Reduced height camera modules

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9444985-B2
Application number	US-201313874872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2013
Priority date	May 3, 2012
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

Electronic devices may include camera modules. A camera module may include an anamorphic lens and an image sensor having an array of asymmetrical image pixels. The array may be a square array arranged in pixel columns and pixel rows. The square image pixel array may include more pixel columns than pixel rows and may be located completely within the image circle of the anamorphic lens. The asymmetrical image pixels may each have a width that is smaller the height of that image pixel. The asymmetrical image pixels may be rectangular image pixels or diamond-shaped image pixels. The anamorphic lens may project a distorted image onto the array of asymmetrical image pixels. The width of each asymmetrical image pixel may be smaller than the height of that image pixel by an amount that corresponds to the distortion of the image by the anamorphic lens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A camera module, comprising:
an anamorphic lens having a corresponding image circle and a corresponding compression ratio; and
an image sensor having a square image pixel array arranged in pixel columns and pixel rows, wherein the square image pixel array includes more pixel columns than pixel rows, wherein the square image pixel array is located entirely within the image circle of the anamorphic lens, and wherein the square image pixel array comprises:
a plurality of rectangular image pixels having a height and a width, wherein a ratio of the height to the width is based on the compression ratio of the anamorphic lens, and wherein the ratio of the height to the width is between 0.7 and 0.8.

2. The camera module defined in claim 1 wherein the square image pixel array includes four pixel columns for every three pixel rows.

3. A camera module, comprising:
an anamorphic lens; and
an image sensor having an array of asymmetrical image pixels, wherein the anamorphic lens projects a distorted image onto the array of asymmetrical image pixels, wherein each asymmetrical image pixel has a shape that is based on distortion of the distorted image, wherein each asymmetrical image pixel has a width and a height, and wherein a ratio of the width of each asymmetrical image pixel to the height of that asymmetrical image pixel is between 0.5 and 0.6.

4. The camera module defined in claim 3 wherein the distorted image comprises a horizontally compressed image.

5. The camera module defined in claim 4 wherein each asymmetrical image pixel has a width and a height and wherein the width of each asymmetrical image pixel is smaller the height of that image pixel by an amount that corresponds to the distortion of the distorted image.

6. The camera module defined in claim 3 , further comprising processing circuitry configured to generate an undistorted image using image signals from the asymmetrical image pixels.

7. The camera module defined in claim 3 wherein the image sensor is a video image sensor.

8. The camera module defined in claim 3 wherein the image sensor is a still image sensor.

9. The camera module defined in claim 3 , further comprising:
an additional anamorphic lens; and
an additional image sensor having an additional array of asymmetrical image pixels, wherein the additional anamorphic lens projects an additional distorted image onto the additional array of asymmetrical image pixels.

10. A system, comprising:
a central processing unit;
memory;
input-output circuitry; and
an imaging device, wherein the imaging device comprises:
an anamorphic lens, and
an image sensor having an array of asymmetrical image pixels, wherein the anamorphic lens projects a distorted image onto the array of asymmetrical image pixels, wherein each asymmetrical image pixel has a width and a height, and wherein the width of each asymmetrical image pixel is smaller than the height of that image pixel by an amount proportional to a distortion of the distorted image by the anamorphic lens, and wherein a ratio of the width of each asymmetrical image pixel to the height of each asymmetrical image pixel is between 0.5 and 0.6.

11. The system defined in claim 10 wherein the anamorphic lens has a corresponding image circle, wherein the array of asymmetrical image pixels is a square array of asymmetrical image pixels having pixel rows and pixel columns, and wherein the square array of asymmetrical image pixels is located within the image circle of the anamorphic lens.

12. The system defined in claim 11 wherein the square array of asymmetrical image pixels includes more pixel columns than pixel rows.

13. The camera module defined in claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the height to the width is equal to the compression ratio of the anamorphic lens.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Components Ind Llc

Inventors

• Black Robert A

Classifications

• H04N23/57

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

• H04N25/00 Primary

  Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof · CPC title

• H04N25/702 Primary

  SSIS architectures characterised by non-identical, non-equidistant or non-planar pixel layout · CPC title

• H04N5/335

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N5/2254 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic