Compact folding camera structure

Abstract

To reduce bump footprint and height.SOLUTION: Folded cameras and dual folded-upright cameras that reduce footprint and height of a bump of a mobile electronic device, specifically a smartphone. In some examples, the footprint of the bump is reduced by reducing the height of a back focal plane section of the folded camera. In some examples, the footprint of the bump is reduced by reducing the height of the back focal plane section and a lens subsection of the folded camera.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to digital cameras, and more particularly to flexible cameras and dual flexible vertical cameras incorporated into portable electronic devices such as smart phones.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones (especially smart phones), tablets, and laptops have become widely popular. Many of these devices include one or two compact "upright" cameras, for example, a main rear camera (i.e., a camera on the back side of the device that faces away from the user and is often used for casual photography) and a secondary front camera (i.e., a camera disposed on the front side of the device and often used for video conferencing). An important performance index in a mobile phone camera, especially a cell phone camera, is the height of the camera, or the vertical distance of the camera or the camera lens.

[0003] Most designs of such cameras are essentially relatively compact, similar to the conventional designs of digital still cameras. That is, the above design includes a lens assembly (or a row of several optical elements) disposed above the image sensor, which explains the term "upright". The lens assembly (also called the "lens module" or simply the "lens") refracts the incident light rays, bends the incident light rays, and generates image data (or an "image") of the scene on the image sensor. The dimensions of these cameras are mainly determined by the size of the sensor and the height of the optical system. These are usually linked through the focal length ("f") of the lens and its field of view (FOV). That is, a lens that must form an image of a certain FOV on a sensor of a certain size has a specific focal length. In such cameras, as the focal length increases, typically the height of the optical system increases.

[0004] In recent years, in order to reduce the height of a compact camera, a folding camera structure (also simply referred to as a "folding camera") has been proposed (see, for example, co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 20160044250 and PCT / IB2016 / 052143, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety). In a folding camera (see FIGS. 1A - 1C), an optical path folding element (hereinafter referred to as an "OPFE (Optical Path Folding Element)" or a "reflection element"), such as a prism or a mirror, is added to tilt the propagation direction of light from a direction substantially perpendicular to the back surface of the mobile device to a direction substantially parallel to the back surface of the mobile device. For simplicity, the reflection element is also hereinafter referred to as an "OPFE". FIGS. 1A - 1C are various views of a well-known folding camera numbered 100. An orthogonal X - Y - Z coordinate (the "axis") system is shown for FIGS. 1A and 1B, which are perspective views. These coordinates apply to all of the following perspective views. In the side view of FIG. 1C, two of the coordinates are shown separately. These coordinates also apply to all of the following side views. The illustrated coordinate system is exemplary.

[0005] For clarity, the term "substantially" is used herein to indicate the possibility of variation within an acceptable range of values. According to one example, the term "substantially" as used herein should be interpreted to mean that there can be a variation of up to 10% above or below any specified value. According to another example, the term "substantially" as used herein should be interpreted to mean that there can be a variation of up to 5% above or below any specified value. According to a further example, the term "substantially" as used herein should be interpreted to mean that there can be a variation of up to 2.5% above or below any specified value.

[0006] The camera 100 has an OPFE portion having a length L P and a height H P and a lens portion 104 having a length L L having a length LBFL It includes a back focal length (BFL) portion 106 having [description missing in the original]. In some embodiments, the partitions for some parts are such that each component is manufactured separately and all parts are adhered together. In some embodiments, the partitions for some components are only approximate, i.e., all components are integrally fabricated in the manufacturing process. The three parts have a substantially common height H that approximately corresponds to the "camera height" of the folding camera FL (with a difference within 10%). H FL is defined as the distance along the axis Y between the outer surfaces of the three parts (Y is the direction from the object to the camera or a direction parallel to the first direction 110 described below). Also, in an example where the heights of the three parts are not exactly equal, it is defined as the distance along the axis Y between the outer surfaces of the part with the maximum height. In some examples, the range of H FL is 3 to 8 millimeters. In some examples, the range of H FL is 5 to 6 millimeters. The OPFE portion 102 includes an OPFE 108 that bends the optical path from a first direction (optical axis) 110 to a second direction (optical axis) 112. The lens portion 104 includes a lens assembly 114 having one or more lens elements with a common optical axis parallel to the second direction 112. The BFL portion 106 includes an image sensor (or simply "sensor") 116. The BFL is equal to the distance between the emitting surface (towards the sensor) of the lens element facing the sensor and the sensor itself. The folding camera has a length L FL and a width W FL .

