Thin multi-aperture imaging system with auto-focus and methods for using same

• US 10,250,797 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2018
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corephotonics Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Corephotonics Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shabtay, Gal, Cohen, Noy, Geva, Nadav, Gigushinski, Oded, Goldenberg, Ephraim
• Primary Examiner(s): Hsu, Amy R
• Application Number:
  US15/982,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20180278831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/646 compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/36 using image sharpness techniques , e.g. image processing techniques for generating autofocus signals image data processing per se G06T; in cameras having a solid state image sensor H04N23/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 19/22 Double cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0069 using electromagnetic actuators, e.g. voice coils
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 30/00 Camera modules comprising integrated lens units and imaging units, specially adapted for being embedded in other devices, e.g. mobile phones or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/13 with multiple sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/843 Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/133 including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/64 Circuits for processing colour signals H04N9/77 takes precedence; camera processing pipelines for processing colour signals H04N23/84

Abstract

Dual-aperture digital cameras with auto-focus (AF) and related methods for obtaining a focused and, optionally optically stabilized color image of an object or scene. A dual-aperture camera includes a first sub-camera having a first optics bloc and a color image sensor for providing a color image, a second sub-camera having a second optics bloc and a clear image sensor for providing a luminance image, the first and second sub-cameras having substantially the same field of view, an AF mechanism coupled mechanically at least to the first optics bloc, and a camera controller coupled to the AF mechanism and to the two image sensors and configured to control the AF mechanism, to calculate a scaling difference and a sharpness difference between the color and luminance images, the scaling and sharpness differences being due to the AF mechanism, and to process the color and luminance images into a fused color image using the calculated differences.

Claims

1. A dual-aperture digital camera, comprising:

a) a first sub-camera that includes a first optics bloc with a respective first optical axis and a first, color image sensor covered with a color filter array (CFA) with a first number of pixels and a first pixel size, the first camera configured to output a first image;

b) a second sub-camera that includes a second optics bloc with a respective second optical axis and a second, clear image sensor with a second number of pixels and a second pixel size, the second camera configured to output a second image, wherein the first and second optics blocs are mounted on a single lens holder;

c) a single autofocus (AF) mechanism coupled mechanically to the single lens holder and operative to move the single lens holder and the first and second optics blocs mounted thereon together for AF in a direction common to the respective first and second optical axes;

d) an optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanism, coupled mechanically to the first and second optics blocs and operative to move the first and second optics blocs together for OIS in a direction perpendicular to the first and second optical axes; and

e) an image fusion algorithm that combines the first image and the second image into a combined color image.

2. The dual-aperture digital camera of claim 1, wherein the first number of pixels and the second numbers of pixels are the same.

3. The dual-aperture digital camera of claim 1, wherein the first number of pixels and the second numbers of pixels are different.

4. The dual-aperture digital camera of claim 2, wherein the first pixel size and the second pixel size are the same.

5. The dual-aperture digital camera of claim 1, wherein the two sub-cameras having substantially the same field of view.

6. The dual-aperture digital camera of claim 3, wherein the two sub-cameras having substantially the same field of view.

7. The dual-aperture digital camera of claim 4, wherein the two sub-cameras having substantially the same field of view.