Phase detection autofocus using subaperture images

Abstract

A light-field camera may have enhanced autofocus functionality that does not require a dedicated optical pathway or dedicated sensors, and yet brings the camera rapidly into focus for image capture. According to one method, light may be received through the aperture of a light-field camera, with the main lens of the light-field camera at a first focus setting. The light may be directed to a sensor of the light-field camera via an optical pathway. The sensor may capture the light to generate preliminary light-field data. In a processor, the preliminary light-field data may be used to generate an offset, which may be used to refocus the main lens to a second focus setting. Additional light may be directed along the same optical pathway and captured with the main lens at the second focus setting to capture a focused light-field image.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for capturing light-field data, and more specifically, to enhanced autofocus systems for light-field cameras.

BACKGROUND

Light-field imaging is the capture of four-dimensional light-field data that provides not only spatial information regarding light received from a scene, but also angular information indicative of the angle of incidence of light received from the scene by the camera's optical elements. Such four-dimensional information may be used to project a variety of two-dimensional images, including images at various focus depths, relative to the camera. Further, the light-field information may be used to ascertain the depth of objects in the scene. Yet further, the light-field information may be used to enable and/or facilitate various image processing steps by which the light-field and/or projected two-dimensional images may be modified to suit user requirements.

In conventional photography, a wide variety of autofocus systems are used. In phase detection autofocus implementations, the camera typically has a separate optical pathway, which may be accessed by diverting some of the incoming light away from the path leading to the image sensor used to capture the image. The diverted light may be conveyed to an autofocus module, which may include several pairs of miniature image sensors. Each pair may be positioned to measure the focus at a particular focus point in the scene. Such autofocus systems can add significantly to the cost, expense, and complexity of the camera, and can cause the loss of some of the light that could otherwise be used to facilitate proper image exposure in the main image sensor.

Contrast detection autofocus systems may determine the level of focus of image data by assessing the contrast of the image. Such systems may not require the use of a separate optical pathway for implementation of the autofocus system; however, such systems may require the lens to sweep through a broad range of focus positions, capturing images at each one, so that the contrast levels of the images can be compared. Thus, contrast detection autofocus systems may be relatively slow in operation.

Accordingly, known autofocus systems for conventional and light-field image capture are deficient in many respects. Phase detection and contrast detection autofocus systems both have significant drawbacks that have not been sufficiently addressed.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, the architecture of the light-field camera may facilitate the implementation of autofocus techniques that do not require the use of a separate optical pathway or image sensors. Rather, the same optical pathway and image sensor used to capture the light-field image may be used to capture preliminary light-field data that can be analyzed to automatically focus the main lens of the camera.

In some embodiments, a plenoptic light-field camera may be used. The plenoptic light-field camera may have an aperture, a main lens, a microlens array, and an image sensor. According to one method, light may be received through the aperture via the main lens of the light-field camera at a first focus setting. The light may be directed to the image sensor via an optical pathway. The image sensor may capture the light to generate preliminary light-field data. The preliminary light-field data may be used to generate an offset, which may be used to refocus the main lens to a second focus setting. This procedure may be repeated until the light-field camera is properly focused.

In some embodiments, the offset may be generated via an algorithm that uses the preliminary light-field data to carry out phase detection. The algorithm may analyze a plurality of subaperture images generated from the preliminary light-field data. The subaperture images may be cropped at the same position, and then the cropped subaperture images may be compared. Specifically, one or more features appearing in each of the cropped subaperture images may be identified, and the positions of these features may be compared in the subaperture images. This may lead to the identification of the offset. The offset may be a vector indicating the direction and magnitude of refocusing needed to bring the image into proper focus. The offset may be used to refocus the main lens prior to image capture.

In some embodiments, contrast detection may be carried out in addition to or in place of phase detection. According to one combined approach, the method set forth above may be used to obtain the offset via analysis of the subaperture images. The offset may then be used as an endpoint or midpoint for a focus sweep of the main lens. In the course of the focus sweep, a plurality of intermediate focus settings may be used to capture intermediate light-field data. For each intermediate light-field data, a contrast level may be computed. The contrast levels may be compared to identify an optimal intermediate focus setting at which the contrast level is the highest. This intermediate focus setting may be used to refocus the main lens prior to image capture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings depict several embodiments. Together with the description, they serve to explain the principles of the embodiments. One skilled in the art will recognize that the particular embodiments depicted in the drawings are merely exemplary, and are not intended to limit scope.

FIG. 1 depicts a portion of a light-field image.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of an architecture for implementing the methods of the present disclosure in a light-field capture device, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts an example of an architecture for implementing the methods of the present disclosure in a post-processing system communicatively coupled to a light-field capture device, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of an architecture for a light-field camera for implementing the methods of the present disclosure according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts a method of focusing a light-field camera via phase detection of light-field data, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts a method of carrying out the step of using the preliminary light-field data to generate an offset of FIG. 5 in greater detail, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts a method of focusing a light-field camera via phase detection and contrast detection, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary preliminary light-field image generated from preliminary light-field data to be used for autofocus purposes, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 9A through 9E depict five subaperture images generated from the preliminary light-field data used to generate the light-field image of FIG. 8, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 10 depicts cropped subaperture images generated by cropping the subaperture images of FIGS. 9A through 9E, in relative positions that illustrate the performance of phase detection, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 11 depicts the cropped subaperture images of FIG. 10 with associated focus offsets determined via phase detection, according to one embodiment.

