US 8,497,934 B2 · Actively addressable aperture light field camera

Abstract

An actively addressable aperture disposed ahead of the rear surface of a camera lens allows the camera to capture a full-resolution, five-dimensional (5D) light field that describes every possible view from every possible angle of the scene being imaged. Shifting the aperture over the entire aperture plane and acquiring an image at each step yields a 2D grid of 2D images of the scene, otherwise known as a 4D parameterized light field. Estimating the 3D depth of the objects in the imaged scene yields a 3D model with 2D surface irradiance patterns, which is the full, non-parameterized 5D light field. The 5D light field can be used to display perspective changes in a way that mimics cognitive processing of the same scene or object. 5D light fields can also be used to create high-precision, 3D depth maps suitable for 3D movies, interactive displays, machine vision, and other applications.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A camera, comprising:

a lens arranged to produce an image of an object in an image plane located a distance L from the lens;
an actively addressable aperture defined by a spatial light modulator (SLM) disposed between the object and the image plane, the SLM including elements spaced at a pitch of A;
a detector disposed in the image plane and configured to sense two-dimensional images transmitted or reflected through the actively addressable aperture, the detector having an active area with a maximum transverse dimension of about D<2Lλ/Λ, where λ is a wavelength of the two-dimensional images sensed by the detector;
and
a processor operably coupled to the SLM and to the detector, the processor configured to vary at least one of a position, size, and shape of the actively addressable aperture and to generate a representation of a four-dimensional light field associated with the object based on the two-dimensional images sensed by the detector.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Actively addressable aperture light field camera

Life of this patent

Actively addressable aperture light field camera

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims35