SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF FILM CAPTURE AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF

• US 20090195664A1
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 54 Essential Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Mediapod LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Mowry, Craig
• Granted Patent: US 8,767,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• 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: G03B 17/24 with means for separately producing marks on the film, e.g. title, time of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/48 adapted for combination with other photographic or optical apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/00 Stereoscopic photography
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/23 Reproducing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

A system, apparatus, or method is provided for imaging and for capturing visuals to provide image manipulation options for increasing resolution of subject images. A system, apparatus or method for increasing resolution of subject images using a camera to deliver unexposed photographic emulsion or a digital image and to generate images of greater resolution by modifying digital images or modifying digital and emulsion images.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving first image data of a scene captured at a first capture rate;

receiving second image data of the scene captured at a second capture rate, the second capture rate greater than the first; and

generating at least one final image of the scene from the first image data and the second image data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data corresponds to a first image and the second image data corresponds to a second image, the second image related to the first image.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein capturing the second image occurs after capturing the first image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image corresponds to a key frame and the second image corresponds to a wire frame.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second capture rate is a multiple of the first capture rate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data includes more data than said second image data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data is high definition image data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data depicts an object having a position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the final image further comprises:

identifying the object depicted by the first image data;

identifying a position of the object as it is depicted in the second image data; and

generating the final image, wherein the final image depicts the object having the position that was identified in the second image data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the final image has a resolution equal to a resolution of the first image data.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the final image has a resolution at least greater than a resolution of the second image data.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein a resolution of the final image is configurable.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capture rate is a single capture per second.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second capture rate is 24 captures per second.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data is stored on film.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the second image data is stored in a computer readable storage medium.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data is stored in a computer readable storage medium.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data includes a triptych image.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the second image data comprises positional information for objects depicted in the first image data.

20. A device, comprising:

means for obtaining image data at a first capture rate; and

means for obtaining image data at a second capture rate, wherein the image data obtained at the first capture rate includes more data than the image data obtained at the second capture rate, and the second capture rate is greater than the first capture rate.

21. The device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for splitting light indicative of the image data.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the means for obtaining image data at the first capture rate and the means for obtaining image data at the second capture receive light indicative of the image data from the means for splitting the light indicative of the image data.

23. The device of claim 20, wherein the means for obtaining the image data at the first capture rate further comprise:

means for relaying portions of the image data to a plurality of charged couple device arrays, each portion of the image data relayed to a separate charged couple device array.

24. A system, comprising:

a camera, the camera configured to obtain images and positional information for an object depicted in the images, wherein the images are obtained at a first capture rate, the positional information is obtained at a second capture rate, and the second capture rate is greater than the first capture rate; and

a computer, the computer configured generate final images at the second capture rate using the positional information for the object and the first images.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the positional information is obtained from a plurality of second images.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the images are high definition images.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the positional information is wireframe information.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the camera further comprises:

a lens; and

a beam splitter coupled to the lens, the beam splitter operable to direct light to a first image capture device and a second image capture device.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the first image capture device is an image capture assembly.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the second image capture device is an electronic imaging module.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the first image capture device is an electronic imaging module.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the electronic imaging module is an array of charged coupled devices.

33. A device, comprising:

a lens configured to receive first image data at a first capture rate; and

the lens configured to receive second image data at a second capture rate, wherein the second capture rate is greater than the first capture rate.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the lens is configured to capture the second image data after capturing the first image data.

35. The device of claim 33, wherein the first image data corresponds to a key frame and the second image data corresponds to a wire frame.

36. The device of claim 33, wherein the lens includes a plurality of lenses.

37. The device of claim 33, wherein the second capture rate is a multiple of the first capture rate.

38. The device of claim 33, wherein the first image data includes more data than said second image data.

39. The device of claim 33, wherein the first image data is high definition image data.

40. A computer system, comprising:

a processor coupled to a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium including;

instructions for receiving image data captured at a first frame rate, the image data including an object;

instructions for receiving positional data for the object in the image data, the positional data captured at a second frame rate, the second frame rate greater than the first; and

instructions for generating final image data from the image data and the positional data, the final image data having the second frame rate.

41. The computer system of claim 40, wherein the image data includes a first frame and a second frame.

42. The computer system of claim 41, wherein the first image data is captured at a higher resolution than the second data.

43. The computer system of claim 42, wherein the instructions for generating the final image data further comprise:

instructions for identifying a position of the object in the first frame;

instructions for identifying a position of the object in the second frame;

instructions for determining, from the positional data, the path the object traversed in between the first and second frames; and

instructions for generating a plurality of high resolution frames, high resolution frames simulating the path the object traversed.

44. The computer system of claim 40, wherein the second capture rate is a multiple of the first capture rate.

45. The computer system of claim 40, wherein the first image data includes more data than said second image data.

46. The computer system of claim 40, wherein the first image data is high definition image data.

47. The computer system of claim 40, wherein the first image data comprises key frames of high definition image data.

48. A method, comprising:

capturing first image data for a scene at a first rate and having a first resolution;

capturing second image data for the scene at a second rate greater than the first rate and having a second resolution less than the first resolution; and

sending the first image data and the second image data to a computer.

49. The method as recited in claim 48, wherein the first image data for the scene includes a first frame and a second frame, the first frame corresponding to a region at a first time and the second frame corresponding to the region at a second time after the first time.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the second image data for the scene includes multiple frames captured within the time it took to capture the first frame and the second frame of the first image data.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein the first resolution is a high definition resolution.

52. The method of claim 48, wherein the second capture rate is a multiple of the first capture rate.