DEFINITIONS

For purposes of the description provided herein, the following definitions are used:

• • Aperture: an opening through which light enters a camera.
  • Contrast level: the degree of contrast present in an image.
  • Cropping: a process by which a subset of an image is isolated for further use.
  • Data store: a hardware element that provides volatile or nonvolatile digital data storage.
  • Disk: a region in a light-field image that is illuminated by light passing through a single microlens; may be circular or any other suitable shape.
  • Epipolar image: an image as defined in U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/302,826 for “Depth Determination for Light Field Images”, filed on Jun. 12, 2014 and issued on Mar. 24, 2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,988,317, which is incorporated herein by reference.
  • Focus setting: a parameter of a main lens indicating a displacement from the main lens at which objects in a scene will be in focus.
  • Focus sweep: a process by which the focus setting of a main lens is gradually changed, with image data captured at multiple focus settings along the focus sweep.
  • Four-dimensional coordinate, or 4-D coordinate: The coordinates (x, y, u, v) used to index a light-field sample. (x, y) may be referred to as the spatial coordinate and (u, v) may be referred to as the angular coordinate. In a light-field camera, (x, y) is the coordinate of the intersection point of a light ray with the microlens array, and (u, v) is that with the aperture plane.
  • Image: a two-dimensional array of pixel values, or pixels, each specifying a color.
  • Image data: digital data captured at a sensor that contains at least a portion of an image
  • Image sensor, sensor, or photosensor: a sensor that produces electrical signals in proportion to light received.
  • Light-field, or light-field data: four-dimensional data, such as a sample representing information carried by ray bundles captured by a light-field camera or other capture device. Each ray may be indexed by a four-dimensional coordinate (for example, x, y, u, v). This document focuses on digital light-fields captured by a single light-field camera, with all samples arranged in a two-dimensional array as on their layout on a photosensor.
  • Light-field image: an image that contains a representation of light-field data captured at the sensor.
  • Main lens: a lens or set of lenses that directs light from a scene along an optical path leading to an image sensor
  • Microlens: a small lens, typically one in an array of similar microlenses.
  • Microlens array: a pattern of microlenses.
  • Offset: an indication of desired change in a parameter of an optical component, such as the focus setting of a main lens.
  • Optical pathway: a path to be followed by light within a camera; may be straight and direct, or may have one or more angles introduced by optical elements such as mirrors and lenses.
  • Plenoptic light-field camera: a camera that uses a microlens array to capture four-dimensional light-field data.
  • Subaperture image: for a plenoptic light-field camera, an image generated from light-field data from the same location on each microlens of a microlens array.

In addition, for ease of nomenclature, the term “camera” is used herein to refer to an image capture device or other data acquisition device. Such a data acquisition device can be any device or system for acquiring, recording, measuring, estimating, determining and/or computing data representative of a scene, including but not limited to two-dimensional image data, three-dimensional image data, and/or light-field data. Such a data acquisition device may include optics, sensors, and image processing electronics for acquiring data representative of a scene, using techniques that are well known in the art. One skilled in the art will recognize that many types of data acquisition devices can be used in connection with the present disclosure, and that the disclosure is not limited to cameras. Thus, the use of the term “camera” herein is intended to be illustrative and exemplary, but should not be considered to limit the scope of the disclosure. Specifically, any use of such term herein should be considered to refer to any suitable device for acquiring image data.

In the following description, several techniques and methods for processing light-field images are described. One skilled in the art will recognize that these various techniques and methods can be performed singly and/or in any suitable combination with one another.

Architecture

In at least one embodiment, the system and method described herein can be implemented in connection with light-field images captured by light-field capture devices including but not limited to those described in Ng et al., Light-field photography with a hand-held plenoptic capture device, Technical Report CSTR 2005-02, Stanford Computer Science. Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a block diagram depicting an architecture for implementing the method of the present disclosure in a light-field capture device such as a camera 200. Referring now also to FIG. 3, there is shown a block diagram depicting an architecture for implementing the method of the present disclosure in a post-processing system 300 communicatively coupled to a light-field capture device such as a camera 200, according to one embodiment. One skilled in the art will recognize that the particular configurations shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are merely exemplary, and that other architectures are possible for camera 200. One skilled in the art will further recognize that several of the components shown in the configurations of FIGS. 2 and 3 are optional, and may be omitted or reconfigured.

In at least one embodiment, camera 200 may be a light-field camera that includes light-field image data acquisition device 209 having optics 201, image sensor 203 (including a plurality of individual sensors for capturing pixels), and microlens array 202. Optics 201 may include, for example, aperture 212 for allowing a selectable amount of light into camera 200, and main lens 213 for focusing light toward microlens array 202. In at least one embodiment, microlens array 202 may be disposed and/or incorporated in the optical path of camera 200 (between main lens 213 and image sensor 203) so as to facilitate acquisition, capture, sampling of, recording, and/or obtaining light-field image data via image sensor 203. Referring now also to FIG. 4, there is shown an example of an architecture for a light-field camera, or camera 200, for implementing the method of the present disclosure according to one embodiment. The Figure is not shown to scale. FIG. 4 shows, in conceptual form, the relationship between aperture 212, main lens 213, microlens array 202, and image sensor 203, as such components interact to capture light-field data for one or more objects, represented by an object 401, which may be part of a scene 402.

