Imaging using a multifocal aspheric lens to obtain extended depth of field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/341,580, filed Dec. 18, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to a system, method, and apparatus for imaging using a multifocal aspheric lens to obtain extended depth of field, and in particular to a system, method, and apparatus using a circularly symmetric multifocal aspheric lens to obtain a blurred image and then processing of the blurred image to provide a recovered image having an extended depth of field over which object or objects in the image are in focus. The present invention also relates to a new class of lenses having a logarithmic phase function, which are circularly symmetric, multifocal, and aspheric.

[0004] In conventional digital camera photography, object or objects in an image of a other objects at other distances in the same scene being out of focus. This is especially the case when imaged objects are at different distances close to the camera, such as within 10 feet or less, where optimal focus may be limited to a single limited distance range. Such conventional digital cameras may have a focusing mechanism to change the limited distance range where objects in the image will be in focus. However, the focusing mechanism does not prevent objects outside this distance range being out of focus in the image. Thus, it would be desirable to provide imaging having an extended depth of field where the same object extending over a range of distances, or different objects at different distances are all in focus in an image of a common scene captured by a digital camera.

[0005] Prior research has developed optical systems for extending the depth of field either by the use of an apodization filter or by computer processing of purposefully blurred images, such as described in the following academic literature: J. Ojeda-Castaneda, L. R. Berriel-Valdos, and E. Montes, Opt. Lett. 8, 458 (1983); T. -C. Poon, and M. Motamedi, Appl. Opt. 26, 4612 (1987); J. Ojeda-Castaneda, and L. R. Berriel-Valdos, Appl. Opt. 29, 994 (1990); E. R. Dowski, and W. T. Cathey, Appl. Opt. 34, 1859 (1995); J. van der Gracht, E. R. Dowski, W. T. Cathy and J. P. Bowen, Proc. SPIE 2537, 279 (1995); H. B. Wach, W. T. Cathey, and E. R. Dowski, Jr., Appl. Opt. 37, 5359 (1998); S. C. Tucker, E. R. Dowski, and W. T. Cathey, Optics Express 4, 467 (1999). Related research is also cited on axilenses which are optical elements that concentrate light energy along an optical axis, such as described in: L. M. Soroko, in Progress in Optics, E. Wolf, ed. (Elsevier, N.Y., 1989), pp109-160, and references therein; J. Sochacki, S. Bara, Z. Jaroszewicz, and A. Kolodziejczyk, Opt. Lett. 17, 7 (1992); J. Sochacki, A. Kolodziejczyk, Z. Jaroszewicz, and S. Bara, Appl. Opt. 31, 5326 (1992).

[0006] It is a feature of the present invention to capture images through a circularly symmetric multifocal aspheric lens providing a blurred image which is then digitally processed to provide an image with an extended depth-of-field over which object or objects in the image are in focus. Prior approaches in extending depth of field described in the above-identified literature have neither utilized a circularly symmetric aspheric lens, nor have provided processing of burred images obtained through such a lens to obtain images with improved focus over a large depth of field.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system, method, and apparatus for capturing and processing images to provide an extended depth of field using a circularly symmetric multifocal aspheric lens.

[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved system, method, and apparatus for capturing an image through a circularly symmetric multifocal lens to provide a blurred image and processing of the blurred image in accordance with the point spread function of the lens to provide a recovered image in which one or more objects in a range of distances are in focus in accordance with the multifocal lengths of the lens.

[0009] It is a further object of the present invention that digital processing of such blurred images captured, through a circular symmetric multifocal lens may be carried out by various methods, such as inverse filtering, convolution matrix, or maximum entropy.

[0010] It is still another object of the present invention to provide a camera with an extended depth of field to avoid the need for mechanical focusing required by prior art cameras to focus on objects at any particular distance.

[0011] Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a new class of optics having a logarithmic phase function for use in imaging applications.

