Wide angle lens system for electronic imagers having long exit pupil distances

• US 6,483,535 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1999
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Inspection Technologies LP (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Tamburrino, Richard A., Lia, Raymond A., Danna, Dominick
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, Y YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/471,849
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, 348/66, 348/86, 348/345
• US Class Current: 348/66
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00163 Optical arrangements A61B1/002, A61B1/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/24 for the mouth, i.e. stomatoscopes, e.g. with tongue depressors tongue depressors per se A61B13/00; Instruments for opening or keeping open the mouth combined with saliva removers A61C17/00; mouth openers for animals A61D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes

Abstract

An imaging assembly includes a miniature electronic image sensor including an imaging substrate having a plurality of pixels and a microlens array aligned with corresponding pixels on said imaging substrate and focusing optics for focusing an optical image of a target onto the imaging substrate including at least one adaptive lens element. The focusing optics have a first exit pupil distance defining a first field of view and the miniature electronic image sensor has a second exit pupil distance defining a second field of view which is different than the first exit pupil distance. The adaptive lens element directs light onto said imaging substrate through said microlens array while maintaining the first field of view.

Claims

1. An imaging assembly comprising:

a miniature electronic image sensor including an imaging substrate having a plurality of pixels and a microlens array aligned with corresponding pixels on said imaging substrate;

focusing optics for focusing an optical image of a target onto said imaging substrate including at least one adaptive lens element, in which said focusing optics have a first exit pupil distance defining a first field of view and said electronic image sensor has a second exit pupil distance defining a second field of view, the first exit pupil distance being different from the second exit pupil distance, and in which said adaptive lens element directs light onto said imaging substrate through said microlens array while permitting the imaging assembly to maintain the first field of view.

2. An imaging assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein said imaging assembly is used in an endoscope.

3. An imaging assembly as recited in claim 2, wherein said endoscope is an intraoral dental camera.

4. An imaging assembly as recited in claim 1, wherein the exit pupil distance of the image sensor is longer than the exit pupil distance of the focusing optics.

5. An intraoral dental camera as recited in claim 1, wherein the exit pupil distance of the image sensor is longer than the exit pupil distance of the focusing optics.

6. An intraoral dental camera including:

a housing;

a camera head disposed at a distal end of said housing, said camera head including an imaging assembly comprising;

miniature electronic image sensor having a plurality of pixels arranged on an imaging substrate and an array of microlenses aligned with corresponding pixels on said imaging substrate; and

focusing optics for focusing an optical image of a target onto said imaging substrate, said focusing optics including at least one adaptive lens element, wherein said focusing optics has a first exit pupil distance defining a first field of view and the image sensor has a second exit pupil distance defining a second field of view, wherein said at least one adaptive lens element directs light to the microlens array from a target while maintaining the field of view of the focusing optics.