MEMS Auto Focus Miniature Camera Module with Abutting Registration

• US 20130293765A1
• Filed: 05/06/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation (Adeia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation (Adeia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lipson, Ariel, Kinrot, Uri, Bahar, Dalit, Kriman, Moshe, Levy, Moshe, Ward, Ocie, Harland, Mark
• Application Number:
  US13/888,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20130293765A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/345
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/001 Miniaturised objectives for electronic devices, e.g. portable telephones, webcams, PDAs, small digital cameras G02B23/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/009 having zoom function
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/08 adapted to co-operate with a remote control mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/09 adapted for automatic focusing or varying magnification
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0046 Movement of one or more optical elements for zooming for optical zoom lenses in general G02B7/10
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2205/0053 Driving means for the movement of one or more optical element
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 3/10 Power-operated focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices

Abstract

A MEMS auto focus miniature camera module includes an image sensor and an optical train including at least one movable lens and one or more fixed lenses or fixed lens groups on either side of the movable lens. The movable lens provides an auto focus feature of the camera module. A MEMS actuator translates the movable lens through an auto focus range to adjust focus.

Claims

1. An auto focus MEMS camera module, comprising:

an image sensor, and

an autofocus module including a MEMS actuator that is configured to move at least one movable lens in a spacing between first and second fixed lens groups along an optical axis of the camera module in an auto focus operation, and

wherein the image sensor is disposed approximately at a back focal length of one or more fixed lenses of the second fixed lens group nearest the image sensor.

2. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the one or more fixed lenses of the second lens group are configured to compensate for a field curvature induced by the one or more moving lenses.

3. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the one or more fixed lenses of the second lens group are configured to match an associated point spread function to a pixel dimension of the image sensor approximately uniformly over an area of the image sensor.

4. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the auto focus module is configured such that an autofocus distance range comprises 10 cm to 9 m.

5. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the auto focus module is configured such that an autofocus distance range comprises 15 cm to 5 m.

6. The camera module of claim 1, wherein the auto focus module is configured such that an autofocus distance range comprises 20 cm to 3 m.

7. The camera module of claim 6, wherein the autofocus distance excludes a hyperfocal distance.

8. The camera module of claim 1, further comprising a processor and a non-transitory storage device having code embedded therein for programming the processor to perform an autofocus operation.

9. The camera module of claim 8, wherein the code is configured to program the processor to correct for distortion or another artefact produced in a predictable manner by one or more optical elements of the auto focus module.

10. The camera module of claim 8, wherein the code is configured to program the processor to process information from image sensor pixels irrespective of a number of pixels within an image area illuminated by the one or more optical elements.

11. The camera module of claim 8, wherein the code is implemented in hardware or software or both.

12. The camera module of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to perform the autofocus operation within an image processing pipeline on the image sensor.

13. The camera module of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to perform the autofocus operation on a discrete platform.

14. The camera module of claim 13, wherein the discrete platform comprises an image processor.

15. The camera module of claim 13, wherein the discrete platform comprises a baseband chip in a mobile phone.

16. The camera module of claim 8, comprising a machine readable file that has largely constant size and effective image resolution irrespective of autofocus setting.

17. The camera module of claim 8, comprising a zoom feature ranging between ×

0.5 and ×

5.

18. The camera module of claim 8, comprising a zoom feature ranging between ×

1 and ×

4.

19. The camera module of claim 8, comprising a zoom feature ranging between ×

1 and ×

3.

20. The camera module of claim 8, comprising a movable lens housing containing the one or more movable lenses.

21. The camera module of claim 20, wherein the movable lens housing is configured to be movable mechanically along the optical axis of the camera.