Apple Inc.

Miodrag Scepanovic

Florian R Fournier

Angelo M Alaimo

Andreas G Weber

Simon S Lee

Yuhong Yao

Yoshikazu Shinohara

Milan Maksimovic

Douglas Stuart Brodie

Ligang Wang

Zhenbin Ge

Sébastien Bolis

Neil MacKinnon

Xingchao C Yuan

Jun Yoshida

Jeffrey Nathan Gleason

Iain A McAllister

Ryan J Dunn

Linsen Bie

Marjorie Trzmiel

Xi Guo

In some embodiments, the camera system comprises: an optical assembly to create an optical image from the optical wavefront; a deformable phase plate (DPP) to receive the optical image from the optical assembly and to adjust the optical image in accordance with a control signal, the DPP including a deformable surface suspended over a cavity filled with optical fluid, and electrical actuation elements configured to change a shape of the deformable surface based on the control signal, the electrical actuation elements arranged in a pattern in the cavity and, when activated, provide an electrostatic force on the deformable surface; an image sensor to convert the adjusted optical image into electrical signals; an image signal processor to generate a digital image from the electrical signals; and an estimator to estimate an aberration or tilt correction of the digital image and to generate the control signal based on the estimated aberration or tilt correction.

Miniaturized adaptive optics with deformable phase plate for digital tilt and aberration correction

A folded optical system that comprises two prisms with refractive power and in which at least one surface of at least one of the prisms is not rotationally symmetric. The materials and surfaces of the prisms in the folded optical system may be selected to provide a low F-number (e.g., <=2.4), full field of view (FOV) of 30 degrees or less. The folded optical system may be implemented in a small package size while still capturing sharp, high-resolution images, making embodiments of a camera including the folded optical system suitable for use in small and/or mobile multipurpose devices.

Camera lens system

An optical image system may include a monocentric lens optically coupled to a fiber bundle and an image sensor. The fiber bundle may provide a curved face towards the monocentric lens and a flat face towards an image sensor. The fiber bundle may transfer light passing through the monocentric lens to the image sensor. The optical image system may include an optical correction structure having a diffractive optical element (DOE), which may be located between the monocentric lens and the fiber bundle. The optical correction structure may increase light in-coupling between the monocentric lens and fiber bundle by reducing or eliminating light reflection at the curved face of the fiber bundle.

Optical elements for enhanced light in-coupling in fiber-coupled imagers

A folded camera that includes two light folding elements such as prisms and an independent lens system, located between the two prisms, which includes an aperture stop and a lens stack. The lens system may be moved on one or more axes independently of the prisms to provide autofocus and/or optical image stabilization for the camera. The shapes, materials, and arrangements of the refractive lens elements in the lens stack may be selected to capture high resolution, high quality images while providing a sufficiently long back focal length to accommodate the second prism.

Folded camera

A lighting module which provides adjustably controllable illumination of a camera field of view of a camera module includes an adjustable collimator which can be adjustably positioned such that the emitted light beam is adjustably directed to illuminate various regions of various camera fields of view. The collimator can be adjusted via an actuator which adjustably positions the collimator relative to static components of the lighting module, including the light emitter. The light beam can be directed to illuminate a selected limited region of a camera field of view, based on identification of a subject within the limited region. The light beam can be adjustably directed based on user interactions with a user interface, including adjusting the light beam according to user-commanded beam angle, intensity, and direction. The light beam can be adjustably directed to illuminate a region according to different fields of view of different camera modules.

Focusing lighting module

A light source module includes an array of illumination elements and a light diffusing material. The light source module is configured to receive a control signal for adjusting diffusion of light emitted from the light source module and in response adjust the amount of diffusion of light emitted from the light source module. A light source module may include a segmented light diffusing material where each segment is associated with an illumination element. And individual segments may have light diffusing properties that are different than other segments of the light diffusing material. Some illumination elements may emit light of a different color spectrum than other illumination elements, and a light diffusing material may scatter the different colored light to illuminate a scene with combinations of light of different colors. A light source module may be embedded in a mobile computing device.

Light source module with adjustable diffusion

A device which includes a display can provide adjustable light output, based in part on the color of the display screen output, to control the light output of the display screen. An illumination processor can adjustably control light output based on the colors of portions of the display screen. The light output can be adjusted to maintain the light output of the display screen across a range of colors of display screen light output. Controlling the light output of the display screen results in controlling the illuminance of a subject. The device can include a camera which captures an image of the subject and displays the image on a portion of the display screen, where the light output of a portion of the display screen can illuminate the subject such that the captured image has at least a certain level of image quality.

Adjustable display illumination

An electronic device may have an optical system that includes one or more light-based components. The light-based components may include light-emitting components such as light-emitting diodes or lasers and may include light-detecting components such as photodiodes or digital image sensors. The optical system may include a light diffuser. The light diffuser may diffuse light that is being detected by a light-detecting component or may diffuse light that is being emitted by a light-emitting component. Light diffusers in optical systems may be formed from patterned light diffuser layers on transparent substrates. Layers of sealant, thin glass layers, antireflection coatings, and other layers may be incorporated into the light diffusers. The light diffuser layers may operate at visible wavelengths and infrared wavelengths. An infrared light diffuser layer may be formed from a patterned silicon layer such as a patterned layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon.

Electronic device with light diffuser

Apparatus and methods are described, including an apparatus for testing a light beam emitted by a light source. The apparatus includes a transparent substrate, a first face of the substrate being shaped to define a plurality of optical deflectors. At least one optical detector is positioned to face a second face of the substrate that is not opposite the first face. Each one of the deflectors is configured to deflect a portion of the light beam toward the detector, when the light beam is passed through the first face of the substrate. Other applications are also described.

Testing device for laser illumination systems

An electrically activated lens filter with an electro-optic portion having a radially and circumferentially symmetric electric field gradient is disclosed. More particularly, embodiments of the lens filter include an electro-optic portion having one or more conductive plugs arranged around a center region such that an electric field within the electro-optic portion varies from a maximum at an outer rim to a minimum outside of the center region. The lens filter may include a plurality of front electrodes and rear electrodes accessible in an axial direction for electrically activating front and rear transparent conductive layers, respectively.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Miodrag Scepanovic