Zoom related methods and apparatus

• US 9,451,171 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• 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): BERARDESCA, PAUL M
• Application Number:
  US14/887,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20160044248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• 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 performing zoom in and zoom out operations are described using multiple optical chains in a camera device. At least one optical chain in the camera device includes a moveable light redirection device, said light redirection device being one of a substantially plane mirror or a prism. Different zoom focal length settings correspond to different scene capture areas for the optical chain with the moveable light redirection device. Overlap between scene areas captured by different optical chains increases during zoom in and decreases during zoom out. Images captured by different optical chains are combined and/or cropped to generate a composite image corresponding to a zoom focal length setting.

Claims

1. A method of capturing and using images, the method comprising:

implementing a zoom in operation in response to user control of a zoom setting, said zoom in operation including adjusting a direction of a first light redirection device of a first optical chain of a camera device, said first light redirection device being one of a substantially plane mirror or a prism, said adjusting increasing an overlap in scene areas captured by the first optical chain of said camera device and a second optical chain of said camera device;

capturing a first image of a scene area using the first optical chain, said first optical chain having a first focal length;

capturing a second image of the scene area using a third optical chain of said camera device having a second focal length which remains fixed irrespective of the zoom setting, said second focal length being smaller than the first focal length; and

generating a composite image, in accordance with the zoom setting, from at least said first and second images.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing an image of a scene area using the second optical chain.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein implementing a zoom in operation further includes:

adjusting a direction of a second light redirection device of the second optical chain, said second light redirection device being a second mirror or a second prism, said adjusting increasing the overlap in scene areas captured by the first and second optical chains.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

implementing a zoom out operation in response to user control, said zoom out operation including adjusting the direction of the first light redirection device and a direction of a second light redirection device, said adjusting decreasing an overlap in scene areas captured by the first and second optical chains.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said first and second optical chains have the same focal length.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein said first and second optical chains have the same focal length.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the third optical chain has an optical axis which is perpendicular to the face of the third optical chain.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said zoom in and zoom out operations correspond to a zoom focal length setting in the range of the second focal length to the first focal length, said range including the second focal length and the first focal length.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising;

wherein generating a composite image, in accordance with the zoom setting, from at least said first and second images includes;

generating from said first image, said second image and a third image said composite image, in accordance with the zoom setting, each of said first, second, and third images being captured by a different one of said first, second and third optical chains.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein generating a composite image includes performing a crop operation on the second image captured by the third optical chain when said zoom setting is greater than the second focal length.

11. A camera device comprising:

a zoom in light redirection device positioning adjustment control module configured to implement a zoom in operation in response to user control of a zoom setting, said zoom in operation including adjusting a direction of a first light redirection device of a first optical chain of said camera device, said first light redirection device being one of a substantially plane mirror or a prism, said adjusting increasing an overlap in scene areas captured by the first optical chain of said camera device and a second optical chain of said camera device;

an image capture control module configured to;

control the first optical chain to capture a first image of a scene area, said first optical chain having a first focal length; and

control a third optical chain of said camera device to capture a second image of the scene area, said third optical chain having a second focal length which remains fixed irrespective of the zoom setting, said second focal length being smaller than the first focal length; and

a composite image generation module configured to generate a composite image in accordance with the zoom setting from at least said first and second images.

12. The camera device of claim 11,

wherein said image capture control module is further configured to:

control the second optical chain to capture an image of a scene area.

13. The camera device of claim 11, wherein said zoom in light redirection device positioning control module is further configured to adjust a direction of a second light redirection device of the second optical chain, said second light redirection device being a second mirror or a second prism, said adjusting increasing the overlap in scene areas captured by the first and second optical chains, as part of implementing a zoom in operation.

14. The camera device of claim 12 further comprising:

a zoom out light redirection device positioning adjustment control module configured to implement a zoom out operation in response to user control, said zoom out operation including adjusting the direction of the first light redirection device and the direction of the second light redirection device, said adjusting decreasing an overlap in scene areas captured by the first and second optical chains.

15. The camera device of claim 13, wherein said first and second optical chains have the same focal length.

16. The camera device of claim 11,

wherein said first and second optical chains have the same focal length.

17. The camera device of claim 16, wherein the third optical chain has an optical axis which is perpendicular to the face of the third optical chain.

18. The camera device of claim 14, wherein said zoom in and zoom out operations correspond to a zoom focal length setting in the range of the second focal length to the first focal length, said range including the second focal length and the first focal length.

19. The camera device of claim 16,

wherein said composite image generation module is further configured to generate said composite image from said first image, said second image and a third image, in accordance with the zoom setting, each of said first, second, and third images being captured by a different one of said first, second and third optical chains.

20. A non-transitory machine readable medium having processor executable instructions stored thereon which when executed by the processor of a camera device control the camera device to:

implement a zoom in operation in response to user control, said zoom in operation including adjusting a direction of a first light redirection device of a first optical chain of the camera device, said first light redirection device being one of a substantially plane mirror or a prism, said adjusting increasing an overlap in scene areas captured by the first optical chain of said camera device and a second optical chain of said camera device;

capture a first image of a scene area using the first optical chain, said first optical chain having a first focal length;

capture a second image of the scene area using a third optical chain of said camera device having a second focal length which remains fixed irrespective of the zoom setting, said second focal length being smaller than the first focal length; and

generate a composite image, in accordance with the zoom setting, from at least said first and second images.