[0012] Briefly described, the system embodying the present invention includes an image capturing unit, such as a digital camera, having a circularly symmetric aspheric lens (optics) to capture an image of one or more three-dimensional objects in a scene, and an image processor, such as a computer system, for processing the image to provide a recovered image having an extended depth-of-field (or range of distances) over which object or objects in the image are in focus. The recovered image may be outputted to a display or other peripheral device. The image processor may be part of the image capturing unit, or represent an external computer system coupled to the display which receives the blurred image. Processing of the blurred image may be by one of inverse filter, convolution matrix (e.g., edge sharpening matrix), or maximum entropy in The circularly symmetric aspheric lens is multifocal in that its focal length varies continuously with the radius of the lens, in which the lens is characterized by the equation: $\begin{array}{cc}\begin{array}{c}\left(r\right)=-\{\frac{2}{{}_0}\left(\sqrt{r^2+t^2}-t\right)+\frac{}{{}_0}\frac{R^2}{s_2-s_1}\\ [\ln \{2\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}[\sqrt{r^2+{\left(s_1+\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}{r}^2\right)}^2}+\\ \left(s_1+\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}{r}^2\right)]+1\}-\ln \left(4\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}{s}_1+1\right)]\}.\end{array}& \end{array}$

[0013] where, (r) is the phase delay for radius r of the lens to within an arbitrary constant, said range is over distances s₁ through s₂, R is the outer radius of the lens, t is the distance from the plane where the lens is disposed to the plane of image capture by said capturing means, and ₀ is the free space wavelength.

[0014] The present invention utilizes a new class of lenses, called logarithmic aspheres. Different lenses of this class may be provided with different extended depth of field performance in the above-described system by varying the rate of change of focal length with radius, where each different lens has different phase delay logarithmic function (r), but are all circular symmetric and multifocal.

[0015] In an image-capturing unit representing a digital camera, the above-described multifocal lens may replace the conventional (photographic) objective lens or lens system of the camera. The above-described multifocal lens may represent one or more optical elements for multi-focal blurred imaging. For example, the multifocal lens may represent a multi-focal phase plate (or mask), which may be used in combination with a conventional lens or lens system of a camera. This is particularly useful since such multi-focal phase plate can be readily mounted on an existing camera to provide the above-described image-capturing unit and have an angular field of view in accordance with the conventional lens of the camera. Although the lenses are diffraction limited, the system having a digital camera would not be diffraction limited due to its reliance on a CCD or other electronic image detector.

[0016] In addition to the image capturing unit representing a digital camera (still or video), it may further represent a film-based camera for recording on film the blurred image captured through the above-described multifocal lens, or conventional camera and phase plate, and then a digital scanner to digitize one of a print or negative representing the blurred image recorded on the film to provided a digitized blurred image, in which the image processor receives and processes the digitized blurred image to provide a recovered image.

[0017] The term object or objects may refer to any physical object, person, or other surroundings, in a scene, which may be located at one or more distances, or extend over a range of distances, from the image capturing unit.

[0018] The foregoing objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system in accordance with the present invention;

[0020] FIGS. 1A and 1B show is an example of a 3-dimensional object representing a staircase used to illustrate the system of FIG. 1, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the staircase, and FIG. 1B shows a detailed view of each riser step of the staircase of FIG. 1A;

[0021] FIG. 1C is a block diagram showing the logarithmic asphere lens in the camera of FIG. 1 where the lens is provided by multiple optical elements;

[0022] FIG. 1D is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the camera of FIG. 1 in which a phase plate is used in a cascade relationship with an objective lens of a camera;

[0023] FIG. 2 is an optical diagram illustrating the notation for lens theory in the system of FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 3 is an example illustrating a recovered image of the right side (letters of increasing size on each step with the steps at different distances) from the 3-dimensional object of FIG. 1A by the system of FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 4A is a detailed view of part of the first step of the recovered image of FIG. 3;

[0026] FIG. 4B is an the image of the same part of the first step of the object of FIG. 1A multifocal lens in accordance with the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a graph of resolution (mm¹) versus object distance (mm) illustrating the improved resolution of an imaged object by the system of FIG. 1, as indicated by the solid line, and by a camera through a conventional objective lens of the same object, as indicated by the dashed line;

[0028] FIG. 6 illustrates the concept of maximum entropy processing which can be used to recover the blurred image of the object captured by the camera of FIG. 1;

