Image sensor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11277559-B2
Application number	US-202016857045-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2020
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

In one example, an image sensor module comprises one or more covers having at least a first opening and a second opening, a first lens mounted in the first opening and having a first field of view (FOV) centered at a first axis having a first orientation, a second lens mounted in the second opening and having a second FOV centered at a second axis having a second orientation different from the first orientation, a first image sensor housed within the one or more covers and configured to detect light via the first lens, and a second image sensor housed within the one or more covers and configured to detect light via the second lens. The first image sensor and the second image sensor are configured to provide, based on the detected light, image data of a combined FOV larger than each of the first FOV and the second FOV.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more covers having at least a first opening and a second opening;
a first lens mounted in the first opening and having a first field of view (FOV) centered at a first axis having a first orientation;
a second lens mounted in the second opening and having a second FOV centered at a second axis having a second orientation different from the first orientation;
a support structure having a first surface perpendicular to the first axis and a second surface perpendicular to the second axis;
a first circuit board bonded with the first surface and the second surface of the support structure;
a first image sensor housed within the one or more covers and positioned on the first circuit board, the first image sensor configured to detect light via the first lens;
a second image sensor housed within the one or more covers and positioned on the first circuit board, the second image sensor configured to detect light via the second lens, and
a second circuit board bonded with the first circuit board, the support structure being positioned between the first circuit board and the second circuit board,
wherein the first image sensor and the second image sensor are configured to provide, based on the detected light, image data of a combined FOV larger than each of the first FOV and the second FOV.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first circuit board is bonded with the first surface and the second surface of the support structure with an epoxy material.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein two ends of the first circuit board are bonded with the second circuit board.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first circuit board and the second circuit board includes a rigid-flex circuit board.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a processor bonded with the second circuit board and electrically connected to the first image sensor and the second image sensor,
wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a first image frame from the first mage sensor corresponding to the first FOV;
receive a second image frame from the second image sensor corresponding to the second FOV; and
generate a combined image frame corresponding to the combined FOV based on the first image frame and the second image frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured to generate the combined image frame based on identifying pixels of an object captured in both the first image frame and the second image frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is positioned between the support structure and the second circuit board.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the processor is electrically connected to the second circuit board via at least one of: flip chip connectors or bond wires.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the one or more covers include one cover mounted on the second circuit board.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the one or more covers include a first cover having the first opening and a second cover having the second opening;
wherein the first cover is formed on the first surface of the support structure; and
wherein the second cover is formed on the second surface of the support structure.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a third cover having a transparent lid;
wherein the third cover is formed on the second circuit board; and
wherein the transparent lid allows light to reach the first lens and the second lens.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an illuminator configured to emit the light.

13. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the two ends of the first circuit board comprise first pads;
wherein the second circuit board comprises second pads; and
wherein the first pads at the two ends of the first circuit board are soldered to the second pads of the second circuit board.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Lasiter Jon
• Gousev Evgeni
• Shenoy Ravindra Vaman
• Gruhlke Russell
• Alam Khurshid Syed
• Li Kebin
• Park Edwin Chongwoo

Classifications

• H04N23/54 Primary

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/45

  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

• H04N23/698 Primary

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/55

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

• H04N5/2258

  Electricity · mapped topic