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US 7,804,517 B2Granted
Three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus
AssigneeSony Corporation
InventorMasanori Iwasaki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus includes an image-capturing device having a plurality of image-capturing regions and a plurality of optical systems for forming images of a subject in the image-capturing regions. The optical systems includes a plurality of reflectors for reflecting rays from the subject a number of times and at least a lens provided to be closer to the image-capturing device than the reflection means closest to the subject. The reflectors and the lens are used to form, in the image-capturing regions, separate images of the subject which are captured from different viewpoints.
Claims4
A three-dimensional image-capturing apparatus comprising:
- a single solid-state image-sensing device having a plurality of image capturing regions;
- a plurality of optical systems for forming a different image of a subject in each image-capturing region, each one of the optical systems corresponding to a different one of the image-capturing regions and each optical system having
- (1) an imaging-side reflection unit located in front of the corresponding image-capturing region and directed in an obliquely outward direction,
- (2) a subject-side reflection unit located outward from said imaging-side reflection unit and directed in an obliquely inward direction,
- (3) a lens provided in an optical path between said imaging-side reflection unit and said single solid-state image-sensing device,
- (4) a light-limiting unit provided in an optical path between the subject-side reflection unit and the imaging-side reflection unit and closer to the subject-side reflection unit than to the imaging-side reflection unit, and
- (5) a light-shielding unit provided normal to the single solid-state image-sensing device and extending at least between the single solid-state image-sensing device and the imaging-side reflection unit,
- wherein,
- each image capture region is configured to simultaneously capture a different image on the single solid-state image-sensing device,
- the light-limiting unit is effective to only exclude rays closer to the subject side reflection unit with a greatest angle of incidence on the image sensing device,
- the light shielding unit is effective to prevent optical cross talk between the optical systems, and
- the optical systems are used to form, in the corresponding image-capturing regions, separate and different images of said subject which are captured from different viewpoints having a distance therebetween.
9 more elements
A stereo-camera recording/reproducing system comprising:
- a single solid-state image-sensing device having a plurality of image capturing regions;
- a plurality of optical systems for forming a different image of a subject in each image-capturing region, each one of the optical systems corresponding to a different one of the image-capturing regions and each optical system having
- (1) an imaging-side reflection unit located in front of the corresponding image-capturing region and directed in an obliquely outward direction,
- (2) a subject-side reflection unit located outward from said imaging-side reflection unit and directed in an obliquely inward direction,
- (3) a lens provided in an optical path between said imaging-side reflection unit and said single solid-state image-sensing device, and
- (4) a light-limiting unit provided in an optical path between the subject-side reflection unit and the imaging-side reflection unit and closer to the subject-side reflection unit than to the imaging-side reflection unit, and
- (5) a light-shielding unit provided normal to the single solid-state image-sensing device and extending at least between the single solid-state image-sensing device and the imaging-side reflection unit,
- wherein,
- each image capture region is configured to simultaneously capture a different image on the single solid-state image-sensing device,
- the light-limiting unit is effective to only exclude rays closer to the subject side reflection unit with a greatest angle of incidence on the image sensing device,
- the light shielding unit is effective to prevent optical cross talk between the optical systems, and
- the optical systems are used to form, in the corresponding image-capturing regions, separate and different images of said subject which are captured from different viewpoints having a distance therebetween.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.