Imaging system with multi-state zoom and associated methods

1. An image capturing device, comprising:

a detector including a plurality of sensing pixels; and

an optical system having one or more optical elements disposable into at least two states,

the at least two states of the optical system corresponding to at least two angular fields of view, respectively,

the at least two states of the optical system projecting at least two distorted images onto the detector corresponding to the at least two angular fields of view, respectively, and

distortion in a given distorted image manifesting as a significantly greater pixel density per field angle at a central portion of the given distorted image than at a peripheral portion thereof, wherein a first number of sensing pixels required to realize a maximal zoom magnification Z max at a minimum resolution of the image capturing device is greater than a second number of pixels required for the minimum resolution and less than a square of the maximal zoom magnification Z max times the second number of sensing pixels required for the minimum resolution.

2. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 :

wherein the optical system produces an overall zoom magnification, Z j , falling in a first range described according to the following relation,

Z wide ≦Z j ≦Z max

with Z wide representing a minimum amount of zoom magnification,

with Z j representing an j th amount of zoom magnification, and

with Z max representing a maximum amount of zoom magnification; and

wherein resolution remains substantially the same regardless of a particular amount of zoom magnification, as described according to the following equation,

R Z wide ≈R Z j ≈R Z max

with R Z wide representing a resolution at the minimum amount of zoom magnification Z wide ,

with R Z j representing a resolution at the j th amount of zoom magnification Z j , and

with R Z max representing a resolution at the maximum amount of zoom magnification Z max .

3. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 2 :

wherein the optical system includes M states, where M≧2 and 0≦g≦M−1;

wherein the optical system produces, for a g th one of the M optical states and without further state change, a second range of zoom magnification that is a subset of the first range, the second being described according to the following relation,

Z g lower ≦Z j ≦Z g upper ,

with Z g lower representing a lower bound upon of zoom magnification in the second range, and

with Z g upper representing an upper bound upon of zoom magnification in the second range;

wherein at least one of the following conditions is true for the second range,

a first condition of

Z wide ≦Z g lower and Z g upper <Z max ,

a second condition of

Z wide <Z g lower and Z g upper ≦Z max .

4. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 3 :

wherein the optical system produces, for a g+1 state and without further state change, a third range of zoom magnification described according to the following relation,

Z g+1 lower ≦Z i ≦Z g+1 upper ,

with Z g+1 lower representing a lower bound upon of zoom magnification in the third range, and

with Z g+1 upper representing an upper bound upon of zoom magnification in the third range;

wherein the third range of zoom magnification for the state g+1 relates to the second range of zoom magnification for the state g according to the following relation,

Z g upper ≦Z g+1 lower .

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 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. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first state of the at least two states provides a continuous zoom over a first range and a second state of the at least two states provided a continuous zoom over a second range, different from the first range.

16. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second ranges overlap.

17. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first state of the at least two states provides a continuous zoom over a first range and a second state of the at least two states provides a set of discrete magnifications with a second range, different from the first range.

18. The image capturing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a first state of the at least two states provides a first set of discrete magnifications over a first range and a second state of the at least two states provides a second set of discrete magnifications within a second range, different from the first range.