Imaging system with improved image quality and associated methods

1. An image capturing device, comprising:

a detector including a plurality of sensing pixels; and

an optical system adapted to project a distorted image of an object within a field of view onto the sensing pixels, wherein the optical system expands the image in a center of the field of view and compresses the image in a periphery of the field of view, wherein a first number of sensing pixels required to realize a maximal zoom magnification {circumflex over (Z)} at a minimum resolution of the image capturing device is less than a square of the maximal zoom magnification times a second number of sensing pixels required for the minimum resolution.

2. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first number of sensing pixels less than or equal to the second number of sensing pixels times 2 ln({circumflex over (Z)})+1, where {circumflex over (Z)} is the maximal zoom magnification.

3. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first number of sensing pixels is equal to about 1.75 times the second number of sensing pixels.

4. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system is adapted such that a point spread function in the periphery of the field of view has a full width at half maximum substantially the size of a sensing pixel.

5. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system is adapted such that an optical magnification at the center of the field of view is more than twice an optical magnification at the periphery of the field of view.

6. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system is adapted to provide the distorted image that is separable in orthogonal directions.

7. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system is adapted to provide the distorted image that is radially symmetric.

8. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a processor adapted to manipulate electronic information output from the detector.

9. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first number of sensing pixels have equal pitch across the detector.

10. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the optical system includes a plurality of lenses.

11. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of lenses are plastic.

12. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of lenses are fixed focus lenses.

13. A mobile phone including an image capturing device according to claim 1 .

14. A portable computer including an image capturing device according to claim 1 .

15. A method of providing zoom to a fixed focus lens system, the method comprising:

receiving an expanded image in a center of a field of view;

receiving a compressed the image in a periphery of the field of view; and

processing a first number of sensing pixels required to realize a maximal zoom magnification at a minimum resolution, wherein the first number of sensing pixels is less than a square of the maximal zoom magnification times a second number of sensing pixels required for the minimum resolution.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the first number of sensing pixels less than or equal to the second number of sensing pixels times 2 ln({circumflex over (Z)})+1, where {circumflex over (Z)} is the maximal zoom magnification.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the first number of sensing pixels is equal to about 1.75 times the second number of sensing pixels.

18. A method of creating an image capturing device, the method comprising:

forming an optical system adapted to project a distorted image of an object within a field, wherein the optical system expands the image in a center of the field of view and compresses the image in a periphery of the field of view;

providing a detector proximate to the optical system, the detector having a first resolution higher than a second resolution of an image to be output; and

processing signals output from the detector to provide the image of the first resolution over a continuous zoom range.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the continuous zoom range is from ×1 to ×3.

20. The method as claimed in claim 18 , the first resolution corresponds to a first number of sensing pixels, the second resolution corresponds to a second number of sensing pixels, {circumflex over (Z)} is a maximal zoom magnification and the first number of sensing pixels in the detector is less than {circumflex over (Z)} 2 times the second number of sensing pixels.