Folded cameras with continuously adaptive zoom factor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12001078-B2
Application number	US-202217925857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2022
Priority date	Mar 22, 2021
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

Folded Tele cameras, comprising: an optical path folding element (OPFE) for a folding a first optical path OP 1 to second optical path OP 2 , a lens including N lens elements, the lens being divided into four lens groups arranged along a lens optical axis and marked, in order from an object side of the lens to an image side of the lens, G 1 , G 2 , G 3 and G 4 , and an image sensor, wherein the lens elements of a lens group do not move with respect to each other, wherein G 1 and G 3 do not move with respect to each other, wherein G 2 and G 4 do not move with respect to each other, wherein the Tele camera is configured to change a zoom factor (ZF) continuously between a minimum zoom factor marked ZF MIN corresponding to a minimal effective focal length marked EFL MIN and a maximum zoom factor marked ZF MAX corresponding to a maximal effective focal length marked EFL MAX by moving G 1 and G 3 together relative to the image sensor and by moving G 2 and G 4 together relative to the image sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera, comprising:
an optical path folding element (OPFE) for a folding a first optical path (OP 1 ) to second optical path (OP 2 );
a lens including a plurality of lens elements, the lens being divided into four lens groups arranged along a lens optical axis and marked, in order from an object side of the lens to an image side of the lens, a first lens group (G 1 ), a second lens group (G 2 ), a third lens group (G 3 ) and a fourth lens group (G 4 ); and
an image sensor,
wherein the camera is a folded Tele camera,
wherein the lens elements in each of lens groups G 1 , G 2 , G 3 and G 4 do not move with respect to each other,
wherein G 1 and G 3 do not move with respect to each other,
wherein G 2 and G 4 do not move with respect to each other,
wherein the Tele camera is configured to change a zoom factor (ZF) continuously between a minimum zoom factor (ZF MIN ) corresponding to a minimal effective focal length (EFL MIN ) and a maximum zoom factor (F MAX ) corresponding to a maximal effective focal length (EFL MAX ) by moving G 1 and G 3 together relative to the image sensor and by moving G 2 and G 4 together relative to the image sensor,
wherein ZF MAX /ZF MIN ≥2,
wherein switching from EFL MIN to EFL MAX or vice versa requires a lens stroke range S, and
wherein a ratio R given by R=(EFL MAX −EFL MIN )/S fulfils R>2.

2. The camera of claim 1 , wherein R>3.

3. The camera of claim 1 , wherein R>5.

4. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the configuration to change the ZF continuously includes a configuration to move G 1 and G 3 together relative to the image sensor over a small range larger than 0.1 mm and smaller than 5 mm, and to move G 2 and G 4 together relative to the image sensor over a large range larger than 2 mm and smaller than 15 mm.

5. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the configuration to change the ZF continuously includes a configuration to move G 1 and G 3 together relative to the image sensor over a small range larger than 0.2 mm and smaller than 2.5 mm, and to move G 2 and G 4 together relative to the image sensor over a large range larger than 4 mm and smaller than 10 mm.

6. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the configuration to change the ZF continuously includes a configuration to move G 2 and G 4 together relative to the image sensor over a small range larger than 0.1 mm and smaller than 5 mm, and to move G 1 and G 3 together relative to the image sensor over a large range larger than 2 mm and smaller than 15 mm.

7. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the configuration to change the ZF continuously includes a configuration to move G 2 and G 4 together relative to the image sensor over a small range larger than 0.2 mm and smaller than 2.5 mm, and to move the G 1 and G 3 together relative to the image sensor over a large range larger than 4 mm and smaller than 10 mm.

8. The camera of claim 1 , wherein G 1 and G 3 are included in a single G 13 carrier and G 2 , and wherein G 4 are included in a single G 24 carrier.

9. The camera of claim 8 , wherein both the G 24 carrier and the G 13 carrier include rails for defining a position of the G 13 carrier relative to the G 24 carrier.

10. The camera of the claim 8 , wherein a maximum stroke range of the G 13 carrier is S 13 , wherein a maximum stroke range of the G 24 carrier is S 24 , and wherein a ratio
S 24 /S 13>7.5.

11. The camera of the claim 8 , wherein a maximum stroke range of the G 13 carrier is S 13 , wherein a maximum stroke range of the G 24 carrier is S 24 , and wherein a ratio
S 24 /S 13>12.5.