[0007] The folding camera can be assembled in several different ways, including a normal "vertical" camera in a dual-camera structure, which is also referred to herein as a "dual folding vertical camera" or simply a "dual camera". See, for example, co-pending International Patent Application No. PCT / IB2015 / 056004. International Patent Application No. PCT / IB2015 / 056004 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. An example of a dual folding vertical camera is shown in FIGS. 2A-2C. These figures show the folding dual camera numbered 200 in various views. The folding dual camera 200 includes a folding camera 202 similar to the camera 100 and a vertical camera 204 having an optical axis 110' parallel to the first direction 110 and a height H U and includes a vertical camera 204 having an optical axis 110' parallel to the first direction 110. The distance between the optical axis 110' and the first direction 110 is defined as the baseline of the folding dual camera 200. In the particular embodiment shown, the two cameras are positioned along the Z-axis. The dual camera has a length L DC and a width W DC . The width W DC can be determined by the larger of the widths of the folding camera and the vertical camera. In this example, the folding camera and the vertical camera are shown aligned along the Z-axis, but note that other configurations are known and applicable, such as those shown in co-pending PCT Patent Application No. PCT / IB2015 / 056004 (which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety).

[0008] Dual cameras having two vertical cameras (also referred to herein as "dual upright-upright cameras") are known. The incorporation of dual upright-upright cameras into portable electronic devices such as smartphones is also known, and smartphones equipped with dual upright-upright cameras are commercially available. FIG. 3A shows a rear view of a well-known dual upright-upright camera included in a smartphone 302, numbered 300. In compact cameras, there is a trend for the lens of the vertical camera to protrude from the surface of the camera, so that only the lens becomes higher and other parts of the camera become lower. This is often referred to as a "bump" and is numbered 304 in FIG. 3A. The presence of bumps on the surfaces of smartphones and other portable electronic devices is not desirable.

[0009] The use of light flash (e.g., LED (light Emitting Diode) flash) elements (or simply "flash elements") in cameras is known. It is known to arrange flash elements inside the "bumps" of vertical dual cameras. FIG. 3B is a rear view of a well-known dual upright-upright camera 310 included in a smartphone 312, having a flash element 318 in a "bump" 314. It is desirable to have a flexible camera having a flash element inside the bump. It is desirable to provide a flexible camera and a dual flexible vertical camera that improve the drawbacks of the prior art. It is desirable to provide a flexible camera and a dual flexible vertical camera with reduced bump occupancy area. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Embodiments disclosed herein teach flexible cameras and dual flexible vertical cameras that reduce bump occupancy area and height in portable electronic devices, particularly smartphones. In some examples, the bump occupancy area is reduced by reducing the height of the rear focal plane portion of the flexible camera. In some examples, the bump occupancy area is reduced by reducing the height of the rear focal plane portion and the lens portion of the flexible camera.

[0011] As described above, it is desirable to reduce and / or remove the surface area of the bumps. The bumps desirably do not extend beyond the height of the camera.

[0012] In some embodiments, a folding camera includes an optical path bending element that bends an optical path from a first direction to a second direction, and an optical path bending element portion having an optical path bending element height H in the first direction P and a lens portion having at least one lens portion height H in the first direction disposed between the optical path bending element and the image sensor, and a back focus distance portion extending between the lens portion and the image sensor and having a back focus distance portion height H in the first direction L where H BFL <H BFL <H P is provided. A folding camera is provided.

[0013] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion includes two lens subsections, and the lens subsection closer to the back focus distance portion of the two lens subsections has a height H L1 where H L1 <H L is provided.

[0014] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL <H L is provided.

[0015] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL ≦H L1 and H BFL <H L is provided.

[0016] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion has a width W L where W L >H L >H BFL is provided.

