Assembly of miniaturized high-resolution cameras is typically carried out by active alignment. The sensor image is constantly monitored while the lens stack is adjusted. When sharpness is acceptable in all regions of the image, the lens position over the sensor is fixed. For multi-aperture cameras, this approach is not sufficient. During prototyping, it is beneficial to see the complete reconstructed image, assembled from all optical channels. However, typical reconstruction algorithms are high-quality offline methods that require calibration. As the geometric setup of the camera repeatedly changes during assembly, this would require frequent re-calibration. We present a real-time algorithm for an interactive preview of the reconstructed image during camera alignment. With this algorithm, systematic alignment errors can be tracked and corrected during assembly. Known imperfections of optical components can also be included in the reconstruction. Finally, the algorithm easily maps to very simple GPU operations, making it ideal for applications in mobile devices where power consumption is critical.

Date Published: 23 September 2014
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9217, Applications of Digital Image Processing XXXVII, 921715 (23 September 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2060678

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9217:
Applications of Digital Image Processing XXXVII
Andrew G. Tescher, Editor(s)