12. The camera claim 8 , wherein the G 24 and G 13 carriers are movable by, respectively, G 24 and G 13 actuators.

13. The camera of claim 12 , wherein one of the G 24 actuator or the G 13 actuator includes three or more magnets.

14. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the lens includes N=10 lens elements.

15. The camera of claim 1 , wherein a power sequence of lens groups G 1 , G 2 , G 3 , and G 4 is positive-negative-positive-positive.

16. The camera of claim 4 , wherein G 1 includes two lens elements with a positive-negative power sequence, wherein G 2 includes two lens elements with a negative-negative power sequence, wherein G 3 includes three lens elements with a positive-positive-positive power sequence, and wherein G 4 includes three lens elements with a positive-negative-positive power sequence.

17. The camera of claim 4 , wherein G 1 includes two lens elements with a positive-negative power sequence, wherein G 2 includes two lens elements with a negative-positive power sequence, wherein G 3 includes three lens elements with a positive-negative-positive power sequence, and wherein G 4 includes three lens elements with a positive-negative-positive power sequence.

18. The camera of claim 6 , wherein G 1 includes two lens elements with a negative-positive power sequence, wherein G 2 includes three lens elements with a positive-negative-negative power sequence, wherein G 3 includes three lens elements with a positive-negative-negative power sequence, and wherein G 4 includes two lens elements with a negative-positive power sequence.

19. The camera of claim 1 , wherein the camera has a F number F/#, wherein the F/# at ZF MIN is F/# MIN , wherein the F/# at ZF MAX is F/# MAX , and wherein EFL MAX /EFL MIN >F/# MAX /F/# MIN .

20. The camera of claim 19 , wherein EFL MAX /EFL MIN >F/# MAX /F/# MIN +0.5.

21. The camera of claim 1 , wherein a magnitude of an EFL of G 2 |EFL G2 | varies less than 10% from a magnitude of an EFL of G 3 |EFL G3 |, and wherein |EFL G2 |, |EFL G3 |<EFL MIN .

22. The camera of claim 4 , wherein lens groups G 1 and G 2 include 2 lens elements, and wherein lens group G 3 and G 4 include 3 lens elements.

23. The camera of claim 4 , wherein the larger of a thickness T G2 of G 2 and of a thickness T G1 of G 1 is T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MAX , wherein the smaller of T G2 and T G1 is T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MIN , and wherein T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MIN /T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MAX <0.8.

24. The camera of claim 4 , wherein a ratio of a thickness T G4 of G 4 and a thickness T G3 of G 3 fulfils 0.9<T G4 /T G3 <1.1.

25. The camera of claim 4 , wherein the larger of a thickness T G2 of G 2 and of a thickness T G1 of G 1 is T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MAX , wherein the smaller of T G2 and T G1 is T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MIN , wherein the larger of a thickness T G3 of G 3 and a thickness T G4 of G 4 is T(G 3 ,G 4 ) MAX , wherein the smaller of T G3 and T G4 is T(G 3 ,G 4 ) MIN , and wherein T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MAX /T(G 3 ,G 4 ) MIN <0.5.

26. The camera of claim 6 , wherein lens groups G 1 and G 4 include 2 lens elements, and wherein lens groups G 2 and G 3 include 3 lens elements.

27. The camera of claim 6 , wherein the larger of a thickness T G2 of G 2 and of a thickness T G1 of G 1 is T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MAX , wherein the smaller of T G2 and T G1 is T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MIN , and wherein 0.75<T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MIN /T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MAX <1.0.

28. The camera of claim 6 , wherein the larger of a thickness T G3 of G 3 and a thickness T G4 of G 4 is T(G 3 ,G 4 ) MAX , wherein the smaller of T G3 and T G4 is T(G 3 ,G 4 ) MIN , and wherein 0.5<T(G 3 ,G 4 )Mm/T(G 3 ,G 4 ) MAX <0.75.

29. The camera of claim 6 , wherein the larger of a thickness T G2 of G 2 and of a thickness T G1 of G 1 is T(G 1 ,G 2 ) MAX , wherein the smaller of T G2

Assignees

• Corephotonics Ltd

Inventors

• Goulinski Nadav
• Rudnick Roy
• Goldenberg Ephraim
• Yedid Itay
• Dror Michael
• Manor Itay
• Shemesh Ziv

Classifications

• G03B17/17 Primary

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• G03B30/00

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• H04N23/57

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

• G03B2205/0069

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• G03B2205/0023

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