[0029] FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D illustrate a computer simulation for the comparison of the inverse filter and maximum entropy recovery processing for the example of a two-point source object, where FIG. 7A shows an image of the two-point source object, FIG. 7B shows the blurred image of the two-point source object of FIG. 7A, FIG. 7C shows the resulting recovered image by processing the blurred image of FIG. 7B by inverse filtering, and FIG. 7D shows the resulting recovered image by processing the blurred image of FIG. 7B by maximum entropy;

[0030] FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the pixel value for different pixel positions along the same diagonal line through each of the images of FIG. 7B, 7C, and 7D, where pixels values of the line in the recovered image by maximum entropy (FIG. 7D) are indicated by a solid line, pixels values of the line in the recovered image by inverse filtering (FIG. 7C) are indicated by a dashed line, and pixels values of the line in the blurred image (FIG. 7B) are indicated by a dotted line;

[0031] FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D illustrate a comparison of the inverse filter and maximum entropy recovery processing for the right part (letters) of the staircase object of FIG. 1A in the system of FIG. 1, where FIG. 9A shows the blurred image of the object, and FIGS. 9B and 9C show the resulting recovered images by processing the blurred image of FIG. 9A by inverse filtering using different noise models for the Wiener-Helstrom filter labeled (A) and (B), and FIG. 9D shows the resulting recovered images by processing the blurred image of FIG. 9A by maximum entropy;

[0032] FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating a comparison of the sharpness of the pixels along a line through the recovered image provided by maximum entropy of FIG. 9D, as indicated by a dashed line, and the recovered image provided by inverse filter (A) of FIG. 9B, as example, by the line in the blurred image of FIG. 9A;

[0033] FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating a comparison of the sharpness of the pixels along a line through the recovered image provided by maximum entropy of FIG. 9D, as indicated by a dashed line, and the recovered image provided by inverse filter (B) of FIG. 9C, as indicated by a solid line, where the position of the line in each image is indicated, for example, by the line in the blurred image of FIG. 9A;

[0034] FIG. 11A is a more detailed view of graphs FIGS. 10 and 11 when combined, in which sharpness of the pixels along the line through the recovered image of FIG. 9D (maximum entropy) is indicated by a dotted line, the recovered image of FIG. 9B (inverse filter (A)) is indicated by a solid line, and the recovered image of FIG. 9C (inverse filter (B)) is indicated by a dashed line;

[0035] FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D show computer simulations of images comparing the different processes of image recovery upon a noisy blurred image of FIG. 12A using edge sharpening filter in FIG. 12B, inverse filter in FIG. 12C, and maximum entropy in FIG. 12D; and

[0036] FIGS. 13A, 13B, 13C, and 13D are magnified images corresponding to a square region of FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C and 12D, respectively, in which the position of the square region in each image is indicated by a box in FIG. 12A.

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, an integrated imaging and processing system 8 is shown having a digital camera (or image capturing unit) 10 with a CCD array detector 11 for capturing images of an object 13 through a multifocal lens 14. The multifocal lens 14 represents a circularly symmetric lens with a focal length that various continuously with radius, so that for a 3-dimensional object or objects, over a desired distance range there is always an annular portion of the lens that provides a sharp in focus image, and the remainder of the lens contributes to blurring. Such a lens 14 represents an aspheric lens, and is hereinafter referred to as logarithmic asphere lens 14, and was designed using the Fermat's principle to find the transmission function for a lens that will image an extended portion of the object-optical-axis into a single image point. For purposes of illustration 13 may represent multiple objects which may be located in a scene. The captured blurred image of the object 13 can represent a two dimensional array of pixels in which each of the pixels has a value depending on the resolution of the CCD of the camera. For example, 8, 16, or 32 bit resolution may be used. Each captured blurred image of object 13 by camera 10 is outputted to an image processor representing a programmed microprocessor or computer system 16 which processes the image and then outputs the processed image to a display 18. Image processing may be provided by an inverse filter, or convolution matrix, applied to the pixels of the captured blurred image from camera 10 to produce a recovered image of the object having extended depth of field where the object is in focus in the image. The convolution matrix may be an edge sharpening filter. Other methods of image recovery may also be used, such as maximum entropy. The lens 14 may represent one or more optical elements providing point-to-point imaging and blurring, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 1C, or lens 14 may represent a phase plate (or mask) 14a (called herein a log-asphere phase plate) to provide blurring in a cascade relationship with an objective lens 15 for imaging, as shown in FIG. 1D. For example, the objective lens 15 for point to point imaging may be a conventional photographic lens. The lens 14 and phase plate 14a is diffraction limited in resolution. The design of lens 14 and digital processing of images captured through the lens is described below in more detail.

