Panoramic camera system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11356586-B2
Application number	US-201916515009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2019
Priority date	Mar 16, 2019
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A camera system including a first imaging sensor having a first imaging surface with a first diagonal length, a first lens arranged to guide a first image formation light flux toward the first imaging surface with the first image formation light flux having at the first imaging surface a width equal to or greater than the first diagonal length, a second imaging sensor having a second imaging surface with a second diagonal length, a second lens arranged to guide a second image formation light flux toward the second imaging surface with the second image formation light flux having at the second imaging surface a width equal to or greater than the second diagonal length. The first lens and the second lens are oriented in opposing directions, and the first imaging sensor, the first lens, the second imaging sensor, and the second lens are each mounted partially within an enclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera system comprising:
an enclosure;
a first imaging sensor having a first imaging surface with a first diagonal length in a first direction between two opposing corners of the first imaging surface;
a first lens arranged to guide a first image formation light flux toward the first imaging surface, wherein a first width of the first image formation light flux at the first imaging surface is equal to or greater than the first diagonal length of the first imaging sensor in the first direction of the first diagonal length;
a second imaging sensor, different than the first imaging sensor, having a second imaging surface with a second diagonal length in a second direction between two opposing corners of the second imaging surface; and
a second lens arranged to guide a second image formation light flux toward the second imaging surface, wherein a second width of the second image formation light flux at the second imaging surface, is equal to or greater than the second diagonal length of the second imaging sensor in the second direction of the second diagonal length,
wherein:
the first imaging sensor, the first lens, the second imaging sensor, and the second lens are each mounted at least partially within the enclosure,
the first lens and the second lens are oriented in opposing directions,
the first lens includes a front lens group arranged to receive light from a scene,
the front lens group has a first optical axis, and
an upper extent of a first vertical field of view of the front lens group is at a greater angle from the first optical axis than a lower extent of the first vertical field of view of the front lens group.

2. The camera system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first lens is arranged to provide a first horizontal field of view greater than 180 degrees to the first imaging surface;
the second lens is arranged to provide a second horizontal field of view greater than 180 degrees to the second imaging surface; and
the first horizontal field of view and the second horizontal field of view overlap and have a combined third horizontal field of view of 360 degrees.

3. The camera system of claim 2 , wherein:
the first lens is arranged to provide the first vertical field of view less than or equal to 90 degrees to the first imaging surface; and
the second lens is arranged to provide a second vertical field of view less than or equal to 90 degrees to the second imaging surface.

4. The camera system of claim 3 , wherein the first lens is an anamorphic lens having a higher focal length in a vertical direction than a horizontal direction.

5. The camera system of claim 3 , wherein:
the first imaging surface is perpendicular to a chief ray of the first lens.

6. The camera system of claim 1 , wherein the first imaging surface has an aspect ratio greater than 16:9 and the second imaging surface has an aspect ratio greater than 16:9.

7. The camera system of claim 1 , wherein:
the first lens includes the first front lens group arranged to receive light from the scene;
the second lens includes a second front lens group arranged to receive light from the scene; and
the first front lens group and the second front lens group are coaxial.

8. The camera system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first reflector arranged to reflect light passing through the first lens; and
a second reflector arranged to reflect light passing through the second lens.

9. The camera system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a mechanical sensor shifter configured to selectively shift both a first position of the first imaging sensor relative to the first lens in a third direction and a second position of the second imaging sensor relative to the second lens in the third direction.

10. The camera system of claim 9 , wherein a range of shifting using the mechanical sensor shifter includes a plus or minus 10 degree shift in vertical field of views for both the first imaging surface and the second imaging surface.

11. The camera system of claim 9 , wherein a shifting can be performed dynamically via a manual or electromechanical operation.

12. The camera system of claim 9 , wherein:
the first lens includes the front lens group arranged to receive light from the scene and having an optical axis parallel to the third direction; and
the camera system includes a first reflector arranged to reflect light received from the front lens group toward the first imaging surface.

13. The camera system of claim 9 , wherein:
the first lens includes the front lens group arranged to receive light from the scene and having an optical axis perpendicular to the third direction; and
the camera system includes a first reflector arranged to reflect the light received from the front lens group toward the first imaging surface.

14. The camera system of claim 9 , wherein the mechanical sensor shifter is configured to shift the first position of the first imaging sensor together with the second position of the second imaging sensor to equally change a first angle of a first effective optical axis of the first imaging sensor and a second angle of a second effective optical axis of the second imaging sensor.

15. The camera system of claim 1 , further comprising an image capture controller configured to synchronize capture of image frames by the first imaging sensor and the second imaging sensor.

16. The camera system of claim 1 , further comprising an image processor configured to:
receive first image data for a first image frame captured by the first imaging sensor at a first time;
receive second image data for a second image frame captured by the second imaging sensor at approximately the first time; and
generate composite image data for a composite image frame having a 360 degree horizontal field of view based on the first image data for the first image frame and the second image data for the second image frame.

17. A camera system comprising:
an enclosure;
a first imaging sensor having a first imaging surface with a first diagonal length in a first direction between two opposing corners of the first imaging surface;
a first lens arranged to guide a first image formation light flux toward the first imaging surface, wherein a first width of the first image formation light flux at the first imaging surface is equal to or greater than the first diagonal length of the first imaging sensor in the first direction of the first diagonal length;
a second imaging sensor, different than the first imaging sensor, having a second imaging surface with a second diagonal length in a second direction between two opposing corners of the second imaging surface;
a second lens arranged to guide a second image formation light flux toward the second imaging surface, wherein a second width of the second image formation light flux at the second imaging surface, is equal to or greater than the second diagonal length of the second imaging sensor in the second direction of the second diagonal length;
a first reflector arranged to reflect light passing through the first lens; and
a second reflector arranged to reflect light passing through the second lens,
wherein:
the first imaging sensor, the first lens, the second imaging sensor, and the second lens are each mounted at least partially within the enclosure,
the first lens and the second lens are oriented in opposing directions,
the first lens has a first entrance pupil for an incoming ray at 90 degrees from a first optical axis of the first lens;
the second lens has a second entrance pupil for an incoming ray at 90 degrees from a second opt

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Cutler Ross Garrett

Classifications

• G03B37/04 Primary

  with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view · 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

• H04N23/57

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

• H04N23/687

  by shifting the lens or sensor position · CPC title

• H04N23/55

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