Dual lens digital zoom
A camera with a pair of lens/sensor combinations, the two lenses having different focal lengths, so that the image from one of the combinations has a field of view approximately two to three times greater than the image from the other combination. As a user of the camera requests a given amount of zoom, the zoomed image provided will come from the lens/sensor combination having the field of view that is next larger than the requested field of view. Thus, if the requested field of view is less than the smaller field of view combination, the zoomed image will be created from the image captured by that combination, using cropping and interpolation if necessary. Similarly, if the requested field of view is greater than the smaller field of view combination, the zoomed image will be created from the image captured by the other combination, using cropping and interpolation if necessary.
1. A camera operated by a user, comprising:
a sensor that captures an image;
a first lens that can direct light to the sensor, the first lens having a first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and first lens has a first field of view;
a second lens that can direct light to the sensor, the second lens having a second focal length that is shorter than the first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and second lens has a second field of view, wherein the combination of the first field of view and the second field of view comprises a field of view that is greater than the first field of view; and
a zoom control operable by the user to allow the user to request a desired field of view to produce a zoomed image; and
wherein the first and second lenses can be moved into and out of optical alignment with the sensor so that the sensor receives light passing through the first lens including the first field of view when the first lens is aligned with the sensor and light passing through the second lens including the second field of view when the second lens is aligned with the sensor at various focal distances;
wherein the combination of the sensor and the first lens are aligned with the combination of the sensor and the second lens to allow the camera to focus from a same focus distance at said first field of view through said first lens according to said first focal length and at said second field of view through said second lens according to said second focal length, respectively;
wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is equal to the first field of view, the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the first lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the first field of view, and wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is equal to the second field of view, and the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the second lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the second field of view and greater than the first field of view; and
wherein the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the first lens is the same as the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the second lens.
2. A camera as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second field of view is twice that of the first field of view.
3. A camera as defined in claim 1 , wherein the second field of view is in the range of two to three times that of the first field of view.
4. A camera as defined in claim 1 , wherein the zoom control can be used to request the zoomed image in a range, with one end of the range corresponding to the second field of view and the opposite end of the range corresponding to ¼ to ½ of the first field of view.
5. A camera as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first and second lenses are moved into and out of optical alignment with the sensor automatically by the camera when the field of view requested by the user changes between using the image from one of the combinations to the other of the combinations.
6. A camera operated by a user, comprising:
a sensor that captures an image;
a first lens that can direct light to the sensor, the first lens having a first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and first lens has a first field of view;
a second lens that can direct light to the sensor, the second lens having a second focal length that is shorter than the first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and second lens has a second field of view, wherein the combination of the first field of view and the second field of view comprises a field of view that is greater than the first field of view; and
a zoom control operable by the user to allow the user to request a desired field of view to produce a zoomed image; and
wherein the first and second lenses can be moved relative to the sensor into and out of one of multiple different positions where the sensor receives light passing through the first lens including the first field of view when the first lens is in the one of the multiple positions and light passing through the second lens including the second field of view when the second lens is in the one of the multiple positions at various focal distances;
wherein the combination of the sensor and the first lens are aligned with the combination of the sensor and the second lens to allow the camera to focus from a same focus distance at said first field of view through said first lens according to said first focal length and at said second field of view through said second lens according to said second focal length, respectively;
wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is equal to the first field of view, the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the first lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the first field of view, and wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is equal to the second field of view, and the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the second lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the second field of view and greater than the first field of view; and
wherein the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the first lens is the same as the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the second lens.
7. A camera as defined in claim 6 , wherein the second field of view is twice that of the first field of view.
8. A camera as defined in claim 6 , wherein the second field of view is in the range of two to three times that of the first field of view.
9. A camera as defined in claim 6 , wherein the zoom control can be used to request the zoomed image in a range, with one end of the range corresponding to the second field of view and the opposite end of the range corresponding to ¼ to ½ of the first field of view.
10. A camera as defined in claim 6 , wherein the first and second lenses are moved relative to the sensor automatically by the camera when the field of view requested by the user changes between using the image from one of the combinations to the other of the combinations.
11. In a camera operated by a user, a method comprising:
capturing an image with a sensor;
directing light to the sensor with a first lens, the first lens having a first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and first lens has a first field of view;
directing light to the sensor with a second lens, the second lens having a second focal length that is shorter than the first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and second lens has a second field of view, wherein the combination of the first field of view and the second field of view comprises a field of view that is greater than the first field of view; and
using a zoom control operable by the user to allow the user to request a desired field of view to produce a zoomed image; and
wherein the first and second lenses can be moved into and out of optical alignment with the sensor so that the sensor receives light passing through the first lens including the first field of view when the first lens is aligned with the sensor and light passing through the second lens including the second field of view when the second lens is aligned with the sensor at various focal distances;
wherein the combination of the sensor and the first lens are aligned with the combination of the sensor and the second lens to allow the camera to focus from a same focus distance at said first field of view through said first lens according to said first focal length and at said second field of view through said second lens according to said second focal length, respectively;
wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is equal to the first field of view, the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the first lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the first field of view, and wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is equal to the second field of view, and the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the second lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the second field of view and greater than the first field of view; and
wherein the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the first lens is the same as the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the second lens.
12. A method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the second field of view is twice that of the first field of view.
13. A method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the second field of view is in the range of two to three times that of the first field of view.
14. A method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the zoom control can be used to request the zoomed image in a range, with one end of the range corresponding to the second field of view and the opposite end of the range corresponding to ¼ to ½ of the first field of view.
15. A method as defined in claim 11 , wherein the first and second lenses are moved into and out of optical alignment with the sensor automatically by the camera when the field of view requested by the user changes between using the image from one of the combinations to the other of the combinations.
16. In a camera operated by a user, a method comprising:
capturing an image with a sensor;
directing light to the sensor with a first lens, the first lens having a first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and first lens has a first field of view;
directing light to the sensor with a second lens, the second lens having a second focal length that is shorter than the first focal length, wherein the combination of the sensor and second lens has a second field of view, wherein the combination of the first field of view and the second field of view comprises a field of view that is greater than the first field of view; and
using a zoom control operable by the user to allow the user to request a desired field of view to produce a zoomed image; and
wherein the first and second lenses can be moved relative to the sensor into and out of one of multiple different positions where the sensor receives light passing through the first lens including the first field of view when the first lens is in the one of the multiple positions and light passing through the second lens including the second field of view when the second lens is in the one of the multiple positions at various focal distances;
wherein the combination of the sensor and the first lens are aligned with the combination of the sensor and the second lens to allow the camera to focus from a same focus distance at said first field of view through said first lens according to said first focal length and at said second field of view through said second lens according to said second focal length, respectively;
wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is equal to the first field of view, the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the first lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the first lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the first field of view, and wherein the zoomed image comprises the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is equal to the second field of view, and the zoomed image is produced from the image focused to the sensor from the second lens by cropping and interpolating the image focused to the sensor from the second lens if the requested field of view is within but less than the second field of view and greater than the first field of view; and
wherein the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the first lens is the same as the depth of field for the combination of the sensor and the second lens.
17. A method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the second field of view is twice that of the first field of view.
18. A method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the second field of view is in the range of two to three times that of the first field of view.
19. A method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the zoom control can be used to request the zoomed image in a range, with one end of the range corresponding to the second field of view and the opposite end of the range corresponding to ¼ to ½ of the first field of view.
20. A method as defined in claim 16 , wherein the first and second lenses are moved relative to the sensor automatically by the camera when the field of view requested by the user changes between using the image from one of the combinations to the other of the combinations.