Systems and methods for transmitting and receiving array camera image data
AssigneePelican Imaging Corporation
InventorAndrew Kenneth John McMahon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for transmitting and receiving image data captured by an imager array including a plurality of focal planes are described. One embodiment of the invention includes capturing image data using a plurality of active focal planes in a camera module, where an image is formed on each active focal plane by a separate lens stack, generating lines of image data by interleaving the image data captured by the plurality of active focal planes, and transmitting the lines of image data and the additional data.
Claims26
A method of transmitting image data, comprising:
- capturing light field image data using a plurality of active focal planes in a camera module comprising an imager array and an optic array of lens stacks,
- where each active focal plane comprises a plurality of rows of pixels that also form a plurality of columns of pixels and each active focal plane is contained within a region of the imager array that does not contain pixels from another active focal plane, and
- where an image is formed on each active focal plane by a separate lens stack in said optic array of lens stacks;
- selecting at least one pixel from at least one row and at least one column in at least two active focal planes of the plurality of active focal planes;
- forming corresponding groups of image data based on said selecting and generating lines of image data by interleaving said corresponding groups of image data;
- generating additional data, where said additional data includes information for deinterleaving a plurality of images from the generated lines of image data;
- and
- transmitting, from the camera module, said generated lines of image data together with said additional data.
A method of receiving light field image data captured using a plurality of active focal planes in a camera module comprising an imager array and an optic array of lens stacks, where each active focal plane comprises a plurality of rows of pixels that also form a plurality of columns of pixels, each active focal plane is contained within a region that does not contain pixels from another active focal plane, and an image is formed on each active focal plane by a separate lens stack in said optic array of lens stacks, the method comprising:
- receiving lines of image data from a camera module including a plurality of active focal planes using interface circuitry,
- where each active focal plane comprises a plurality of rows of pixels that also form a plurality of columns of pixels, each active focal plane is contained within a region that does not contain pixels from another active focal plane, and said received lines of image data comprise interleaved groups of image data captured by corresponding groups of at least one pixel from at least one row and at least one column in at least two of the plurality of active focal planes;
- receiving additional data using the interface circuitry,
- where said additional information includes information for deinterleaving a plurality of images from said received lines of image data;
- and
- deinterleaving image data that is part of one of said plurality of images from said received lines of image data using said interface circuitry.
A system for receiving light field image data captured using a plurality of active focal planes in a camera module comprising an imager array and an optic array of lens stacks, where each active focal plane comprises a plurality of rows of pixels that also form a plurality of columns of pixels, each focal plane is contained within a region that does not contain pixels from another focal plane, and an image is formed on each active focal plane by a separate lens stack in said optic array of lens stacks, the system comprising:
- interface circuitry configured to:
- receive lines of image data from a camera module including a plurality of active focal planes using interface circuitry,
- where each active focal plane comprises a plurality of rows of pixels that also form a plurality of columns of pixels, each active focal plane is contained within a region that does not contain pixels from another active focal plane, and said received lines of image data comprise interleaved groups of image data captured by corresponding groups of at least one pixel from at least one row and at least one column in at least two of the plurality of active focal planes;
- receive additional data using the interface circuitry,
- where said additional information includes information for deinterleaving a plurality of images from said received lines of image data;
- and
- deinterleave image data that is part of one of said plurality of images from said received lines of image data using said interface circuitry.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.