Panoramic imaging system

• US 7,019,918 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BH Image Co LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Be Here Corporation
• Inventors: DeMarta, Stanley P., Wallerstein, Edward P., Hoffman, Robert G., Driscoll, Edward C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, JORDAN MARC
• Application Number:
  US10/462,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 359/725, 359726-731, 359/708, 359/713, 359/364, 359402-403, 359/718, 348 36- 39
• US Class Current: 359/725
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/04 with continuous faces that are rotationally symmetrical but deviate from a true sphere , e.g. so called "aspheric" lenses

Abstract

A panoramic lens includes an aspherical convex surface and an aspherical concave surface. The convex surface includes a transparent portion and an internally reflective portion, and the concave surface also includes a transparent portion and an internally reflective portion. Light from a 360-degree surrounding scene enters the panoramic lens through the transparent portion of the convex surface, is reflected by the internally reflective portion of the concave surface, is reflected by the internally reflective portion of the convex surface, and exits the panoramic lens through the transparent portion of the concave surface as a narrow column of light beams. Light beams containing image data can be provided to the transparent portion of the concave surface, and those beams will follow this same optical path through the panoramic lens in reverse to project a panoramic image out from the transparent region of the convex surface.

Claims

1. A panoramic lens comprising a first aspheric surface about an axis of revolution and a second aspheric surface about the axis of revolution,

wherein the first aspheric surface comprises a first transmissive portion and a first internally reflective portion, the first transmissive portion and the first internally reflective portion having a first continuous curvature,

wherein the second aspheric surface comprises a second transmissive portion and a second internally reflective portion, the second transmissive portion and the second internally reflective portion having a second continuous curvature, and

wherein the first aspheric surface contacts the second aspheric surface.

2. The panoramic lens of claim 1, wherein the first aspheric surface has a convex curvature in a plane of the axis of revolution,

wherein the first transmissive portion surrounds the first internally reflective portion,

wherein the second aspheric surface has a concave curvature in the plane of the axis of revolution, and

wherein the second internally reflective portion surrounds the second transmissive portion.

3. The panoramic lens of claim 2, wherein the second internally reflective portion is adapted to reflect light between the first transmissive portion and the first internally reflective portion, and

wherein the first internally reflective portion is adapted to reflect light between the second internally reflective portion and the second transmissive portion.

4. The panoramic lens of claim 3, wherein the first transmissive portion is sized to capture light from a first included angle of a 360-degree surrounding image.

5. The panoramic lens of claim 4, wherein light transmitted by the first transmissive portion into the panoramic lens is incident on a first region of the concave aspheric surface, and

wherein the second internally reflective portion is substantially the same as the first region of the concave aspheric surface.

6. The panoramic lens of claim 5, wherein light reflected by the second internally reflective portion onto the first aspheric surface is incident on a second region of the first aspheric surface, and

wherein the first internally reflective portion is substantially the same as the second region of the first aspheric surface.

7. The panoramic lens of claim 6, wherein light reflected by the first internally reflective portion onto the concave aspheric surface is incident on a third region of the concave aspheric surface, and

wherein the second transmissive portion is substantially the same as the third region of the concave aspheric surface.

8. The panoramic lens of claim 7, wherein the first included angle is at least 60-degrees.

9. The panoramic lens of claim 2, wherein the first internally reflective portion and the second internally reflective portion are coated with a reflective coating, and

wherein portions of the panoramic lens not included in the first transmissive portion, the second transmissive portion, the first internally reflective portion, or the second internally reflective portion are coated with an absorbing coating.

10. The panoramic lens of claim 9, wherein the first transmissive portion and the second transmissive portion are coated with an anti-reflective coating.

11. An imaging system comprising:

a panoramic lens;

an imaging device; and

a secondary set of optical elements providing an optical path between a photosensing element and the panoramic lens, wherein the panoramic lens comprises;

a convex aspheric surface about an axis of revolution, the convex aspheric surface comprising a first transmissive portion surrounding a first internally reflective portion, wherein the first transmissive portion and the first internally reflective portion have a first continuous curvature; and

a concave aspheric surface about the axis of revolution, the concave aspheric surface comprising a second internally reflective portion surrounding a second transmissive portion, wherein the second internally reflective portion and the second transmissive portion have a second continuous curvature, wherein the convex aspheric surface is in contact with the concave aspheric surface.

12. The imaging system of claim 11, wherein the second internally reflective portion is adapted to reflect light between the first transmissive portion and the first internally reflective portion, and

wherein the first internally reflective portion is adapted to reflect light between the second internally reflective portion and the second transmissive portion.

13. The imaging system of claim 11, wherein the image processing system comprises a photosensing element for receiving light from the second transmissive portion via the secondary set of optical elements.

14. The imaging system of claim 13, wherein the secondary set of optical elements comprises at least one of a image flattening lens, a scaling lens, a color correcting lens set, an astigmatism correcting lens, a diffracting lens, and an infrared filter.

15. The imaging system of claim 13, further comprising a digital image processor coupled to the photosensing element for manipulating images captured by the photosensing element.

16. The imaging system of claim 11, wherein the image processing system comprises a source beam generator for providing source beams to the second transmissive portion via the secondary set of optical elements.

17. A panoramic lens comprising:

a first aspheric surface about an axis of revolution, the first aspheric surface comprising a first transmissive portion and a first internally reflective portion, wherein the first aspheric surface has a convex curvature in a plane of the axis of revolution, and wherein the first transmissive portion surrounds the first internally reflective portion; and

a concave aspheric surface about the axis of revolution, the concave aspheric surface comprising a second internally reflective portion surrounding a second transmissive portion,

wherein the second internally reflective portion is adapted to reflect light between the first transmissive portion and the first internally reflective portion,

wherein the first internally reflective portion is adapted to reflect light between the second internally reflective portion and the second transmissive portion,

wherein the first transmissive portion is sized to capture light from a first included angle of a 360-degree surrounding image,

wherein light transmitted by the first transmissive portion into the panoramic lens is incident on a first region of the concave aspheric surface,

wherein the second internally reflective portion is substantially the same as the first region of the concave aspheric surface,

wherein light reflected by the second internally reflective portion onto the first aspheric surface is incident on a second region of the first aspheric surface,

wherein the first internally reflective portion is substantially the same as the second region of the first aspheric surface,

wherein light reflected by the first internally reflective portion onto the concave aspheric surface is incident on a third region of the concave aspheric surface,

wherein the second transmissive portion is substantially the same as the third region of the concave aspheric surface, and

wherein the first included angle is 60-degrees.