[0038] Computer system 16 may represent a personal computer, work station, lap-top, or other type of computer system, and the display 18 may represent a CRT or LCD display. The computer system 16 also may store the blurred and recovered images in memory, such as on a hard or optical disk, or output to other peripheral devices, such as a printer or via network interface, such as modem, Ethernet, Internet, T1 line, or the like, to other computer-based systems. Output of the captured image to computer system 16 may be through typical interface port (cable or optical) used by conventional digital camera for transferring images (or image files) to a computer system, or by storage of the captured image in removable memory of the camera, such as memory card, memory chip, disk, PCMCIA card, and the like, such that the removable memory may be provided to the separate computer system 16 for processing, via an interface suitable reading the image from the removable memory.

[0039] Alternatively, the programmed microprocessor or computer system 16 (with or without display 18) may be part of the camera 10. Thus, system 8 can be embodied on-board the housing of a digital camera having imaging through lens 14, where such camera provides the digital image processing of computer system 16.

[0040] Camera 10 may represent a typical digital camera adapted for use by replacement of its objective lens with lens 14, as shown in FIG. 1 where lens 14 represents a single element having a circularly symmetric aspheric body, or as shown in FIG. 1C where lens 14 represents multiple optical elements, or as shown in FIG. 1D where lens 14 represents log-asphere phase plate 14a in combination with the objective lens 15 of the camera. Although two optical elements are shown in FIG. 1C, two or more such elements can be used. The camera although described for still images may be a digital video camera taking successive images in which each image is processed in near real-time by computer system 16. Although imaging is described for gray scale, color imaging may also be provided by a suitable CCD array(s). One advantage of the digital camera with lens 14 is that physical objects at different distances in an imaged scene will, with image processing, be in focus in the outputted image. This is in contrast with a conventional digital camera without system 8 where an object in focus at one distance on the CCD array can result in other objects at other distances in the same scene being out of focus. Although lens 14 or phase plate 14a is diffraction limited, a digital camera utilizing such lens or plate would not be diffraction limited in resolution due to the pixel size of the CCD array(s) or other electronic image detector(s).

[0041] The theory underlying the design of lens 14 and processing of captured blurred images through this lens follows. In this discussion, an image of an object (O) 13 is recorded (captured), such as the 3-dimensional staircase shown in FIG. 1, using camera 10 through aspherical lens (L) 14, and the recorded blurred image is digitally processed by computer system (DP) 16 and displayed on display (D) 18. An optical diagram of FIG. 2 is first considered. Object points ranging over distances s₁ through s₂ are all brought to focus at point P in plane (II) by means of a continuous radial variation in the focal length. Dividing the lens into annular rings of different focal lengths, one can verify that equal area is obtained for each of N rings by choosing a radius r_n for the n th ring as follows:

[0042] where R is the outer radius of the lens in plane (I).

[0043] Consider the imaging of point S at x(r_n) by the rays through the annular ring r_n. To provide uniform or natural illumination, the interval from s₁ to s₂ is subdivided into N segments; and the x(r_n) segment is chosen to be weighted as follows:

[0044] Combining Eqs. (1) and (2) to eliminate the ratio n/N gives the basic equation for the lens, viz.,

[0045] As is well-known in physical optics, the general transmission function, t(r), for a lens can be written in the form:

[0046] in which (r) is the phase delay. The form of the phase delay (r) can be obtained by an application of Fermat's principle, see R. K. Luneburg, Mathematical Theory of Optics (University of California, 1964), p.86. First, an expression for the total optical length L for the ray through (SOP) is written as follows:

[0047] where t is the distance from the lens plane (I) to (II) and ₀ is the free space wavelength.

