An Apple patent (number 20120162465) for an electronic device with two image sensors — think laptop — has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Per the patent, the electronic device may include a black-and-white camera having a first sensor area configured to receive luma data pertaining to the object.
The first sensor area may correspond to a first pixel array, the luma data associated with the first pixel array. The electronic device may also include a color camera having a second sensor area configured to receive chroma data pertaining to the object. The second sensor area may correspond to a second pixel array. The chroma data may be associated with the second pixel array. The electronic device may also include first logic configured to correlate pixels in the first pixel array with locations on the second sensor area.
Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention: “An embodiment of the present invention relates to an electronic device for producing an image of an object. The electronic device may include a black-and-white camera having a first sensor area configured to receive luma data pertaining to the object. The first sensor area may correspond to a first pixel array, the luma data associated with the first pixel array.
“The electronic device may also include a color camera having a second sensor area configured to receive chroma data pertaining to the object. The second sensor area may correspond to a second pixel array. The chroma data may be associated with the second pixel array.
“The electronic device may also include first logic configured to correlate pixels in the first pixel array with locations on the second sensor area. The correlation may be performed utilizing at least one of an adjustment formula and one or more geometric relations between the object and at least one of the black-and-white camera and the color camera
“The electronic device may also include second logic configured to interpolate the chroma data to determine color data associated with the locations on the second sensor area. The electronic device may also include third logic configured to adjust the color data utilizing the luma data based on the correlation between the locations on the second sensor area and the pixels in the first pixel array to produce image data for the image of the object
“The above summary relates to only one of the many embodiments of the invention disclosed herein and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which is set forth is the claims herein. These and other features of the present invention will be described in more detail below in the detailed description of the invention and in conjunction with the following figures.”
The inventors are Michael F. Culbert and Chris Ligtenberg.