[0017] In some of the above and below embodiments, the rear focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion has an optical axis parallel to the second direction, and the optical axis within the rear focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than to the bottom surface.

[0018] In some of the above and below embodiments, the image sensor is positioned asymmetrically with respect to a substrate to which the image sensor is attached.

[0019] In some of the above and below embodiments, the upper surface has an inner surface configured to prevent stray light from being directed toward the image sensor.

[0020] In some of the above and below embodiments, the rear focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion, the rear focal length portion, and the image sensor share an optical axis, the optical axis within the rear focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than to the bottom surface, and the image sensor is positioned asymmetrically with respect to a substrate to which the image sensor is attached.

[0021] In some of the above and below embodiments, the upper surface has an inner surface configured to prevent stray light from being directed toward the image sensor.

[0022] In some of the above and below embodiments, it further includes a flash element disposed on the rear focal length portion, and the height H of the flash element FLASH is FLASH ≦H L is.

[0023] In some of the above and below embodiments, it further includes a flash element disposed on a lens sub-section closer to the rear focal length portion, and the height H of the flash element FLASH is FLASH ≦H L is.

[0024] In some of the above and below embodiments, a flash element is further provided, which is disposed on a part of the rear focal length portion and on a part of the lens sub-section closer to the rear focal length portion, and the height H of the flash element FLASH is such that H FLASH ≦ H L holds true.

[0025] In some of the above and below embodiments, a dual-aperture camera is provided, which includes a vertical camera and the above and below bendable cameras.

[0026] In some of the above and below embodiments, the dual-aperture camera includes a bendable camera and a vertical camera that share one optical axis in a second direction.

[0027] In some embodiments, the portable electronic device includes the above and below bendable cameras.

[0028] In some of the above and below embodiments, the portable electronic device has bumps on its surface, the bumps surround the area including the bendable camera, and at least one bump dimension is defined by the bendable camera dimension.

[0029] In some embodiments, the portable electronic device includes the above and below dual-aperture cameras.

[0030] In some of the above and below embodiments, the above and below portable electronic devices equipped with a bendable camera and / or a dual camera are provided. In some embodiments, the portable electronic device is a smartphone. The portable electronic device has bumps on its surface, the bumps surround the area including the bendable camera and / or the vertical camera (for the dual camera), and at least one bump dimension is defined by the bendable camera dimension and / or the dual camera dimension.

[0031] Some embodiments include a method of manufacturing a folding camera. The manufacturing method includes: (a) providing an optical path bending element that bends an optical path from a first direction to a second direction, the optical path bending element portion having an optical path bending element height H in the first direction P ; (b) providing a back focal length portion having a back focal length portion height H in the first direction, the back focal length portion including an image sensor; (c) providing a lens portion having at least one lens, the lens portion having a lens portion height H in the first direction BFL ; and (d) providing the lens portion between the back focal length portion and the optical path bending element portion on the first optical axis along the first optical axis, H L <H BFL <H L .

[0032] In some of the above and below embodiments, the optical path bending element portion has an optical path bending element height H in the first direction P , H BFL <H P .

[0033] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion includes at least two lens subsections.

[0034] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens subsection closer to the back focal length portion among the at least two lens subsections has a height H L1 , H L1 <H L .

[0035] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL ≦H L1 , and H BFL <H L .

[0036] In some of the above and below embodiments, the back focal length portion has a top surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion has an optical axis parallel to the second direction, and the optical axis within the back focal length portion is closer to the top surface than the bottom surface.

[0037] In some of the above and below embodiments, the rear focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion, the rear focal length portion, and the image sensor share an optical axis, the optical axis within the rear focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than the bottom surface, and the image sensor is positioned asymmetrically with respect to a substrate to which the image sensor is attached.

[0038] In some of the above and below embodiments, the method asymmetrically disposes the image sensor with respect to the upper surface and the bottom surface of the rear focal length portion.

[0039] Some embodiments include a method of reducing a bump occupancy area of a smartphone. The method provides a smartphone and attaches any of the foldable cameras of the above embodiments to an outer surface of the smartphone, and the foldable camera reduces the bump occupancy area of the smartphone.

