Array cameras and array camera modules including spectral filters disposed outside of a constituent image sensor
First Claim
1. An array camera module comprising:
- lens elements arranged to form a plurality of optical channels, each optical channel comprising a separate aperture, and thereby being configured to image a distinct view of a scene;
a plurality of focal planes, where each focal plane comprises a plurality of rows of pixel stacks that also form a plurality of columns of pixel stacks, and where each focal plane does not include pixel stacks from another focal plane;
at least one cover glass that is disposed immediately adjacent to at least one focal plane and thereby covers all of the pixel stacks within the at least one focal plane; and
at least one spectral filter that is embedded within at least one cover glass;
wherein;
each optical channel is associated with a focal plane;
each pairing of an optical channel and a corresponding focal plane defines a camera;
the at least one cover glass is flat and uniformly thick;
the at least one spectral filter filters all the light that impinges on all of the pixel stacks of at least one focal plane; and
each pixel stack comprises a single microlens and a single photodetector, and each respective single microlens is configured to focus incident electromagnetic waves onto the corresponding single photodetector.
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Abstract
Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention implement array cameras and array camera modules that have spectral filters disposed outside of constituent image sensors. In one embodiment, an array camera module includes: a lens stack array including lens elements arranged to form a plurality of optical channels, each optical channel including a field-of-view that is shifted with respect to the fields-of-views of each other optical channel so that each shift includes a sub-pixel shifted view of the scene, a glass substrate located within an optical channel, and a spectral filter disposed within, or else proximate to, a glass substrate within the lens stack array; and an imager array including a plurality of focal planes, where each focal plane includes a plurality of rows of pixels that also form a plurality of columns of pixels, and where each focal plane does not include pixels from another focal plane.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An array camera module comprising:
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lens elements arranged to form a plurality of optical channels, each optical channel comprising a separate aperture, and thereby being configured to image a distinct view of a scene; a plurality of focal planes, where each focal plane comprises a plurality of rows of pixel stacks that also form a plurality of columns of pixel stacks, and where each focal plane does not include pixel stacks from another focal plane; at least one cover glass that is disposed immediately adjacent to at least one focal plane and thereby covers all of the pixel stacks within the at least one focal plane; and at least one spectral filter that is embedded within at least one cover glass; wherein; each optical channel is associated with a focal plane; each pairing of an optical channel and a corresponding focal plane defines a camera; the at least one cover glass is flat and uniformly thick; the at least one spectral filter filters all the light that impinges on all of the pixel stacks of at least one focal plane; and each pixel stack comprises a single microlens and a single photodetector, and each respective single microlens is configured to focus incident electromagnetic waves onto the corresponding single photodetector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification