WO1994018788B1 - Imaging apparatus and method for determining range from focus and focus information - Google Patents
Imaging apparatus and method for determining range from focus and focus informationInfo
- Publication number
- WO1994018788B1 WO1994018788B1 PCT/US1994/001787 US9401787W WO9418788B1 WO 1994018788 B1 WO1994018788 B1 WO 1994018788B1 US 9401787 W US9401787 W US 9401787W WO 9418788 B1 WO9418788 B1 WO 9418788B1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- scene
- imaging apparatus
- focus
- predetermined
- frames
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000003384 imaging method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract 50
- 230000003287 optical Effects 0.000 claims abstract 17
- 230000000875 corresponding Effects 0.000 claims 1
- 238000004091 panning Methods 0.000 abstract 3
Abstract
A camera having an image plane (AC) which is adjustable with respect to the optical axis (OA) is used to determine range information from focus. This imaging geometry eliminates the usual focusing need of image plane movement by replacing the two standard mechanical actions of focusing and panning by panning alone. Range estimation or generation of a focused image of a scene can therefore be performed substantially at the speed of panning.
Claims
1. An imaging apparatus comprising: a lens having an optical axis and a lens center; image-detecting means comprising an image surface whose surface normal makes a non-zero angle with said optical axis; means for varying the angle a to be a predetermined value; means for rotating the imaging apparatus about a predetermined axis through a plurality of predetermined angles; means for obtaining focus information for a plurality of scene points at the predetermined angles; and focus determining means for comparing the focus information obtained for the scene points at the predetermined angles and selecting a predetermined angle which corresponds to a desired focus condition for individual scene points.
2. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 further comprising range determining means for determining a range from at least one scene point to the imaging apparatus.
3. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for rotating said imaging apparatus rotates said imaging apparatus about an axis coincident with the lens center.
4. The imaging apparatus of claim 2 wherein at least one of said scene points is a scene point of an object and said range determining means is responsive to said focus determining means for determining a range from said object to the imaging apparatus based on said at least one predetermined angle which corresponds to said desired focus condition for at least one scene point.
5. An imaging apparatus comprising: a housing; optical means located within said housing; imaging means having a plurality of imaging elements located at predetermined distances with respect to said optical means; means for rotating the imaging apparatus about a predetermined axis through a plurality of predetermined angles; means for obtaining focus information for a plurality of scene points at the predetermined angles; and focus determining means for comparing the focus information obtained for the scene points at the predetermined angles and selecting a predetermined angle which corresponds to a desired focus condition for individual scene points.
6. The imaging apparatus of claim 5 further comprising: range determining means for determining the range from a scene point to said imaging apparatus.
7. The imaging apparatus of claim 5 further comprising means for generating a focussed image of said scene points.
8. In an imaging apparatus comprising a lens having an optical axis and a lens center and an image-detecting means comprising an image surface whose surface normal makes an angle α with said optical axis, a method comprising the steps of: predetermining a value of the angle α for said image surface; rotating said imaging apparatus about a predetermined axis through a plurality of predetermined angles; obtaining focus information for a plurality of scene points at the predetermined angles; comparing the focus information obtained for the at least one scene point at a plurality of the predetermined angles; and 20
determining a predetermined angle which corresponds to a desired focus condition for the at least one scene point.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of determining a range from at least one scene point to the imaging apparatus based on the predetermined angle which corresponds to said desired focus condition for the at least one scene point.
10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of generating a focused image of said scene points.
11. An imaging apparatus comprising: a housing; optical means located within said housing; imaging means having a plurality of planar imaging elements located at predetermined distances with respect to said optical means, a surface normal of the imaging elements making a non-zero angle a with an axis through said optical means; means for rotating the housing through a plurality of predetermined angles; focus obtaining means for obtaining focus information for a plurality of scene points at a plurality of the predetermined angles; focus comparing means for comparing the focus information for the scene points at the plurality of predetermined angles; and angle determining means responsive to the focus comparing means for selecting at least one of the predetermined angles which corresponds to a desired focus criterion for at least one scene point.
12. The imaging apparatus of claim 11, wherein said optical means comprises a lens having a lens center and wherein said means for rotating rotates said housing about an axis coincident with said lens center. 21
13. The imaging apparatus of claim 11 further comprising: range determination means responsive to said angle determining means for determining a range from at least one scene point to the imaging apparatus.
14. The imaging apparatus of claim 12 further comprising: range estimation means responsive to said imaging means for estimating a range to said imaging apparatus for at least one of said plurality of scene points.
15. In an imaging apparatus for imaging an image, said imaging apparatus comprising a lens having an optical axis and a lens center and an imaging means having a plurality of imaging elements, a method comprising the steps of: predetermining an arrangement of the plurality of image elements with respect to said optical axis; moving said imaging elements through a plurality of predetermined positions; detecting a frame of said image with said plurality of imaging elements at each of said predetermined positions, each frame consisting essentially of a plurality of scene points; obtaining focus information for a plurality of scene points in each frame; comparing the focus information obtained for each scene point at the plurality of predetermined angles; and selecting at least one of said predetermined angles which corresponds to a desired focus condition for at least one scene point.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said imaging apparatus is rotated about an axis coincident with the lens center. 22
17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of determining a range of said at least one scene point based on said at least one predetermined angle which corresponds to said desired focus condition for that scene point.