[0040] In some of the above and below embodiments, the bump occupancy area has a length L B1 , a width W B1 , and a height H B1 , where L B1 has a range of 5 to 50 mm, W B1 has a range of 1 to 20 mm, and H B1 has a range of 0.05 to 3 mm.

[0041] In some of the above and below embodiments, a shorter bump length L B1 is made possible by the lower height of the rear focal length portion with respect to the height of the lens portion and / or the optical path bending element portion.

[0042] In some of the above and below embodiments, a method of further incorporating a flash element into the bump occupancy area is provided.

[0043] As described above, various combinations of the embodiments are combinable with each other and are intended to be part of the scope of the present disclosure, so each of the embodiments can be used in combination with each other.

[0044] As used herein, the terms "for example," "exemplarily," "such as," "etc.," and variations thereof describe non-limiting embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0045] Non-limiting examples of the embodiments disclosed herein are described below with reference to the drawings attached hereto, which are listed after this paragraph. The same structures, elements, or components that appear in multiple figures may be labeled with the same numbers in the figures in which they appear. The drawings and the description are intended to clarify and make clear the embodiments disclosed herein and should in no way be considered limiting.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0046] The foldable camera described herein includes an optical path folding element (OPFE), a lens, and an image sensor. The foldable camera may further include other components necessary for operation, including a focusing mechanism, an optical image stabilization (OIS) mechanism, a zoom mechanism, a mechanical shield, an infrared (IR) filter, an electronic device for operating the focusing, a gyroscope, a shutter, and / or other components. The foldable camera may further include additional optical elements between the OPFE and the object being photographed. The lens of the foldable camera described herein can have a fixed focal length or can have various focal lengths (also known as a “zoom lens”).

[0047] The height of the foldable camera is generally lower than the height of a vertical camera having a similar effective focal length (EFL). This is due to the fact that the height of the foldable camera is not affected by the height of the lens, which is correlated with the focal length of the lens. In a vertical camera, the height of the vertical camera depends on the lens height. Therefore, the lens focal length can be increased without sacrificing the height of the camera module. However, the height of the foldable camera is determined by the height of the lens assembly and the height of other parts of the camera, such as actuators (e.g., actuators used to shift the lens for focusing and / or optical image stabilization), and the height of the shield, and cannot be reduced below a certain minimum value without sacrificing optical performance. Generally, the height of the foldable camera according to the subject matter of the present disclosure can range from 3 to 8 mm.

[0048] Smartphones and other portable electronic devices having one (or more) foldable cameras and / or one (or more) vertical cameras desirably have the smallest possible bump footprint (width and length). Independently, in such smartphones and / or portable electronic devices, it is desirable to have the smallest possible bump height.

[0049] Figure 4A is a perspective view of a smartphone 400 including a dual-dual bendable vertical camera similar to the camera 200 according to an exemplary embodiment disclosed herein. Figure 4B shows an enlarged detailed view of the dual camera and the smartphone at section A-A. The bump 404 that entirely surrounds the dual camera portion protrudes on the surface of the smartphone 402. The bump has a length L B1 , a width W B1 , and a height H B1 . In some examples, L B1 ranges from 5 to 50 mm, W B1 ranges from 1 to 20 mm, and H B1 ranges from 0.05 to 3 mm. Although the edges of the bump are shown as sharp, it is preferable that they be rounded like the bump in FIG. 3. By arranging the bendable camera and the vertical camera in a row (along a single axis), for example, a smaller bump occupancy area can be achieved than when the bendable camera and the vertical camera are arranged at positions where each camera does not share the same single axis. It should be noted that except for the area of the bump, the telephone has a thickness (height) H Phone between the outer surfaces. In the area of the bump, the thickness of the telephone is greater and is marked as HPB.

[0050] The inventors of the present application have found that the dimensions of the bump accommodating the dual bendable vertical camera can be further reduced by a thoughtful design of the bendable camera.

