.1, 348/39, 348/393.1
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/144 for flicker reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/218 using spatial multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/232 using fly-eye lenses, e.g. arrangements of circular lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/282 for generating image signals corresponding to three or more geometrical viewpoints, e.g. multi-view systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an image pickup apparatus, including: an image pickup lens; a lens array disposed on an image formation plane of the image pickup lens; an image pickup device adapted to receive a light ray passing through the image pickup lens and the lens array to acquire picked up image data; and an image processing section adapted to carry out an image process for the picked up image data; the image processing section including a viewpoint image production section adapted to produce a plurality of viewpoint images based on the picked up image data, and an image synthesis processing section adapted to synthesize two or more viewpoint images from among the viewpoint images.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

an image processing section adapted to carry out an image process for picked up image data,

said image processing section including

a viewpoint image production section adapted to produce a plurality of viewpoint images based on the picked up image data, and

an image synthesis processing section adapted to synthesize two or more viewpoint images from among the plurality of viewpoint images,

wherein said image synthesis processing section sets a synthesis rate higher for an image of an image pickup object at a position spaced by a greater distance from a focal plane.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image synthesis processing section carries out the synthesis process of the two or more viewpoint images while carrying out weighting for each viewpoint image.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image synthesis processing section carries out the synthesis process of the two or more viewpoint images for each of region blocks in an image plane.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said image processing section includes a depth information acquisition section adapted to acquire depth information in the image plane;

and

wherein said image synthesis processing section carries out the synthesis process of the two or more viewpoint images while carrying out weighting for each of the region blocks in the image plane based on the depth information.

6. An image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

an image pickup lens;

a lens array disposed on an image formation plane of said image pickup lens; and

an image pickup device adapted to receive a light ray passing through said image pickup lens and said lens array to acquire the picked up image data.

5. An image processing method, comprising:

acquiring picked up image data from an image pickup device which receives a light ray passing through an image pickup lens and a lens array disposed on an image formation plane of the image pickup lens;

producing a plurality of viewpoint images based on the picked up image data; and

synthesizing two or more viewpoint images from among the plural viewpoint images by setting a synthesis rate higher for an image or an image pickup object at a position spaced by a greater distance from a focal plane.