Parallax Computing for Compound Eye Imaging Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imaging devices with multiple optical axes suffer from parallax issues, leading to image omission and false colors at the periphery, which hinder the creation of high-quality, single images and accurate distance measurement.
Innovation Solution
An imaging device with multiple lens portions and corresponding imaging regions, equipped with a parallax computing portion and an effective pixel region correcting portion, which calculates and corrects parallax to combine images effectively, ensuring no false colors and enabling distance measurement at the image periphery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If multiple imaging optical systems with different optical axes are used to reduce device thickness, then the device profile is lowered and manufacturing precision is improved, but image omission and false colors occur at the periphery due to parallax displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging device is divided into multiple imaging optical systems (first, second, third, and fourth) with different optical axes, each capturing images from different perspectives. This segmentation allows the device to maintain a low profile while distributing the imaging function across multiple subsystems, thereby reducing the overall device thickness while managing parallax effects through coordinated operation of segmented imaging units
Solution Approach 2:
An image combining unit acts as an intermediary that receives images from multiple imaging optical systems, performs parallax correction using disparity information, and synthesizes a composite image. This intermediary processing step resolves the parallax displacement issue by mediating between the multiple perspective views and producing a unified output that eliminates false colors and image omission at the periphery
2Manufacturing precision
If parallax correction is performed by combining images from multiple sensor portions, then image quality is improved, but image omission occurs at the periphery where color information is incomplete
Solution Approach 1:
The image combining unit merges images from multiple imaging optical systems by aligning them based on parallax correction. By combining the complementary information from different optical axes, the system recovers color information at the periphery that would be missing from any single imaging system, thereby improving overall image quality without information loss
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of image alignment by dynamically adjusting for parallax displacement based on disparity information. By modifying the positional parameters of images from different optical axes according to their relative displacement, the system ensures proper alignment and prevents image omission at the periphery while maintaining high image quality
3Measurement precision
If multiple imaging regions are used to capture images from different optical axes, then distance measurement capability is improved, but parallax computation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image combining unit performs multiple functions simultaneously: it corrects parallax displacement, computes disparity information, and enables distance measurement all through a single integrated process. This multi-functionality approach maintains measurement precision while reducing overall system complexity by consolidating multiple operations into one universal processing unit
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the image combining process itself to determine parallax correction amounts and disparity information. By continuously refining the alignment based on feedback from comparing images from different optical axes, the system achieves accurate distance measurement without requiring overly complex pre-computation or external reference systems
Data Source
AI summary
The generation of a false color at the periphery is prevented in an imaging device including a compound eye optical system in which parallax occurs for each color information. An imaging device that includes a plurality of lens portions, a plurality of imaging regions each including a light receiving surface that is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis direction of each of the lens portions, and outputting an imaging signal, and a parallax computing portion that uses any one of the plurality of imaging signal as a reference imaging signal (G0), and computes a parallax amount of other imaging signals relative to the reference imaging signal (G0), wherein a composite image is generated by correcting and combining the plurality of imaging signals based on an effective pixel signal obtained by deleting a pixel signal obtained from pixels of a region (d min x in the x direction, d min y in the y direction) that may contain image omission resulting from parallax in the imaging signal other than the reference imaging signal (G0), and on the parallax amount.