Dual-aperture zoom digital camera with automatic adjustable tele field of view

• US 10,578,948 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2016
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corephotonics Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Corephotonics Ltd. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shabtay, Gal, Goldenberg, Ephraim, Kali, Eran, Cohen, Noy, Avraham, Gil, Katz, Ruthy
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Que Tan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bennett, Jennifer D
• Application Number:
  US15/525,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20190121216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/17 with reflectors arranged in beam forming the photographic image, e.g. for reducing dimensions of camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2217/002 Details of arrangement of components in or on camera body
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 3/06 using movable reflectors to alter length of light path
• 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 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/675 comprising setting of focusing regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/08 having a moving reflector

Abstract

Digital camera comprising an upright Wide camera configured to provide a Wide image with a Wide image resolution and a folded Tele camera configured to provide a Tele image with a Tele image resolution higher than the Wide image resolution, the Wide and Tele cameras having respective Wide and Tele fields of view FOV_W and FOV_T and respective Wide and Tele image sensors, the digital camera further comprising a rotating OPFE operative to provide a folded optical path between an object or scene and the Tele image sensor, wherein rotation of the OPFE moves FOV_T relative to FOV_W. In some embodiments, a rectangular FOV_T is orthogonal to a rectangular FOV_W. When included in a host device having a user interface that displays FOV_T within FOV_W, the user interface may be used to position FOV_T relative to FOV_W, scan FOV_T across FOV_W and acquire, store and display separate Wide and Tele images, composite Wide plus Tele images and stitched Tele images. The positioning of FOV_T within FOV_W, can be done automatically (autonomously) by continuously tracking an object of interest.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

a) an upright Wide camera configured to provide a Wide image with a Wide image resolution, the Wide camera comprising a Wide image sensor and a Wide lens with a Wide field of view (FOV_W);

b) a folded Tele camera configured to provide a Tele image with a Tele image resolution higher than the Wide image resolution, the Tele camera comprising a Tele image sensor and a Tele lens with a Tele field of view (FOV_T); and

c) a rotating optical path folding element (OPFE) operative to provide a folded optical path between an object or scene and the Tele image sensor, wherein rotation of the OPFE provides a movement of FOV_T relative to FOV_W,

wherein the Wide image sensor has a substantially rectangular shape defined by a height H_W and a width W_W, wherein the Tele image sensor has a substantially rectangular shape defined by a height H_T and a width W_T, wherein a height to width ratio H_W/W_W or H_T/W_T is smaller than 1, and wherein the Wide and Tele image sensors are in orthogonal planes and with heights H_W and H_T orthogonal to each other such that FOV_T is rotated at 90 degrees to FOV_W.

2. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the movement of FOV_T relative to FOV_W is performed in a scanning mode that provides a plurality of adjacent Tele FOVs within FOV_W.

3. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the rotation of the OPFE has a range of up to ±

15 degrees around a zero OPFE position in which FOV_T is centric to FOV_W.

4. The digital camera of claim 1, included in a host device having a user interface for operating the digital camera, the user interface comprising a screen configured to display at least one icon and an image of the object or scene acquired with at least one of the Tele and Wide cameras and to display a frame defining the FOV_T within FOV_W, wherein the frame defining FOV_T bounds a Tele image.

5. The digital camera of claim 1, configured to perform autonomous FOV_T tracking.

6. The digital camera of claim 5, wherein the digital camera is further configured to fuse a Wide image acquired during the autonomous FOV_T tracking with at least one Tele image acquired during the autonomous FOV_T tracking to form a composite image.

7. The digital camera of claim 6, wherein the fusion is performed by the camera or in a cloud environment.

8. The digital camera of claim 2, wherein Tele images representing the plurality of adjacent Tele FOVs are stitched together to form a stitched Tele image used in fusion with the Wide image.

9. The digital camera of claim 8, wherein the stitching and/or the fusion is performed in a cloud environment.

10. The digital camera of claim 5, wherein the at least one Tele image includes a plurality of consecutive Tele images stitched together to form a stitched Tele image used in a fusion procedure with the Wide image to provide a composite image.

11. The digital camera of claim 10, wherein the fusion is performed by the camera or in a cloud environment.

12. The digital camera of claim 5, wherein the digital camera is further configured to form a composite video stream in which each frame is based on either a processed Wide image or a processed Tele image, the processed Wide and Tele images based on respective Wide and Tele images which are acquired during the autonomous FOV_T tracking.

13. The digital camera of claim 1, included in a smartphone.

14. The digital camera of claim 4, wherein the host device is a smartphone.