Abstract: An imaging device may have an array of image pixels that includes red, green, blue, and infrared pixels. The imaging device may include a dual-band filter that allows transmission of light in the visible band and in the near-infrared band and may include color processing circuitry that produces a color image with marked infrared regions. The color processing circuitry may include a standard color processing pipeline with a color correction matrix that produces a tone-mapped standard red, green, and blue image and may include infrared marking circuitry. The infrared marking circuitry may include hue angle determination circuitry, cell means determination circuitry, and near-infrared determination circuitry that determine portions of the image with high infrared reflectance to be marked. The infrared-marked tone-mapped standard red, green, and blue image may be output to a machine vision system to identify objects in the imaged scene with high infrared reflection.

Abstract: An imaging device may have an array of image pixels that includes red, green, blue, and infrared pixels. The imaging device may include a dual-band filter that allows transmission of light in the visible band and in the near-infrared band and may include color processing circuitry that produces a color image with marked infrared regions. The color processing circuitry may include a standard color processing pipeline with a color correction matrix that produces a tone-mapped standard red, green, and blue image and may include infrared marking circuitry. The infrared marking circuitry may include hue angle determination circuitry, cell means determination circuitry, and near-infrared determination circuitry that determine portions of the image with high infrared reflectance to be marked. The infrared-marked tone-mapped standard red, green, and blue image may be output to a machine vision system to identify objects in the imaged scene with high infrared reflection.

Abstract: An imaging device may have a monochrome image sensor and a bi-chromatic image sensor. A beam splitter may split incident light between the two image sensors. The monochrome image sensor may have an array of broadband image sensor pixels that generate broadband image signals. The bi-chromatic image sensor may have an array of red and blue image pixels that generate red and blue image signals. The image sensors may be coupled to processing circuitry that performs processing operations on only the broadband image signals to produce monochrome images, or on the red, blue, and broadband image signals to produce color images. Processing operations used to produce color images may include chroma-demosaicking and/or point filter operations.

Abstract: An imaging device may have a monochrome image sensor and a bi-chromatic image sensor. A beam splitter may split incident light between the two image sensors. The monochrome image sensor may have an array of broadband image sensor pixels that generate broadband image signals. The bi-chromatic image sensor may have an array of red and blue image pixels that generate red and blue image signals. The image sensors may be coupled to processing circuitry that performs processing operations on only the broadband image signals to produce monochrome images, or on the red, blue, and broadband image signals to produce color images. Processing operations used to produce color images may include chroma-demosaicking and/or point filter operations.

Abstract: An optical modulator (12) for speckle suppression in a laser projection system includes a first planar transparent conductor (20); a second optionally transparent planar conductor (26); a diffusing element (22) disposed between the first and second conductor; and an alternating voltage applied across the first and second conductors creates in-plane movement or distortion in the diffusing element to reduce laser speckle.

Abstract: An optical modulator (12) for speckle suppression in a laser projection system includes a first planar transparent conductor (20); a second optionally transparent planar conductor (26); a diffusing element (22) disposed between the first and second conductor; and an alternating voltage applied across the first and second conductors creates in-plane movement or distortion in the diffusing element to reduce laser speckle.

Abstract: A method for retrieving information encoded in a structured illumination pattern including selecting an encoded structured illumination pattern having a variable intensity; providing an object with a surface having a 3D relief pattern; selecting at least one portion but not all of the object's surface including the 3D surface relief pattern; projecting the selected structured illumination pattern onto the selected portion of the surface; using a digital camera to capture an image of the reflected structured light pattern from the selected portion of the surface; storing the image in a memory; and processing the image of the detected reflected structured light pattern using a processor responsive to the detected reflected structured light pattern and the selected structured light pattern to retrieve the encoded information, wherein the encoded information is based on the geometrical and material properties of the 3D surface relief pattern and is distinct from the object, surface, or relief pattern.

