Eastman-kodak Company

Mark M Meyers

Raymond E Wess

Badhri Narayan

Mark E Schickler

Stanley W Stephenson

Dale Frederick McIntyre

Joseph R Bietry

John K McBride

James E Roddy

James K Lee

Paul Teremy

Richard E Albrecht

A stand alone customer operated photofinishing apparatus. The apparatus includes a film receiving section for receiving and holding a film cartridge containing an undeveloped filmstrip therein from a customer, the filmstrip having at least one image. A customer order data entry station is provided for entering an order selection. The apparatus further includes a developing section for developing the filmstrip comprising at least one processing tank containing a processing solution for processing of the filmstrip, a scanner for scanning the developed filmstrip so as to obtain a digital record of the at least one image developed on the filmstrip, a printing section for dry printing the at least one image on the developed filmstrip using the digital record so as to produce at least one print, and a delivery section for returning the at least one print and the developed filmstrip to the customer. Alternatively, instead of the image to be printed being obtained by scanning a film, the image may be obtained through an input port designed for receiving a digital record from a variety of sources of least one image.

Stand alone photofinishing apparatus

The image capture device incorporates an array of photodetectors, utilizing an integral current mirror formed at each photodetector location to increase photodetector current output. A correlated double sampling circuit is also formed at each photodetector location to sum the current generated by the current mirror over each exposure period, so as to produce a voltage proportional to the radiation intensity incident at each photodetector location. The correlated double sampling circuit is used to reduce noise in the photodetected signal and to eliminate the effect of dark current. Combining the image capture device with a unique lenslet array forms an extremely compact optical array camera. An embodiment with a mechanical shutter is also disclosed.

Compact image capture device

A compact digital camera is formed with a lenslet array comprised of a plurality of lenslets, each lenslet has a decentration corresponding to its radial position in the lenslet array so that the axial ray of each lenslet views a different segment of a total field of view. A photosensor array comprised of a plurality of sub-groups of photodetectors is positioned such that each sub-group is located along the axial ray of a respective lenslet. A field limiting baffle comprised of at least one aperture plate is positioned such that the center of the apertures are located along the axial ray of a respective lenslet.

Compact digital camera with segmented fields of view

In an electronic camera including optics for focusing an image of a subject at an image plane; an area image sensor disposed at the image plane for receiving the image subject and producing a digital image representing the subject; storage memory coupled to the area image sensor for storing the digitized image of the subject; and a moveable display being moveable between a user viewable position to a print position and adapted to be selectively coupled to the storage means for displaying an image of the subject. The camera further includes an optical printer being adapted to be optically coupled to the display when in its print position for producing a hard copy output of the subject represented by the display; and logic and control circuitry being responsive to the display moving to its print position for deenergizing the display after an image to be printed is selected and for reenergizing the display means when in its print position.

Electronic camera having a printer

A scanner (40) is disclosed which includes a source of coherent light (12), a radial holographic deflector (16), a F.theta. lens (62), which images a scanned spot onto an image plane (18). The F.theta. lens (62) is comprised of a decentered aspheric mirror (64) and a diffractive--refractive toroidal lens (66). The apparatus is relatively insensitive to variations in the wavelength of the source of coherent light.

Diffractive laser scanner

A zoom lens comprises a plurality of lens elements arranged into three lens units. More specifically, there is a first lens unit of positive refractive power, a second lens unit of negative refractive power, and a third lens unit of positive refractive power. The third lens unit is located between the first and the second lens units. The plurality of lens elements provide: (i) a zoom ratio greater than 1.5, (ii) an F/number in the telephoto position of less than F/5 and an F/number in the wide angle position of less than F/3.6, (iii) and an overall compactness ratio L.sub.v /f.sub.t &lt;1.0, where L.sub.v is the distance from a front vertex of the zoom lens to the image plane in a telephoto position, and f.sub.t is the focal length of the zoom lens in the telephoto position.

Zoom lens

A lenslet array system includes (i) a first assembly including a field-limiting mask and a first lenslet array having an associated focal plane and (ii) a second assembly including a second lenslet array accepting light from the first assembly. The first lenslet array accepts a full field of view in excess of 20 degrees and forms a plurality of image sections of the associated object on an intermediate image plane which is substantially coplanar with the focal plane associated with the first lenslet array. The first lenslet array includes a plurality of positive power lenslets. Each of the plurality of lenslets has a focal length f.sub.1 of less than 15 mm and accepts a unique segment of the full field of view subtended by the associated object. These segments of the full field of view together comprise the full field of view, and each of said lenslets forms one image section corresponding to its segment of the full field of view. The second lenslet array of the second assembly accepts light from the first assembly. The second lenslet array has a plurality of positive power lenslets. Each of the lenslets of the second lenslet array (a) has a focal length f.sub.2 which is less than 15 mm, (b) reimages one of the image sections located at the intermediate image plane and creates an inverted real image of this image section on the final image surface, and (c) together with other lenslets of the second lenslet array creates a single image of the associated object.

Lenslet array system

A lenslet array system for imaging an associated object onto a final image plane includes (i) a first lens assembly including a field limiting mask and a first lenslet array having an associated image plane, (ii) a second assembly including a rear lenslet array, and (iii) a middle lenslet array located between the first and said rear lenslet array. The first lenslet array accepts a full field of view subtends by the associated object and forms a plurality of image sections of the associated object on an intermediate image plane. The first lenslet array includes a plurality of positive power lenslets, each of the plurality of lenslets having a focal length f.sub.1 and accepting a unique segment of the full field of view subtended by the associated object. These segments of the full field of view together comprise the full field of view, and each of the lenslets forms one image section corresponding to its segment of the full field of view. The rear lenslet array has a plurality of positive power lenslets. Each of the lenslets of the second lenslet array (a) reimages one of the image sections located at the intermediate image plane and creates an inverted image of the image section on the final image surface, and (b) together with other lenslets of the rear lenslet array creates an image of the associated object.

