Light-field Camera Using Splitter Mirror and Mixed Quality Sensors

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the quality requirements of different cameras in the array. The first camera (reference camera) uses high-quality professional digital cinema sensors to ensure excellent image quality for the primary light-field view. The second cameras (additional cameras) use lower-quality, more affordable sensors since their primary function is to provide supplementary views for light-field reconstruction rather than serving as primary imaging devices. This differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing quality only where most needed while reducing costs elsewhere in the system.

The patent segments the camera array into two functional groups: a primary reference camera that captures high-quality images with excellent color reproduction, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio, and secondary cameras that provide additional viewing angles with reduced quality requirements. The segmentation allows the system to achieve acceptable overall image quality by relying primarily on the reference camera while using cheaper secondary cameras to fill in spatial information, thus resolving the contradiction between cost reduction and maintaining image quality.

The patent implements local quality by assigning different quality levels to different cameras based on their specific roles in the light-field capture system. The reference camera uses high-quality professional sensors optimized for excellent color reproduction, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio, while the additional cameras use lower-quality, cost-effective sensors. This localized quality differentiation optimizes the quality-to-cost ratio by concentrating high-quality imaging resources where they provide maximum benefit while using affordable cameras for supplementary spatial sampling.