[0051] Figures 5A-5C are various views of a bendable camera structure numbered 500 according to an exemplary embodiment disclosed herein. Similar to the camera 100, the camera 500 includes an OPFE portion 502 having a length L P and a width W P , a lens portion 504 having a length L L and a width W L , and a back focal length (BFL) portion 506 having a length L BFL and a width W BFL . The camera 500 has a height H FL similar to the camera 100, a length L FL, and width W FL may have. L FL L P +L L +L BFL is defined by the sum of L P can basically be defined by the height of the reflective element (e.g., prism). In some examples according to the subject matter of the present disclosure, H FL is in the range of 3 to 8 mm, L FL is in the range of 10 to 30 mm, and W FL is in the range of 3 to 15 mm. Note that the widths of different parts (sections) of the folding camera may be different from each other, or may also be different from W FL These dimensions of the height, length, and width of these cameras apply not only to those shown in the figures but also to the embodiments disclosed below.

[0052] Camera 500 can include other components having the same or identical respective functions as the components of camera 100. Therefore, these components and their respective functions will not be described in detail. Further, camera 500 can include two BFL parts, or a split BFL part. Different from camera 100, the BFL part 506 of camera 500 has a height H L lower than the height of the lens part H P and the height of the OPFE (e.g., prism) part H BFL For example, H BFL can be 0.05 to 3 mm smaller than H L The decrease in height is represented by the "shoulder" 508. In some examples, H L and H P may be substantially equal (difference up to 5%). In other examples, H L may be smaller than H P In some embodiments, camera 500 may have a lens part width W L larger than the lens part height H L In some embodiments, W L is H Lmay be equal to. In some embodiments, the lens housed in the lens unit may have a rotationally symmetric shape (e.g., a cylindrical shape). In some embodiments, the lens housed in the lens unit may not have a rotationally symmetric shape (e.g., a rectangle, a cylinder with chamfers, etc.).

[0053] As shown in FIGS. 6A - 6C, the camera 500 may be included within a dual camera 600 along with the vertical camera 204. In the case of a dual camera, each of the two cameras can be referred to as a "sub - camera". In some examples, the vertical camera may have an optical axis 110' parallel to the first direction 110. The distance between the optical axis 110' and the first direction 110 is defined as the baseline of the foldable dual camera 600. In some examples, the length L DC and width W DC remain the same as those of the dual camera 200. However, the dual camera 600 has a lower height H BFL at the BFL portion 506 of the foldable camera. Thus, when the dual camera 600 is incorporated into a mobile device such as the smartphone 700, by reducing the height of the BFL portion, the bump length can be shortened.

[0054] FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the dual - foldable vertical camera of FIGS. 6A - 6C included in the smartphone 700. FIG. 7B shows an enlarged detailed cross - sectional view of the dual - foldable vertical camera and the smartphone. The smartphone 700 has a bump 604 protruding on the surface 602. The bump 604 has a length L B2 and a height H B2 . L B2 is approximately shorter than L DC by the length of the BFL portion 506. In this example, the protruding dual - camera components include only the top of the lens of the vertical camera and the top of the OPFE. In some examples, the lens unit of the foldable camera may also be visible. Generally, the bump may be required only in the area of the camera where the height of the vertical camera and the height of the foldable camera term are greater than H phone. .

[0055] Returning now to FIGS. 5A - 5C, as the height in the BFL portion decreases, the second direction 112 of the folding camera approaches the upper surface 510 rather than the bottom surface 512 of the BFL portion, creating an asymmetry in the propagation of the light rays exiting the lens to the BFL portion. Due to this asymmetry, the image sensor 514, which is typically mounted on the substrate 516, is arranged asymmetrically in the Y direction with respect to the upper and lower sides of the BFL portion and the substrate itself.

[0056] FIG. 8A shows a well - known image sensor 514 and substrate 516 as viewed in the +Z direction (along the second direction 112). The sensor 514 is, for example, considered "inactive" with respect to image / light sensing and thus has an optically active portion 802 (hereinafter referred to as the active portion 802) surrounded by a portion 804 (auxiliary silicon logic) called the inactive portion 804, which is a silicon die. The active portion 802 can be arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically at any position within the inactive portion 804, as is known in the art. The active portion 802 is separated from the top and bottom of the substrate 516 (i.e., in the illustrated Y direction) by distances marked as D TOP and D BOT respectively. In FIG. 8(a), D TOP = D BOT ±Δ, where Δ is typically from 0 to 200 μm. This is the configuration related to the sensor substrate in a well - known folding camera such as the camera 100, and the active portion 802 is typically arranged symmetrically or slightly asymmetrically with respect to the substrate 516 (by "slightly" is meant up to 200 μm out of a height of 4 - 6 mm, or about 0 - 5% of the PCB height).

