Camera with panoramic scanning range
Cameras with panoramic scanning range comprising a folded digital camera in which an optical path folding element (OPFE) that folds a first optical path from an object or scene into a second optical path substantially parallel with an optical axis of a lens of the folded camera, the OPFE being rotatable around the lens optical axis, and systems incorporating such cameras.
1. A system, comprising:
a) a dual-aperture camera that includes an upright camera with a first field of view FOV 1 and a folded camera with a second field of view FOV 2 , the folded camera having a lens with a lens optical axis and an optical path folding element (OPFE) that folds a first optical path from an object or scene to a second optical path, wherein the second optical path is substantially parallel with the lens optical axis and wherein the OPFE is rotatable around the lens optical axis in a plane normal to the lens optical axis for movement of FOV 2 ; and
b) a processing unit configured to track an object or subject of interest in FOV 1 to obtain tracking information and to use the tracking information to direct the OPFE to rotate for the movement of FOV 2 .
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein FOV 1 >FOV 2 .
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the tracking information is used to define an order in which images are captured with the folded camera to form a panoramic image.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to track the object or subject of interest in FOV 1 autonomously.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the tracking information is used to define an order in which images are captured with the folded camera to form a panoramic image.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OPFE is rotatable in an angle of up to 180 degrees.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OPFE is rotatable in an angle of up to 360 degrees.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the OPFE being rotatable around the lens optical axis provides a plurality of different images.
9. The system of claim 1 , operative to record a video stream with a changing or adaptive field of view.
10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an actuator for rotating the OPFE around the lens optical axis.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the actuator includes a step motor or a voice coil motor.
12. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a folded camera image sensor, wherein the lens is fixedly attached to the OPFE and is rotatable together with the OPFE around the lens optical axis relative to the image sensor.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the lens is a folded lens.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the tracking information is used to define an order in which images are captured with the folded camera to form a panoramic image.
15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the tracking information is used to define an order in which images are captured with the folded camera to form a panoramic image.
16. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a folded camera image sensor, wherein the lens has an image circle.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the image sensor is smaller than the image circle.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the image sensor is larger than the image circle.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tracking information is used to define an order in which images are captured with the folded camera to form a panoramic image.
20. A mobile electronic device comprising a system of claim 1 .
21. The mobile electronic device of claim 20 , wherein the mobile electronic device is a smartphone.
22. A method comprising:
a) providing a folded digital camera that includes an image sensor, a lens having a lens optical axis and an optical path folding element (OPFE) that folds a first optical path from an object or scene to a second optical path, wherein the second optical path is substantially parallel with the lens optical axis, and wherein the folded digital camera has an original orientation;
b) rotating the OPFE around the lens optical axis in a plane normal to the lens optical axis relative to the image sensor in a first rotation direction to set the first optical path in a desired first direction; and
c) taking an image.
23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising digitally rotating the taken image back to the original orientation.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the rotating the OPFE around the lens optical axis in a first rotation direction to set the first optical path in a desired first direction includes rotating the OPFE to set the first optical path in a plurality of desired first directions in a first range of up to 180 degrees, and wherein the taking an image includes taking an image at each direction of the plurality of desired first directions, thereby obtaining a matching first plurality of taken images.
25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising constructing a first panoramic image from the first plurality of taken images.
26. The method of claim 24 , further comprising rotating the OPFE around the lens optical axis in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction, to set the first optical path in a plurality of desired second directions in a second range of up to 180 degrees opposite to the first range, and wherein the taking an image includes taking an image at each direction of the plurality of desired second directions, thereby obtaining a matching second plurality of taken images.
27. The method of claim 26 , further comprising constructing a second panoramic image from the first plurality of taken images.
28. The method of claim 27 , further comprising combining the first and second panoramic images into a combined panoramic image.
29. The method of claim 23 , wherein the lens is fixedly attached to the OPFE and wherein the rotating the OPFE around the lens optical axis relative to the image sensor in a first rotation direction includes rotating the lens together with the OPFE.
30. The method of claim 23 , wherein the lens is a folded lens.