# US 11,310,471 B2 · Digital cameras with direct luminance and chrominance detection

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- Number: US 11,310,471 B2
- Document ID: US11310471B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/908,342
- Filed: 2020-06-22
- Published: 2021-03-11
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2005-08-25
- Assignees: Intellectual Ventures II LLC
- Applicants: Callahan Cellular L.L.C.
- Inventors: Richard Ian Olsen; James Gates; Darryl L. Sato
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11310471B2

## CPC

- H04N 23/88: for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control
- G02B 3/0062: {Stacked lens arrays, i.e. refractive surfaces arranged in at least two planes, without structurally separate optical elements in-between}
- G02B 3/0075: {characterized by non-optical structures, e.g. having integrated holding or alignment means}
- G02B 9/12: having three components only
- H04N 23/11: for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
- H04N 23/13: with multiple sensors
- H04N 23/16: Optical arrangements associated therewith, e.g. for beam-splitting or for colour correction
- H04N 23/51: Housings
- H04N 23/54: Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
- H04N 23/71: Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
- H04N 23/73: by influencing the exposure time
- H04N 23/843: {Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values}
- H04N 25/00: Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N 25/134: {based on three different wavelength filter elements}
- H04N 25/41: {Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors}
- H04N 25/53: Control of the integration time
- H04N 25/531: by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
- H04N 25/76: Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors
- H10F 39/182: {Colour image sensors}
- H10F 39/1847: {Multispectral infrared image sensors having a stacked structure, e.g. NPN, NPNPN or multiple quantum well [MQW] structures}
- H10F 39/804: {Containers or encapsulations}
- H10F 39/8053: {Colour filters}
- H10F 39/806: {Optical elements or arrangements associated with the image sensors}
- H10F 39/809: {of hybrid image sensors}
- H10F 77/40: Optical elements or arrangements (surface textures H10F77/70)
- H10F 77/407: {indirectly associated with the devices}
- G02B 3/0031: {Replication or moulding, e.g. hot embossing, UV-casting, injection moulding}
- G02B 3/0043: {Inhomogeneous or irregular arrays, e.g. varying shape, size, height}
- H04N 23/20: for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
- H04N 2209/049: having three pick-up sensors
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- H10F: INORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES SENSITIVE TO INFRARED RADIATION, LIGHT, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION OF SHORTER WAVELENGTH OR CORPUSCULAR RADIATION

## Abstract

Digital camera systems and methods are described that provide a color digital camera with direct luminance detection. The luminance signals are obtained directly from a broadband image sensor channel without interpolation of RGB data. The chrominance signals are obtained from one or more additional image sensor channels comprising red and/or blue color band detection capability. The red and blue signals are directly combined with the luminance image sensor channel signals. The digital camera generates and outputs an image in YCrCb color space by directly combining outputs of the broadband, red and blue sensors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multi-lens camera arrangement comprising:
a first channel including a first optics component and a first image sensor, wherein the first optics component generates visual spectrum data;
a second channel including a second optics component and a second image sensor, wherein the second optics component generates infrared spectrum data; and
a processing component coupled to the first optics component and the second optics component to combine outputs from the first channel and the second channel to generate a combined image.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 1, wherein the visual spectrum data includes RGB data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 1, wherein the infrared spectrum data includes near infrared data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first image sensor includes a plurality of pixels.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of pixels includes two or more photodiodes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 5, wherein a first photodiode detects a first band of colors and a second photodiode detects a second band of colors.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 1, wherein the second image sensor detects low light signals.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first optics component has a first field of view, and wherein the second optics component has a second field of view that is different than the first field of view.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The multi-lens camera arrangement of claim 1, wherein the processing component simultaneously processes the visual spectrum data and the infrared spectrum data.

### Claim 10

A camera system comprising:
a visual spectrum camera having a visual spectrum sensor, wherein the visual spectrum camera is configured to output visual spectrum data;
an infrared spectrum camera having an infrared spectrum sensor, wherein the infrared spectrum camera is configured to output infrared spectrum data;
a processor coupled to the visual spectrum camera and the infrared spectrum camera that combines the visual spectrum data and the infrared spectrum data.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The camera system of claim 10, wherein the visual spectrum camera provides multiple images comprising a video output.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The camera system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to determine a first integration time for the visual spectrum sensor and a second integration time for the infrared spectrum sensor for a frame.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The camera system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to simultaneously control data acquisition by the visual spectrum sensor and the infrared spectrum sensor.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The camera system of claim 10, wherein the processor combines the visual spectrum data and the infrared spectrum data without interpolation in a red-green-blue (RGB) color space.

### Claim 15

A tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:
instructions to generate visible spectrum data with a first channel of a digital camera, wherein the first channel includes a first optics component and a first image sensor;
instructions to generate infrared spectrum data with a second channel of the digital camera, wherein the second channel includes a second optics component and a second image sensor; and
instructions to generate an image by combining outputs of the first channel and the second channel.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first image sensor includes a plurality of pixels.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the visual spectrum data and the infrared spectrum data are processed simultaneously.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions to simultaneously control data acquisition by the first image sensor and the second image sensor.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the visible spectrum data includes RGB data.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the infrared spectrum data includes near infrared data.