Low profile camera and vision sensor
OwnerGeoffrey Louis Barrowsinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A camera configured for a predetermined environment can be made low profile in the following manner. The camera includes an image sensor that has a light sensitive portion that can sense light from the predetermined environment. A substantially opaque mask is disposed above the light sensitive portion of the image sensor and has at least one opening through which the image sensor senses light. The low profile structure of the camera can be realized with substantially transparent material disposed between the substantially opaque mask and the image sensor that has index of refraction that is greater than an index of refraction of the predetermined environment. Accordingly, light through the opening refracts as it passes through the substantially transparent material to the image sensor.
Claims32
A method of manufacturing a camera for use in a predetermined environment, comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of substantially opaque mask patterns on substantially transparent material, wherein each of the plurality of substantially opaque mask patterns has a first number of openings, including a first and second adjacent openings, and the substantially transparent material has an index of refraction that is greater than an index of refraction of the predetermined environment;
- separating the substantially transparent material into a plurality of structures, wherein each of the plurality of structures contains at least one of the plurality of substantially opaque mask patterns;
- positioning a first structure of the plurality of structures onto an image sensor comprising a plurality of pixel elements such that light from the predetermined environment is capable of passing through the first number of openings onto the image sensor and illuminating a second number of pixel elements of the plurality of pixel elements of the image sensor;
- and
- configuring the camera to acquire an image from the second number of pixel elements,
- wherein
- the second number of pixel elements is greater than the first number of openings of the first structure, and
- a space between the first and second adjacent openings is selected such that light incident on the image sensor via the first adjacent opening and light incident on the image sensor via the second adjacent opening do not overlap.
A method of manufacturing at least one camera for use in a predetermined environment, comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of image sensor circuits on a semiconductor substrate, wherein each image sensor circuit of the plurality of image sensor circuits comprises a plurality of pixel elements;
- providing a layer of substantially transparent material on the plurality of image sensor circuits, wherein the layer of substantially transparent material has an index of refraction that is greater than an index of refraction of the predetermined environment;
- positioning a plurality of substantially opaque mask patterns on the layer of substantially transparent material, wherein each image sensor circuit of the plurality of image sensor circuits is associated with at least one substantially opaque mask pattern of the plurality of substantially opaque mask patterns, and the positioning is such that light from the predetermined environment is capable of passing through a first number of openings of the at least one substantially opaque mask pattern and illuminating a second number of pixel elements of the plurality of pixel elements of the image sensor circuit, wherein the second number of pixel elements is greater than the first number of openings, wherein each of the at least one substantially opaque mask pattern includes first and second adjacent openings;
- selecting a space between the first and second adjacent openings such that light incident on an image sensor via the first adjacent opening and light incident on the image sensor via the second adjacent opening do not overlap;
- and
- separating the semiconductor substrate into a plurality of pieces.
A method of manufacturing a plurality of cameras for use in a predetermined environment, comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of image sensor circuits on a semiconductor substrate, wherein each image sensor circuit of the plurality of image sensor circuits comprises a plurality of pixel circuits;
- positioning a plurality of substantially opaque optical mask patterns on a substantially transparent material, wherein each of the plurality of substantially opaque mask patterns has a first number of openings, including a first and second adjacent openings, and the substantially transparent material has an index of refraction that is greater than an index of refraction of the predetermined environment, and the positioning is such that light from the predetermined environment is capable of passing through the first number of openings of each optical mask pattern and illuminating a second number of pixels of the at least one image sensor circuit;
- selecting a space between the first and second adjacent openings such that light incident on an image sensor via the first adjacent opening and light incident on the image sensor via the second adjacent opening do not overlap;
- attaching the substantially transparent material to the semiconductor substrate;
- and
- separating the semiconductor substrate and the substantially transparent material into a plurality of pieces, wherein each piece of the plurality of pieces comprises at least one image sensor circuit of the plurality of image sensor circuits and at least one substantially opaque optical mask pattern of the plurality of substantially opaque mask patterns,
- wherein the second number of pixels is greater than the first number of openings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.