Capturing and Processing of Images Including Occlusions Focused on an Image Sensor by a Lens Stack Array

摘要

Systems and methods for implementing array cameras configured to perform super-resolution processing to generate higher resolution super-resolved images using a plurality of captured images and lens stack arrays that can be utilized in array cameras are disclosed. An imaging device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes at least one imager array, and each imager in the array comprises a plurality of light sensing elements and a lens stack including at least one lens surface, where the lens stack is configured to form an image on the light sensing elements, control circuitry configured to capture images formed on the light sensing elements of each of the imagers, and a super-resolution processing module configured to generate at least one higher resolution super-resolved image using a plurality of the captured images.

主权项

1. A camera array, comprising:
a plurality of imagers configured to capture images of a scene, where the plurality of imagers are formed by:
at least one image sensor; anda lens stack array forming the optics of each of the plurality of imagers, where the optics of each imager comprises at least one lens element and at least one aperture and focuses light onto the image sensor; an image processing pipeline module configured to process multiple images captured by the plurality of imagers; wherein the plurality of imagers are configured to capture different images of the same scene; wherein the images captured by the plurality of imagers include different occlusions sets, where the occlusion set of a given imager is the portion of a scene visible to a baseline imager in the plurality of imagers that is occluded from the view of the given imager; and wherein the image processing pipeline module is configured to:
determine parallax that yields the highest correlation between pixels from images captured using the same imaging characteristics accounting for the positions of the imagers that captured the images by performing redundant pair-wise measurements between pixels from images captured using the same imaging characteristics to determine pixel correlation for different parallax-induced shifts; andgenerate a depth map based upon the measured parallax.