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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11743587-B2
Application number	US-202318167985-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2023
Priority date	Jan 3, 2019
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

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, first and second zoom states,
wherein an effective focal length (EFL) of the Tele lens is changed from a value EFL ,min in the first zoom state to a value EFL Tmax in the second zoom state, wherein EFL max >1.5×EFL min and wherein the camera is a folded camera.

2. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the Tele camera is configured to focus by having lens element groups G1, G2 and G3 being shifted relative to each other, in both the first and the second zoom states.

3. The camera of claim 1 , wherein lens element groups G1, G2 and G3 are arranged from an object side to the image side, wherein G1 has a positive refractive power, G2 has a positive refractive power and G3 has a negative refractive power.

4. The 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 .

5. The 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 .

6. The camera of claim 1 , wherein a first lens element L1 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.

7. The camera of claim 6 , wherein first lens element L1 is a cut lens element.

8. The 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 .

9. The 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 .

10. The camera of claim 1 , wherein for any lens element group, the movement from the first zoom state to the second zoom state has a range smaller than 0.6×(EFL Tmax −EFL Tmin ).

11. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the at least two movable lens element groups include lens element groups G1 and G3, wherein G1 and G3 are movable relative to the image sensor and G2, and wherein G2 is stationary relative to the image sensor.

12. The camera of claim 11 , wherein G3 is further movable for focus relative to the image sensor, G1 and G2.

13. The camera of claim 11 , wherein G1 is further movable for focus relative to the image sensor, G2 and G3.

14. The camera of claim 11 , wherein EFL Tmin =15 mm and EFL Tmax =30 mm.

15. The camera of claim 11 , wherein EFL Tmin =13 mm and EFL Tmax =26 mm.

16. The camera of claim 11 , wherein lens element groups G1 and G3 are movable toward the object side when switching from the first zoom state to the second zoom state.

17. A dual-camera, comprising:
a Wide camera comprising a Wide lens and a Wide image sensor, the Wide lens having a Wide effective focal length EFL w ; and
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 (G1), a second lens element group (G2) and a third lens element group (G3),
wherein G1 and G3 are movable along the first optical axis as one unit relative to the image sensor and to G2 in a given range R 1,3 , wherein G2 is movable along the first 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 Tele lens to two zoom states, wherein an effective focal length (EFL) of the Tele lens is changed from a value EFL T,min in one zoom state to a value EFL T,max in the other zoom state, wherein EFL Tmin >EFL w and wherein EFL Tmax >1.5×EFL Tmin .

18. A triple-camera, comprising:
a Wide camera comprising a Wide lens and a Wide image sensor, the Wide lens having a Wide effective focal length EFL w ;
an Ultra-Wide camera comprising an Ultra-Wide lens and an Ultra-Wide image sensor, the Ultra-Wide lens having an Ultra-Wide effective focal length EFL uw ; and
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 (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 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 T,min in the first zoom state to a value EFL T,max in the second zoom state, wherein EFL Tmin >2×EFL uw , wherein EFL Tmin >1.5×EFL w and wherein EFL Tmax >1.5×EFL Tmin .

Assignees

• Corephotonics Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G03B30/00

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• H04N23/57

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• H04N23/80

  Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof · CPC title

• H04N23/55

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

• H04N23/54

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