In at least one embodiment, camera 200 may also include a user interface 205 for allowing a user to provide input for controlling the operation of camera 200 for capturing, acquiring, storing, and/or processing image data. The user interface 205 may receive user input from the user via an input device 206, which may include any one or more user input mechanisms known in the art. For example, the input device 206 may include one or more buttons, switches, touch screens, gesture interpretation devices, pointing devices, and/or the like.

Similarly, in at least one embodiment, post-processing system 300 may include a user interface 305 that allows the user to initiate processing, viewing, and/or other output of light-field images. The user interface 305 may additionally or alternatively facilitate the receipt of user input from the user to establish one or more parameters of subsequent image processing.

In at least one embodiment, camera 200 may also include control circuitry 210 for facilitating acquisition, sampling, recording, and/or obtaining light-field image data. For example, control circuitry 210 may manage and/or control (automatically or in response to user input) the acquisition timing, rate of acquisition, sampling, capturing, recording, and/or obtaining of light-field image data.

In at least one embodiment, camera 200 may include memory 211 for storing image data, such as output by image sensor 203. Such memory 211 can include external and/or internal memory. In at least one embodiment, memory 211 can be provided at a separate device and/or location from camera 200.

For example, camera 200 may store raw light-field image data, as output by image sensor 203, and/or a representation thereof, such as a compressed image data file. In addition, as described in related U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 12/703,367 for “Light-field Camera Image, File and Configuration Data, and Method of Using, Storing and Communicating Same,” filed Feb. 10, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, memory 211 can also store data representing the characteristics, parameters, and/or configurations (collectively “configuration data”) of device 209. The configuration data may include light-field image capture parameters such as zoom and focus settings.

In at least one embodiment, captured image data is provided to post-processing circuitry 204. The post-processing circuitry 204 may be disposed in or integrated into light-field image data acquisition device 209, as shown in FIG. 2, or it may be in a separate component external to light-field image data acquisition device 209, as shown in FIG. 3. Such separate component may be local or remote with respect to light-field image data acquisition device 209. Any suitable wired or wireless protocol can be used for transmitting image data 221 to circuitry 204; for example, the camera 200 can transmit image data 221 and/or other data via the Internet, a cellular data network, a Wi-Fi network, a Bluetooth communication protocol, and/or any other suitable means.

Such a separate component may include any of a wide variety of computing devices, including but not limited to computers, smartphones, tablets, cameras, and/or any other device that processes digital information. Such a separate component may include additional features such as a user input 215 and/or a display screen 216. If desired, light-field image data may be displayed for the user on the display screen 216.

Light-Field Imaging Overview

Light-field images often include a plurality of projections (which may be circular or of other shapes) of aperture 212 of camera 200, each projection taken from a different vantage point on the camera's focal plane. The light-field image may be captured on image sensor 203. The interposition of microlens array 202 between main lens 213 and image sensor 203 causes images of aperture 212 to be formed on image sensor 203, each microlens in microlens array 202 projecting a small image of main-lens aperture 212 onto image sensor 203. These aperture-shaped projections are referred to herein as disks, although they need not be circular in shape. The term “disk” is not intended to be limited to a circular region, but can refer to a region of any shape.

Light-field images include four dimensions of information describing light rays impinging on the focal plane of camera 200 (or other capture device). Two spatial dimensions (herein referred to as x and y) are represented by the disks themselves. For example, the spatial resolution of a light-field image with 120,000 disks, arranged in a Cartesian pattern 400 wide and 300 high, is 400×300. Two angular dimensions (herein referred to as u and v) are represented as the pixels within an individual disk. For example, the angular resolution of a light-field image with 100 pixels within each disk, arranged as a 10×10 Cartesian pattern, is 10×10. This light-field image has a 4-D (x, y, u, v) resolution of (400, 300, 10, 10). Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an example of a 2-disk by 2-disk portion of such a light-field image, including depictions of disks 102 and individual pixels 101; for illustrative purposes, each disk 102 is ten pixels 101 across.

In at least one embodiment, the 4-D light-field representation may be reduced to a 2-D image through a process of projection and reconstruction. As described in more detail in related U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/774,971 for “Compensating for Variation in Microlens Position During Light Field Image Processing,” filed Feb. 22, 2013 and issued on Sep. 9, 2014 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,831,377, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, a virtual surface of projection may be introduced, and the intersections of representative rays with the virtual surface can be computed. The color of each representative ray may be taken to be equal to the color of its corresponding pixel.

Any number of image processing techniques can be used to reduce color artifacts, reduce projection artifacts, increase dynamic range, and/or otherwise improve image quality. Examples of such techniques, including for example modulation, demodulation, and demosaicing, are described in related U.S. application Ser. No. 13/774,925 for “Compensating for Sensor Saturation and Microlens Modulation During Light Field Image Processing” filed Feb. 22, 2013 and issued on Feb. 3, 2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,948,545, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Autofocus in Light-Field Cameras

In order to overcome the problems referenced above with conventional autofocus systems and methods, the light-field camera architecture described above may be used to implement a variety of autofocus techniques. In some embodiments, such techniques may be implemented without the need for any additional sensors and/or optical pathways.

