Methods and apparatus for capturing and/or processing images

• US 9,547,160 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue River Technology Inc. (Deere & Company)
• Original Assignee: Light Labs Inc.
• Inventors: Laroia, Rajiv
• Primary Examiner(s): DAGNEW, MEKONNEN D
• Application Number:
  US14/147,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20140192253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,108 Days
• Field of Search: 348/262, 348/239
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0065 having a beam-folding prism or mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/16 for use in conjunction with image converters or intensifiers , or for use with projectors, e.g. objectives for projection TV
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/22 Telecentric objectives or lens systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/008 Systems specially adapted to form image relays or chained systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0896 with variable magnification or multiple imaging planes, including multispectral systems systems with only refractive elements G02B15/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0056 arranged along two different directions in a plane, e.g. honeycomb arrangement of lenses G02B3/0043 takes precedence; miniaturised objectives for electronic devices employing wafer level optics G02B13/0085
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/18 for prisms; for mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/17 with reflectors arranged in beam forming the photographic image, e.g. for reducing dimensions of camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/75 by influencing optical camera components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for capturing or generating images using multiple optical chains operating in parallel are described. Pixel values captured by individual optical chains corresponding to the same scene area are combined to provide an image with at least some of the benefits which would have been provided by capturing an image of the scene using a larger lens than that of the individual lenses of the optical chain modules. By using multiple optical chains in parallel at least some benefits normally obtained from using a large lens can be obtained without the need for a large lens. Furthermore in at least some embodiments, a wide dynamic range can be supported through the use of multiple sensors with the overall supported dynamic range being potentially larger than that of the individual sensors. Some lens and/or optical chain configurations are designed for use in small handheld devices, e.g., cell phones.

Claims

1. An optical assembly, comprising:

a plurality of lenses, having non-circular apertures, partitioning a first aperture into a plurality of non-overlapping light capture areas, said non-overlapping light capture areas occupying substantially an entire area of said first aperture, each of the plurality of lenses corresponding to a different non-overlapping portion of said first aperture, said plurality of lenses including a center lens having a different shape than other lenses included in said plurality of lenses; and

one or more semiconductor sensors for capturing light passing through said plurality of lenses.

2. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein said first aperture is one of a circular or polygon shaped aperture.

3. The optical assembly of claim 2, wherein said center lens is surrounded by additional lenses which are arranged along an outer perimeter of said first aperture, said center lens having more flat sides than said additional lenses, said additional lenses being lenses in said plurality of lenses.

4. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein lenses in said plurality of lenses which are arranged along an outer perimeter of said first aperture have optical centers which are arranged along a circle.

5. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein lenses in said plurality of lenses which are arranged along an outer perimeter of said first aperture have optical centers which form the vertices of a regular polygon.

6. The optical assembly of claim 1 wherein the non-circular aperture of each of said plurality of lenses is an aperture stop in a corresponding optical chain.

7. The optical assembly of claim 6, wherein each optical chain includes a separate sensor for capturing an image corresponding to said optical chain.

8. The optical assembly of claim 7 further comprising a module for combining images captured by separate optical chains into a single combined image.

9. The optical assembly of claim 8 wherein combining includes a shift and add operation based on a position of a lens in said plurality of lenses.

10. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein said plurality of lenses having non-circular apertures includes a plurality of outer lenses arranged along a perimeter of said first aperture, a first outer lens in said plurality of outer lenses having a flat side surface which meets a flat side surface of another one of said plurality of outer lenses.

11. The optical assembly of claim 10, wherein said first outer lens includes a semi-circular outer side surface.

12. The optical assembly of claim 11, wherein said center lens has flat side surfaces around the entire center lens.

13. The optical assembly of claim 11, wherein each of said outer lenses has at least one flat side surface adjacent a flat side surface of said center lens, different outer lenses being adjacent different flat side surfaces of said center lens.

14. The optical assembly of claim 10, wherein said outer lenses are arranged along the perimeter of said first aperture and have optical centers which are arranged along a circle around said center lens.

15. The optical assembly of claim 10, wherein said outer lenses are arranged along a circle, at least a first outer lens having an optical center which is a different distance form said circle than a second one of said outer lenses.

16. The optical assembly of claim 10, wherein said plurality of lenses includes a single center lens and an even number of outer lenses.

17. The optical assembly of claim 13, wherein each of the outer lenses has the same shape as the other outer lenses.

18. The optical assembly of claim 1, wherein the first aperture is a circle and wherein at least some lenses in said plurality of lenses include three flat sides and one non-flat side, said non-flat side corresponding to an outer portion of said first aperture.

19. An optical assembly, comprising:

a plurality of lenses having non-circular apertures configured to partition a first aperture into a plurality of light capture areas, said light capture areas occupying substantially an entire area of said first aperture;

wherein lenses in said plurality of lenses which are arranged along the perimeter of said first aperture have optical centers which are arranged along a circle; and

one or more semiconductor sensors for capturing light passing through said plurality of lenses;

wherein the plurality of lenses includes at least one inner lens in addition to said lenses arranged along the perimeter of said first aperture; and

wherein said plurality of lenses includes a total of six lenses along the perimeter of said first aperture and a single lenses in the center of said six lenses arranged along the perimeter of said first aperture.