Cameras with scanning optical path folding elements for automotive or surveillance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12328523-B2
Application number	US-201916978690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 4, 2019
Priority date	Jul 4, 2018
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

Systems including dual-aperture zoom digital cameras with scanning optical path folding elements (OPFEs) for automotive or surveillance applications and methods for operating and using same. In some embodiments, a dual-aperture zoom digital camera comprises a Wide camera with a Wide field of view FOV W , a Wide sensor and a Wide lens, wherein the Wide camera is operative to output Wide image information, a Tele camera with a Tele field of view FOV T smaller than FOV W and with a Tele sensor, a Tele lens with a Tele lens optical axis and a scanning OPFE, and a processing unit operative to detect an object of interest (OOI) from Wide and/or Tele image information and to direct the Tele camera to move FOV T to acquire Tele image information on the OOI.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a) a Wide camera with a Wide field of view FOV W and comprising a Wide sensor and a Wide lens, wherein the Wide camera is operative to output Wide image information;
b) a Tele camera with a Tele field of view FOV T smaller than FOV W and comprising a Tele sensor, a Tele lens with a Tele lens optical axis and a scanning optical path folding element (OPFE); and
c) a processing unit operative to observe an object of interest (OOI) in the Wide image information, to determine that the OOI is further than a distance that allows identification of the OOI in the Wide image information, to direct the Tele camera to move the FOV T to acquire Tele image information on the OOI observed in the wide image information, and to identify the OOI in the Tele image information.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is installed in a vehicle and wherein the processing unit is further operative to calculate a required measure-of-action or response needed from the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising an actuator to tilt the OPFE to move or scan the FOV T .

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is operative to direct the Tele camera to move the FOV T to substantially a center of the FOV W .

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is operative to direct the Tele camera to move the FOV T to substantially a center of the OOI.

6. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is operative to receive steering information from a steering wheel of the vehicle and to direct the Tele camera to move or scan the FOV T based also on the steering information.

7. The system of claim 3 , wherein the processing unit is operative to receive steering information from a steering wheel of the vehicle and wherein the actuator tilts the OPFE to move or scan the FOV T based also on the steering information.

8. The system of claim 2 , wherein the FOV W covers a road in front of the vehicle, wherein the OOI is a road curve and wherein the processing unit is operative to move the FOV T to follow the road curve.

9. The system of claim 2 , wherein the vehicle comprises a vehicle cabin, wherein the OOI is located inside the vehicle cabin and wherein the OPFE may be tilted to provide an extended Tele camera FOV (FOV E ) greater than FOV T .

10. The system of claim 2 , wherein the OOI is a driver of the vehicle and wherein the required measure-of-action or response is based on a gaze of the driver.

11. The system of claim 2 , wherein the OOI is a child and wherein the required measure-of-action or response is a warning that the child does not wear a seat belt.

12. The system of claim 2 , wherein the required measure-of-action or response includes a measure-of-action or response selected form the group consisting of changing speed and/or course of the vehicle, operating an internal alarm to a driver of the vehicle, operating an external alarm, sending data information to, or calling Internet/cloud based service/police/road assistance services, and a combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OOI is a human face.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processing unit is operative to instruct the Tele camera to move to a specific location of the human face for face recognition.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the processing unit is operative to instruct the Tele camera to move FOV T to scan parts of FOV W in two directions.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the scan is performed by the scanning OPFE with a tilting and settling time of the OPFE of between 5-50 msec.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is operative to detect the OOI from Wide and/or Tele image information and to direct the Tele camera to move FOV T to acquire information on the OOI in automatic tracking mode.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the Wide and Tele image information may be fused together to form a composite image or a composite video stream.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein each composite image has the same field of view.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein a composite image is formed by stitching a plurality of Tele images.

Assignees

• Corephotonics Ltd

Inventors

• Shabtay Gal
• Briman Eran
• Fridman Roy
• Cohen Noy
• Goldenberg Ephraim
• Bachar Gil

Classifications

• H04N3/08 Primary

  having a moving reflector · CPC title

• H04N23/951

  by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio · CPC title

• H04N23/58

  Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/45

  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

• G06V20/59

  inside of a vehicle, e.g. relating to seat occupancy, driver state or inner lighting conditions · CPC title