In some implementations, a phase detection method may be employed. This may be done at only one focus point within the imaging area of the camera 200, or alternatively, at each of multiple focus points. One exemplary method involving phase detection will be shown and described in connection with FIG. 5.

Phase Detection Autofocus

Referring to FIG. 5, a method is depicted, by which a light-field camera may be focused via phase detection of light-field data, according to one embodiment. The light-field camera with which the method of FIG. 5 is used may be a plenoptic light-field camera such as the light-field camera 200 of FIG. 2, or in alternative embodiments, may be configured differently. The method of FIG. 5 will be described in connection with the light-field camera 200 of FIG. 2, by way of example. Similarly, the light-field camera 200 of FIG. 2 may be used in conjunction with focusing methods other than that of FIG. 5.

The method may start 500 with a step 510 in which light is received in the camera 200. This may be done, for example, by opening the aperture 212 to permit the light to enter the interior of the camera 200. In step 520, the light may be directed along an optical pathway within the camera 200. This may be done through the use of one or more optical elements, which may include, but are not limited to, the main lens 213, the microlens array 202, and one or more mirrors and/or prisms (not shown). The optical pathway may be straight, as illustrated in FIG. 4, or may have one or more angles or bends introduced through the use of optical elements such as mirrors and/or prisms.

In step 530, the light may be captured, for example, by the image sensor 203, to generate preliminary light-field data representative of the light captured. The camera 200 may not necessarily be in focus during performance of step 530. Thus, the preliminary light-field data may not be properly focused.

In step 540, the preliminary light-field data may be used to generate an offset by which the focus of the camera 200 is to be adjusted to bring newly-captured light-field data, of the same scene as that imaged by the preliminary light-field data, into or toward proper focus. The offset may be a vector indicating the magnitude and direction that the focus setting of the camera 200 should be changed in order to focus the camera 200. In some embodiments, the offset may be a positive or negative number that indicates a change in the distance from the camera 200 at which the main lens 213 is focused. Alternatively, the offset may be a positive or negative number that indicates a change in position of one or more components of the main lens 213, which may be automatically movable via a motor or other mechanism (not shown) in response to determination of the offset.

The method of FIG. 5 may be iterative, as shown, so that the offset obtained in step 540 need not necessarily be selected to fully focus the camera 200. Thus, pursuant to a query 550, a determination may be made as to whether the camera 200 is sufficiently focused. In certain embodiments, this may be done by determining whether the offset is greater than a threshold value. If the offset is greater than the threshold value, this may indicate the camera 200 is not sufficiently focused without applying the offset. If the offset is less than the threshold value, this may indicate that the camera 200 is sufficiently focused.

In some embodiments, a confidence factor may be calculated as part of step 540 as the offset is determined. The confidence factor may indicate a degree of confidence in the accuracy of the offset. For example, if step 540 involves the comparison of multiple subaperture images, the offset may be determined by combining the focus offsets calculated between different pairs of the subaperture images. Such a combination may be made, for example, by averaging the focus offsets to obtain the offset. A standard deviation or other metric may be calculated to indicate the magnitude of variability present in the focus offsets. Such a metric may be used to obtain the confidence factor.

In some examples, a high confidence factor may indicate high confidence that application of the offset will bring the camera 200 into proper focus. Conversely, a low confidence factor may indicate relatively low confidence that application of the offset will properly focus the camera 200. If desired, the magnitude of the confidence factor may be taken into account in query 550, for example, in addition to or in the alternative to the magnitude of the offset. In some embodiments, query 550 may employ a formula based on the magnitude offset and that of the confidence factor. For example, a focus score or other metric may be calculated based on the offset and the confidence factor, with a small offset and a high confidence factor leading to a higher focus score. Query 550 may determine that the camera 200 is in proper focus when the focus score exceeds a threshold value.

If query 550 is answered in the negative, the method may proceed to a step 560 in which the offset is used to refocus the main lens 213 of the camera 200. As indicated previously, the offset may specify the desired motion of one or more components of the main lens 213, or may indicate a focus depth that is to be obtained for the camera 200, or the like. A motor (not shown) or other actuation device may move the main lens 213 in the manner specified by the offset.

After the offset has been applied, the camera 200 may be focused at a new setting, which may be used in the reiteration of step 510, step 520, step 530, step 540, and query 550. Reiteration of step 540 may result in generation of a new offset based on the new preliminary light-field data generated in step 530.

Once query 550 is answered in the affirmative, the camera 200 is deemed to be in focus, and the method may end 590. The camera 200 may then capture additional light to generate new light-field data at the current focus setting. This light-field data may be used to generate the desired light-field image. In the alternative, after termination of the method, the most recent preliminary light-field data captured by the camera 200, and used to calculate the most recent offset, may be recorded and used to generate the desired light-field image.

Step 540 of generating the offset may be performed in a wide variety of ways. In some embodiments, a phase detection algorithm may be used. One example of how step 540 may be carried out will be shown and described in connection with FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIG. 6, step 540 of using the preliminary light-field data to generate an offset of FIG. 5 is depicted in greater detail, according to one embodiment. Step 540 may be carried out in many different ways; FIG. 6 merely presents one example within the scope of the present disclosure.

