Apple gets patent for a new Camera invention that could bring True Zoom Lenses to future iDevices

Apple has recently been granted a patent for its new camera invention having a real zoom lens system that we may see in future iDevices such as the iPhones, Macs and TVs. In order to bring a true zoom lens mechanism with moveable lenses to iDevices, a new type of light splitter has to be integrated inside the iSight camera.

The light splitter was invented by Apple back in 2011 but the company has got patent for it only recently. The new digital camera system includes a light splitter cube. This cube splits the incident light falling on it from the camera scene into 3 color components which are picked up by 3 image sensors so positioned, that each sensor receives 1 color component. The color splitting cube helps to improve contrast and enhance the visibility of the subject, giving good images even through fog, clouds, rain or smoke.

This highly technical camera mechanism also consists of a folding mirror that acts as a deflector. This mirror can be tilted or rolled by an automatically controlled actuator. This is a part of the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) mechanism present in current iDevices. In this system, the deflector mirror is moved instead of moving the sensor or lens as is done in the traditional system.

Such an OIS system has been implemented in the new iPhone 6 Plus. OIS works with an A8 chip, a gyroscope and a M8 motion co-processor that measures the motion data and causes the lens to move precisely, compensating for the hand shake in low light. The long-exposure and short-exposure images are fused together which helps to reduce movement of the subject and give great images even in low light.

The third feature of the camera system is the true zoom lens. In the image below, we can see the deflector #20, the zoom lens #21 and the light splitter #2 which are housed together inside a camera module.

The zoom lens consists of one or more moveable lenses whose position is controlled automatically by a motorized actuator. This may be a true zoom lens that maintains focus even when its focal length or magnification is changed. Apple is still working to build a high quality true zoom lens system.

According to Apple, such a camera module could be fit into iDevices and other portable wireless gadgets including PCs and TV monitors. Well, we certainly hope to see this new camera technology in iDevices soon.

Apple gets patent for a new Camera invention that could bring True Zoom Lenses to future iDevices

Apple New Concept Will Improve Camera Quality

Apple has introduced Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) through iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year.It is a concept to compensate user hand motion when taking picture. The objective is to minimize the impact of the hand movement when taking pictures using iPhone to produce a better quality of pictures. In smaller iPhone, such as iPhone 6, it is accomplished by using software while in the bigger iPhone such as iPhone 6 Plus, it uses hardware OIS to increase the capabilities of better picture taking.

Recently, Apple has applied for a patent to use an image sensor for small and multifunction device like iPhone to compensate user’s hand movement to produce a better quality of pictures taken by the device. The patent filing is entitled “Mirror Tilt Actuation”.

Apple notes that by using OIS, it adjust the direction of the camera view to compensate of the user’s hand movement. This can be done by using “lens barrel shift” where the whole camera lens is moved or “camera tilt” where the lens and image sensor are tilted together, which according to Apple it is not ideal for multifunction devices.

Apple’s solution is to use image sensor and zoom lens with movement lens arrangement which move independently of each other. The solution is also including lens and mirror assembly that admits light into the camera. When a light enters the lens and mirror assembly through first lens, it will then redirected to the next mirror at a right angle until it reaches the remaining movable lens element. An actuator is included to tilt the mirror according to the movement of the iPhone. The actuator movement is controlled by magnet which is synchronized to stabilize the hand movement.

Hopefully the new concept will improve the quality of the photo taken by iPhone.

 

Apple New Concept Will Improve Camera Quality

Apple develops mechanism for taking super-resolution images using OIS

There is news that Apple has developed a mechanism for creation of super-resolution images with the help of an image capturing device. The US Patent & Trademark Office has published patent application number 20140125825 filed by Apple Inc. for “Super-Resolution Based on Optical Image Stabilization”.

The method described in the patent states that an initial optical image is captured by an electronic image sensor through an optical path which is then adjusted slightly by the optical image stabilization (OIS) processor. Then a second optical image is taken through the adjusted optical path. The second image is offset from the first image very slightly with a difference of a sub-pixel only.  The OIS processor continues this process and a series of optical images are captured, each with small sub-pixel offset. All these images are then combined together to produce a super-resolution image. The shift in optical path is caused by the actuators which tilt the camera module slightly from the pivot point every time.

Apple might be thinking of using this new technology in its future devices such as iPhones. The new device will need an image capturing system with an OIS mechanism. When a photo is taken with a camera by the user, there is usually some movement and the image gets somewhat distorted. The OIS system compensates for this movement and stabilizes the picture before it is converted into digital form. The super resolution engine uses various algorithms and performs some added operations such as anti-aliasing, gamma correction, white-point correction and some color processing if needed to create a super-resolution image.

In the actual device, there might be a basic camera application with an option for super-resolution imaging that can be exercised by pressing a button. The patent image figure 8 below shows this option button.

 

The patent application published by the US Patent & Trademark Office on May 8, 2014 shows that it was filed with them on November8, 2012. It lists Baer Richard L and Thivent Damien J as its inventors. It is possible that Apple might integrate this super-resolution imaging with the upcoming iPhone 6 or perhaps with its successor.

Apple develops mechanism for taking super-resolution images using OIS