4311results about "Stereoscopic photography" patented technology

A system projects a user-viewable, computer-generated or -fed image, wherein a head-mounted projector is used to project an image onto a retro-reflective surface, so only the viewer can see the image. The projector is connected to a computer that contains software to create virtual 2-D and or 3-D images for viewing by the user! Further, on projector each is mounted on either side of the user's head, and, by choosing for example a retro angle of less than about 10 degrees, each eye can only see the image of one of the projectors at a give distance up to 3 meters, in this example, from the retro-reflective screen. The retro angle used may be reduced with larger viewing distance desired. These projectors use lasers to avoid the need for focusing, and in some cases there projectors use instead of lasers highly collimated LEO light sources to avoid the need for focusing.

Systems in accordance with embodiments of the invention can perform parallax detection and correction in images captured using array cameras. Due to the different viewpoints of the cameras, parallax results in variations in the position of objects within the captured images of the scene. Methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention provide an accurate account of the pixel disparity due to parallax between the different cameras in the array, so that appropriate scene-dependent geometric shifts can be applied to the pixels of the captured images when performing super-resolution processing. In several embodiments, detecting parallax involves using competing subsets of images to estimate the depth of a pixel location in an image from a reference viewpoint. In a number of embodiments, generating depth estimates considers the similarity of pixels in multiple spectral channels. In certain embodiments, generating depth estimates involves generating a confidence map indicating the reliability of depth estimates.

Methods and apparatus to create and display stereoscopic and panoramic images are disclosed. Apparatus is provided to control the position of a lens in relation to a reference lens. Methods and apparatus are provided to generate multiple images that are combined into a stereoscopic or a panoramic image. An image may be a static image. It may also be a video image. A controller provides correct camera settings for different conditions. An image processor creates a stereoscopic or a panoramic image from the correct settings provided by the controller. A panoramic video wall system is also disclosed.

There are many inventions described herein. Some aspects are directed to methods and / or apparatus to provide relative movement between optics, or portion(s) thereof, and sensors, or portion(s) thereof, in a digital camera. The relative movement may be in any of various directions. In some aspects, relative movement between an optics portion, or portion(s) thereof, and a sensor portion, or portion(s) thereof, are used in providing any of various features and / or in the various applications disclosed herein, including, for example, but not limited to, increasing resolution, optical and electronic zoom, image stabilization, channel alignment, channel-channel alignment, image alignment, lens alignment, masking, image discrimination, range finding, 3D imaging, auto focus, mechanical shutter, mechanical iris, multi and hyperspectral imaging, and / or combinations thereof. In some aspects, movement is provided by actuators, for example, but not limited to MEMS actuators, and by applying appropriate control signal thereto.

Methods and apparatus for light-field imaging. Light-field camera designs are described that produce higher spatial resolution than conventional plenoptic camera designs, while trading-off the light-field's angular sampling density. This lower angular resolution may be compensated for by a light-field image processing method that inserts data synthesized by view interpolation of the measured light-field. In one embodiment, a light-field image processing method that performs three-view morphing may be used to interpolate the missing angular samples of radiance. The light-field camera designs may be implemented in hand-held light-field cameras that may capture a light-field with a single exposure. Some of the light-field camera designs are internal to the camera, while others are external to the camera. One light-field camera design includes a single, relatively large lens and an array of negative lenses that are placed in front of (external to) the main lens of a conventional camera.

A 3-D camera and a method for recording surface structures on an object of interest by triangulation, in particular for dental purposes. The camera provides for producing a group of light beams in order to illuminate the object of interest via a projection optical path, an image sensor for receiving light back-scattered by the object of interest via an observation optical path, and provides, in the projection optical path, for producing a pattern projected onto the object of interest. To avoid ambiguities in the event of large height differences, the camera provides for the projection optical path and / or the observation optical path for altering the triangulation angle, which is defined by the angle between the centroid beam of the projection optical path and the centroid beam of the observation optical path. The proposed process involves the taking of at least two 3-D measurements of the same object of interest with different triangulation angles.

