Spatially-Varying Autofocus

A lens brings a single plane into focus on a planar sensor; hence, parts of the scene that are outside this planar focus plane are resolved on the sensor under defocus. Can we break this precept by enabling a "lens" that can change its depth-of-field arbitrarily? This work investigates the design and implementation of such a computational lens with spatially-selective focusing. Our design uses an optical arrangement of a Lohmann lens and a phase-only spatial light modulator to allow each pixel to focus at a different depth. We extend classical techniques used in autofocusing to the spatially-varying scenario where the depth map is iteratively estimated using contrast and disparity cues, enabling the camera to progressively shape its depth-of-field to the scene's depth. By obtaining an optical all-in-focus image, our technique advances upon a broad swathe of prior work ranging from depth-from-focus/defocus to coded aperture techniques in two key aspects: the ability to bring an entire scene in focus simultaneously, and the ability to maintain the highest possible spatial resolution.