Multi-aperture cameras with at least one two state zoom camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11336830-B2
Application number	US-202016975721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 1, 2020
Priority date	Jan 3, 2019
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

Multi-cameras and in particular dual-cameras comprising a Wide camera comprising a Wide lens and a Wide image sensor, the Wide lens having a Wide effective focal length EFLW and a folded Tele camera comprising a Tele lens with a first optical axis, a Tele image sensor and an OPFE, wherein the Tele lens includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens element group G1, a second lens element group G2 and a third lens element group G3, wherein at least two of the lens element groups are movable relative to the image sensor along the first optical axis to bring the Tele lens to two zoom states, wherein an effective focal length (EFL) of the Tele lens is changed from EFLT,min in one zoom state to EFLT,max in the other zoom state, wherein EFLTmin>1.5×EFLW and wherein EFLTmax>1.5×EFLTmin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual-camera, comprising:
a) a Wide camera comprising a Wide lens and a Wide image sensor, the Wide lens having a Wide effective focal length (EFL W ); and
b) a folded Tele camera comprising a Tele lens with a first optical axis, a Tele image sensor and an optical path folding element (OPFE), wherein the Tele lens includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens element group (G 1 ), a second lens element group (G 2 ) and a third lens element group (G 3 ), wherein at least two of the lens element groups are movable relative to the Tele image sensor along the first optical axis to bring the Tele lens to two, first and second zoom states, wherein an effective focal length (EFL) of the Tele lens is changed from a value EFL Tmin in the first zoom state to a value EFL Tmax in the second zoom state, wherein EFL Tmin >1.5×EFL W and wherein EFL Tmax >1.5 x EFL Tmin ,
wherein for any lens element group, the movement from the first zoom state to the second zoom state has a range smaller than 0.75×(EFL Tmax −EFL Tmin ).

2. The dual-camera of claim 1 , wherein the Tele lens has a total track length (TTL T ) and wherein a maximal value of TTL T (TTL Tmax ) fulfills the condition TTL Tmax <EFL Tmax .

3. The dual-camera of claim 1 , wherein the Tele lens has a total track length (TTL T ) and wherein a maximal value of TTL T (TTL Tmax ) fulfills the condition TTL Tmax <0.9×EFL Tmax .

4. The dual-camera of claim 1 , wherein a first lens element (L 1 ) of the Tele lens toward the object side has a clear aperture value larger than clear aperture values of all other lens elements of the Tele lens.

5. The dual-camera of claim 1 , wherein the Tele lens has a Tele lens f-number (F # T ) and wherein a minimal value of F # T (F # Tmin ) and a maximal value of F # T (F # Tmax ) fulfill the condition F # Tmin <1.5×F # Tmax ×EFL Tmin /EFL Tmax .

6. The dual-camera of claim 1 , wherein the Tele lens has a Tele lens f-number (F # T ) and wherein a minimal value of F # T (F # Tmin ) and a maximal value of F # T (F # Tmax ) fulfill the condition F # Tmin <1.8×F # Tmax ×EFL Tmin /EFL Tmax.

7. The dual-camera of claim 1 , wherein the Tele lens has a Tele lens f-number (F # T ) and wherein a minimal value of F # T (F # Tmin ) and a maximal value of F # T (F # Tmax ) fulfill the condition F # Tmin <1.2×F # Tmax ×EFL Tmin /EFL Tmax.

8. A dual-camera, comprising:
a) a Wide camera comprising a Wide lens and a Wide image sensor, the Wide lens having a Wide effective focal length (EFL W ); and
b) a folded Tele camera comprising a Tele lens with a first optical axis, a Tele image sensor and an optical path folding element (OPFE), wherein the Tele lens includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens element group (G 1 ), a second lens element group (G 2 ) and a third lens element group (G 3 ), wherein at least two of the lens element groups are movable relative to the Tele image sensor along the first optical axis to bring the Tele lens to two, first and second zoom states, wherein an effective focal length (EFL) of the Tele lens is changed from a value EFL Tmin in the first zoom state to a value EFL Tmax in the second zoom state, wherein EFL Tmin >1.5×EFL W and wherein EFL Tmax >1.5×EFL Tmin ,
wherein the at least two movable lens element groups include lens element groups G 1 and G 3 , wherein G 1 and G 3 are movable as one unit relative to the Tele image sensor and to G 2 in a given range (R 1,3 ) and wherein G 2 is stationary relative to the Tele image sensor between the two zoom states at infinity focus.

9. The dual-camera of claim 8 , wherein EFL Tmin =15 mm and EFL Tmax =30 mm.

10. The dual-camera of claim 8 , wherein EFL Tmin =13 mm and EFL Tmax =26 mm.

11. The dual-camera of claim 8 , wherein EFL Tmax /EFL Tmin >1.9.

12. The dual-camera of claim 8 , wherein G 1 and G 3 are movable toward the object side when switching from the first zoom state to the second zoom state.

13. The dual-camera of claim 8 , wherein G 2 is movable for focus relative to the Tele image sensor, and wherein G 1 and G 3 are stationary relative to the Tele image sensor during focusing.

14. The dual-camera of claim 12 , wherein, at the two zoom states, R AF is a maximal range of movement of G 2 required for focus between infinity and 1 meter, and wherein R AF <0.4×R 1,3 .

15. The dual-camera of claim 8 , wherein G 1 and G 3 are further movable as one group for focus relative to the Tele image sensor and to G 2 in a range R AF .

16. The dual-camera of claim 15 , wherein, at the two zoom states, R AF is a maximal range of movement of G 1 and G 3 required for focus between infinity and 2 meter and wherein R AF <0.4×R 1,3 .

17. A dual-camera, comprising:
a) a Wide camera comprising a Wide lens and a Wide image sensor, the Wide lens having a Wide effective focal length (EFL W ); and
b) a folded Tele camera comprising a Tele lens with a first optical axis, a Tele image sensor and an optical path folding element (OPFE), wherein the Tele lens includes, from an object side to an image side, a first lens element group (G 1 ), a second lens element group (G 2 ) and a third lens element group (G 3 ), wherein at least two of the lens element groups are movable relative to the Tele image sensor along the first optical axis to bring the Tele lens to two, first and second zoom states, wherein an effective focal length (EFL) of the Tele lens is changed from a value EFL Tmin in the first zoom state to a value EFL Tmax in the second zoom state, wherein EFL Tmin >1.5×EFL W and wherein EFL Tmax >1.5×EFL Tmin ,
wherein G 1 , G 2 and G 3 are movable for focusing relative to the Tele image sensor as one unit.

Assignees

• Corephotonics Ltd

Inventors

• Shabtay Gal
• Goldenberg Ephraim
• Rudnick Roy
• Dror Michael
• Bachar Gil
• Bronstein Emil
• Yedid Itay

Classifications

• G03B17/12 Primary

  with means for supporting objectives, supplementary lenses, filters, masks, or turrets · CPC title

• H04N23/55

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

• H04N23/69 Primary

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

• H04N23/665

  involving internal camera communication with the image sensor, e.g. synchronising or multiplexing SSIS control signals · 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