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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11477386-B2
Application number	US-202217717083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2022
Priority date	Jan 3, 2019
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 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 camera, comprising: a lens with an optical axis, an image sensor and an optical path folding element (OPFE), wherein the 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 G1 and G3 are movable along the optical axis as one unit relative to the image sensor and G2 in a given range R 1,3 , wherein G2 is movable along the optical axis relative to the image sensor in a range R 2 smaller than R 1,3 , wherein the combined movements of G1, G2 and G3 bring the lens to two zoom states, wherein an effective focal length (EFL) of the lens is changed from a value EFL ,min in a minimum zoom state to a value EFL max in a maximum zoom state, wherein EFL max >1.5×EFL min , and wherein for any lens element group, the movement from the minimum zoom state to the maximum zoom state has a movement range smaller than 0.6×(EFL max −EFL min ).

2. The camera of claim 1 , wherein G1 has a positive refractive power, G2 has a positive refractive power and G3 has a negative refractive power.

3. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens is configured to focus by having lens element groups G1, G2 and G3 being moved together relative to the image sensor.

4. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens has a total track length TTL and wherein a maximal value of TTL (TTL max ) fulfills the condition TTL max <EFL max .

5. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens has a total track length TTL and wherein a maximal value of TTL (TTL max ) fulfills the condition TTL max <0.9×EFL max .

6. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens has a f-number (F #) and wherein a minimal value of F # (F # min ) and a maximal value of F # (F # max ) fulfill the condition F # min <1.5×F # max ×EFL min /EFL max .

7. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens has a f-number (F # T ) and wherein a minimal value of F # (F # min ) and a maximal value of F # (F # max ) fulfill the condition F # min <1.8×F # max ×EFL min /EFL max .

8. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens has a lens f-number (F # T ) and wherein a minimal value of F # (F # min ) and a maximal value of F # T (F # max ) fulfill the condition F # min <1.2×F # max ×EFL min /EFL max .

9. The camera of claim 1 , wherein a first lens element L1 of the lens toward the object side has a clear aperture value larger than clear aperture values of all other lens elements of the lens.

10. The camera of claim 1 , wherein EFL min =10-20 mm and EFL max =20-40 mm.

11. The camera of claim 10 , wherein first lens element L1 is a cut lens element.

12. The camera of claim 1 , wherein EFL min =15 mm and EFL max =30 mm.

13. The camera of claim 1 , wherein G1 and G3 are movable toward the object side when switching from the minimum zoom state to the maximum zoom state.

14. The camera of claim 1 , wherein, at the two zoom states, R AF is a maximal range of movement of G2 required for focus between infinity and 1 meter, and wherein R AF <0.4×R 2 .

15. The camera of claim 1 , wherein actuation for the movement of G2 is performed in close loop control.

16. The camera of claim 15 , wherein actuation for the movement of G1 and G3 is performed in open loop control.

17. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the movement of G1, G2 and G3 is created using voice coil motor mechanisms.

18. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the movement of G1, G2 and G3 is guided along the optical axis by a ball guided mechanism that creates a linear rail.

19. The camera of claim 18 , wherein the ball guided mechanism includes at least one groove on a G2 lens carrier, at least one groove on a G1+G3 lens carrier, and a plurality of balls positioned between the at least one groove on the G2 lens carrier and the at least one groove on the G1+G3 lens carrier.

20. A smartphone comprising the camera of claim 1 .

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