Optoelectronic modules including hybrid arrangements of beam shaping elements, and imaging devices incorporating the same
View Patent ↗The present disclosure describes optoelectronic modules (e.g., hybrid lens array packages) that have multiple optical channels, each of which includes at least one beam shaping element (e.g., a lens) that is part of a laterally contiguous array. Each optical channel is associated with a respective light sensitive region of an image sensor. Some or all of the channels also can include at least one beam shaping element (e.g., a lens) that is not part of a laterally contiguous array. In some cases, the arrays can include alignment features to facilitate alignment of the arrays with one another.
1. An optoelectronic module having a plurality of optical channels, the module comprising:
an image sensor including light sensitive regions each of which is associated with a respective one of the optical channels;
a first laterally contiguous array of first beam shaping elements, each of which is associated with a different respective one of the optical channels;
a second laterally contiguous array of beam shaping elements, wherein the second laterally contiguous array is of a type different from the first laterally contiguous array; and
one or more second beam shaping elements that are not part of a laterally contiguous array spanning more than one of the optical channels, wherein each of the one or more second beam shaping elements is associated with a respective one of the optical channels,
wherein one of the first or second laterally contiguous arrays includes multiple beam shaping elements formed together with a common body portion as a single monolithic piece and another of the first or second laterally contiguous arrays includes replicated beam shaping elements on a common transparent substrate.
2. The module of claim 1 wherein the first laterally contiguous array includes multiple beam shaping elements formed together with a common body portion as a single monolithic piece.
3. The module of claim 1 wherein the one or more second beam shaping elements form a laterally non-contiguous array of individual beam shaping elements each of which is laterally separated from other beam shaping elements in the same non-contiguous array.
4. The module of claim 1 wherein the first and second beam shaping elements are lenses.
5. The module of claim 1 including a laterally non-contiguous array of second beam shaping elements, wherein each of second beam shaping elements in the non-contiguous array is associated with a different respective one of the optical channels.
6. The module of claim 5 wherein the first laterally contiguous array of beam shaping elements and the non-contiguous array of beam shaping elements are stacked one above another and are separated from one another by a spacer.
7. The module of claim 5 wherein the first laterally contiguous array of beam shaping elements and the non-contiguous array of beam shaping elements are disposed in a single unitary barrel.
8. The module of claim 1 wherein the first laterally contiguous array is disposed nearer the image sensor than the one or more second beam shaping elements.
9. The module of claim 1 wherein the first beam shaping elements in the first laterally contiguous array are substantially co-planar with one another.
10. The module of claim 1 wherein at least some of the second beam shaping elements are substantially co-planar with one another.
11. The module of claim 1 including a plurality of second beam shaping elements that are offset from one another in a direction of an optical axis for the module.
12. The module of claim 1 wherein the first laterally contiguous array includes beam shaping elements having a different size or shape from one another.
13. The module of claim 1 wherein at least some of the first or second beam shaping elements include a substantively opaque coating on a part of their surface.
14. The module of claim 1 wherein at least some of the first or second beam shaping elements include a substantially opaque coating on an optically inactive region.
15. An optoelectronic module having a plurality of optical channels, the module comprising: an image sensor including light sensitive regions each of which is associated with a respective one of the optical channels; a first laterally contiguous array of first beam shaping elements, each of which is associated with a different respective one of the optical channels; a second laterally contiguous array of beam shaping elements, wherein the second laterally contiguous array is of a type different from the first laterally contiguous array; and one or more second beam shaping elements that are not part of a laterally contiguous array spanning more than one of the optical channels, wherein each of the one or more second beam shaping elements is associated with a respective one of the optical channels, wherein the first laterally contiguous array of beam shaping elements is disposed in a first lens barrel, and each of the one or more second beam shaping elements is disposed in a respective second lens barrel different from the first lens barrel, and wherein one of the first or second laterally contiguous arrays includes multiple beam shaping elements formed together with a common body portion as a single monolithic piece and another of the first or second laterally contiguous arrays includes replicated beam shaping elements on a common transparent substrate.
16. An optoelectronic module having a plurality of optical channels, the module comprising: an image sensor including light sensitive regions each of which is associated with a respective one of the optical channels; a first laterally contiguous array of first beam shaping elements, each of which is associated with a different respective one of the optical channels; a second laterally contiguous array of beam shaping elements, wherein the second laterally contiguous array is of a type different from the first laterally contiguous array; and a plurality of second beam shaping elements that are not part of a laterally contiguous array spanning more than one of the optical channels, wherein each of the second beam shaping elements is disposed on a same side of the first array of beam shaping elements as the other second beam shaping elements and is associated with a respective one of the optical channels, wherein at least some of the second beam shaping elements are substantially not co-planar with one another; wherein one of the first or second laterally contiguous arrays includes multiple beam shaping elements formed together with a common body portion as a single monolithic piece and another of the first or second laterally contiguous arrays includes replicated beam shaping elements on a common transparent substrate.