US 9,025,073 B2 · Compact camera optics

Abstract

Imaging apparatus includes an image sensor, which is adapted to generate an input image in response to optical radiation. A processing engine is configured to apply a digital filter, having a kernel width greater than five pixels, to the input image to generate a filtered image. An optical assembly is arranged to focus the optical radiation onto the image sensor with a point spread function such that no more than a first threshold percentage of energy emitted from a point object and focused by the optical assembly falls within a first region of the image sensor having a first width five times the pitch of the image sensor, while at least a second threshold percentage of the energy emitted from the point object and focused by the optical assembly falls within a second region, which contains the first region and has a second width corresponding to the kernel width.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An optical assembly comprising four even aspheric lenses arranged along an optical axis and configured to form an image of an object onto a focal plane, such that a total track length from a front surface of the optical assembly to the focal plane is no greater than about 5 millimeters (mm), the lenses having alternating positive and negative respective refractive powers;

wherein:
the four even aspheric lenses include a first lens adjacent to a second lens, both the first lens and the second lens being meniscus lenses,
the four even aspheric lenses include a third lens and a fourth lens, wherein the first lens, second lens, third lens and fourth lens are arranged in numerical order of decreasing distance from the focal plane along the optical axis, such that the first lens is furthest from the focal plane and the fourth lens nearest to the focal plane, and
the fourth lens has a first surface and a second surface each comprising respective convex and concave areas.

1 more element

A camera module for an optical device, comprising:

an image sensor comprising an array of optically sensitive pixels;
an optical assembly comprising four lenses substantially centered about a common optical axis and configured to form an image of an object at a focal plane, wherein the image comprises a blur component characterized by a point spread function in which at least about 20 percent of point source energy captured by the optical assembly is projected to an area of the image sensor greater than about five by five pixels in dimension and less than about thirteen by thirteen pixels in dimension;
and
a processing engine comprising a deconvolution filter having a kernel width that is substantially the same dimension as an extent of the point spread function;
wherein:
the four lenses have alternating positive and negative refractive powers, respectively, a first lens and a second lens of the four lenses are meniscus lenses, the first lens and second lens being furthest and second furthest, respectively, from the image sensor along the common optical axis, and the optical assembly has a total track length of no more than about 5 millimeters (mm).

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Compact camera optics

Life of this patent

Compact camera optics

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23