[0057] FIG. 8B shows a configuration 800 of the image sensor 514 and the substrate 516 according to the embodiments disclosed herein. In the configuration 800, the active portion 802 is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the substrate 516 in the Y direction, and Δ may be on the order of 100 to 1500 μm. In this case, the asymmetry of the active portion 802 with respect to the substrate 516 is on the order of 100 μm, and can be up to 1 to 1.5 mm, or about 5% to 30% of the PCB height.

[0058] The asymmetry results in a surface closer to the effective ray envelope of the sensor and may cause a stray light effect on the sensor. For example, in the camera 500, the upper surface 510 is lower and closer to the sensor than the upper surface of the lens portion 504. As a result, the incident light is redirected so as to bounce off the upper surface 510 and return to the sensor. To reduce such an influence, the inner surface 518 of the upper surface 510 of the BFL portion 506 is configured to prevent stray light. This may be provided, for example, by a yoke having a special structure and / or an anti-reflection coating. Alternatively, the surface 520 of the bottom 512 of the BFL portion 506, or both the upper and lower surfaces 518 and 520, are configured to prevent stray light. In a particular embodiment, the inner surface 518 is non-uniform and / or has various raised portions. As a result, the inner surface 518 is not flat. FIG. 9B shows a method for absorbing light or redistributing light in other directions.

[0059] Figures 9A - 9C are various views of a bendable camera structure numbered 900, according to other exemplary embodiments disclosed herein. Similar to camera 500, camera 900 includes an OPFE section, a lens section 904, and a back focal length (BFL) section 906. The dimensions of the bendable camera and the different sections may be in the same ranges as those of cameras 100 and 500. Camera 900 may include other components having similar or identical respective functions as the components of camera 500. Therefore, these components and their respective functions will not be described in detail. Further, camera 900 may include two BFL sections or a split BFL section. Different from camera 500, the lens section 904 of camera 900 has two different sub - sections 904a and 904b marked with H L and H L1 and having two different heights. The lens sub - section 904a has a height H L that is higher than the height H L1 of sub - section 904b and houses at least one lens element 920 having a diameter D that is larger than the diameter of a subsequent (in the direction of the image sensor) lens element (e.g., having a smaller diameter D1). For example, H L1 may be 0 to 3 mm smaller than H L .

[0060] The exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 9A - 9C show a lens section having two different heights associated with two different sub - sections, but the lens section may have three or more sub - sections having different heights. For example, if the lens includes N lens elements (typically N is between 1 and 6), the lens section may include sub - sections between 1 and N. The N sub - sections may have the same height or different heights H LN . In some embodiments having various lens sub - section heights H LN , the height may decrease step - by - step from a sub - section closer to the OPFE (prism) section to a sub - section closer to the BFL section.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, the camera 900 can be included in the dual camera 1000 together with the vertical camera 204. In some examples, the length L DC and width W DC of the dual camera 1000 remain the same as those of the dual camera 600. However, the dual camera 1000 has a lower height not only in the BFL portion 906 of the folding camera but also in the sub-section 904b of the lens portion. Therefore, when the dual camera 1000 is incorporated into a mobile device such as a smartphone, by reducing the height H BFL of the BFL portion and the height H L2 of the sub-section 904b, a shorter bump length L B3 becomes possible.

