Methods and apparatus relating to a thin camera device

• US 9,325,906 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: The LightCo Inc.
• Inventors: Laroia, Rajiv
• Primary Examiner(s): Jerabek, Kelly L
• Application Number:
  US14/327,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 657 Days
• Field of Search: 348/218.1, 348/239, 348/337, 348/373
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/0055 employing a special optical element
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/0065 having a beam-folding prism or mirror
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/009 having zoom function
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/02 Telephoto objectives, i.e. systems of the type + - in which the distance from the front vertex to the image plane is less than the equivalent focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 15/00 Optical objectives with means for varying the magnification anamorphotic objectives G02B13/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/008 Systems specially adapted to form image relays or chained systems
• 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 27/1066 for enhancing image performance, like resolution, pixel numbers, dual magnifications or dynamic range, by tiling, slicing or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0037 characterized by the distribution or form of lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/005 Diaphragms for cameras G03B9/02
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/045 Prism arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/282 Autofocusing of zoom lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/667 Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 : Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 : based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 : based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/685 : performed by mechanical compensation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/689 : Motion occurring during a rolling shutter mode
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 : by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/741 : by increasing the dynamic range of the image compared to the dynamic range of the electronic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 : Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 : by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 : Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/42 : by switching between different modes of operation using different resolutions or aspect ratios, e.g. switching between interlaced and non-interlaced mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/44 : by partially reading an SSIS array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/70 : SSIS architectures; Circuits associated therewith
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 : Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 : Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 : Signal distribution or switching

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for implementing a camera having a depth which is less than the maximum length of the outer lens of at least one optical chain of the camera are described. In some embodiments a light redirection device, e.g., a mirror, is used to allow a relatively long optical chain with a relatively large non-circular outer lens. In some embodiments the light redirection device has a depth, e.g., front of camera to back of camera dimension, which is less than the maximum length of the aperture of the outer lens in the aperture'"'"'s direction of maximum extent. Multiple optical chains with non-circular outer lenses arranged in different directions may and in some embodiments are used to capture images with the captured images being combined to generate a composite image.

Claims

1. A camera device, the camera device comprising:

a camera housing including a front surface and a rear surface having a thickness D where D is a distance between said front surface and said rear surface;

a first optical chain, in said camera housing, including i) a first light redirection device, ii) a first lens having a non-circular aperture, and iii) a sensor, said first optical chain having an optical axis including a first optical axis portion in front of said light redirection device and a second optical axis portion extending from the light redirection device to the sensor, said first lens being on said second optical axis portion, said non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in a first direction along the direction of the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and

a second optical chain, in said camera housing, including i) a second light redirection device, ii) a second lens having a second non-circular aperture, and iii) a second sensor, said second optical chain having an optical axis including a third optical axis portion in front of said second light redirection device and a fourth optical axis portion extending from the second light redirection device to the second sensor, said second non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in the first direction along the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a third direction perpendicular to the direction of the thickness of the camera, said second and third directions being different.

2. The camera device of claim 1, wherein said second and third directions are at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to each other.

3. The camera device of claim 1, further comprising:

a third optical chain including i) a third light redirection device, ii) a third lens having a third non-circular aperture, and iii) a third sensor, said third optical chain having an optical axis including a fifth optical axis portion in front of said third light redirection device and a sixth optical axis portion extending from the third light redirection device to the third sensor, said third non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in the first direction along the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a fourth direction perpendicular to the direction of the thickness of the camera, said first, second and third directions being different.

4. The camera device of claim 3, wherein said second and third directions are at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to each other and wherein the second and fourth direction are at an angle with respect to each other between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.

5. The camera device of claim 1, wherein said first light redirection device is a mirror.

6. The camera device of claim 1, wherein said light redirection device is a prism.

7. The camera device of claim 1, wherein said first light redirection device is a 45 degree angled plane mirror which redirects light by 90 degrees.

8. A method of operating a camera device that includes a camera housing including a front surface and a rear surface having a thickness D, where D is a distance between said front surface and said rear surface, the method comprising:

capturing a first image, using a first optical chain in said camera housing, said first optical chain including i) a first light redirection device, ii) a first lens having a non-circular aperture, and iii) a sensor, said first optical chain having an optical axis including a first optical axis portion in front of said light redirection device and a second optical axis portion extending from the light redirection device to the sensor, said first lens being on said second optical axis portion, said non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in a first direction along the direction of the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

capturing a second image, using a second optical chain in said camera housing, said second optical chain including i) a second light redirection device, ii) a second lens having a second non-circular aperture, and iii) a second sensor, said second optical chain having an optical axis including a third optical axis portion in front of said second light redirection device and a fourth optical axis portion extending from the second light redirection device to the second sensor, said second non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in the first direction along the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a third direction perpendicular to the direction of the thickness of the camera, said second and third directions being different; and

storing captured images in a memory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said second and third directions are at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to each other.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

capturing a third image, using a third optical chain, said third optical chain including i) a third light redirection device, ii) a third lens having a third non-circular aperture, and iii) a third sensor, said third optical chain having an optical axis including a fifth optical axis portion in front of said third light redirection device and a sixth optical axis portion extending from the third light redirection device to the third sensor, said third non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in the first direction along the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a fourth direction perpendicular to the direction of the thickness of the camera, said first, second and third directions being different.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said second and third directions are at an angle of 90 degrees with respect to each other and wherein the second and fourth direction area at an angle with respect to each other between 30 degrees and 60 degrees.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for controlling a camera device that includes a camera housing including a front surface and a rear surface having a thickness D, where D is a distance between said front surface and said rear surface, said non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

instructions, which when executed by a processor, control a first optical chain in said camera housing to capture an image, said first optical chain including i) a first light redirection device, ii) a first lens having a non-circular aperture, and iii) a sensor, said first optical chain having an optical axis including a first optical axis portion in front of said light redirection device and a second optical axis portion extending from the light redirection device to the sensor, said first lens being on said second optical axis portion, said non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in a first direction along the direction of the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

instructions, which when executed by said processor, control a second optical chain in said camera housing to capture a second image, said second optical chain including i) a second light redirection device, ii) a second lens having a second non-circular aperture, and iii) a second sensor, said second optical chain having an optical axis including a third optical axis portion in front of said second light redirection device and a fourth optical axis portion extending from the second light redirection device to the second sensor, said second non-circular aperture having a length less than or equal to D in the first direction along the thickness of the camera and a length larger than D along a third direction perpendicular to the direction of the thickness of the camera, said second and third directions being different; and

instructions, which when executed by said processor, control storage of captured images in a memory.