Systems and methods for generating a digital image

• US 9,912,928 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duelight LLC
• Original Assignee: Duelight LLC
• Inventors: Rivard, William, Feder, Adam, Kindle, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Jerabek, Kelly L
• Application Number:
  US15/352,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/13 with multiple sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/16 Optical arrangements associated therewith, e.g. for beam-splitting or for colour correction
• 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 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• 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 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/77 Circuits for processing the brightness signal and the chrominance signal relative to each other, e.g. adjusting the phase of the brightness signal relative to the colour signal, correcting differential gain or differential phase circuits for matrixing H04N9/67

Abstract

A system, method, and computer program product for generating a digital image is disclosed. The system includes a first image sensor configured to capture a first image that includes a plurality of chrominance values, a second image sensor configured to capture a second image that includes a plurality of luminance values, and an image processing subsystem configured to generate a resulting image by combining the plurality of chrominance values with the plurality of luminance values. The first image sensor and the second image sensor may be distinct image sensors optimized for capturing chrominance images or luminance images.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first image sensor configured to capture a first ambient image comprising a first plurality of chrominance values, and a first strobe image comprising a second plurality of chrominance values;

a second image sensor configured to capture a second ambient image comprising a first plurality of luminance values, and a second strobe image comprising a second plurality of luminance values;

an image processing subsystem configured to generate a first resulting image by combining the first plurality of chrominance values and the first plurality of luminance values;

the image processing subsystem configured to generate a second resulting image by combining the second plurality of chrominance values and the second plurality of luminance values; and

the image processing subsystem configured to generate a third resulting image by combining the first resulting image and the second resulting image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ambient image and the second ambient image are captured simultaneously.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first strobe image and the second strobe image are captured simultaneously.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first ambient image is captured with a first set of exposure parameters, and the first strobe image is captured with a second, different set of exposure parameters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first ambient image and the second ambient image is warped to correct for a disparate viewpoint.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor utilizes a rolling shutter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first image sensor is further configured to capture a third ambient image comprising a third plurality of chrominance values, and the second image sensor is further configured to capture a fourth ambient image comprising a third plurality of luminance values.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein to generate the first resulting image, the image processing subsystem is further configured to combine the third plurality of chrominance values and the third plurality of luminance values with the combined the first plurality of chrominance values and the first plurality of luminance values.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a strobe unit, wherein the image processing subsystem is configured to capture an image under ambient illumination, analyze the image to determine a white balance, and enable the strobe unit to provide strobe illumination of a particular color based on the white balance.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a camera interface unit that is configured to accumulate color statistics for estimating the white balance.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the strobe unit comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to generate at least two different colors of illumination.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the first image sensor, second image sensor, and image processing subsystem are included in a wireless mobile device.

13. A method, comprising:

capturing, by a first image sensor, a first ambient image comprising a first plurality of chrominance values, and a first strobe image comprising a second plurality of chrominance values;

capturing, by a second image sensor, a second ambient image comprising a first plurality of luminance values, and a second strobe image comprising a second plurality of luminance values;

generating, by an image processing subsystem, a first resulting image by combining the first plurality of chrominance values and the first plurality of luminance values;

generating, by the image processing subsystem, a second resulting image by combining the second plurality of chrominance values and the second plurality of luminance values; and

generating, by the image processing subsystem, a third resulting image by combining the first resulting image and the second resulting image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first ambient image and the second ambient image are captured simultaneously.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor utilizes a rolling shutter.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the first resulting image comprises:

converting the first plurality of chrominance values into a plurality of hue and saturation pairs; and

generating a first pixel of the first resulting image based on at least one of the first plurality of luminance values and at least one hue and saturation pair.

17. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:

code for causing a first image sensor to capture a first ambient image comprising a first plurality of chrominance values, and a first strobe image comprising a second plurality of chrominance values;

code for causing a second image sensor to capture a second ambient image comprising a first plurality of luminance values, and a second strobe image comprising a second plurality of luminance values;

code for generating a first resulting image by combining the first plurality of chrominance values and the first plurality of luminance values;

code for generating a second resulting image by combining the second plurality of chrominance values and the second plurality of luminance values; and

code for generating a third resulting image by combining the first resulting image and the second resulting image.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first ambient image and the second ambient image are captured simultaneously.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor utilizes a rolling shutter.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein generating the first resulting image comprises:

converting the first plurality of chrominance values into a plurality of hue and saturation pairs; and

generating a first pixel of the first resulting image based on at least one of the first plurality of luminance values and at least one hue and saturation pair.