IMAGE CAPTURE DEVICE WITH CONTEMPORANEOUS REFERENCE IMAGE CAPTURE MECHANISM

• US 20080316327A1
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FotoNation Ireland Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Steinberg, Eran, Zamfir, Adrian, Drimbarean, Alexandru, Bigioi, Petronel, Corcoran, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,896,725 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20201 Motion blur correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30168 Image quality inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30216 Redeye defect
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/242 by image rotation, e.g. by 90 degrees
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• 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 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/44 by partially reading an SSIS array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/46 by combining or binning pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A hand-held or otherwise portable or spatial or temporal performance-based image capture device includes one or more lenses, an aperture and a main sensor for capturing an original main image. A secondary sensor and optical system are for capturing a reference image that has temporal and spatial overlap with the original image. The device performs an image processing method including capturing the main image with the main sensor and the reference image with the secondary sensor, and utilizing information from the reference image to enhance the main image. The main and secondary sensors are contained together within a housing.

Claims

1. A system including a hand-held or otherwise portable or spatial or temporal performance-based image capture device, comprising:

(a) one or more lenses, an aperture and a main sensor for capturing an original main image;

(b) a secondary sensor and optical system for capturing one or more reference images including at least a first reference image that has temporal and spatial overlap with the original image;

(c) a processor;

(d) one or more processor-readable media having embedded therein programming code for the processor to perform a digital image processing method that comprises capturing, on a hand-held or otherwise portable or spatial or temporal performance-based image capture device, said original main image and one or more reference images, including said first reference image, having a temporal or spatial overlap or proximity with the original image, or combinations thereof, on said primary and secondary sensors, respectively, and the method further including enhancing the main image based analyzing the first reference image; and

(e) a housing coupled at least with said one or more lenses, aperture, and primary sensor, and with said secondary optical system and secondary sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing further has coupled therein said processor and said one or more processor-readable media.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said secondary sensor is located next to said main sensor within said housing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said secondary sensor has a different resolution than said main sensor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said secondary sensor has a different spectral sensitivity than said main sensor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said optical system for said secondary sensor is configured for capturing a different field of view than that of the main sensor.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said different field of view includes a high resolution portion of said field of view of said main sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a slight delay is designed between capturing an image on said main sensor and on said secondary sensor.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said slight delay is longer than a strobe discharge time.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said slight delay is within a human blink time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises assessing on the device that the original main image includes one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises analyzing on the device information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images relating to the one or more defects or otherwise sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises correcting on the device the one or more defects or other sub-optimal characteristics in the original main image based on the information, image data or meta data, or combinations thereof, of the one or more reference images to create a modified image comprising an enhanced versions of the original main image, whereby the correcting of the one or more defects of other sub-optimal characteristics of the original main image based on the one or more reference images produces at the device the modified image from the original main image in real-time with spatial economy and performance efficiency.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises rendering the modified image at a digital rendering device, display or printer, or combinations thereof, as output from the image capture device

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises analyzing said one or more reference images based on predefined criteria in comparison to said main image.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises, based on said analyzing, creating supplemental meta data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises adding said supplemental meta data to said main image at a digital data storage location.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises modifying said main image using said supplemental meta data.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises rendering the modified image at a digital rendering device, display or printer, or combinations thereof, as output from the image capture device.