Sony Corporation

Muhammad Atif

Muhammad Siddiqui

Markus Kamm

Christian Unruh

Klaus Zimmermann

A lens unit () shows longitudinal chromatic aberration and focuses an imaged scene into a first image for the infrared range in a first focal plane and into a second image for the visible range in a second focal plane. An optical element () manipulates the modulation transfer function assigned to the first and second images to extend the depth of field. An image processing unit () may amplify a modulation transfer function contrast in the first and second images. A focal shift between the focal planes may be compensated for. While in conventional approaches for RGBIR sensors contemporaneously providing both a conventional and an infrared image of the same scene the infrared image is severely out of focus, the present approach provides extended depth of field imaging to rectify the problem of out-of-focus blur for infrared radiation. An imaging system can be realized without any apochromatic lens.

Infrared imaging system and method of operating

A lens unit of an imaging unit features longitudinal chromatic aberration. From an imaged scene, an imaging sensor unit captures non-color-corrected first images of different spectral content. An intensity processing unit computes broadband luminance sharpness information from the first images on the basis of information descriptive for imaging properties of the lens unit. A chrominance processing unit computes chrominance information on the basis of the first images. A synthesizing unit combines the computed chrominance and luminance information to provide an output image having, for example, extended depth-of-field. The imaging unit may be provided in a camera system, a digital microscope, as examples.

Imaging system using a lens unit with longitudinal chromatic aberrations and method of operating

A method and optical system for determining a depth map of an image, the method including: determining a first focus measure of a first color in at least one region of the image; determining a second focus measure of a second color in the at least one region of the image; determining a ratio of the first and the second focus measure; and determining the depth map based on a ratio of the first and second focus measure.

Method and optical system for determining a depth map of an image

In a method for determining field of view dependent depth map correction values for correction of a depth map of an image taken with a lens having a field of view the following is performed:

Methods and apparatus for determining field of view dependent depth map correction values

An embodiment of the invention relates to a method for generating a radiance map in High Dynamic Range (HDR) image creation by calculating mean difference curves for a sequence of images taken with different exposures and a transformation curve from the mean difference curve by an algorithm approximated to the Debevec function, by the means of which a radiance map can be calculated from the taken images. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a unit for performing this method.

Method and unit for generating a radiance map

An embodiment of the invention relates to a method for High Dynamic Range (HDR) image creation by generating a mean difference curve for use in aligning the images of a sequence of images taken with different exposures, wherein the difference in exposure might derive from a difference in exposure time or a difference in aperture size. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a method for HDR image creation by generating images with different exposures from a single image. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a method for HDR video creation by generating frames with different exposures from a single frame.

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Stuttgart, Germany

Muhammad Atif