Reducing Color Artifacts in Plenoptic Imaging Systems

Abstract

In one aspect, a color plenoptic imaging system captures a plenoptic image of an object. The plenoptic image is made up of a plurality of superpixels, and each superpixel includes a center subpixel. The collection of center subpixels from the plurality of superpixels forms a set of captured center view data for the object. The sensor array includes at least two arrays of different color sensors that capture subpixels of different colors. The microlens array and the sensor array are positioned such that, within the set of captured center view data, for each of the different colors, adjacent center subpixels of that color are separated by not more than three intervening center subpixels of a different color.

1 . A color plenoptic imaging system comprising:
 imaging optics that image an object onto an image plane of the imaging optics, the imaging optics characterized by a pupil located at a pupil plane;   a microlens array located at the image plane of the imaging optics;   a color filter array, wherein each microlens in the microlens array includes a corresponding color filter from the color filter array; and   a sensor array located at a conjugate to the pupil plane, the microlens array imaging the pupil plane onto the sensor array, the sensor array capturing a plenoptic image of the object, the plenoptic image comprising a plurality of superpixels corresponding to the microlenses in the microlens array, each superpixel imaging the pupil plane filtered by the color filter corresponding to the microlens forming the superpixel, each superpixel including a center subpixel, the collection of center subpixels from the plurality of superpixels forming a set of captured center view data for the object.   
     
     
         2 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the microlens array is rotateable relative to the sensor array. 
     
     
         3 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the color filter array forms a pattern. 
     
     
         4 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 3 , wherein the pattern of the color filter array comprises at least a first color filter and a second color filter. 
     
     
         6 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 4 , wherein the color filter array comprises a dissimilar number of first color filters and second color filters. 
     
     
         7 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 4 , wherein the color filter array comprises a same number of first color filters and second color filters. 
     
     
         7 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 4 , wherein the color filter array includes at least a third color filter. 
     
     
         8 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 7 , wherein the color filter array comprises a same number of second color filters and third color filters, the same number different than a dissimilar number of first color filters. 
     
     
         9 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 7 , wherein the color filter array comprises a same number of first color filters, second color filters, and third color filters. 
     
     
         10 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 3 , wherein the pattern of the color array comprises at least a first type of color filter and a second type of color filter 
     
     
         11 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 3 , wherein the pattern of the color filter array comprises visible light color filters and infrared color filters. 
     
     
         12 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 3 , wherein the pattern is a Bayer pattern. 
     
     
         13 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor array comprises monochromatic sensors. 
     
     
         14 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor array comprises sensors for different colors. 
     
     
         15 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the captured center view data is used to generate a preview image of what the plenoptic imaging system captures. 
     
     
         16 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 15 , wherein the preview image is an image including channels corresponding to the color types of the color filter array and interpolated from the center subpixels. 
     
     
         17 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 16 , wherein the preview image is a color image comprising red, green, and blue channels corresponding to the red, green, and blue colors of the color filter array. 
     
     
         18 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 16 , wherein the preview image is an infrared image comprising at least an infrared color channel corresponding to an infrared color of the color filter array. 
     
     
         19 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the superpixels are arranged in a hexagonal array. 
     
     
         20 . The plenoptic imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the superpixels are arranged in a square array.