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US20160191784A1 Active / In Force US ⏱️ 7.7 years remaining

Imaging device

Assignee: Sharp Corp
•
Filing: 2014-08-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2034-08-05
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Abstract

Abstract Provided is an imaging device, including: an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of images having different focal positions; an orientation acquisition unit for acquiring orientation information of the image acquisition unit; and an image processing unit for generating, from the plurality of images, an image having a depth of field which is enlarged compared to a depth of field of one of the plurality of images, in which a focal position setting value by which the focal position is determined is provided, and the focal position setting value is corrected based on the orientation information.

Inventors

  • 👤 Daisuke Murayama
  • 👤 Kei Tokui

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 10:21
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B27/00; G02B27/0075; H04N5/23212; G02B7/00; G02B7/28; G02B7/36; G02B7/38; H; H04; H04N; H04N23/00; H04N23/60; H04N23/62; H04N23/67; H04N23/676; H04N23/69; H04N23/80; H04N23/95; H04N23/951; H04N23/958; H04N5/23229; H04N23/672; H04N23/673

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim 91 words
1 : An imaging device, comprising: an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of images having different focal positions; an orientation acquisition unit for acquiring orientation information of the image acquisition unit; and an image processing unit for generating, from the plurality of images, an image having an in-focus range wider than an in-focus range of each of the plurality of images, wherein a focal position setting value by which a focal position is determined is provided, and the focal position setting value is corrected based on the orientation information.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 91 words
1 : An imaging device, comprising: an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of images having different focal positions; an orientation acquisition unit for acquiring orientation information of the image acquisition unit; and an image processing unit for generating, from the plurality of images, an image having an in-focus range wider than an in-focus range of each of the plurality of images, wherein a focal position setting value by which a focal position is determined is provided, and the focal position setting value is corrected based on the orientation information.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 59 words
2 : The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the orientation information has information about an angle formed by an optical axis of the image acquisition unit and a vertical direction, and a sign of a correction amount with which the focal position setting value is corrected is varied based on a sign of the angle information.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 55 words
3 : The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the orientation information has information about an angle formed by an optical axis of the image acquisition unit and a vertical direction, and a correction amount with which the focal position setting value is corrected is varied based on magnitude of the angle information.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 70 words
4 : The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the focal position setting value is determined based on a reference focal position setting value with which a reference object serving as a reference for determining the focal position is in focus, and a correction amount when the focal position setting value is corrected based on the orientation information varies in accordance with the reference focal position setting value.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 95 words
5 : The imaging device according to claim 4 , wherein based on the orientation information and the reference focal position setting value, a proportion of the number of focal position setting values with which an object closer to a near view than the reference object is in focus to the number of focal position setting values with which an object closer to a distant view than the reference object is in focus is adjusted, and based on the focal position setting value which is adjusted, the image acquisition unit acquires the plurality of images.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 47 words
6 : The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a zoom mechanism capable of zooming on an object to be photographed, wherein the focal position setting value is set in accordance with presence/absence of zooming in the zoom mechanism or a degree of zooming.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 40 words
7 : The imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein the focal position setting value is set in accordance with information about a distance of the object, which is decided from in-focus information when the object is in focus.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 43 words
8 : The imaging device according to claim 1 , further comprising: an aperture mechanism capable of changing a depth of field, wherein the focal position setting value is set in accordance with an aperture level of a lens in the aperture mechanism.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 58 words
9 : The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein characteristic information indicating a relation between a setting value of a driving amount by which a lens driving amount is set and a distance at which focus is achieved is estimated by calibration, and the focal position setting value is set based on the estimated characteristic information.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 32 words
10 : The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein the focal position setting value is the setting value of the driving amount by which the lens driving amount is set.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 124 words
11 : An imaging device, comprising: an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of images having different focal positions; and an image processing unit for generating, from the plurality of images, an image having an in-focus range wider than an in-focus range of each of the plurality of images, wherein in a first in-focus image and a second in-focus image which are generated from an image acquired in a state where respective angles formed by an optical axis direction of the image acquisition unit and a vertical direction are different from each other, an in-focus distance at which focus is achieved in the first in-focus image and an in-focus distance at which focus is achieved in the second in-focus image are the same.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 124 words
11 : An imaging device, comprising: an image acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of images having different focal positions; and an image processing unit for generating, from the plurality of images, an image having an in-focus range wider than an in-focus range of each of the plurality of images, wherein in a first in-focus image and a second in-focus image which are generated from an image acquired in a state where respective angles formed by an optical axis direction of the image acquisition unit and a vertical direction are different from each other, an in-focus distance at which focus is achieved in the first in-focus image and an in-focus distance at which focus is achieved in the second in-focus image are the same.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 73 words
12 : The imaging device according to claim 11 , wherein the image acquisition unit includes an optical system for condensing light and an optical driving unit for controlling a position of the optical system, and the optical driving unit changes a driving amount with which the position of the optical system is controlled in accordance with the angle formed by the optical axis of the image acquisition unit and the vertical direction.

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