Multi-camera system using folded optics free from parallax 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 surfaces of the array camera can be located at a midpoint along, and orthogonally to, a line between the corresponding camera location and the virtual camera location. Accordingly, the cones of all of the cameras in the array appear as if coming from the virtual camera location after folding by the mirrors. 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. A system for capturing a target image of a scene, the system comprising:
an array of a plurality of cameras having a virtual center of projection, each of the plurality of cameras configured to capture one of a plurality of portions of the target image of the scene; each of the plurality of cameras comprising:
an image sensor;a lens assembly comprising at least one lens, the lens assembly having a center of projection, the lens assembly positioned to focus light on the image sensor, the center of projection of the lens assembly located along a line passing through the virtual center of projection; anda mirror positioned to reflect the light to the lens assembly, the mirror further positioned on a mirror plane, the mirror plane positioned to intersect a midpoint along the line passing through the virtual center of projection and the center of projection of the lens assembly, the mirror plane further positioned at an angle orthogonal to the line; and a surface positioned above the array, the surface positioned to allow light representing the scene to pass through an aperture to the mirror of each of the plurality of cameras.