# US 2013/0278802 A1 · Exposure timing manipulation in a multi-lens camera

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- Number: US 2013/0278802 A1
- Document ID: US20130278802A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 13/881,123
- Filed: 2011-10-24
- Published: 2013-10-24
- Earliest claimed: 2010-10-24
- Assignees: Opera Imaging B.V.
- Inventors: Ziv Attar; Chen Aharon-Attar
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130278802A1

## CPC

- H04N 23/71: Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
- H04N 5/2226: {Determination of depth image, e.g. for foreground/background separation (determining depth by image analysis in general G06T7/50; segmentation by image analysis in general G06T7/10)}
- H04N 5/262: Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects {; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects}
- H04N 5/2621: {Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability}
- H04N 5/265: Mixing
- H04N 23/16: Optical arrangements associated therewith, e.g. for beam-splitting or for colour correction
- H04N 23/45: for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
- H04N 23/54: Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
- H04N 23/55: Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
- H04N 23/80: Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
- H04N 23/951: by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
- 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 25/531: by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
- H04N 25/61: the noise originating only from the lens unit, e.g. flare, shading, vignetting or "cos4"
- H04N 25/134: {based on three different wavelength filter elements}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

The exposure of pixel lines in one or more image sensor regions is substantially synchronized. Each image sensor region is associated with a different lens in a multi-lens camera system. For a first pixel line in a first image sensor region and a second pixel line in a second image sensor region corresponding to the same portion of a field of view, the first pixel line and the second pixel line are sequentially or substantially simultaneously exposed. After exposing the first pixel line and the second pixel line, image information associated with the exposures is combined and output on the same readout line.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

-12. (canceled)

### Claim 13

A multi-lens camera system, comprising:
a plurality of lenses, the lenses configured to collect light from a field of view and direct the light onto an image sensor;
an image sensor comprising a plurality of image sensor regions, each image sensor region associated with a different lens and comprising a plurality of pixel lines; and
a image sensor controller configured to expose each image sensor region to light incident upon the image sensor region to capture an image representative of the field of view, the exposure comprising exposing, for each exposed pixel line in a first image sensor region, a corresponding pixel line in a second image sensor region.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein the first image sensor region comprises pixel lines 1 to n, wherein the second image sensor region comprises pixel lines n+1 to 2n, and wherein exposing the image sensor region comprises exposing the first and second image sensor regions according to the sequence: 1, n+1, 2, n+2, . . . , n, 2n.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein the first image sensor region comprises pixel lines 1 to n, wherein the second image sensor region comprises pixel lines n+1 to 2n, and wherein exposing the image sensor region comprises exposing the first and second image sensor regions according to the sequence: 1, 2, n+1, n+2, 3, 4, n+3, n+4, . . . , n−1, n, 2n−1, 2n.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein the first image sensor region comprises pixel lines 1 to n, wherein the second image sensor region comprises pixel lines n+1 to 2n, and wherein exposing the image sensor region comprises exposing the first and second image sensor regions according to the sequence: 1, 2, . . . , x, n+1, n+2, . . . , n+x, x+1, x+2, . . . , 2x, n+x+1, n+x+2, . . . , n+2x, . . . , n−x, . . . , n−1, n, 2n−x, . . . , 2n−1, 2n.

### Claim 17 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein each pixel line in the first image sensor region and a corresponding pixel line in the second image sensor region are exposed substantially simultaneously.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 17, wherein each pixel line in the first image sensor region and the corresponding pixel line in the second image sensor region are exposed for different amounts of time.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein image information captured by exposing a pixel line in the first image sensor region and a corresponding pixel line in the second image sensor region is combined and output on a single readout line.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 19, wherein the combined image information is stored in one or more memory buffers.

### Claim 21 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein each image sensor region comprises a separate image sensor, and wherein the exposure of the image sensors is synchronized.

### Claim 22 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein one or more of the lenses include a neutral density filter.

### Claim 23 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein one or more of the lenses include a chromatic filter.

### Claim 24 (depends on 13)

The multi-lens camera system of claim 13, wherein one or more of the lenses include a polarizing filter.