Compound camera sensor and related method of processing digital images

摘要

In one embodiment, a light sensor includes four cell arrays, one for each color of the Bayer pattern, and four lenses each focusing the light coming from the scene to be captured on a respective cell array. The lenses are oriented such that at least a second green image, commonly provided by the fourth cell array, is both horizontally and vertically shifted (spaced) apart by half a pixel pitch from a first (reference) green image. In a second embodiment, the four lenses are oriented such that the red and blue images are respectively shifted (spaced) apart by half a pixel pitch from the first or reference green image, one horizontally and the other vertically, and the second green image is shifted (spaced) apart by half a pixel pitch from the reference green image both horizontally and vertically.

主权项

1. A light sensor for capturing an image of a scene, comprising:
a multi-cell photo-detector composed of a plurality of cell arrays of cells, each cell defining a pixel and being configured to generate an electric signal representative of an intensity of light impinging thereon; a plurality of lenses, each of the plurality of lenses configured to capture an image having a similar field of view of the scene and focus the light coming from the scene on a corresponding cell array of the plurality of cell arrays, respectively, wherein said lenses lay in a same plane and said cell arrays are defined on different planes; and wherein each of said plurality of lenses is placed a different physical distance from the corresponding cell array, has a focal point on the corresponding cell array, and defines a depth of field with respect to the correspond cell array that is different from the depths of field defined by the other lenses for the other corresponding cell arrays, said depths of field being staggered.