Optical apparatus

• US 20040184163A1
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Nishioka, Kimihiko, Sekiyama, Kentaro
• Granted Patent: US 7,269,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/726
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0045 having five or more lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0055 employing a special optical element
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/006 at least one element being a compound optical element, e.g. cemented elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0065 having a beam-folding prism or mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/007 the beam folding prism having at least one curved surface
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0075 having an element with variable optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/009 having zoom function
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/08 Catadioptric systems used in non-imaging applications G02B19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0896 with variable magnification or multiple imaging planes, including multispectral systems systems with only refractive elements G02B15/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/06 for controlling the phase of light G02B26/08 takes precedence , measuring optical phase difference G01J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0825 the reflecting element being a flexible sheet or membrane, e.g. for varying the focus flexible mirrors for cosmetic use A45D42/24
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0068 having means for controlling the degree of correction, e.g. using phase modulators, movable elements controlling the phase of light using moving or deformable elements G02B26/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• 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

Abstract

An optical apparatus has an imaging optical system provided with a deformable mirror and an electronic zoom function that an image recorded in an image sensor by the imaging optical system is magnified by image processing. A ray deflecting function of the deformable mirror is changed in accordance with a change of an object area corresponding to an image to be used, and aberration of the imaging optical system is optimized. The deformable mirror is controlled by an arithmetical unit connected to an image processor and a driving circuit. The electronic zoom is performed with respect to the image recorded in the image sensor through a signal processing circuit and the image processor, and when the image is displayed on a display device, the deformable mirror is deformed so that sharpness at nearly the center of an object image formed on the image sensor is improved. This offers the optical apparatus in which a compact design is achieved, the magnification of the optical system can be changed, and the sharpness of the image is high even when a variable magnification ratio is increased.

Claims

1. An optical apparatus having an optical system provided with a variable optical-property element, wherein a function of ray deflection of the variable optical-property element is changed in accordance with a change of an area of an object corresponding to an image to be used so that aberration of the optical system is optimized.

7. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus is an observation apparatus.

8. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus is a telescope.

9. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus is a microscope.

10. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the variable optical-property element is a variable focal-length lens.

11. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the variable optical-property element is a variable mirror.

30. An optical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the variable optical-property element is a variable mirror.

2. An optical apparatus having a variable optical-property element, a driving circuit driving the variable optical-property element, and an electronic zoom function.

3. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, further having at least two optical element units, wherein at least one of the optical element units is subjected to a change when electronic zoom is performed.

17. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an optical system including the variable optical-property element is a single focal-length optical system.

18. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an optical system including the variable optical-property element is a zoom optical system.

19. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, further having autofocus means.

20. An optical apparatus according to claim 19, wherein an image is formed while changing driving information provided to the variable optical-property element to find driving information that a focus or contrast of a formed image becomes substantially best so that the variable optical-property element is driven on the driving information.

21. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, further having an image shake correcting function.

23. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, further having a stop so that when electronic zoom is performed, the stop is opened.

24. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an electronic zoom magnification satisfies the following condition in a preset state:

1.05<

β

_E<

30×

{square root}{square root over ((M/10⁶))}

where β

_E is the electronic zoom magnification and M is the number of pixels of an image sensor.

25. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the number of pixels of an image sensor satisfies the following condition in a preset state:

M≧

two hundred thousand

where M is the number of pixels of the image sensor.

26. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, further having telephone means.

27. An optical apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the telephone means is a mobile phone.

28. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, further having image display means.

29. An optical apparatus according to claim 2, being constructed as an endoscope.

31. An optical apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when electronic zoom is performed, at least one of the optical element units is moved to thereby improve sharpness of a part of an image to be used.

4. An optical apparatus which is capable of changing a magnification, having an optical system provided with a variable optical-property element, wherein a function of ray deflection of the variable optical-property element is changed in accordance with a magnification change of the optical system and thereby aberration of the optical system varied in accordance with the magnification change is optimized.

5. An optical apparatus having an optical system provided with a plurality of combined optical units, wherein one of the optical units has a variable optical-property element and a function of ray deflection of the variable optical-property element is changed in accordance with a change of a combination of the optical units so that aberration of the optical system varied in accordance with a change of the function of ray deflection is optimized.

6. An optical apparatus having an optical system provided with a plurality of optical units, wherein one of the optical units has a variable optical-property element and a function of ray deflection of the variable optical-property element is changed in accordance with a magnification change of the optical system so that aberration of the optical system varied in accordance with the magnification change is optimized.

12. An optical apparatus having an optical system provided with an electronic zoom function, wherein a part of the optical system is changed when electronic zoom is performed, and thereby sharpness of an image in an area of the image to be used is improved.

13. An optical apparatus having a variable optical-property element, an optical system including the variable optical-property element, a driving circuit driving the variable optical-property element, and an electronic zoom function, wherein when electronic zoom is performed, the variable optical-property element is driven by the driving circuit so that sharpness of an image in an area magnified by the electronic zoom of the optical system becomes best.

14. An optical apparatus having a variable optical-property element, an optical system including the variable optical-property element, a driving circuit driving the variable optical-property element, and an electronic zoom function, wherein when electronic zoom is performed, the variable optical-property element is driven by the driving circuit so that sharpness of an image in an area magnified by the electronic zoom of the optical system becomes best in view of a change of an imaging state caused by at least one of a change of an object distance, temperature, humidity, a manufacturing error, a change with age, vibration, and an optical magnification change.

15. An optical apparatus having a variable optical-property element, an optical system including the variable optical-property element, a driving circuit driving the variable optical-property element, and an electronic zoom function, wherein when electronic zoom is performed, the variable optical-property element is driven by the driving circuit so that sharpness of an image in an area magnified by the electronic zoom of the optical system becomes best, including a manufacturing error of the optical apparatus.

16. An optical apparatus having a variable optical-property element, an optical system including the variable optical-property element, a driving circuit driving the variable optical-property element, driving information, an image sensor, and an electronic zoom function, wherein when electronic zoom is used to form an image, the variable optical-property element is driven by the driving circuit so that aberration of an image in an area magnified by the electronic zoom of the optical system is reduced.

22. An optical apparatus having an variable optical-property element, a driving circuit driving the variable optical-property element, at least one optical element unit, and an electronic zoom function, wherein when electronic zoom is performed, the variable optical-property element and the optical element unit are associated with each other and driven to thereby improve sharpness of an area of an image to be used in the electronic zoom.

32. An electronic imaging apparatus having a stop and an image sensor, wherein when electronic zoom is performed, the stop is opened.