Light-folding camera and mobile device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11086099-B2
Application number	US-202016834583-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2020
Priority date	Aug 13, 2019
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A light-folding camera includes a light folding device, a light path control device LPC, a first sensor and a second sensor. The light folding device outputs a folded light propagating in a first horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to a vertical direction by changing a light path of a vertical light that is incident on the light folding device in the vertical direction. The light path control device outputs a first light propagating in the first horizontal direction by passing at least a first portion of the folded light, or outputs a second light propagating in a second horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction by changing a light path of at least a second portion of the folded light. The first sensor receives the first light propagating in the first horizontal direction. The second sensor receives the second light propagating in the second horizontal direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light-folding camera, comprising:
a light folding device configured to output a folded light propagating in a first horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to a vertical direction by changing a light path of a vertical light that is incident on the light folding device in the vertical direction;
a light path control device configured to output a first light propagating in the first horizontal direction by passing at least a first portion of the folded light, or output a second light propagating in a second horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction by changing a light path of at least a second portion of the folded light;
a first sensor configured to receive the first light propagating in the first horizontal direction; and
a second sensor configured to receive the second light propagating in the second horizontal direction.

2. The light-folding camera of claim 1 , wherein the light path control device comprises:
a mirror configured to rotate on a rotation axis extending substantially parallel to the vertical direction between a passing position and a reflecting position such that the mirror is aligned to the passing position in a first operation mode and is aligned to the reflecting position in a second operation mode,
wherein the folded light passes by the mirror and is output as the first light in the first operation mode, and the mirror reflects the folded light and outputs the second light in the second operation mode.

3. The light-folding camera of claim 2 , wherein the passing position and the reflecting position of the mirror form a rotation angle of about 45 degrees.

4. The light-folding camera of claim 1 , further comprising:
a common lens disposed between the light folding device and the light path control device, the common lens having a first optical axis extending substantially parallel to the first horizontal direction.

5. The light-folding camera of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first lens disposed between the light path control device and the first sensor, the first lens having the first optical axis; and
a second lens disposed between the light path control device and the second sensor, the second lens having a second optical axis that intersects with and is substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis.

6. The light-folding camera of claim 5 , wherein the common lens, the first lens and the second lens are disposed such that the first sensor receives the first light corresponding to a first field of view, and the second sensor receives the second light corresponding to a second field of view wider than the first field of view.

7. The light-folding camera of claim 1 , wherein the light folding device, the light path control device, the first sensor and the second sensor are mounted on a single substrate.

8. The light-folding camera of claim 1 , wherein the light path control device comprises:
a beam splitter configured to output the first light by passing the first portion of the folded light, and simultaneously output the second light by reflecting the second portion of the folded light.

9. A light-folding camera, comprising:
a light folding device configured to output a folded light propagating in a first horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to a vertical direction by changing a light path of a vertical light that is incident on the light folding device in the vertical direction;
a first mirror configured to rotate on a first rotation axis extending substantially parallel to the vertical direction between a first passing position and a first reflecting position such that the first mirror is aligned to the first passing position in a first operation mode and is aligned to the first reflecting position in a second operation mode,
wherein the folded light passes by the first mirror and is output as a first light propagating in the first horizontal direction in the first operation mode, and the first mirror reflects the folded light and outputs a second light propagating in a second horizontal direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction in the second operation mode;
a common lens disposed between the light folding device and the first mirror, the common lens having a first optical axis extending substantially parallel to the first horizontal direction;
a first sensor configured to receive the first light propagating in the first horizontal direction; and
a second sensor configured to receive the second light propagating in the second horizontal direction.

10. The light-folding camera of claim 9 , further comprising:
a second mirror disposed between the common lens and the first mirror,
wherein the second mirror is configured to rotate on a second rotation axis extending substantially parallel to the vertical direction between a second passing position and a second reflecting position such that the second mirror is aligned to the second passing position in the first operation mode and the second operation mode, and is aligned to the second reflecting position in a third operation mode,
wherein the folded light passes by the second mirror and is output as the first light propagating in the first horizontal direction in the first and second operation modes, and the second mirror reflects the folded light and outputs a third light propagating in the second horizontal direction in the third operation mode; and
a third sensor configured to receive the third light propagating in the second horizontal direction.

11. The light-folding camera of claim 10 , wherein the first passing position and the first reflecting position of the first mirror form a rotation angle of about 45 degrees, and the second passing position and the second reflecting position of the second mirror form a rotation angle of about 45 degrees.

12. The light-folding camera of claim 10 , further comprising:
a first lens disposed between the first mirror and the first sensor, the first lens having the first optical axis;
a second lens disposed between the first mirror and the second sensor, the second lens having a second optical axis that intersects with and is substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis; and
a third lens disposed between the second mirror and the third sensor, the third lens having a third optical axis that intersects with and is substantially perpendicular to the first optical axis.

13. The light-folding camera of claim 12 , wherein the common lens, the first lens, the second lens and the third lens are disposed such that the first sensor receives the first light corresponding to a first field of view, the second sensor receives the second light corresponding to a second field of view wider than the first field of view, and the third sensor receives the third light corresponding to a third field of view wider than the second field of view.

14. The light-folding camera of claim 10 , wherein the light folding device, the first mirror, the second mirror, the first sensor, the second sensor and the third sensor are mounted on a single substrate.

15. The light-folding camera of claim 9 , further comprising:
a third sensor configured to receive a third light propagating in the second horizontal direction,
wherein the first mirror further rotates on the first rotation axis such that the first mirror is aligned to a second reflecting position in a third operation mode,
wherein the first mirror reflects the folded light and outputs the third light propagating in the second horizontal direction in the third operation mode.

16. The light-folding camera of claim 15 , wh

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lim Jihyung
• Lee Seunghak
• Jun Hyunsu

Classifications

• G02B13/0065 Primary

  having a beam-folding prism or mirror · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N23/45 Primary

  for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/50

  Constructional details · CPC title