Thin observation module by bound optics (TOMBO): concept and experimental verification

Abstract

A compact image-capturing system called TOMBO (an acronym for thin observation module by bound optics) is presented in which the compound-eye imaging system is utilized to achieve a thin optical configuration. The captured multiple images are processed to retrieve the image of the target object. For image retrieval, two kinds of processing method are considered: image sampling and backprojection. Computer simulations and preliminary experiments were executed on an evaluation system to verify the principles of the system and to clarify the issues related to its implementation.

Endoscopic Application of a Compact Compound-Eye Camera

“…An application of a thin and compact compound-eye camera called TOMBO (thin observation module by bound optics) [3] to endoscopes has been proposed to realize highly-functional three-dimensional endoscopes [4,5]. Medical applications of TOMBO such as threedimensional multispectral endoscopes [4] and intra-oral shape measurement [6] have been investigated.…”

Super-Resolution Image Reconstruction for Diverse Sub-Imager Arrays

“…Several new computational imaging applications have been reported in recent years [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] using methods similar to those used in radio astronomy [10] and medical image reconstruction applications [11]. If a moving low resolution camera provides a sequence of images of a stationary scene from multiple shifted perspectives, image registration and reconstruction algorithms can be used to create a higher resolution image that looks the same as an image captured by a more expensive camera [2].…”

Resolution improvement for compound eye images through lens diversity

“…A device that would capture the small images was demonstrated in [4]. It used a standard image sensor array divided into smaller subarrays with separate lenses.…”

“…In this generalized form, computing a solution to the optimization problem is difficult. A simplification is obtained if the estimation technique is fixed, like for example, the minimum variance of error estimator (4). Iterative methods can also be used to solve (5), i.e., based on a given H matrix, we can compute the best reconstruction and then using this reconstruction a better H can be computed.…”

“…The TOMBO imaging device [4] is an example of such a system that uses an array of small lenses and sensors to create a corresponding array of overlapping lowresolution images which are recombined to form a higherresolution image. This type of reconstruction task is similar to that of computed tomography in medical imaging [3], as well as the motion-blur problem [e.g.…”