Abstract: A method for retrieving information encoded in a structured illumination pattern including selecting an encoded structured illumination pattern having a variable intensity; providing an object with a surface having a 3D relief pattern; selecting at least one portion but not all of the object's surface including the 3D surface relief pattern; projecting the selected structured illumination pattern onto the selected portion of the surface; using a digital camera to capture an image of the reflected structured light pattern from the selected portion of the surface; storing the image in a memory; and processing the image of the detected reflected structured light pattern using a processor responsive to the detected reflected structured light pattern and the selected structured light pattern to retrieve the encoded information, wherein the encoded information is based on the geometrical and material properties of the 3D surface relief pattern and is distinct from the object, surface, or relief pattern.

Abstract: A method for providing a printed optical illusion image having first and second illusion states, comprising: receiving a specification of an optical illusion image having one or more mutable portions; and printing the optical illusion image on a printing device using a plurality of colorants, wherein one or more of the colorants are appearance mutable colorants having spectral characteristics can be switched between a first colorant state and a second colorant state by application of an appropriate external stimulus. The printed optical illusion image can be switched between the first and second illusion states by applying the appropriate external stimulus to controllably switch the one or more appearance mutable colorants between their first and second colorant states, thereby switching the mutable portions of the printed optical illusion image between corresponding first and second appearance states.

Abstract: A printed dynamic optical illusion printed on a printing device using a plurality of colorants, wherein one or more of the colorants are appearance mutable colorants having spectral characteristics that can be controllably switched between a first colorant state and a second colorant state by application of an appropriate external stimulus, and wherein one or more mutable portions of the optical illusion image are printed using at least one appearance mutable colorant. The mutable portions are controllable such that when they are in a first appearance state the printed optical illusion image has a first illusion state, and when they are in a second appearance state the printed optical illusion image has a second illusion state, thereby changing the optical illusion image from the first illusion state to the second illusion state so as to affect the perception of an optical illusion by a human observer.

Abstract: A method of operating a digital camera, includes providing a digital camera, the digital camera including a capture lens, an image sensor, a projector and a processor; using the projector to illuminate one or more objects with a sequence of patterns; and capturing a first sequence of digital images of the illuminated objects including the reflected patterns that have depth information. The method further includes using the processor to analyze the first sequence of digital images including the depth information to construct a second, 3D digital image of the objects; capturing a second 2D digital image of the objects and the remainder of the scene without the reflected patterns, and using the processor to combine the 2D and 3D digital images to produce a modified digital image of the illuminated objects and the remainder of the scene.

Abstract: An image capture device is used to identify object range information, and includes: providing an image capture device, an image sensor, a coded aperture, and a lens; and using the image capture device to capture a digital image of the scene from light passing through the lens and the coded aperture, the scene having a plurality of objects. The method further includes: dividing the digital image into a set of blocks; assigning a point spread function (psf) value to each of the blocks; combining contiguous blocks in accordance with their psf values; producing a set of blur parameters based upon the psf values of the combined blocks and the psf values of the remaining blocks; producing a set of deblurred images based upon the captured image and each of the blur parameters; and using the set of deblurred images to determine the range information for the objects in the scene.

Abstract: A system for controlling a printed dynamic optical illusion image, comprising: an item including a printed optical illusion image having one or more mutable portions that can be controllably switched between first and second appearance states by application of an appropriate external stimulus; a stimulus source for providing the external stimulus; and a controller for controlling the stimulus source. The printed optical illusion image is printed on a printing device using a plurality of colorants, one or more of the colorants being appearance mutable colorants having spectral characteristics that can be controllably switched between a first colorant state and a second colorant state by applying the appropriate external stimulus, the one or more mutable portions of the optical illusion image being printed using at least one appearance mutable colorant.

Abstract: A method for providing a printed optical illusion image having first and second illusion states, comprising: receiving a specification of an optical illusion image having one or more mutable portions; and printing the optical illusion image on a printing device using a plurality of colorants, wherein one or more of the colorants are appearance mutable colorants having spectral characteristics can be switched between a first colorant state and a second colorant state by application of an appropriate external stimulus. The printed optical illusion image can be switched between the first and second illusion states by applying the appropriate external stimulus to controllably switch the one or more appearance mutable colorants between their first and second colorant states, thereby switching the mutable portions of the printed optical illusion image between corresponding first and second appearance states.