Step 540 may start 600 with a step 610 in which a plurality of subaperture images are generated based on the preliminary light-field data generated in step 530. Each subaperture image may be generated by taking pixels from the same location on each microlens of the microlens array 202 of the camera 200, and combining them into a two-dimensional image. The subaperture images may advantageously be generated based on pixel locations that are near the center of each microlens of the microlens array 202, and are relatively close to each other. In some embodiments, the subaperture images may be generated based on a pattern, for example, with a central subaperture image surrounded by a plurality of peripheral subaperture images, as will be shown and further described in the example.

In step 620, the subaperture images generated in step 610 may be cropped to facilitate further analysis. The subaperture images may be cropped in such a manner that the same portion (for example, a rectangular portion bounded by the same two-dimensional Cartesian coordinates) of each of the subaperture images is kept. Thus, a plurality of cropped subaperture images may be obtained.

In step 630, one or more features common to each of the cropped subaperture images may be identified. These features may be selected to be readily identifiable via an identification algorithm. Thus, the features may consist of high intensity points, low intensity points, high contrast areas (for example, the lines produced by the edges of objects), and/or the like. The same feature(s) may be identified within each of the cropped subaperture images.

In step 640, the relative positions of the feature(s) identified in step 630 may be ascertained and compared. These positions may, for example, be the Cartesian coordinates at which the feature is located in each cropped subaperture image. The differences between these positions, for adjacent pairs of cropped subaperture images, may be calculated to yield a series of focus offsets between pairs of images.

As indicated previously, the subaperture images may include a central subaperture image surrounded by peripheral subaperture images. Thus, the cropped subaperture images may be arranged with a central cropped subaperture image surrounded by peripheral cropped subaperture images. The focus offset of each cropped peripheral subaperture image, relative to the central cropped subaperture image, may be determined via comparison of the feature positions, as described above. This may yield a focus offset of each peripheral cropped subaperture image, relative to the central cropped subaperture image.

In step 650, the offset may be generated. In some embodiments, the offset may be computed by combining the focus offsets obtained in step 640, as described previously. In some examples, the focus offsets may be averaged or combined through the use of a different algorithm to yield the offset. In some embodiments, a confidence factor may also be generated, as described above. Step 540 may then end 690.

In addition to or in the alternative to the method of FIG. 6, the offset may be generated through the use of epipolar images. Epipolar images are described in U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/302,826 for “Depth Determination for Light Field Images” filed on Jun. 12, 2014 and issued on Mar. 24, 2015 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,988,317, which is incorporated herein by reference.

An epipolar image may be an image of a single line across a body of light-field data, which may provide an (x,v) plot of the data. In an epipolar image, the presence of vertical lines may indicate proper focus. Thus, a preponderance of the vertical lines in an epipolar image may be used to assess the focus level of the camera 200 at the location at which the epipolar image was taken. If desired, multiple epipolar images may be generated across various portions of light-field data to provide multiple focus points.

Phase Detection and Contrast Detection Autofocus

In some embodiments, autofocus may be carried out using the architecture of a light-field camera, such as the light-field camera 200, using both phase detection and contrast detection. In some methods, phase detection may be used to help define the range of a focus sweep that is to be used in contrast detection. Contrast detection may then be used to obtain the offset to be applied to the main lens 213 of the camera 200.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a method is depicted by which a light-field camera may be focused via phase detection and contrast detection of light-field data, according to one embodiment. The light-field camera with which the method of FIG. 7 is used may be a plenoptic light-field camera such as the light-field camera 200 of FIG. 2, or in alternative embodiments, may be configured differently. The method of FIG. 7 will be described in connection with the light-field camera 200 of FIG. 2, by way of example. Similarly, the light-field camera 200 of FIG. 2 may be used in conjunction with focusing methods other than those of FIG. 5 and FIG. 7.

As shown, the method of FIG. 7 may include the same steps as that of FIG. 5, with additional steps added for contrast detection. Thus, the method may start 500 with step 510, step 520, step 530, step 540, and query 550, substantially as described in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6. Again, where query 550 is answered in the negative, step 560 may be carried out by using the offset to refocus the main lens 213 to the new focus setting. The new focus setting may optionally be that which is believed to bring the camera 200 into proper focus. Alternatively, the new focus setting may represent one end point of a focus sweep believed to contain the proper focus setting. Thus, for example, the new focus setting may be deliberately perturbed from the offset generated in step 540 so that the camera 200 can be moved through a focus sweep inclusive of the focus setting in which the offset is applied.

In step 710, the main lens 213 of the camera 200 may be focused through the sweep. This may entail gradually refocusing the main lens 213 through an incrementally-changing focus setting. As indicated previously, the focus setting of the main lens 213 may be automatically changed through the use of a motor or other actuator (not shown). Such an actuator may be used to refocus the main lens 213 through the desired range of focus settings, at the desired speed.

In step 720, intermediate light-field data may be captured at each of a plurality of intermediate focus settings within the focus sweep. In some examples, the focus sweep may be divided into a number of evenly-spaced increments, and the image sensor 203 of the camera 200 may capture intermediate light-field data at each of the increments.

In step 730, the contrast level may be computed for each package of intermediate light-field data captured in step 720. The contrast level may be computed via any of a variety of algorithms known in the art. A higher contrast level may indicate better focus.

