Back to results
US 7,612,870 B2Granted
Single-lens aperture-coded camera for three dimensional imaging in small volumes
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsEmilio Castano Graff, Francisco Pereira, Morteza Gharib, Michele Milano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Determining instantaneously three-dimensional coordinates of large sets of points in space using apertures associated with cameras or camera parts. An embodiment associates information from the apertures with different portions of the imager, so that portions on the imager do not overlap.
Claims22
A method, comprising:
- imaging a scene using a plurality of the apertures arranged in a pattern of a specified shape by allowing light from the scene to pass only through the plurality of apertures onto an imager;
- associating each of the apertures with a different and separate portion of the imager, so that light which passes through each aperture is imaged on a different portion of the imager;
- capturing light reflected from or emitted by a large plurality of isolated distinguishable points of the scene that pass through each of the plurality of apertures and that is received at the imager as a plurality of isolated distinguishable point images, the isolated distinguishable point images each including a number of image points that is equal to a number of the plurality of apertures;
- and
- analyzing each image point in each isolated distinguishable point image from the imager to determine relative positions of each isolated distinguishable point in the scene relative to each other isolated distinguishable point in the scene to map a complete three dimensional image of the scene.
2 more elements
A three-dimensional camera device, comprising:
- an imaging device;
- an array of apertures, arranged in a pattern having a specified shape, arranged between said imaging device and a scene;
- a lens part, the lens part, the imaging device and the apertures being arranged to capture light reflected from or emitted by a large plurality of isolated distinguishable points of the scene that pass through each of the plurality of apertures and that is received at the imager as a plurality of isolated distinguishable point images, the isolated distinguishable point images each including a number of image points that is equal to a number of the plurality of apertures;
- and
- a processor to analyze each image point in each isolated distinguishable point image from the imager to determine relative positions of each isolated distinguishable point in the scene relative to each other isolated distinguishable point in the scene to map a complete three dimensional image of the scene.
2 more elements
A three-dimensional camera device, comprising:
- a first imaging device;
- a second imaging device;
- an array of apertures, arranged in a specified shape relative to one another, and arranged between at least said first imaging device and a scene;
- and
- a lens part, passing light which has passed through said apertures to at least one of said imaging devices so that said at least one imaging device obtains multiple images of the scene;
- wherein at least the second imaging device is a color imaging device and the second imaging device acquires a color pictorial image of the scene, and
- a processing part, which processes information from at least said first imaging device to obtain three dimensional information from said multiple images of the scene, and processes the three dimensional information and the color image of the scene acquired from the second imaging device to overlay the color image from said second imaging device with said three dimensional information, to form a composite image.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.