Imaging system, method, and applications

• US 10,659,688 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2019
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Circle Optics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zakariya Niazi
• Inventors: Niazi, Zakariya
• Primary Examiner(s): Aynalem, Nathnael
• Application Number:
  US16/420,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20190289209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 362 Days
• Field of Search: 348 36, 348262, 348335, 348374
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/02 with non-spherical faces G02B3/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 9/34 having four components only
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A multicamera panoramic imaging system having no parallax. In an example, the multicamera panoramic imaging system includes multiple discrete, imaging systems disposed in a side-by-side array, wherein a field of view of each discrete, imaging systems is conjoined with a field of view of each adjacent discrete imaging system, further wherein a stencil of chief rays at the edge of the field of view of any one of the discrete imaging systems will be substantially parallel to a stencil of chief rays at the edge of the field of view of any adjacent ones of the discrete imaging systems such that all of the substantially parallel stencils of chief rays appear to converge to a common point when viewed from object space. A method for forming an image of an object having no parallax.

Claims

1. A multicamera panoramic imaging system, comprising:

a plurality of discrete imaging systems configured in a side-by-side array that forms a three-dimensional geometric shape having a center;

each of the discrete imaging systems having a first lens element with a plurality of edges each configured in the side-by-side array to abut an adjacent edge of the first lens element in an adjacent one of the discrete imaging systems to form a plurality of common edges between the first lens elements in the discrete imaging systems, each of the edges defining a plurality of edge surface angles at points along the edges with respect to the center of the three-dimensional geometric shape; and

each of the discrete imaging systems configured to constrain a plurality of chief rays that are incident along the edges of the first lens element to have an angle of incidence equal to the edge surface angles defined by the plurality of edges, such that the chief rays incident the common edges between adjacent ones of the discrete imaging systems are substantially parallel and provide combined fields of view along the common edges to form images with minimal or no parallax.

2. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the chief rays that are incident along the common edges between adjacent ones of the discrete imaging systems appear to converge to a common NP point when viewed from object space.

3. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional geometric shape is a polyhedron and the first lens element is a polygon.

4. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional geometric shape is a dodecahedron and the first lens element is a pentagon.

5. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 4, wherein the edges of the pentagon have a length “

a”

, a diameter of a circle circumscribing the pentagon is equal to a/sin(36°

)=1.7013a, a radius of a sphere inscribed within the dodecahedron is equal to;

6. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the first lens element of each of the discrete imaging systems is a portion of a single, contiguous freeform optic.

7. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein a surface of the three-dimensional geometric shape is formed by the first lens element in each of the discrete imaging systems.

8. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of discrete imaging systems are arranged to provide a 360 degree field of view.

9. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein each of the discrete imaging systems has a curved image plane.

10. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein each of the discrete imaging systems includes an image sensor, and the center of the three-dimensional geometric shape lies behind the image sensor.

11. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 10, wherein the image sensor is a wavefront sensor.

12. A multicamera imaging system, comprising:

a first discrete imaging system and a second discrete imaging system arranged in a side-by-side configuration and each having a first lens element with a plurality of edges, a first edge in the first discrete imaging system positioned to abut a second edge in the second discrete imaging system to form a common edge; and

the first discrete imaging system is configured to constrain a first plurality of chief rays that are incident along the common edge, and the second discrete imaging system is configured to constrain a second plurality of chief rays that are incident along the common edge to be substantially parallel to the first plurality of chief rays, such that the first and second discrete imaging systems provide combined fields of view along the common edge to form images with minimal or no parallax.

13. The multicamera panoramic imaging system of claim 12, wherein the chief rays that are incident along the common edge between the first discrete imaging system and the second discrete imaging system appear to converge to a common NP point when viewed from object space.

14. The multicamera imaging system of claim 13, wherein the first discrete imaging system and the second discrete imaging system each include an image sensor, and the common NP point lies behind the image sensor.

15. The multicamera imaging system of claim 14, wherein the image sensor is a wavefront sensor.

16. The multicamera imaging system of claim 12, wherein the first lens element of the first discrete imaging system and the first lens element of the second discrete imaging system is a portion of a single, contiguous freeform optic.

17. The multicamera imaging system of claim 12, wherein the first discrete imaging system and the second discrete imaging system each have a curved image plane.

18. The multicamera imaging system of claim 12, wherein at least 50% of the first plurality of chief rays and the second plurality of chief rays are substantially parallel.