Multi-camera system using folded optics free from parallax and tilt artifacts

摘要

Aspects relate to an array camera exhibiting little or no parallax artifacts in captured images. For example, the planes of the central mirror prism of the array camera can intersect at an apex defining the vertical axis of symmetry of the system. The apex can serve as a point of intersection for the optical axes of the sensors in the array. Each sensor in the array “sees” a portion of the image scene using a corresponding facet of the central mirror prism, and accordingly each individual sensor/mirror pair represents only a sub-aperture of the total array camera. The complete array camera has a synthetic aperture generated based on the sum of all individual aperture rays.

主权项

1. An imaging system for forming an image of a target scene by combining into an image a plurality of portions of a target scene, comprising:
a reflecting component including a plurality of primary light reflecting surfaces, the reflecting component comprising an apex at a location of an intersection of each of the plurality of primary light reflecting surfaces; and a plurality of cameras, each of the plurality of cameras having an optical axis aligned to intersect at the apex of the reflecting component, and each of the plurality of cameras comprising an image sensor that is associated with one of the plurality of primary light reflecting surfaces, the image sensor arranged to receive incoming light from the target scene, that is reflected from the associated one of the primary light reflecting surfaces, and the image sensor further configured to capture an image of a portion of the target scene and provide an output representative of the portion of the target scene, wherein the reflecting component is disposed between at least two of the plurality of cameras.