[0048] From Fermat's principle and Eq. (5), setting L/r0 with x constant, and by Eq. (3), the following expression for the phase delay (r), viz. is found, $\begin{array}{cc}\left(r\right)=-\frac{2}{{}_0}{}_0^r\left\{\frac{r}{\sqrt{r^2+t^2}}+\frac{r}{\sqrt{r^2+{\left(\left[s_1+\left(s_2-s_1\right)r^2/R^2\right]\right)}^2}}\right\}r.& \left(6\right)\end{array}$

[0049] This can be directly integrated (see, for instance, H. B. Dwight, Tables of Integrals and other Mathematical Data (Macmillan, N.Y., 1947) Eq. 380.001, p.70.) to yield the basic formula for the logarithmic asphere lens, expressed in two terms: $\begin{array}{cc}\begin{array}{c}\left(r\right)=-\{\frac{2}{{}_0}\left(\sqrt{r^2+t^2}-t\right)+\frac{}{{}_0}\frac{R^2}{s_2-s_1}\\ [\ln \{2\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}[\sqrt{r^2+{\left(s_1+\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}{r}^2\right)}^2}+\\ \left(s_1+\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}{r}^2\right)]+1\}-\ln \{4\frac{s_2-s_1}{R^2}{s}_1+1]\}.\end{array}& \left(7\right)\end{array}$

[0050] The first term is an ideal lens for point-to-point imaging with the object point at infinity, and the second term introduces controlled blurring or aberration. As a first stage in the lens design, it is useful to form a power series expansion of Eq. (7) using s₁610 mm, s₂6100 mm, R5 mm, and t25 mm, the first and second members of Eq. (7) are: $\begin{array}{cc}\begin{array}{c}\left(r\right)=-\frac{2}{{}_0}\{0.02r^2-8{10}^{-6}{r}^4+6.4{10}^{-9}{r}^6-\\ 6.4{10}^{-12}{r}^8+7{10}^{-15}{r}^{10}+7.435{10}^{-4}{r}^2-\\ 7.563{10}^{-5}{r}^4+5.1431{10}^{-6}{r}^6-\\ 1.803{10}^{-7}{r}^8+2.4614{10}^{-9}{r}^{10}\}.\end{array}& \left(8\right)\end{array}$

[0051] These expansions are accurate to 10⁵ mm for the bracketed term. The expansions are obtained using NonlinearFit of Mathematica, which is described in S. Wolfram, Mathematical Software 4.0 (Wolfram Research, Champaign, 2000) Statistics NonlinearFit, Sec. 3.8.1 (2000). Other values for s₁, s₂, R, and t may be used to provide a different (r) depending on the imaging application for the asphere lens.

[0052] Logarithmic asphere lens 14 may be being fabricated for t varying from 24 mm to 80 mm, but other values for t may be used. Recent advances in optical fabrication methods make this type of logarithmic asphere lens practical commercially. The logarithmic asphere lens may be fabricated using OptiPro Model SX50 computer-controlled asphere grinding machine, and a Magneto-Rheological Finisher commercially available from QED Technologies, LLC, Rochester, N.Y. The lenses may be fabricated in an optical grade of quartz to an overall accuracy on the order of one-tenth wavelength. By measuring the point spread function for the logarithmic asphere lens of the camera, one can determine whether the lens is in agreement with theory to assure that it will properly provide a properly blurred image for recovery by processing by the computer system 16. As stated earlier, the fabricated lens 14 represents a circularly symmetric lens and is multifocal as the focal length of the lens varies continuously with lens radius.

[0053] As described earlier, lens 14 may be provided by a two-stage optical system in accordance with (r) of Equation 7, where the lens 14 is provided by a conventional (photographic) lens 15 and a multi-focal-phase (corrector) plate 14a, i.e., log-asphere phase plate, capable of providing a properly blurred image for recovery by processing of the computer system 16, as illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 1D. In other words, imaging and blurring is provided by two separate lenses, one lens 15 for ideal imaging and the other a phase plate 14a for controlled blurring, rather than a single lens 14. For any logarithmic asphere 14, there is a corresponding blurring phase-mask 14a. The phase plate 14a may be fabricated using the same machinery mentioned above for making the asphere lens. The phase mask 14a can be inserted into an optical system with any photographic lens 15 in order to achieve an extended depth of field. For example, the double-Gauss lens design commonly used in high-quality photographic lenses, the phase plate may be located in the plane of the aperture stop. Essentially all light rays passing this plane will thereby pass through the phase plate and contribute to the image. The phase plate 14a may also be placed at other locations in the path of the light rays, but preferably is located at the aperture stop or at the exit plane of light into the camera. Hence, a cascade of a conventional imaging lens 15 with the phase plate 14a can provide an extended depth of field over the angular field of view provided by the conventional imaging lens. For example, if lens 15 has a wide-angle performance, this will be retained as a feature with extended depth of field.