In step 740, the contrast levels of the packages of intermediate light-field data computed in step 730 may be compared with each other until the intermediate light-field data with the highest contrast level has been identified. The focus setting used to capture the intermediate light-field data with the highest contrast setting may be identified as the optimal intermediate focus setting.

In some embodiments, this comparison may be carried out continuously as the intermediate light-field data is generated. For example, each time new intermediate light-field data is generated, its contrast level may be computed and compared with that of the intermediate light-field data generated immediately prior to it. If the contrast level of the new intermediate light-field data is higher, generation of intermediate light-field data may continue through the focus sweep until the contrast level of the new intermediate light-field data drops, by comparison with that of the intermediate light-field data generated immediately prior to it. When the contrast level begins to drop, it may be recognized that the focus sweep has moved through the optimal focus setting. The focus setting of the intermediate light-field data with the highest contrast level (for example, the intermediate light-field data captured immediately prior to reduction in the contrast level) may be identified as the optimal intermediate focus setting.

In step 750, the main lens 213 of the camera 200 may be refocused at the optimal intermediate focus setting identified in step 740. As shown, the method may then return to step 510, at which further phase detection may be carried out to determine, via query 550, whether the camera 200 is properly focused. If proper focus has not been achieved, the offset determined by phase detection may be applied in step 560, and contrast detection may be carried out again with a new focus sweep.

In alternative embodiments, after performance of step 750, further contrast detection may be carried out directly. Thus, for example, rather than returning to step 510, the method may return to step 710 for further contrast detection.

In some embodiments, a query similar to query 550 may be used to determine, based on results of the contrast detection, whether the camera 200 has been properly focused. This query may be carried out, for example, after the optimal intermediate focus setting has been identified in step 740. For example, if the contrast level of the intermediate light-field data generated at the optimal intermediate focus setting is below a threshold contrast level, it may be determined that the camera 200 is properly focused, and no further autofocus steps are needed. Thus, if the query is answered in the affirmative, the method may end 590.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that the methods of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 are merely exemplary. The various steps presented may be re-ordered, or in some cases performed simultaneously, in various ways. Further, in alternative embodiments, some of these steps may be omitted, replaced, and/or supplemented with different steps. Any steps used in the performance of known autofocus algorithms may be used in conjunction with any of the methods of FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

EXAMPLE

The performance of the methods of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 will be illustrated in connection with FIGS. 8 through 11. FIGS. 8 through 11 are presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation.

Referring now to FIG. 8, an exemplary preliminary light-field image 800 is depicted. The preliminary light-field image 800 may be generated from preliminary light-field data to be used for autofocus purposes. Such preliminary light-field data may be generated in step 530 of FIG. 5. Autofocus may be carried out relative to one or more focus points within the preliminary light-field image 800, with the intention of bringing the focus point into proper focus. Where autofocus is conducted relative to multiple focus points, the user may have the option, in some embodiments, to select a focus point at which the camera 200 is to be focused. One focus point 810 is illustrated by way of example.

Referring now to FIGS. 9A through 9E, five subaperture images are depicted. The subaperture images may be generated from the preliminary light-field data used to generate the light-field image of FIG. 8, pursuant to step 610 of FIG. 6.

The subaperture images may include a first subaperture image 900, a second subaperture image 920, a third subaperture image 940, a fourth subaperture image 960, and a fifth subaperture image 980. Each of the subaperture images may be generated by combining the pixels at the same location on each microlens of the microlens array 202 of the camera 200. The subaperture images may be displaced from each other, for example, so that one of the subaperture images is a center subaperture image, and each of the other subaperture images is displaced slightly from the center subaperture image, either toward the right, toward the left, toward the top, or toward the bottom.

Referring now to FIG. 10, cropped subaperture images are depicted. The cropped subaperture images may be generated by cropping the subaperture images of FIGS. 9A through 9E pursuant to step 620 of FIG. 6. Cropping may be carried out such that the same portion (i.e., the same coordinates) of each of the subaperture images may be kept, as shown.

As also shown in FIG. 10, the cropped subaperture images may include a central cropped subaperture image 1000, a left cropped subaperture image 1020, a right cropped subaperture image 1040, a top cropped subaperture image 1060, and a bottom cropped subaperture image 1080. These subaperture images are arranged in FIG. 10 to indicate the relative positions, within each microlens of the microlens array 202, from which their pixels were taken. Performance of phase detection may be carried out with respect to these relative positions. The left cropped subaperture image 1020, the right cropped subaperture image 1040, the top cropped subaperture image 1060, and the bottom cropped subaperture image 1080 may constitute peripheral cropped subaperture images as described above.

With the main lens 213 of the camera 200 in proper focus, the cropped subaperture images of FIG. 10 may be expected to align with each other, so that when superimposed, their various features would line up on top of each other. However, when the camera 200 is out of focus, the features of the cropped subaperture images of FIG. 10 may be offset from each other. This offset may be calculated by identifying the same feature(s) in each of the cropped subaperture images, and then comparing their relative positions. For example, easily-identified features such as high contrast areas may be used. Specifically, the left and right sides of the crayon in each of the cropped subaperture images may each be high contrast areas that can be consistently identified and accurately located within each of the cropped subaperture images.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the cropped subaperture images of FIG. 10 are depicted, with associated focus offsets determined via phase detection. The focus offsets shown may be determined by identifying features of the cropped subaperture images and comparing the locations of these features within the cropped subaperture images, as described above.