A method and system for automated production of stereoscopic and animated images and hardcopies can utilize a light-sensitive lenticular material employing a conventional or non-conventional photographic emulsion or an instant-developing material. An automated printer can produce autostereoscopic and animated hardcopies in multiple formats from digital and non-digital sources, including single images, stereopairs, and multiple-image sets of negatives, transparencies, or prints. The printer, which includes a projection device and a material plate that can rotate around two perpendicular axes, can utilize software to automate viewing angle calculation, printer control, multiple-image alignment, distortion correction, and image processing and conversion. A digital camera can capture stereoscopic and animated images and record them digitally or on photographic film. A non-digital camera can record stereoscopic and animated images directly onto light-sensitive lenticular material employing a conventional or non-conventional photographic emulsion or an instant-developing material. The printer and cameras can utilize autostereoscopic monitors to preview parallax.

A method of producing a stereo image of a (real or simulated) scene using at least one (real or simulated) camera, which creates the impression of being a 3D image when viewed on a display by a user, wherein the depth of the scene is mapped onto a maximum perceived depth of the image on the display, and the maximum perceived depth is chosen to provide comfortable viewing for the user.

An imaging system for producing stereoscopic panoramic images using multiple coplanar pairs of image capture devices with overlapping fields of view held in a rigid structural frame for long term calibration maintenance. Pixels are dynamically adjusted within the imaging system for position, color, brightness, aspect ratio, lens imperfections, imaging chip variations and any other imaging system shortcomings that are identified during calibration processes. Correction of pixel information is implemented in various combinations of hardware and software. Corrected image data is then available for storage or display or for separate data processing actions such as object distance or volume calculations.

In the systems and methods of the present invention a multifocal multiphoton imaging system has a signal to noise ratio (SNR) that is reduced by over an order of magnitude at imaging depth equal to twice the mean free path scattering length of the specimen. An MMM system based on an area detector such as a multianode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) that is optimized for high-speed tissue imaging. The specimen is raster-scanned with an array of excitation light beams. The emission photons from the array of excitation foci are collected simultaneously by a MAPMT and the signals from each anode are detected using high sensitivity, low noise single photon counting circuits. An image is formed by the temporal encoding of the integrated signal with a raster scanning pattern. A deconvolution procedure taking account of the spatial distribution and the raster temporal encoding of collected photons can be used to improve decay coefficient. We demonstrate MAPMT-based MMM can provide significantly better contrast than CCD-based existing systems.

A compound-eye imaging device comprises an imaging device body having 9 optical lenses and a solid-state imaging element for imaging unit images formed by the optical lenses. Assuming that the combination of each of the optical lenses with a corresponding divided area of the solid-state imaging element to image each of the corresponding unit images is an imaging unit, thereby forming multiple imaging units, the respective imaging units have randomly different optical imaging conditions. For example, the focal lengths of the 9 optical lenses are set to have random values in which the optical lenses are arranged to have random distances between adjacent ones thereof in a direction parallel to the major surface of the solid-state imaging element. This compound-eye imaging device substantially prevents unit images formed by respective imaging units from being the same, making it possible to easily increase the definition of a reconstructed image.

Apparatus for projecting a pattern includes a first diffractive optical element (DOE) configured to diffract an input beam so as to generate a first diffraction pattern on a first region of a surface, the first diffraction pattern including a zero order beam. A second DOE is configured to diffract the zero order beam so as to generate a second diffraction pattern on a second region of the surface such that the first and the second regions together at least partially cover the surface.

A panoramic camera system includes a plurality of camera units mounted in a common, e.g., horizontal, plane and arranged in a circumferential array. Each camera unit includes one or more lenses for focusing light from a field of view onto an array of light-sensitive elements. A panoramic image generator combines electronic image data from the multiplicity of the fields of view to generate electronic image data representative of a first 360-degree panoramic view and a second 360-degree panoramic view, wherein the first and second panoramic views are angularly displaced. A stereographic display system is provided to retrieve operator-selectable portions of the first and second panoramic views and to display the user selectable portions in human viewable form. In a further aspect, a video display method is provided.

A stereoscopic image aligning apparatus (200) automatically aligns image pairs for stereoscopic viewing in a shorter amount of time than conventional apparatuses, which is applicable to image pairs captured by a single sensor camera or a variable baseline camera, without relying on camera parameters. The stereoscopic image aligning apparatus (200) includes: an image pair obtaining unit (205) obtaining an image pair including a left-eye image and a right-eye image corresponding to the left-eye image; a corresponding point detecting unit (252) detecting a corresponding point representing a set of a first point included in a first image that is one of the images of the image pair and a second point included in a second image that is the other of the images of the image pair and corresponding to the first point; a first matrix computing unit (254) computing a homography transformation matrix for transforming the first point such that a vertical parallax between the first and second points is smallest and an epipolar constraint is satisfied; a transforming unit (260) transforming the first image using the homography transformation matrix; and an output unit (210) outputting: a third image that is the transformed first image; and the second image.