[0054] An example showing the imaging and depth of field provided by the logarithmic asphere lens is described below using a 3-dimensional object with 12 steps that are spaced axially by As of 50 mm, as shown in FIG. 1. The logarithmic asphere lens has a t60 mm and the monochrome CCD array has a pixel size of 23 m square which limits the basic resolution of the system. On the riser of each step, a strip resolution chart is placed which contains a series of alphabet letters of varying size along with a chirped series of vertical lines, as shown in FIG. 1A.

[0055] Digital processing by the computer system 16 of the captured blurred image of the object may be used to provide a recovered image in which the object is observable and in focus over a range of distance over which the object extends. One method for recovery of the blurred image is to use an inverse filter or its equivalent matrix in picture space (in the image plane) based of the measured point spread function of the lens. Such an image plane matrix is used for convolution filtering. This filter can be obtained by an inversion of the Fourier plane Wiener-Helstrom inverse filter, such as described in B. R. Hunt, IEEE Trans. Computer. C-22, 805 (1973), and R. C. Gonzalez, and R. E. Woods, Digital Image Processing (Addison-Wesley, 1992), p.218. The Wiener-Helstrom inverse filter and its inverse filter in image space is shown below:

[0056] Wiener-Helstrom Inverse Filter $\hat{F}\left(u,v\right)=\frac{H\left(u,v\right)}{|H\left(u,v\right){|}^2+|P\left(u,v\right){|}^2}G\left(u,v\right)$

[0057] {circumflex over (F)}(u,v) recovered spectrum

[0058] G(u,v) spectrum of blur image

[0059] H(u,v) transfer function

[0060] P(u,v)² noise power spectrum density

[0061] is a constant determined by noise mean and variance. $P\left(u,v\right)=\mathrm{FT}\left\{\left|\begin{array}{ccc}0& -1& 0\\ -1& 4& -1\\ 0& -1& 0\end{array}\right|\right\}$

[0062] Inverse Filter in Image Space: $\hat{f}\left(m,n\right)=f^{-1}\left\{\frac{H^{*}\left(u,v\right)}{|H\left(u,v\right){|}^2+|P\left(u,v\right){|}^2}\right\}**f^{-1}\left\{G\left(u,v\right)\right\}$

[0063] Form the Image Space Convolution Filter by Approximation

[0064] The convolution matrix applied to the blurred image may be a 55 matrix or a 33 matrix, such as shown, for example, below. The 33 matrix may be very close to an edge-sharpening matrix. Hence, the filter need not be strongly dependent on the point spread function. $\begin{array}{cc}\left[\begin{array}{ccccc}0& 0& -0.07& 0& 0\\ 0& 0.51& -0.85& 0.51& 0\\ -0.07& -0.85& 5& -0.85& -0.07\\ 0& 0.51& -0.85& 0.51& 0\\ 0& 0& -0.07& 0& 0\end{array}\right]\mathrm{and}\left[\begin{array}{ccc}0& -1& 0\\ -1& 6& -1\\ 0& -1& 0\end{array}\right]& \left(9\right)\end{array}$

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a portion of the recovered (processed) 3-D step object including 6 steps varying in object distance by 250 mm. The in-focus position ( in FIG. 3) is at x950 mm. FIG. 4A shows an enlargement of the final processed image at 30 in FIG. 3 that is 250 mm (5 steps) closer to the lens than the plane of best focus. For comparison in FIG. 4B, the blurred image is shown using a Nikon 60 mm (objective) lens rather than the logarithmic asphere lens in the system 8 with the same /D. This image is obtained using the same object positioning as that previously described. A greatly extended depth of field is provided by the logarithmic asphere lens.

