# US 12,216,259 B2 · Large-aperture compact scanning tele cameras > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,216,259 B2 - Document ID: US12216259B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/718,461 - Filed: 2022-11-08 - Published: 2024-12-19 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-14 - Assignees: Corephotonics Ltd. - Applicants: Corephotonics Ltd. - Inventors: Ephraim Goldenberg; Yiftah Kowal; Gal Shabtay; Itamar Boral; Ziv Shemesh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12216259B2 ## CPC - G02B 13/0065: {having a beam-folding prism or mirror} - 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 - G02B 26/108: {having one or more prisms as scanning elements} - G03B 13/36: Autofocus systems - G03B 17/17: with reflectors arranged in beam forming the photographic image, e.g. for reducing dimensions of camera - G03B 37/02: with scanning movement of lens or cameras - H04N 23/54: Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Scanning Tele cameras (STCs) based on two optical path folding element (OPFE) field-of-view scanning and mobile devices including such STCs. A STC may comprise a first OPFE (O-OPFE) for folding a first optical path OP1 to a second optical path OP2, an O-OPFE actuator, a second OPFE (I-OPFE) for folding OP2 to a third optical path OP3, an I-OPFE actuator, a lens, a lens actuator and an image sensor, wherein the STC has a STC native field-of-view (n-FOVT), wherein the O-OPFE actuator is configured to rotate the O-OPFE around a first axis and the I-OPFE actuator rotates the I-OPFE around a second axis for scanning a scene with the n-FOVT, wherein the lens actuator is configured to move the lens for focusing along a third axis, and wherein the first axis is perpendicular to the second axis and parallel to the third axis. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A scanning Tele camera (STC), comprising: an optical path folding element (OPFE) for folding a first optical path OP1 to a second optical path OP2, wherein the OPFE has an OPFE height HO measured along OP1, an OPFE length LO measured along an axis parallel to OP2, an OPFE light entering surface and an OPFE light exiting surface; an OPFE actuator; a lens having a lens optical axis parallel to OP2, an effective focal length EFL, a f number f/#, a maximum lens aperture height HA measured along OP1, and a maximum lens aperture width WA measured along an axis perpendicular to both OP1 and OP2; and an image sensor having an image sensor diagonal SD and an image sensor height HSensor measured along OP1, wherein the STC has a STC native field-of-view n-FOVT, wherein the OPFE actuator is configured to rotate the OPFE around a first rotation axis perpendicular to both OP1 and OP2 and around a second rotation axis parallel to OP1 for scanning a scene with the n-FOVT, wherein the first rotation axis is located at a distance Δ1 from the light exiting surface of the OPFE, and wherein Δ1/LO<0.25. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein Δ1/LO<0.2. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein Δ1/LO<0.1. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE has an OPFE center with respect to OP1, wherein the first rotation axis is located at a distance ΔC from the OPFE center along OP1, and wherein a ratio of ΔC and HO fulfils ΔC/HO>0.015. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE has an OPFE center with respect to OP1, wherein the first rotation axis is located at a distance ΔC from the OPFE center along OP1, and wherein a ratio of ΔC and HO fulfils ΔC/HO>0.02. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, included in a camera module, wherein the camera module is divided into a module region having a module region height HM and a shoulder region having a shoulder region height HS0.7. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The STC of claim 6, wherein DA/HS>0.8. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The STC of claim 6, wherein the OPFE is included in the module region and wherein the lens and the image sensor are included in the shoulder region. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The STC of claim 6, wherein the lens is divided into a first lens group (G1) and a second lens group (G2), wherein the OPFE and G1 are included in the module region and G2 and the image sensor are included in the shoulder region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The STC of claim 6, included in a mobile device, wherein the mobile device has a regular region with a regular thickness T and a bump region with a bump thickness T+B, wherein the shoulder region is included in the mobile device regular region and wherein the module region is included in the mobile device bump region. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The STC of claim 11, wherein the mobile device includes a Wide camera having a Wide camera image sensor and a Wide camera field-of-view (FOVW). ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The STC of claim 12, wherein the scanning provides an effective Tele scanning FOV s-FOVT, wherein FOVW is in the range of 70-90 degrees, and wherein s-FOVT covers a 16:9 segment of FOVW. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein HO0.4 mm. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the STC uses a parallel STC sensor configuration. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the STC uses an anti-parallel STC sensor configuration. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the scanning provides an effective Tele scanning FOV s-FOVT, wherein the s-FOVT has a longer horizontal side and a shorter vertical side, and wherein a horizontal side H-FOVT of s-FOVT is greater than 40 degrees. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The STC of claim 19, wherein the OPFE is a prism, wherein the prism has a fast scanning axis and a slow scanning axis, wherein the image sensor is oriented such that the prism's fast scanning axis is aligned with the horizontal side H-FOVT of s-FOVT. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the scanning provides an effective Tele scanning FOV s-FOVT, wherein the s-FOV has a longer horizontal side and a shorter vertical side, and wherein a vertical side V-FOVT of s-FOVT>20 degrees. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the rotation of the OPFE along the first rotation axis is by more than ±5 degrees around a zero scan position. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the rotation of the OPFE along the second rotation axis is by more than ±15 degrees around a zero scan position. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE is a prism. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein EFL=8-10 mm. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein EFL=10-25 mm. ### Claim 27 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein EFL=25-50 mm. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein f/#<3.5. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein f/#<3. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein f/#<2.5. ### Claim 31 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein a distance between the OPFE and the lens is ΔLO, and wherein ΔLO/TTL<0.25. ### Claim 32 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein HO/LO<0.9. ### Claim 33 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein WO/HO>1.75. ### Claim 34 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens is a cut lens and the cut is performed along an axis parallel to OP2. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The STC of claim 34, wherein the cut lens is cut by X %, wherein the cutting by X % will reduce MHM and MHS by 0.5·X %-X %. ### Claim 36 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE is a cut OPFE and the cut is performed along an axis parallel to OP2. ### Claim 37 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens elements in the lens have an average lens thickness (ALT), wherein a thickness of the first lens element L1 is T1, and wherein T1/ALT>1.5. ### Claim 38 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the focal length of the first lens element is f1, and wherein f1/EFL<0.75. ### Claim 39 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens is divided into a first lens group (G1) and a second lens group (G2), wherein a ratio of a height HG of G1 and a height HG2 of G2 fulfills HG1/HG2>1.15. ### Claim 40 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the lens is divided into a first lens group (G1) and a second lens group (G2), wherein a ratio of a height Hoi of G1 and a height HG2 of G2 fulfills HG1/HG2>1.3. ### Claim 41 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the first lens element L1 is made of glass. ### Claim 42 (depends on 1) The STC of claim 1, wherein the OPFE is a prism, and wherein the prism includes a stray light prevention mechanism. ### Claim 43 (depends on 42) The STC of claim 42, wherein the stray light prevention mechanism includes two stray light masks located at the OPFE light entering surface and two stray light masks located at the light exiting surface. ### Claim 44 (depends on 1) A mobile device comprising the STC of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprises an application processor (AP). ### Claim 45 (depends on 44) The mobile device of claim 44, wherein the mobile device further comprises a Wide camera, wherein the AP is configured to use image data from the Wide camera for autonomous scanning of a scene with the STC's n-FOVT. ### Claim 46 (depends on 44) The mobile device of claim 44, wherein the AP is configured to scan a scene with the STC's n-FOVT according to a user input.