US 12,238,428 B2
Method to design miniature lenses with on-purpose distortion
Patrice Roulet, Montreal (CA); Pierre Konen, Saint-Bruno (CA); Jocelyn Parent, Lavaltrie (CA); Simon Thibault, Quebec City (CA); Xavier Dallaire, Verdun (CA); and Zhenfeng Zhuang, Montreal (CA)
Assigned to IMMERVISION, INC., Montreal (CA)
Filed by ImmerVision, Inc., Montreal (CA)
Filed on Apr. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/138,241.
Application 18/138,241 is a continuation of application No. 16/924,459, filed on Jul. 9, 2020, granted, now 11,659,287.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/871,978, filed on Jul. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0269493 A1, Aug. 24, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04N 23/80 (2023.01); G02B 13/00 (2006.01); G06T 5/80 (2024.01)
CPC H04N 23/815 (2023.01) [G02B 13/0045 (2013.01); G06T 5/80 (2024.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for creating a processed image having a target resolution using an imaging device comprising an imager and a processing unit, the imager comprising a miniature optical system and an image sensor, the method comprising:
a. creating, using the miniature optical system, an optical image of a scene in an image plane, the optical image having an original resolution curve;
b. converting, by the image sensor, the optical image to an original digital image file having the original resolution curve;
c. receiving, by the processing unit, the original digital image file, information about the original resolution curve and information about a target resolution curve; and
d. processing, by the processing unit, the original digital image file in order to create a processed image, the processing unit transforming the original resolution curve to the target resolution curve;
wherein the miniature optical system has a miniaturization ratio, defined as a ratio between a total track length and an image footprint diameter, the miniaturization ratio being smaller than 0.8, wherein the original resolution curve is different than the target resolution curve,
wherein the original resolution curve has a value smaller than a corresponding value of the target resolution curve in a center of a field of view, and
wherein, at a maximum resolution departure location, defined as a location where a difference between the original resolution curve and the target resolution curve is at a maximum, the target resolution curve has a value smaller than a corresponding value of the original resolution curve.