[0066] In another example using the logarithmic asphere lens, the resolution is measured as a function of distance, as shown in FIG. 5. Data are taken at each step (50 mm) and the average value of 5 readings is plotted together as a solid line with error bars. The same setup as previously described is used except that resolution is measured using the fine-line chirped chart (left side of the staircase object of FIG. 1A). Also in effect the pixel size has been reduced to 10 m. The dotted line shows the resolution limit for a 23 m pixel size. For comparison, the resolution using the Nikon 60 mm (objective) lens, rather then the asphere lens, under identical conditions is also shown as a dashed line in FIG. 5. From these data, an increased depth-of-field for the camera 10 with the logarithmic asphere lens 14 is shown.

[0067] Alternatively, the maximum entropy method may be programmed in computer system 18 to recover the blurred image of the object 13 rather than using an inverse filter (or convolution filter). The maximum entropy method is described, for example, in S. F. Gull and J. Skilling, Maximum Entropy Method In Image Processing, IEE Proc., Vol, 131, PT. F, No. 6, pp. 646-659 (1984). The basic process of the maximum entropy method is shown in FIG. 6. It represents an iterative process in which in each cycle the difference is determined between the captured blurred image of the object and a calculated blurred image produced from an assumed object convolved with the measured point source function. This difference is used to change the assumed object for the next cycle, and so forth, until the difference is less than noise (or within a noise tolerance), at such time the assumed object represents the image of the recovered object.

[0068] The maximum entropy method can provide higher resolution images with less noise than the inverse filter method described earlier, as illustrated by the comparison images and graphs of FIGS. 7-13. In a first example, FIG. 7A shows a two-point source object 13, and FIG. 7B show the computer simulated blurred image of the two-point object. The computer system 16 processes the blurred image by inverse filtering to provide the recovered image shown in FIG. 7C, and also processes the image by maximum entropy to provide the recovered image shown in FIG. 7D. FIG. 8 is a graph of pixel values by pixel position along a diagonal line through the two-point source object in each of the recovered images of FIGS. 7C and 7D to compare the two recovery methods of inverse filtering and maximum entropy. The diagonal line in each image is denoted by the position of the white line 31 through the blurred image (FIG. 7B) of the two point source object 32 (as illustrated in the image of FIG. 7B in the graph of FIG. 8). As this graph shows, maximum entropy yielded better results by providing an image with higher resolution and less noise than by inverse filtering, which magnified the noise. For purposes of comparison, the pixel values by pixel position along the diagonal line 31 in the blurred image of FIG. 7B is shown as a dotted line in FIG. 8.

[0069] In a second example, images captured and processed by the system 8 with respect to the right part (letters) of the staircase object 13 of FIG. 1A are shown in FIG. 9A-9D, where FIG. 9A shows the blurred noisy image captured by camera 10. FIG. 9B and 9C show recovered images of the blurred image processed by inverse filtering using two different noise models (A) and (B), respectively, while FIG. 9D shows the recovered image of the blurred image processed by maximum entropy. FIG. 10 are graphs illustrating a comparison of the sharpness of the pixels along a line through the recovered image processed by maximum entropy of FIG. 9D and by the inverse filter (A) of FIG. 9B. FIG. 11 are graphs illustrating a comparison of the sharpness of the pixels along a line through the recovered image processed by maximum entropy of FIG. 9D and by the inverse filter (B) of FIG. 9C. The position of this line in each of the images analyzed in FIGS. 10 and 11 is indicated by white line 33 in blurred image of FIG. 9A. Line 33 also appear below each of the graphs of FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 11A is a more detailed view of part of the graphs of FIGS. 10 and 11 between pixel positions 162 through 178. In FIGS. 10, 11, and 11A, the bottom axis represent pixel position along the line, and the side axis represents sharpness as measured by the proportion of pixel value in the respective recovered image to the pixel value in the blurred image (FIG. 9A) at the same pixel position.

