Light Field Stitching for Extended Synthetic Aperture

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel algorithm for registering and stitching multiple light fields captured by MLA-based cameras, enabling larger synthetic apertures and enhanced imaging capabilities beyond physical limitations.

Contribution

The paper extends stereo vision techniques to light field data for the first time, allowing the merging of multiple light fields to improve resolution and depth estimation.

Findings

Increased depth estimation range and accuracy.

Wider perspective shift range achieved.

Enhanced light field capabilities through larger synthetic aperture.

Abstract

Through capturing spatial and angular radiance distribution, light field cameras introduce new capabilities that are not possible with conventional cameras. So far in the light field imaging literature, the focus has been on the theory and applications of single light field capture. By combining multiple light fields, it is possible to obtain new capabilities and enhancements, and even exceed physical limitations, such as spatial resolution and aperture size of the imaging device. In this paper, we present an algorithm to register and stitch multiple light fields. We utilize the regularity of the spatial and angular sampling in light field data, and extend some techniques developed for stereo vision systems to light field data. Such an extension is not straightforward for a micro-lens array (MLA) based light field camera due to extremely small baseline and low spatial resolution. By merging multiple light fields captured by an MLA based camera, we obtain larger synthetic aperture, which results in improvements in light field capabilities, such as increased depth estimation range/accuracy and wider perspective shift range.