US 8,581,995 B2 · Method and apparatus for parallax correction in fused array imaging systems

Abstract

Electronic devices may include camera modules. A camera module may include an array camera having an array of lenses and an array of corresponding image sensors. Parallax correction and depth mapping methods may be provided for array cameras. A parallax correction method may include a global and a local parallax correction. A global parallax correction may be determined based on one-dimensional horizontal and vertical projections of edge images. Local parallax corrections may be determined using a block matching procedure. Further improvements to local parallax corrections may be generated using a relative block color saturation test, a smoothing of parallax correction vectors and, if desired, using a cross-check between parallax correction vectors determined for multiple image sensors. Three dimensional depth maps may be generated based on parallax correction vectors.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of global parallax correction for an array camera having at least first and second image sensors and processing circuitry, the method comprising:

capturing first and second images using the first and second image sensors, respectively, wherein the first and second images contain at least one object having edges;
with the processing circuitry, computing first and second edge images based on the first and second images, respectively, wherein the first and second edge images contain the edges of the at least one object in the first and second images;
and
with the processing circuitry, generating a first global parallax correction based on the first and second edge images, wherein generating the first global parallax correction based on the first and second edge images comprises:
with the processing circuitry, computing a first horizontal projection curve based on a horizontal projection of the first edge image and a second horizontal projection curve based on a horizontal projection of the second edge image.

2 more elements

A method of local parallax correction for an array camera having at least first and second image sensors and processing circuitry, the method comprising:

capturing first and second images using the first and second image sensors respectively, wherein the first image comprises a plurality of image blocks;
with the processing circuitry, generating a local parallax correction map, wherein the local parallax correction map comprises a plurality of block parallax correction vectors corresponding to the plurality of image blocks and wherein generating the local parallax correction map comprises:
with the processing circuitry, generating the plurality of block parallax correction vectors corresponding to the plurality of image blocks by matching each one of the plurality of image blocks in the first image to a corresponding matched block in the second image;
with the processing circuitry computing a block color energy based on each one of the image blocks in the first image and the corresponding matched block in the second image;
and
with the processing circuitry, comparing the block color energy to a threshold.

3 more elements

A method of parallax correction for array cameras having an array of image sensors and processing circuitry, the method comprising:

with each image sensor of the array of image sensors, capturing an image, wherein a first one of the images comprises a reference image;
with the processing circuitry, generating a global parallax correction corresponding to each image that represents a shift between each image and the reference image;
and
with the processing circuitry, generating a plurality of local parallax correction vectors corresponding to a plurality of portions of each image, wherein each local parallax correction vector represents a shift between one of the plurality of portions of each image and a corresponding portion of the reference image.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for parallax correction in fused array imaging systems

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for parallax correction in fused array imaging systems

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18