Camera system including lens with magnification gradient

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10341579-B2
Application number	US-201816053273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2018
Priority date	Mar 20, 2017
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed of an apparatus including a first digital camera with an image sensor optically coupled to a first lens, the first lens having a first magnification and a second digital camera including an image sensor optically coupled to a second lens. The second lens the second lens has a magnification that is greater than the magnification of the first lens and the second lens is a non-rectilinear lens having a magnification gradient in which magnification is highest at the center of the second lens and lowest at the edges. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
capturing a first digital image with a first digital camera including an image sensor optically coupled to a first lens, the first lens (i) being a non-rectilinear lens, and (ii) having a first magnification gradient exhibiting a peak magnification at a center of the first lens and a lowest magnification at edges of the first lens;
capturing a second digital image with a second digital camera including an image sensor optically coupled to a second lens, the second lens (i) being a non-rectilinear lens, and (ii) having a second magnification gradient exhibiting a peak magnification at a center of the second lens and a lowest magnification at edges of the second lens, wherein the second magnification gradient of the second lens is greater than the first magnification gradient of the first lens; and
fusing the first digital image with the second digital image to create a third digital image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second magnification gradient of the second lens is linear.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second magnification gradient decreases monotonically from the center of the second lens to the edges of the second lens.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second magnification gradient of the second lens is non-linear.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second magnification gradient decreases monotonically from the center of the second lens to the edges of the second lens.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein a magnification at an edge of the second lens is equal to or less than a magnification at an edge of the first lens.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising applying distortion compensation to the second digital image before the second digital image is fused with the first digital image to create the third digital image.

8. A system comprising one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
capturing a first digital image with a first digital camera including an image sensor optically coupled to a first lens, the first lens (i) being a non-rectilinear lens, and (ii) having a first magnification gradient exhibiting a peak magnification at a center of the first lens and a lowest magnification at edges of the first lens;
capturing a second digital image with a second digital camera including an image sensor optically coupled to a second lens, the second lens (i) being a non-rectilinear lens, and (ii) having a second magnification gradient exhibiting a peak magnification at a center of the second lens and a lowest magnification at edges of the second lens, wherein the second magnification gradient of the second lens is greater than the first magnification gradient of the first lens; and
fusing the first digital image with the second digital image to create a third digital image.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second magnification gradient of the second lens is linear.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the second magnification gradient decreases monotonically from the center of the second lens to the edges of the second lens.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second magnification gradient of the second lens is non-linear.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second magnification gradient decreases monotonically from the center of the second lens to the edges of the second lens.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein a magnification at an edge of the second lens is equal to or less than a magnification at an edge of the first lens.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations comprise applying distortion compensation to the second digital image before the second digital image is fused with the first digital image to create the third digital image.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Wang Li-Ping

Classifications

• G02B13/001 Primary

  Miniaturised objectives for electronic devices, e.g. portable telephones, webcams, PDAs, small digital cameras (G02B23/243 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04M1/0264

  for a camera module assembly · CPC title

• G02B13/02

  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 title

• G02B13/06

  Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" {including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces} · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · CPC title