Abstract: A system for controlling a printed dynamic optical illusion image, comprising: an item including a printed optical illusion image having one or more mutable portions that can be controllably switched between first and second appearance states by application of an appropriate external stimulus; a stimulus source for providing the external stimulus; and a controller for controlling the stimulus source. The printed optical illusion image is printed on a printing device using a plurality of colorants, one or more of the colorants being appearance mutable colorants having spectral characteristics that can be controllably switched between a first colorant state and a second colorant state by applying the appropriate external stimulus, the one or more mutable portions of the optical illusion image being printed using at least one appearance mutable colorant.

Abstract: A printed dynamic optical illusion printed on a printing device using a plurality of colorants, wherein one or more of the colorants are appearance mutable colorants having spectral characteristics that can be controllably switched between a first colorant state and a second colorant state by application of an appropriate external stimulus, and wherein one or more mutable portions of the optical illusion image are printed using at least one appearance mutable colorant. The mutable portions are controllable such that when they are in a first appearance state the printed optical illusion image has a first illusion state, and when they are in a second appearance state the printed optical illusion image has a second illusion state, thereby changing the optical illusion image from the first illusion state to the second illusion state so as to affect the perception of an optical illusion by a human observer.

Abstract: A method of operating a digital camera, includes providing a digital camera, the digital camera including a capture lens, an image sensor, a projector and a processor; using the projector to illuminate one or more objects with a sequence of patterns; and capturing a first sequence of digital images of the illuminated objects including the reflected patterns that have depth information. The method further includes using the processor to analyze the first sequence of digital images including the depth information to construct a second, 3D digital image of the objects; capturing a second 2D digital image of the objects and the remainder of the scene without the reflected patterns, and using the processor to combine the 2D and 3D digital images to produce a modified digital image of the illuminated objects and the remainder of the scene.

Abstract: A method for determining a three-dimensional model for a scene comprising: projecting a sequence of binary illumination patterns onto a scene; capturing a sequence of binary pattern images of the scene from a plurality of capture directions; projecting a sequence of periodic grayscale illumination patterns onto the scene, each periodic grayscale pattern having the same frequency and a different phase; capturing a sequence of grayscale pattern images from the plurality of capture directions; determining a range map for each capture direction by analyzing the captured binary pattern images and the captured grayscale pattern images; and determining the three-dimensional model for the scene responsive to the range maps determined for each capture direction.

Abstract: A method for determining a range map for a scene comprising: projecting a sequence of binary illumination patterns onto a scene from a projection direction; capturing a sequence of binary pattern images of the scene; projecting a sequence of periodic grayscale illumination patterns onto the scene, each periodic grayscale pattern having the same frequency and a different phase, the phase of the grayscale illumination patterns each having a known relationship to the binary illumination patterns; capturing a sequence of grayscale pattern images of the scene; analyzing the sequence of captured binary pattern images to determine coarse projected x coordinate estimates for a set of image locations; analyzing the sequence of captured grayscale pattern images to determine refined projected x coordinate estimates for the set of image locations; and forming a range map according to the refined projected x coordinate estimates.

Abstract: An image capture device is used to identify object range information, and includes: providing an image capture device, an image sensor, a coded aperture, and a lens; and using the image capture device to capture a digital image of the scene from light passing through the lens and the coded aperture, the scene having a plurality of objects. The method further includes: dividing the digital image into a set of blocks; assigning a point spread function (psf) value to each of the blocks; combining contiguous blocks in accordance with their psf values; producing a set of blur parameters based upon the psf values of the combined blocks and the psf values of the remaining blocks; producing a set of deblurred images based upon the captured image and each of the blur parameters; and using the set of deblurred images to determine the range information for the objects in the scene.