Lenslet array system incorporating a field lenslet array

Diffractive optics using surface relief profiles, also known as blazed gratings having ramps and edges or steps (also referred to as blazed facets with discontinuities at the interfaces between adjacent facets) defining grating lines and phase delays to which light propagating through the grating are subject. Diffractive lenses which are known as phased Fresnel zone plate lenses or kinoforms, also have annular blazed facets with discontinuities, steps at the interface between adjacent facets at the steps which facets define the zones of the lens. These steps are either aligned parallel to the light incident on the grating or coated with an optically opaque material, thereby preventing the transmission of incident light which is not diffracted, but would be scattered or transmitted at the steps. The contrast and quality of an image provided by the diffractive lens at a plane spaced from the grating, which may be the focal plane of the diffractive lens, is therefore enhanced.

Technique to eliminate scattered light in diffractive optical elements

Scene intensity measuring and illumination source detection apparatus for determining scene illuminant and appropriate exposure settings for an image capture device is disclosed. The apparatus includes a diffractive optical element including an off-axis segment for dispersing incident scene illumination into its spectral components and for focusing the incident scene illumination, a structure responsive to the spectral intensities of the spectral components of the incident scene illumination for producing detection signals corresponding to such spectral components, a structure coupled to the sensing means for producing digitized detection signals, and a structure responsive to the digitized detection signals for determining the scene illuminant and the appropriate exposure settings for the image capture device.

Scene intensity measuring and illumination source detection apparatus

A lenslet array system for imaging an associated object onto a final image plane includes (i) a first assembly including a baffle structure and a first lenslet array having an associated image plane and (ii) a second assembly including a second lenslet array. The first lenslet array accepts a full field of view subtends by the associated object and forms a plurality of image sections of the associated object on an intermediate image plane. The first lenslet array includes a plurality of positive power lenslets, each of the plurality of lenslets having a focal length f.sub.1 and accepting a unique segment of the full field of view subtended by the associated object. These segments of the full field of view together comprise the full field of view, and each of the lenslets forms one image section corresponding to its segment of the full view. The baffle structure includes (1) a baffle plate having multiple opening aligned with respective lenslets of the first lenslet array, (2) a field limiting plate located at the intermediate image plane and having opaque areas and a plurality of apertures, and (3) a plurality of baffle walls extending between the lenslets of the first lenslet array and the field limiting plate. The second assembly includes a second lenslet array having a plurality of positive power lenslets. Each of the lenslets of the second lenslet array (a) reimages one of the image sections located at the intermediate image plane and creates an inverted image of the image section on the final image surface, and (b) together with other lenslets of the rear lenslet array creates an image of the associated object.

Lenslet array system with a baffle structure and a shutter

A short focal length image sensor comprising:

Diffractive/Refractive lenslet array incorporating a second aspheric

A catadioptric lens system may be operated in the telephoto mode to allow images of distant objects to be formed with large image plane magnification and be part of a camera body wherein a rear reflective section of the catadioptric lens system is provided by a front face of the camera body which has a clear aperture centered about the optical axis. An image is focused at the film plane. The catadioptric lens system has a diffractive/refractive hybrid singlet lens which corrects off-axis aberrations and decreases the overall lens length. The front surface of the lens defines an asphere. The back surface has a diffractive lens with annular blazed zones. The back surface also has an inner portion which is reflective and may have the same curvature as the transmissive section of the singlet (the back surface base curve of the from which the blazed zones extend). The lens system provides catadioptric imaging (sometimes called contracurrent or katoptric imaging) at the film plane.

Catadioptric lens system incorporating diffractive achromatization

A lenslet array system for imaging an associated object onto a final image plane includes (i) a first lens assembly including a field limiting mask and a first lenslet array having an associated image plane and (ii) a second assembly including a second lenslet array accepting light from said first lenslet array. The first lenslet array accepts a full field of view in excess of 20 degrees and forms a plurality of image sections of the associated object on an intermediate image plane. The first lenslet array includes a plurality of positive power lenslets, each of the plurality of lenslets having a focal length f.sub.1 and accepting a unique segment of the full field of view subtended by the associated object. These segments of the full field of view together comprise the full field of view, and each of the lenslets forms one image section corresponding to its segment of the full view. The second lenslet array of the second assembly accepts light from said first assembly. The second lenslet array has a plurality of positive power lenslets. Each of the lenslets of the second lenslet array (a) has a focal length f.sub.2, (b) has convex object side surface located in the vicinity of said intermediate image plane, (c) has a convex image side surface reimaging one of the image sections located at the intermediate image plane and creating an inverted image of this image section on the final image surface, and (d) together with other lenslets of the second lenslet array creates a continuous image of the associated object.

Lenslet array system incorporating an integral field lens/reimager

A wide angle zoom lens suitable for use in cameras for providing sufficiently wide range of field angles to cover a frame of a film in the camera provides performance comparable to zoom lenses having more elements. The wide angle zoom lens has four elements in three groups which are moveable with respect to each other. The front group has a diffractive lens formed on a curved surface thereof. The second or intermediate group and the front group has surfaces are aspheres for aberration correction as does a surface of a single element third group. Chromatic aberration is corrected by the diffractive lens in combination with the lens of the other groups over the zoom range. The third group lens is formed with glass with lower dispersion (higher Abbe number) than the lenses of the other groups. The second group has two lenses one of which may be a low power, negative, meniscus lens which is made of plastic thereby further reducing the cost of the zoom lens.

Growing community of inventors

Hamlin, NY, United States of America

Mark M Meyers