Method and apparatus for full-resolution light-field capture and rendering. A radiance camera is described in which the microlenses in a microlens array are focused on the image plane of the main lens instead of on the main lens, as in conventional plenoptic cameras. The microlens array may be located at distances greater than f from the photosensor, where f is the focal length of the microlenses. Radiance cameras in which the distance of the microlens array from the photosensor is adjustable, and in which other characteristics of the camera are adjustable, are described. Digital and film embodiments of the radiance camera are described. A full-resolution light-field rendering method may be applied to light-fields captured by a radiance camera to render higher-resolution output images than are possible with conventional plenoptic cameras and rendering methods.

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a stereoscopic projection system including a projection device with at least one filter which filters a parameter of the light in a color selective manner. The at least one filter which filters a parameter of the light in a color selective manner has a spectral characteristic for transmitting light in a first wavelength band or set of wavelength bands and for reflecting light in a second wavelength band or set of wavelength bands. The projection device includes a device, such as e.g. a rotating wheel or a sliding filter, for fast synchronized switching between light in different wavelength bands or sets of wavelength bands. In a further aspect, a stereoscopic projection system is provided in which a combination of a first and a second filter mechanism are used, the first filter mechanism being a filter which filters a parameter of the light in a color selective manner, such as a color selective filter or a color selective retarder, and the second filter mechanism preferably being a polarizer or a shutter.

The present invention is a system and method for the use of a 3D sensor in an image capture device. In one embodiment, a single 3D sensor is used, and the depth information is interspersed within the information for the other two dimensions so as to not compromise the resolution of the two-dimensional image. In another embodiment, a 3D sensor is used along with a 2D sensor. In one embodiment, a mirror is used to split incoming light into two portions, one of which is directed at the 3D sensor, and the other at the 2D sensor. The 2D sensor is used to measure information in two dimensions, while the 3D sensor is used to measure the depth of various portions of the image. The information from the 2D sensor and the 3D sensor is then combined, either in the image capture device or in a host system.

An aerial reconnaissance camera and method provides for generating a first image of the terrain of interest with the camera pointing angle oriented or rotated about an azimuthal axis some angular amount (theta1) to a first, typically forward orientation, i.e., forward of a cross-line of flight direction. An image is obtained of the ground at this orientation. Then the camera is rotated about the azimuthal axis to new angular value (theta2), which will typically be aft of the cross line of flight direction. An image is generated at this value. The camera is then rotated back to the value of theta1, and a second image in the forward orientation is generated. The camera is then rotated again to the value of theta2 and another image in the aft orientation is generated. This process of rotating the camera about the azimuthal axis and generating images in forward and aft orientations continues over and over. Eventually, as the aircraft flies past the terrain of interest, any given location in the terrain of interest will have been imaged from two different perspectives-forward and aft. The motion of the aircraft during the interim in combination with the values of theta1 and theta2 provide the high baseline for the stereo image pairs. By selection of suitable values for the angular separation of theta1 and theta2 (such as theta1=+10 degrees and theta2=-10 degrees) the result will be pairs of images of the terrain of interest having a large baseline, producing truly high aspect stereo images from a single camera. The method also works in a similar fashion by rotation back and forth about the pitch axis and imaging the terrain in forward oblique and aft oblique orientations.

An imaging apparatus includes: a plurality of imaging elements; a plurality of solid lenses that form images on the plurality of imaging elements; a plurality of optical axis control units that control the directions of the optical axes of light that is incident to each of the plurality of imaging elements; a plurality of video processing units that convert photoelectric converted signals output from each of the plurality of imaging elements to video signals; a stereo image processing unit that, by performing stereo matching processing based on the plurality of video signals converted by the plurality of video processing units, determines the amount of shift for each pixel, and generates compositing parameters in which the shift amounts that exceed the pixel pitch of the plurality of imaging elements are normalized to the pixel pitch; and a video compositing processing unit that generates high-definition video by compositing the video signals converted by the plurality of video processing units, based on the compositing parameters generated by the stereo image processing unit.