[0070] In a third example, computer simulations of a tiger image with a point spread function of the logarithmic asphere lens are used to provide a blurred image of FIG. 12A, and recovered images are shown by processing using an edge sharpening filter of FIG. 12B, an inverse filter of FIG. 12C, and maximum entropy of FIG. 12D. FIGS. 13A-13D are magnified images of corresponding to a square region in each image FIGS. 12A-12D, respectively, of the same square region positioned in each image as illustrated by the white box outline 34 shown in FIG. 12A. This further illustrates that although different processing techniques may be applied in system 8 to a captured blurred image to provide a recovered image having an extended depth of field, the quality of the recovered image may depend on the processing method desired. Maximum entropy provides sharper in focus images than an edge sharpening filter or inverse filter. However, one may select use of image plane filtering, edge sharpening or other convolution filter to improve image processing speed.

[0071] One application of the circular-symmetric, multi-focal aspheric lens 14 is to provide two particularly clear distances of operation, one is at arm's length, e.g., two feet, and the other at a longer distance, e.g., 20 feet to infinity. The camera 10 may be designed with a digital still camera or for a single use camera which will permit one to take their own pictures with some scenery in the far background.

[0072] As described earlier, camera 10 with lens 14 may be used for conventional photography of scenery, family groups, and so on, consisting of the logarithmic asphere lens, CCD array 11, electronics and computer processing means 16, which may be on-board the camera, or processed later. This system does not require mechanical focusing of a conventional camera, since within the extended depth of field (distance range) characteristic of the particular lens 14, any object or subject in the depth of field in photographs (images) will be in focus.

[0073] As stated earlier, lens 14 may be provided by a logarithmic phase plate 14a with any conventional (e.g., 35 mm) camera lens 15 (FIG. 1D). This phase plate may be mounted on any such conventional lens, just as one uses UV filter or color bandpass filter in 35 mm photography, or at other locations in a camera, such as at the aperture stop. With this phase plate mounted on a digital still camera, the output (blurred image) of the CCD array is processed as described earlier in order to obtain extended depth of field. Thus, camera 10 may be a digital (CCD) still camera or video camera having one of asphere lens 14 or a conventional lens 15 and phase plate 14a.

[0074] Although camera 10 is shown as using CCD array(s), other photodetector arrays may be used, such as CMOS, CID, or the like. When camera 10 represents a video camera, it is particularly useful since one can then make movies with greatly extended depth of field and at much lower light levels, since large aperture optics can be used. The resolution of the camera 10, and generally of system 8, may be limited by the pixel-size of the CCD array of the camera, i.e., it is not diffraction limited.

[0075] Optionally, the system 8 may be used with camera 10 representing a film-based camera having one of asphere lens 14 or a conventional lens 15 and phase plate 14a, as shown in FIG. 1C. The prints (or negatives) from such a film-based camera with the blurred image may then be scanned by a scanner into a digitized blurred image, which may be coupled to (or a file imported onto) the computer system 18, and then processed as described earlier for a digitally captured blurred image to provide a recovered image. When film is used, the multifocal aspheric lens 14 is diffraction limited, i.e., it provides an extended depth of field and it is diffraction limited as evidenced by the point spread function for the multifocal aspheric lens.

[0076] The system 8 provided by the present invention with the aspheric lens (or conventional lens and phase-plate) may be called a smart camera. In photography limited depth of field has been a great nuisance and it has greatly complicated camera design. In the smart camera, the picture (image) acquired at the CCD has been purposefully blurred and digital image processing can also be used for color correction. Examples have been described herein for a single logarithmic asphere lens, and separately a phase mask (or plate) with a Nikon 60 mm lens. Image processing results are shown comparing the Wiener-Helstrom inverse filter and maximum entropy methods; the latter providing better image quality. Applications include digital video, DVD pickup extended depth of field imaging.

[0077] The logarithmic aspheric lens 14 described above represents a new class of lenses. Different lenses in the class are provided by changing the weighting of the ratio (r/R) in Equation 3 and subsequent Equations 6 and 7 to effect rate of change of focal length to radius, thus providing different phase delay functions (r) in the lens when fabricated. Each such different lens can have different extended depth of field performance in the above-described system 8, or in other imaging applications.

[0078] From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that an improved system, method, and apparatus for imaging is provided using a logarithmic multifocal aspheric lens, as well as a new class of logarithmic multifocal aspheric lenses. Variations and modifications in the herein described system, method, and apparatus will undoubtedly become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be taken as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.