Optical-path folding-element with an extended two degree of freedom rotation range

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12379230-B2
Application number	US-202418794103-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2024
Priority date	Apr 23, 2018
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

Actuators for rotating an optical-path-folding-element with two, first and second, degrees of freedom in an extended rotation range around two respective rotation axes, folded cameras including such actuators and dual-cameras including a folded camera as above together with an upright camera.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile device, comprising:
a screen;
an upright Wide camera having a first field-of-view (FOV1) and comprising a Wide image sensor, wherein the upright Wide camera is configured to provide a Wide image with a Wide image resolution; and
a folded Tele camera having a second field-of-view (FOV2) and comprising a zoom lens having a variable focal length, a light folding element having a reflection surface, and a Tele image sensor,
wherein FOV2<FOV1,
wherein the reflection surface is configured to receive light from a first direction and to redirect the light to a second direction that is different from the first direction, and
wherein the reflection surface has an angle α with the screen that fulfils α≤35 degrees.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein α≤30 degrees.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein 5 degrees≤α≤45 degrees.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the folded Tele camera comprises an optical image stabilization mechanism.

5. The mobile device of claim 4 , wherein the folded Tele camera is configured to shift the Tele image sensor for optical image stabilization.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the Wide image sensor lies in a plane parallel to the screen.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the Tele image sensor lies in a plane perpendicular to the screen.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the upright Wide camera comprises an auto-focus mechanism.

9. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the folded Tele camera comprises an auto-focus mechanism.

10. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the upright wide camera comprises an optical image stabilization mechanism.

11. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the folded Tele camera is configured to shift the Tele image sensor in a direction parallel to the screen.

12. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the folded Tele camera is configured to provide a Tele image with a Tele image resolution different from the Wide image resolution.

13. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the zoom lens comprises 3 to 7 lens elements.

14. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the light folding element is a prism.

15. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the light folding element is a mirror.

16. The mobile device of claim 1 , further comprising another upright Wide camera.

17. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is a smartphone.

18. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is a tablet.

Assignees

• Corephotonics Ltd

Inventors

• Yedid Itay
• Goldenberg Ephraim
• Bachar Gil
• Barak Gal
• Kowal Yiftah

Classifications

• H04N23/55 Primary

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

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N23/69

  Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming · 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

• H04N23/57

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