Resolution enhancement using sensor with plural photodiodes per microlens

A method of imaging with a sensor having a plurality of pixels, at least one of the plurality of pixels comprising first and second photodiodes, the method comprising:

• receiving a first luminance value from the first photodiode and a second luminance value from the second photodiode, wherein the first photodiode and the second photodiode share a common microlens, the common microlens configured so light from a first area is gathered by the first photodiode and has an effective optical center at a first location offset from a centroid of the first photodiode, and so light from a second area is gathered by the second photodiode and has an effective optical center at a second location offset from a centroid of the second photodiode, the second location being different from the first location;
• and
• resampling by interpolating among a plurality of luminance values collected by the sensor, including the first luminance value and the second luminance value, to determine a resampled luminance value of a pixel located at a centroid of the first photodiode in an evenly spaced row of pixels using at least the first luminance value and the second luminance value.

An imaging system, comprising:

• means for receiving luminance values from a plurality of photodiodes sharing a common microlens, such that the luminance values represent light gathered by each respective one of the plurality of photodiodes, and the light gathered by each respective photodiode has an effective optical center at a respective location that is offset from a respective centroid of the respective photodiode;
• and
• means for resampling the luminance values by interpolating among the received luminance values to determine respective resampled luminance values of a plurality of resampled pixels having respective optical centers located at respective centroids of each of the plurality of photodiodes, the resampled luminance values being determined using at least a first one of the luminance values received from a first one of the plurality of photodiodes and a second one of the luminance values received from a second one of the plurality of photodiodes.

A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium comprising computer program code for processing image sensor data, the computer program code comprising:

• code for receiving luminance values from a plurality of photodiodes sharing a common microlens, such that the luminance values represent light gathered by each respective one of the plurality of photodiodes, and the light gathered by each respective photodiode has an effective optical center at a respective location that is offset from a respective centroid of the respective photodiode;
• and
• code for resampling the luminance values by interpolating among the received luminance values to estimate respective resampled luminance values of a plurality of resampled pixels having respective optical centers located at respective centroids of each of the plurality of photodiodes, the resampled luminance values being determined using at least a first one of the luminance values received from a first one of the plurality of photodiodes and a second one of the luminance values received from a second one of the plurality of photodiodes.