The focus offsets shown may indicate that, in order to align with the central cropped subaperture image 1000, the left cropped subaperture image 1020 would need to move 2.8 pixels to the right, the right cropped subaperture image 1040 would need to move 3.1 pixels to the left, the top cropped subaperture image 1060 would need to move 3.0 pixels downward, and the bottom cropped subaperture image 1080 would need to move 2.9 pixels upward. These focus offsets all specify motion toward the central cropped subaperture image 1000, and thus may all entail focusing the main lens 213 of the camera 200 in the same direction, albeit with slightly varying magnitudes.

The focus offsets may be combined, for example, via averaging, to yield the offset to be applied to the main lens 213. The average value of the focus offsets is 2.95 pixels, and the direction of the offset may be determined by the directions of the focus offsets (i.e., either toward or away from the central cropped subaperture image 1000). Thus, it may be expected that applying the offset to refocus the main lens 213 may bring the camera into proper focus, at least relative to the focus point 810 shown in FIG. 8.

Notably, different focus settings may be needed to bring different portions of an image into focus. Thus, if a different focus point (not shown) in the preliminary light-field image 800 is selected, the methods of FIGS. 5 and 6 may need to be re-applied based on the newly-selected focus point. The result may be the application of a new offset that refocuses the main lens 213 of the camera 200 to a new focus setting suitable for bringing the newly-selected focus point into proper focus.

The above description and referenced drawings set forth particular details with respect to possible embodiments. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the techniques described herein may be practiced in other embodiments. First, the particular naming of the components, capitalization of terms, the attributes, data structures, or any other programming or structural aspect is not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the techniques described herein may have different names, formats, or protocols. Further, the system may be implemented via a combination of hardware and software, as described, or entirely in hardware elements, or entirely in software elements. Also, the particular division of functionality between the various system components described herein is merely exemplary, and not mandatory; functions performed by a single system component may instead be performed by multiple components, and functions performed by multiple components may instead be performed by a single component.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or to “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Some embodiments may include a system or a method for performing the above-described techniques, either singly or in any combination. Other embodiments may include a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and computer program code, encoded on the medium, for causing a processor in a computing device or other electronic device to perform the above-described techniques.

Some portions of the above are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a memory of a computing device. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps (instructions) leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical, magnetic or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared and otherwise manipulated. It is convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. Furthermore, it is also convenient at times, to refer to certain arrangements of steps requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities as modules or code devices, without loss of generality.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “displaying” or “determining” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing module and/or device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.

Certain aspects include process steps and instructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should be noted that the process steps and instructions of described herein can be embodied in software, firmware and/or hardware, and when embodied in software, can be downloaded to reside on and be operated from different platforms used by a variety of operating systems.

Some embodiments relate to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computing device. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memory, solid state drives, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and/or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus. Further, the computing devices referred to herein may include a single processor or may be architectures employing multiple processor designs for increased computing capability.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computing device, virtualized system, or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will be apparent from the description provided herein. In addition, the techniques set forth herein are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the techniques described herein, and any references above to specific languages are provided for illustrative purposes only.

Accordingly, in various embodiments, the techniques described herein can be implemented as software, hardware, and/or other elements for controlling a computer system, computing device, or other electronic device, or any combination or plurality thereof. Such an electronic device can include, for example, a processor, an input device (such as a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, trackpad, joystick, trackball, microphone, and/or any combination thereof), an output device (such as a screen, speaker, and/or the like), memory, long-term storage (such as magnetic storage, optical storage, and/or the like), and/or network connectivity, according to techniques that are well known in the art. Such an electronic device may be portable or nonportable. Examples of electronic devices that may be used for implementing the techniques described herein include: a mobile phone, personal digital assistant, smartphone, kiosk, server computer, enterprise computing device, desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, consumer electronic device, television, set-top box, or the like. An electronic device for implementing the techniques described herein may use any operating system such as, for example: Linux; Microsoft Windows, available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.; Mac OS X, available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.; iOS, available from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.; Android, available from Google, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif.; and/or any other operating system that is adapted for use on the device.

In various embodiments, the techniques described herein can be implemented in a distributed processing environment, networked computing environment, or web-based computing environment. Elements can be implemented on client computing devices, servers, routers, and/or other network or non-network components. In some embodiments, the techniques described herein are implemented using a client/server architecture, wherein some components are implemented on one or more client computing devices and other components are implemented on one or more servers. In one embodiment, in the course of implementing the techniques of the present disclosure, client(s) request content from server(s), and server(s) return content in response to the requests. A browser may be installed at the client computing device for enabling such requests and responses, and for providing a user interface by which the user can initiate and control such interactions and view the presented content.

Any or all of the network components for implementing the described technology may, in some embodiments, be communicatively coupled with one another using any suitable electronic network, whether wired or wireless or any combination thereof, and using any suitable protocols for enabling such communication. One example of such a network is the Internet, although the techniques described herein can be implemented using other networks as well.

While a limited number of embodiments has been described herein, those skilled in the art, having benefit of the above description, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the claims. In addition, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting.