An omnidirectional sensor array system, for example a panoptic camera, comprising a plurality of sensors arranged on a support of predetermined shape to acquire data, wherein said sensors are directional and wherein each sensor is attached to a processing node which comprises integrated electronics that carries out at least a portion of the signal processing algorithms locally in order to reduce the computational load of a central hardware unit.

A stereoscopic imaging system incorporates a plurality of imaging devices or cameras to generate a high resolution, wide field of view image database from which images can be combined in real time to provide wide field of view or panoramic or omni-directional still or video images.

Method and apparatus for full-resolution light-field capture and rendering. A radiance camera is described in which the microlenses in a microlens array are focused on the image plane of the main lens instead of on the main lens, as in conventional plenoptic cameras. The microlens array may be located at distances greater than f from the photosensor, where f is the focal length of the microlenses. Radiance cameras in which the distance of the microlens array from the photosensor is adjustable, and in which other characteristics of the camera are adjustable, are described. Digital and film embodiments of the radiance camera are described. A full-resolution light-field rendering method may be applied to flats captured by a radiance camera to render higher-resolution output images than are possible with conventional plenoptic cameras and rendering methods.

A catadioptric camera creates images light fields from a 3D scene by creating ray images defined as 2D arrays of ray-structure picture-elements (ray-xels). Each ray-xel capture light intensity, mirror-reflection location, and mirror-incident light ray direction. A 3D image is then rendered from the ray images by combining the corresponding ray-xels.

A multiple path stereoscopic projection system is disclosed. The system comprises a polarizing splitting element configured to receive image light energy and split the image light energy received into a primary path and a secondary path, a reflector in the secondary path, and a polarization modulator or polarization modulator arrangement positioned in the primary path and configured to modulate the primary path of light energy. A polarization modulator may be included within the secondary path, a retarder may be used, and optional devices that may be successfully employed in the system include elements to substantially optically superimpose light energy transmission between paths and cleanup polarizers. The projection system can enhance the brightness of stereoscopic images perceived by a viewer. Static polarizer dual projection implementations free of polarization modulators are also provided.

An exemplary camera module array includes lens modules, a first holder, image sensors, a second holder, an optical element, and an image processor. The lens modules are threadedly coupled to the first holder. The image sensors are in optical alignment with the lens modules in one-to-one relation. The image sensors are received in the second holder. The optical element is sandwiched between the first holder and the second holder. The image processor is electrically connected with the image sensors. The image processor is configured for processing image signals from the image sensors and thereby obtaining a compound image.

An autostereoscopic multi-user display comprising a sweet-spot unit which is directionally controlled by a tracking and image control device (160), wherein an illumination matrix (120) is provided with separately activatable illuminating elements (11 . . . 56), in addition to an imaging device used to alternatingly image active illuminating elements, for making expanded sweet spots (SRI / SR2) visible to various eye positions (EL1 / ERI, EL2 / ER2) of viewers observing alternating images or a stereoscopic image sequence on a transmissive image matrix (140) with the aid of directed beams (B1R . . . B5L). According to the invention, the imaging device comprises an imaging matrix (110) provided with a plurality of lens elements (111 115) whose focal length is small in order to image the active illuminating elements in an enlarged manner onto the sweet spots (SRI / SR2), and a field lens (171), which follows the imaging matrix (110), in order to keep the distances of the activated illuminating elements between adjacent beams (B1, B2,B4, B5) as constant as possible and in order to assist selection of the directions (D1. . . D5) with the illumination matrix (120) for the beams.

A system of linked digital cameras for an image capture system is disclosed. A first and second digital camera can be linked to capture a first images and a second image that are used to form a stereo image. A first data port on the first digital camera and a second data port on the second digital camera intercommunicate data between each other when the cameras are linked. The data can include the first and second image data, camera control data, and camera synchronization data. After capturing the first and second images, the image from one of the cameras can be transferred to the other camera so that both the first and second images reside in the other camera. The system allows a user who wishes to capture stereo images the ability to do so with out having to purchase two digital cameras. A compatible digital camera can be borrowed from another user for the purpose of stereo image capture. After the stereo image is captured, the user transfers both images to his camera and returns the borrowed camera. The cameras can be equipped with viewfinders that allow a user of the cameras to view the image being captured in stereo. The viewfinders can be adjustable to accommodate variations in user interpupillary distance. A digital camera operating system (OS) can be customized to enable stereo image capture, image data handling, image processing, and camera control for the linked digital cameras.