High resolution thin multi-aperture imaging systems

Abstract

A multi-aperture imaging system comprising a first camera with a first sensor that captures a first image and a second camera with a second sensor that captures a second image, the two cameras having either identical or different FOVs. The first sensor may have a standard color filter array (CFA) covering one sensor section and a non-standard color CFA covering another. The second sensor may have either Clear or standard CFA covered sections. Either image may be chosen to be a primary or an auxiliary image, based on a zoom factor. An output image with a point of view determined by the primary image is obtained by registering the auxiliary image to the primary image.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A multi-aperture imaging system comprising: 
       a) a first camera that provides a first camera image, the first camera having a first sensor with a first plurality of sensor pixels covered at least in part with a non-standard color filter array (CFA) used to increase a specific color sampling rate relative to a same color sampling rate in a standard CFA, wherein the nonstandard CFA includes a repetition of a n×n micro-cell where n=4 and wherein each micro-cell includes a BBRR-RBBR-RRBB-BRRB color filter order; 
       b) a second camera that provides a second camera image, the second camera having a second sensor with a second plurality of sensor pixels, the second plurality of sensor pixels being either Clear or covered with a standard CFA, wherein the second camera image has an overlap area with the first camera image; and 
       c) a processor configured to process the first and second camera images into a fused output image, wherein in the overlap area pixels of the second camera image are registered with corresponding pixels of the first camera image. 
     
     
       2. A multi-aperture imaging system comprising: 
       a) a first camera that provides a first camera image, the first camera having a first sensor with a first plurality of sensor pixels covered at least in part with a non-standard color filter array (CFA) used to increase a specific color sampling rate relative to a same color sampling rate in a standard CFA. wherein the non-standard CFA includes a repetition of a n×n micro-cell where n=6 and wherein each micro-cell includes a color filter order selected from the group consisting of RBBRRB-RWRBWB-BBRBRR-RRBRBB-BWBRWR-BRRBBR, BBGRRG-RGRBGB-GBRGRB-RRGBBG-BGBRGR-GRBGBR, RBBRRB-RGRBGB-BBRBRR-RRBRBB-BGBRGR-BRRBBR and RBRBRB-BGBRGR-RBRBRB-BRBRBR-RGRBGB-BRBRBR; 
       b) a second camera that provides a second camera image, the second camera having a second sensor with a second plurality of sensor pixels, the second plurality of sensor pixels being either Clear or covered with a standard CFA, wherein the second camera image has an overlap area with the first camera image; and 
       c) a processor configured to process the first and second camera images into a fused output image, wherein in the overlap area pixels of the second camera image are registered with corresponding pixels of the first camera image. 
     
     
       3. The multi-aperture imaging system of  claim 1 , wherein the first camera is a Wide camera with a field of view FOV W  and wherein the second camera is a Tele camera with a field of view FOV T  smaller than FOV W . 
     
     
       4. A method of acquiring images by a multi-aperture imaging system, the method comprising:
 a) providing a first image generated by a first camera of the imaging system, the first camera having a first field of view (F 0 V 1 );   b) providing a second image generated by a second camera of the imaging system, the second camera having a second field of view (FOV 2 ) such that FOV 2 <FOV 1 , the second image having an overlap area with the first image; and   c) fusing the first and second images into a fused image, wherein the fusing includes applying a registration process between the first and second images, the registration process including:
 i. extracting a first Luma image from the first image 
 ii. extracting a second Luma image from the second image, 
 iii. applying low-pass filtering on the second Luma image in order to match its spatial frequency content to that of the first Luma image and to generate a low-pass second Luma image, and 
 iv. applying registration on the low-pass second Luma image and the first Luma image, 
   wherein the non-standard CFA includes a repetition of a n×n micro-cell where n=4 and   wherein each micro-cell includes a BBRR-RBBR-RRBB-BRRB color filter order.   
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein n=6 instead of n=4 and wherein instead of each micro-cell including a BBRR-RBBR-RRBB-BRRB color filter order, each micro-cell includes a color filter order selected from the group consisting of RBBRRB-RWRBWB-BBRBRR-RRBRBB-BWBRWR-BRRBBR, BBGRRG-RGRBGB-GBRGRB-RRGBBG-BGBRGR-GRBGBR, RBBRRB-RGRBGB-BBRBRR-RRBRBB-BGBRGR-BRRBBR and RBRBRB-BGBRGR-RBRBRB-BRBRBR-RGRBGB-BRBRBR. 
     
     
       6. A multi-aperture imaging system comprising:
 a) a first camera having a first field of view (FOV1), a first zoom factor (X1) and a first sensor with a first filter array (FA);   b) a second camera having a second field of view (FOV2), a second zoom factor (X2) and a second sensor with a second filter array, the first sensor having a first overlap area with the second sensor and a first non-overlap area; and   c) a third camera having a third field of view (FOV3), a third zoom factor (X3) and a third sensor with a third filter array, the second sensor having a second overlap area with the third sensor and a second non-overlap area,
 wherein X1 is different from X3 and X2 
 wherein a FA pattern of the first FA in the first overlap area differs from a FA pattern of the first FA in the first non-overlap area or the second FA in the second non-overlap area, 
 wherein an FA pattern of the second FA in the second overlap area differs from the FA pattern of the first FA in the first non-overlap area or the second FA in the second non-overlap area.  
   
     
     
       7. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 6, wherein the third filter array is one of an RGB (Bayer), RGBE, CYYM, CYGM, RGBW#1, RGBW#2 or RGBW#3 color filter array.  
     
     
       8. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 6, wherein X3 is greater than X1.  
     
     
       9. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 6, wherein X3 is greater than X2.  
     
     
       10. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 6, wherein X2 is greater than X1.  
     
     
       11. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 6, wherein the second non-overlap area filter array is one of an RGB (Bayer), RGBE, CYYM, CYGM, RGBW#1, RGBW#2 or RGBW#3 color filter array.  
     
     
       12. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 9, wherein the third filter array is a clear filter array.  
     
     
       13. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim of claim 9, wherein the second non-overlap area filter array is a clear filter array.  
     
     
       14. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim of claim 13, wherein the third color filter array is a Bayer color filter array.  
     
     
       15. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 9, wherein the first non-overlap area filter array is one of an RGB (Bayer), RGBE, CYYM, CYGM, RGBW#1, RGBW#2 or RGBW#3 color filter array.  
     
     
       16. The multi-aperture imaging system of claim 9, wherein the first non-overlap area color filter array is a Bayer color filter array.  
     
     
       17. A multi-aperture imaging system comprising:
 a) a first camera having a first field of view (FOV1) and a first sensor;   b) a second camera having a second field of view (FOV2) and a second sensor with a color filter array (CFA) that includes a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter, the first sensor having a first non-overlap area with the second sensor and a first overlap area with the second sensor; and   c) a third camera having a third field of view (FOV3) and a third sensor with a Bayer color filter array, the second sensor having a second overlap area with the third sensor and a second non-overlap area,
 wherein FOV1>FOV2>FOV3 
 wherein the first sensor comprises a Bayer CFA in the first non-overlap area, 
 wherein a CFA pattern of the first sensor in the first overlap area differs from the Bayer CFA of the first sensor in the first non-overlap area or a second CFA pattern of the second sensor in the second non-overlap area, 
 wherein a CFA pattern of the second sensor in the second overlap area differs from the Bayer CFA of the first sensor in the first non-overlap area or the CFA pattern of the second sensor in the second non-overlap area.  
   
     
     
       18. A multi-aperture imaging system comprising:
 a) a first camera having a first field of view (FOV1) and a first sensor with a first color filter array (CFA) that includes a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter;   b) a second camera having a second field of view (FOV2) and a second sensor with a second CFA that includes a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter, the first sensor having a first overlap area with the second sensor and a first non-overlap area; and   c) a third camera having a third field of view (FOV3) and a third sensor with a third color filter array that includes a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter, the second sensor having a second overlap area with the third sensor and a second non-overlap area,
 wherein FOV1>FOV2>FOV3 
 wherein a CFA pattern of the first sensor in the first overlap area differs from a CFA pattern of the first sensor in the first non-overlap area or a second CFA pattern of the second sensor in the second non-overlap area, 
 wherein a CFA pattern of the second sensor in the second overlap area differs from the CFA pattern of the first sensor in the first non-overlap area or the CFA pattern of the second sensor in the second non-overlap area.