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Optical arrangements for use with an array camera

an array camera and optical arrangement technology, applied in the field of optical arrangement, designs and elements for use in array cameras, can solve the problems that the manufacturing techniques of monolithic lenses, polymer-on-glass wlo and polymer-on-glass wlo have not yet been adapted to meet the specific high performance requirements of array cameras, and the wlo technique cannot be used to manufacture array cameras

Inactive Publication Date: 2013-10-10
FOTONATION CAYMAN LTD
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes optical arrangements for a camera array that have high resolution images. The optics in each camera have a high MTF (modular transfer function) to capture the scene with high accuracy. The cameras are arranged in a way that their fields of view are shifted, allowing for a sub-pixel shifted view of the scene. The optics have a large aperture and a three-surface or five-surface arrangement to improve image quality. The camera array can be a monolithic integrated module with all the sensor elements formed on a single semiconductor substrate. The technical effects of the invention include improved image quality and reduced blurring in the resulting high resolution images.

Problems solved by technology

However, the standard polymer-on-glass WLO and monolithic lens WLO manufacturing techniques have so far not been adapted for the specific high performance requirements of array cameras.
The flexibility of such choices or processes needs to be increased in order to meet the high demands by array cameras otherwise such WLO techniques cannot be used to manufacture array cameras.

Method used

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  • Optical arrangements for use with an array camera
  • Optical arrangements for use with an array camera
  • Optical arrangements for use with an array camera

Examples

Experimental program
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Effect test

embodiment 1

Three-Surface WLO Design

[0175]Traditional wafer level optics (WLO) is a technology where polymer lenses are molded on glass wafers, potentially on both sides, stacked with further such lens wafers by spacer wafers, and diced into lens modules (this is called “polymer on glass WLO”) followed by packaging of the optics directly with the imager into a monolithic integrated module. As will be described in greater detail below, the WLO procedure may involve, among other procedures, using a wafer level mold to create the polymer lens elements on a glass substrate. Usually this involves incorporating apertures, and in particular the aperture stop by providing openings centered with the later lens channels in an otherwise opaque layer onto the substrate before lens molding.

[0176]In a first embodiment, a three-surface optical arrangement suitable for the fabrication by wafer level optics technology, and, in particular, to be used for the optics (as one of the multiple channels) of an array c...

embodiment 2

Five-Surface WLO Design

[0198]In a second embodiment, a five-surface optical arrangement suitable for the fabrication by wafer level optics technology, and, in particular, to be used for the optics (as one of the multiple channels) of an array camera is described in reference to FIGS. 5A to 5J. More specifically, this embodiment is directed to a five-surface high-resolution wafer level lens / objective having a field-flattening element close to the image plane. Again, in a standard two-element lens, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there are typically four lens surfaces (front and back for the top and the bottom lenses). However, these optical arrangements are non-ideal for use in high resolution array cameras. Ideally, there would be a reduced requirement on small maximum CRA of the optics by the image sensor (allowing much larger angles of incidence on the same), for example, by using BSI or quantum film sensors (quantum film having the additional advantage of an increased fill factor not ...

embodiment 3

Monolithic Lens Design with Embedded Substrate

[0225]The embodiments previously discussed dealt with lenses made in accordance with a polymer on glass WLO process. In the following embodiment optical arrangements and designs using a monolithic lens WLO process are provided. In particular, in a first embodiment a monolithic lens stacked with planar substrates for use in forming apertures and filters is described.

[0226]FIG. 6A shows the current state of the art of monolithic lens systems. More or less the same conceptual approach is taken as in creating injection-molded lenses and their packaging. In the state of the art of monolithic lens WLO, many lenses are fabricated on a wafer scale. These replicated lenses 600 are stacked with other previously replicated lens wafers of different topology, the sandwich is diced, and the lens cubes are packaged into an opaque housing 602 with the image sensor 604, which contains the aperture stop 606 at the front as shown in FIG. 6A. This very much...

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Abstract

A variety of optical arrangements and methods of modifying or enhancing the optical characteristics and functionality of these optical arrangements are provided. The optical arrangements being specifically designed to operate with camera arrays that incorporate an imaging device that is formed of a plurality of imagers that each include a plurality of pixels. The plurality of imagers include a first imager having a first imaging characteristics and a second imager having a second imaging characteristics. The images generated by the plurality of imagers are processed to obtain an enhanced image compared to images captured by the imagers. In many optical arrangements the MTF characteristics of the optics allow for contrast at spatial frequencies that are at least as great as the desired resolution of the high resolution images synthesized by the array camera, and significantly greater than the Nyquist frequency of the pixel pitch of the pixels on the focal plane, which in some cases may be 1.5, 2 or 3 times the Nyquist frequency.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 536,520, filed Jun. 28, 2012, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 502,158 filed Jun. 28, 2011. The disclosures of both these applications are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is related to novel optical arrangements, designs and elements for use in an array camera, and more specifically to optical arrangements of varying configurations having modulation transfer function (MTF) characteristics capable of implementing super resolution for use with arrays of image sensors.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Image sensors are used in cameras and other imaging devices to capture images. In a typical imaging device, light enters at one end of the imaging device and is directed to an image sensor by an optical element such as a lens. In most imaging devices, one or more layers of optical elements are placed before...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H04N5/232
CPCH04N5/23238G02B13/0035G02B3/0006G02B13/0045G02B13/004G06T7/50H04N13/271H04N23/60H04N23/55H04N23/951H04N23/45H04N23/698G02B13/002G02B3/0068
Inventor DUPARRE, JACQUESLELESCU, DANVENKATARAMAN, KARTIK
Owner FOTONATION CAYMAN LTD
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