Claims

1. A method for focusing a light-field camera, the method comprising: through an aperture of the light-field camera, receiving first light with a main lens of the light-field camera at a first focus setting;directing the first light to a sensor of the light-field camera via an optical pathway;in the sensor, capturing the first light to generate preliminary light-field data;in a processor, using the preliminary light-field data to generate an offset;using the offset to refocus the main lens to a second focus setting; andwherein using the preliminary light-field data to generate the offset comprises:using the preliminary light-field data to generate a plurality of subaperture images;computing relative displacements between the subaperture images; andbased on the relative displacements, generating the offset using an averaging of a set of focus offsets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein computing relative displacements between the subaperture images comprises: cropping each of the subaperture images to provide a cropped subaperture image such that all cropped subaperture images depict the same image portion;identifying at least one feature of each of the cropped subaperture images; andcomparing positions of the features within the cropped subaperture images to determine the relative displacements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein calculating a plurality of relative positions of the features for adjacent pairs of the cropped subaperture images yields the set of focus offsets.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: refocusing the main lens through a sweep from the second focus setting to a third focus setting;at the sensor, at each of a plurality of intermediate focus settings between the second focus setting and the third focus setting, capturing intermediate light-field data;at the processor, for each intermediate light-field data, computing a contrast level; andcomparing the contrast levels to identify an optimal intermediate focus setting of the intermediate focus settings at which contrast is the highest.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: refocusing the main lens to the optimal intermediate focus setting;through the aperture, receiving second light with the main lens at the optimal intermediate focus setting;directing the second light to the sensor via the optical pathway; andin the sensor, capturing the second light to generate a light-field image.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: at the processor, computing a confidence factor; andusing the confidence factor to determine whether the light-field camera is properly focused.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: through the aperture, receiving second light with the main lens at the second focus setting;directing the second light to the sensor via the optical pathway; andin the sensor, capturing the second light to generate a light-field image.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the light-field camera is properly focused with the main lens at the second focus setting; anduntil the light-field camera is properly focused, iterating the steps of: through the aperture, receiving additional light with the main lens;directing the additional light to the sensor via the optical pathway;in the sensor, capturing the additional light to generate additional preliminary light-field data;in the processor, using the additional preliminary light-field data to generate an additional offset;using the additional offset to refocus the main lens; anddetermining whether the light-field camera is properly focused with the main lens.

9. A light-field camera comprising: an aperture configured to receive first light with a main lens of the light-field camera at a first focus setting such that the first light is directed to a sensor of the light-field camera via an optical pathway;a sensor configured to capture the first light to generate preliminary light-field data; anda processor configured to: use the preliminary light-field data to generate an offset;use the offset to cause the main lens to be refocused to a second focus setting; andwherein the processor is configured to use the preliminary light-field data to generate the offset by: using the preliminary light-field data to generate a plurality of subaperture images;computing relative displacements between the subaperture images; andbased on the relative displacements, generating the offset using an averaging of a set of focus offsets.

10. The light-field camera of claim 9, wherein computing relative displacements between the subaperture images comprises: cropping each of the subaperture images to provide a cropped subaperture image such that all cropped subaperture images depict the same image portion;identifying at least one feature of each of the cropped subaperture images; andcomparing positions of the features within the cropped subaperture images to determine the relative displacements.

11. The light-field camera of claim 9, wherein: the processor is further configured to cause the main lens to be refocused through a sweep from the second focus setting to a third focus setting;the sensor is further configured, at each of a plurality of intermediate focus settings between the second focus setting and the third focus setting, to capture intermediate light-field data;the processor is further configured, for each intermediate light-field data, to compute a contrast level; andthe processor is further configured to compare the contrast levels to identify an optimal intermediate focus setting of the intermediate focus settings at which contrast is the highest.

12. The light-field camera of claim 11, wherein: the processor is further configured to cause the main lens to be refocused to the optimal intermediate focus setting;the aperture is further configured to receive second light with the main lens at the optimal intermediate focus setting such that the second light is directed to the sensor via the optical pathway; andthe sensor is further configured to capture the second light to generate a light-field image.

13. The light-field camera of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: computing a confidence factor; anduse the confidence factor to determine whether the light-field camera is properly focused.

14. The light-field camera of claim 9, wherein: the aperture is further configured to receive second light with the main lens at the second focus setting such that the second light is directed to the sensor via the optical pathway; andthe sensor is further configured to capture the second light to generate a light-field image.

15. The light-field camera of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine whether the light-field camera is properly focused with the main lens at the second focus setting; anduntil the light-field camera is properly focused, cause the light-field camera to iterate the steps of: through the aperture, receiving additional light with the main lens such that the additional light is directed to the sensor via the optical pathway;in the sensor, capturing the additional light to generate additional preliminary light-field data;using the additional preliminary light-field data to generate an additional offset;using the additional offset to refocus the main lens; anddetermining whether the light-field camera is properly focused with the main lens.

16. The light-field image camera of claim 9, wherein computing relative displacements between the subaperture images comprises: cropping each of the subaperture images to provide a cropped subaperture image such that all cropped subaperture images depict the same image portion;identifying at least one feature of each of the cropped subaperture images;comparing positions of the features within the cropped subaperture images to determine the relative displacements; andcalculating a plurality of relative position of the features for adjacent pairs of cropped subaperture images to yield the set of focus offsets.