Optical imaging apparatus, in particular for computational imaging, having further functionality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9621773-B2
Application number	US-201414768989-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2014
Priority date	Feb 22, 2013
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

The optical apparatus comprises a semiconductor substrate and at least one optics substrate. The semiconductor substrate comprises a first active region establishing a first image sensor, said semiconductor substrate further comprising an additional active region, different from said first active region. The additional active region establishes or is part of an additional sensor which is not an image sensor. And the at least one optics substrate comprises for said first image sensor at least one lens element for imaging light impinging on the optical apparatus from a front side onto the first image sensor. Preferably, at least two or rather at least three image sensors are provided, such that a computational camera can be realized. The additional sensor may comprise, e.g., an ambient light sensor and/or a proximity sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical apparatus comprising
a semiconductor substrate;
at least one optics substrate;
wherein said semiconductor substrate comprises:
a first active region establishing a first image sensor,
a second active region different from said first active region, said second active region establishing a second image sensor,
a third active region different from said first and second active regions, said third active region establishing a third image sensor, and
an additional active region, different from said first, second and third active regions, said additional active region establishing or being part of an additional sensor which is not an image sensor,
wherein each of the first, second and third active regions is positioned within a different one of four quarters of a rectangle, said quarters being obtainable by twice dividing said rectangle by the two median lines of the rectangle, and wherein the additional active region is positioned within the one of said four quarters in which none of said first, second and third active regions is positioned, and

wherein said at least one optics substrate comprises:
for said first image sensor, at least one lens element for imaging light impinging on the optical apparatus from a front side onto the first image sensor,
for said second image sensor, at least one lens element for imaging light impinging on the optical apparatus from a front side onto the second image sensor, and
for said third image sensor at least one lens element for imaging light impinging on the optical apparatus from said front side onto the third image sensor.

2. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said additional sensor is at least one of
an ambient light sensor;
a proximity sensor;
a temperature sensor, in particular a pyroelectric temperature sensor or a capacitive temperature sensor or a micro-mechanical temperature sensor.

3. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one optics substrate comprises at least one additional lens element for imaging light impinging on the optical apparatus from a front side onto said additional active region.

4. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical apparatus is structured for detecting light of substantially different color ranges in said first and said second image sensors.

5. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a first optical axis defined by the first image sensor and by the respective at least one lens element and a second optical axis defined by the second image sensor and by the respective at least one lens element are aligned in parallel.

6. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
(i) said semiconductor substrate comprises a pixel array comprising said first and second image sensors and optionally also said additional active region; or
(ii) said first and second active regions are separated from each other by at least one intermediate region of said semiconductor substrate which is not specifically structured for detecting light and/or which is not used for detecting light.

7. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical apparatus constitutes at least a portion of a computational camera, wherein sub-images from which a final image is composed in said computational camera comprise a first sub-image obtainable by means of said first image sensor and a second sub-image obtainable by means of said second image sensor.

8. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said semiconductor substrate comprises a fourth active region different from said first, second and third active regions, said fourth active region establishing a fourth image sensor, and wherein said at least one optics substrate comprises for said fourth image sensor at least one lens element for imaging light impinging on the optical apparatus from said front side onto the fourth image sensor.

9. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said additional active region encompasses a point for which the sum of the distances from this point to the center of gravity of each of said image sensors is minimal, in particular wherein this point is the center of gravity of said additional active region.

10. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising an image processing unit operationally connected to each of the image sensors, for receiving sub-image data from each of the image sensors, and for obtaining a final image from said sub-image data.

11. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising an evaluation unit operationally connected to said additional active region, for evaluating detection results obtained by means of said additional active region.

12. The optical apparatus according to claim 11 , comprising a display unit comprising a display and a control unit for controlling said display, wherein said control unit is operationally connected to said evaluation unit, for controlling said display unit in dependence of said detection results, more particularly in dependence of an evaluation of said detection results carried out by said evaluation unit.

13. The optical apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein said additional sensor is
an ambient light sensor, said additional active region being provided for detecting an amount of visible light impinging on the optical apparatus from said front side, and for adjusting a brightness of a display of said display unit in dependence of said detected amount; or
a proximity sensor comprising a light emitter, in particular an infrared light emitter, said additional active region being provided for detecting an amount of light, in particular infrared light impinging on the optical apparatus from said front side, and for adjusting a brightness of a display of said display unit, more particularly for switching off and on said display in dependence of said detected amount.

14. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical apparatus is at least one of
an opto-electronic module;
a module for a device with computational camera capability;
a device with a display, in particular with a visual display;
a device with a housing, in particular with a housing having an opening or transparent portion;
a handheld computing device;
a handheld photographic device;
a handheld communication device;
a smartphone;
a tablet computer.

15. The optical apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical apparatus comprises a housing comprising a continuous opening or transparent portion, wherein said opening or transparent portion, said semiconductor substrate and said at least one optics substrate are arranged such that
a first portion of light impinging on said opening or transparent portion may pass through said at least one optics substrate and impinge on said first image sensor;
a further portion of light impinging on said opening or transparent portion may pass through said at least one optics substrate and impinge on said additional active region.

Assignees

• Heptagon Micro Optics Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Kettunen Ville
• Rossi Markus

Classifications

• H04N23/45 Primary

  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

• H04N23/54

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

• H04N23/57

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

• H01L27/14625

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2924/0002

  Electricity · mapped topic