18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of generating a focused image of said scene points.
19. An imaging apparatus comprising: a lens having an optical axis and a lens center; image-detecting means comprising an image surface whose surface normal makes an angle with said optical axis; processor means for processing images detected by the imaging apparatus; and means for rotating the image detecting means through predetermined angles about an axis through the lens center.
20. The imaging apparatus of claim 19 further comprising: means for obtaining focus information for scene points at a plurality of the predetermined angles; and focus determining means for comparing the focus information obtained for a selected scene point at a plurality of the predetermined angles and selecting a predetermined angle which corresponds an angle at which a desired focus condition exists for the selected scene point.
21. The imaging apparatus of claim 19 wherein said means for obtaining focus information obtains focus information for a plurality of at least partially overlapping frames of a scene, said frames comprising a plurality of scene points, and wherein said predetermined angles are chosen to ensure that said scene points are imaged in a plurality of the frames.
22. An imaging apparatus comprising: 23
a lens having an optical axis and a lens center; image-detecting means comprising an image surface whose surface normal makes an angle a with said optical axis; means for obtaining information for a plurality of at least partially overlapping frames of a scene, said frames comprising a plurality of scene points; and means for comparing the information obtained for a first scene point of said plurality of scene points from a plurality of the frames and selecting at least one frame corresponding to a desired condition for said first scene point.
23. The imaging apparatus of claim 22 wherein the desired condition is a focus criteria value.
24. The imaging apparatus of claim 22 further comprising means for varying the angle a to be a predetermined value;
25. The imaging apparatus of claim 22 further comprising means for rotating said image-detecting means through a plurality of angles chosen to ensure that said scene points are imaged in a plurality of the frames.
26. The imaging apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for obtaining focus information obtains focus information for a plurality of at least partially overlapping frames of a scene, said frames comprising a plurality of scene points, and wherein said predetermined angles are chosen to ensure that at least said first scene point is imaged in a plurality of the frames.
27. The imaging apparatus of claim 5 wherein said means for obtaining focus information obtains focus information for a plurality of at least partially overlapping frames of a scene, said frames comprising a plurality of scene points, and wherein said predetermined angles are chosen to ensure that said scene points are imaged in a plurality of the frames. 24
28. The method of claim 11 wherein said step of obtaining focus information comprises obtaining focus information for a plurality of at least partially overlapping frames of a scene, said frames comprising a plurality of scene points, and wherein said predetermined angles are chosen to ensure that said scene points are imaged in a plurality of the frames.
29. The imaging apparatus of claim 11 wherein said focus obtaining means obtains focus information for a plurality of at least partially overlapping frames of a scene, said frames comprising a plurality of scene points, and wherein said predetermined angles are chosen to ensure that said scene points are imaged in a plurality of the frames.
30. The method of claim 19 wherein said step of obtaining focus information comprises obtaining focus information for a plurality of at least partially overlapping frames of a scene, said frames comprising a plurality of scene points, and wherein said predetermined angles are chosen to ensure that said scene points are imaged in a plurality of the frames.
Priority Applications (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE69428686T DE69428686T2 (en) | 1993-02-10 | 1994-02-10 | IMAGING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING FOCUS INFORMATION |
| AT94909712T ATE207270T1 (en) | 1993-02-10 | 1994-02-10 | IMAGE RECORDING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING FOCUS INFORMATION |
| EP94909712A EP0687401B1 (en) | 1993-02-10 | 1994-02-10 | Imaging apparatus and method for determining focus information |
| JP6518394A JPH10502177A (en) | 1993-02-10 | 1994-02-10 | Imaging device and method for determining distance from focus and focus information |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US08/015,981 | 1993-02-10 | ||
| US08/015,981 US5453784A (en) | 1993-02-10 | 1993-02-10 | Imaging apparatus and method for determining range and determining focus information |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO1994018788A1 WO1994018788A1 (en) | 1994-08-18 |
| WO1994018788B1 true WO1994018788B1 (en) | 1994-09-29 |
Family
ID=21774682
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US1994/001787 WO1994018788A1 (en) | 1993-02-10 | 1994-02-10 | Imaging apparatus and method for determining range from focus and focus information |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US5453784A (en) |
| EP (1) | EP0687401B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH10502177A (en) |
| AT (1) | ATE207270T1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2155529A1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE69428686T2 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO1994018788A1 (en) |
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1993
- 1993-02-10 US US08/015,981 patent/US5453784A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1994
- 1994-02-10 WO PCT/US1994/001787 patent/WO1994018788A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1994-02-10 DE DE69428686T patent/DE69428686T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1994-02-10 CA CA002155529A patent/CA2155529A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1994-02-10 JP JP6518394A patent/JPH10502177A/en active Pending
- 1994-02-10 AT AT94909712T patent/ATE207270T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1994-02-10 EP EP94909712A patent/EP0687401B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
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