[0062] FIG. 11A is a perspective view of the dual folding vertical camera of FIGS. 10A to 10C included in the smartphone 1002. FIG. 11B shows an enlarged detailed cross-sectional view of the dual folding vertical camera and the smartphone. The smartphone 1100 has bumps 1104 protruding on the surface 1102. The bumps 1104 have a length L B3 and a height H B2 . For clarity, in the smartphone 1100, L B3 is shorter than the L B2 in FIG. 7 by only the length of the lens sub-section 904b, and is shorter than L FL by the length obtained by adding the length of the lens sub-section 904b to the approximate length of the BFL portion. The marking of the bump height by "H B2 " in this figure and FIG. 7B does not necessarily mean that the bumps 604 and 1104 have the same height. In this example, the protruding and visible dual camera components include only the top of the lens of the vertical camera and the tops of the OPFE and the lens sub-section 904a of the folding camera. Generally, the bumps may be required only in the area of the camera where the height of the vertical camera and a part of the folding camera is greater than H phone .

[0063] The camera 500 can be provided with a flash (e.g., LED) element in order to obtain a bendable camera with a flash (a "flash bendable camera"). FIG. 12A shows a perspective view, and FIG. 12B shows a side view of the flash bendable camera 1200. The flash element 1204 can provide an external light source required for the photographed scene, as is known in the art. The reduction of the BFL (H BFL ) height of the camera 500 may be used to accommodate the flash element 1204, that is, the flash element 1204 may be disposed on the upper surface 510. As shown in FIG. 12B, the total height from the bottom of the camera 500 to the top of the flash element 1204 is H FLASH as indicated. In some cases, as shown in FIG. 12B, H FLASH may be smaller than or equal to the height (H FL ) of the camera 500.

[0064] The bendable camera 1200 may be included together with the vertical camera 204 to form a dual camera. FIGS. 13A-13B show two embodiments of such a dual camera. In FIG. 13A, the dual camera 1302 includes a vertical camera 204 disposed adjacent to the flash bendable camera 1200 on the optical axis (+Z direction) toward the OPFE unit 502 side. In FIG. 13B, the dual camera 1304 includes a vertical camera 204 disposed along the camera 1200 on the optical axis closer to the BFL unit 506 side. In the dual camera 1304, the flash element 1204 is disposed between the optical aperture of the camera 204 and the optical aperture of the camera 500.

[0065] In other embodiments of the dual camera shown in FIGS. 14A-14C, a flash element such as the flash element 1204 that can be disposed on the upper part of the BFL unit 906 (FIG. 14A), the upper part of the lens sub-section 904 (FIG. 14B), or the upper parts of both of these sections (FIG. 14C) (partial upper parts of each section in some embodiments) can also be provided for a camera such as the camera 900. In all of these cases, H FLASHindicates the total height from the bottom of the camera 900 to the top of the flash element 1204. H FLASH is the camera height H FL may be lower than or the same height as. That is, even if the flash element is added, no protrusion will occur above the maximum height of the foldable camera. The cameras 1400, 1402, or 1404 can be combined with a vertical camera to form a dual camera (not shown).

[0066] In yet another embodiment of the dual camera numbered 1500 shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the camera 900 is combined with the vertical camera 204 and the flash element 1204. Thereby, the flash element is disposed partially above the camera 900 and partially above the camera 204.

[0067] Although the present disclosure has been described with respect to specific embodiments and generally related methods, changes and substitutions of the embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited by the specific embodiments described herein, but only by the appended claims.

[0068] In some embodiments, a foldable camera includes an optical path bending element that bends an optical path from a first direction to a second direction, and an optical path bending element height H for the outer surface in the first direction P of the optical path bending element portion, a lens portion disposed between the optical path bending element and the image sensor, and having at least one lens portion height H for the outer surface in the first direction L a rear focal length portion that extends between the lens portion and the image sensor and has a rear focal length portion height H for the outer surface in the first direction BFL and is provided with H BFL <H Land the outer surface on the bottom side of the optical path bending element portion, as well as the outer surface on the bottom side of the lens portion and the back focal length portion, are on the same plane, and the outer surface on the upper side of the lens portion and the outer surface on the upper side of the back focal length portion are not on the same plane, and a folding camera is provided.

[0069] In some of the above and below embodiments, so that the outer surface on the upper side of the optical path bending element portion and the outer surface on the upper side of the back focal length portion are not on the same plane, H BFL <H P is.

[0070] In some of the above and below embodiments, so that the outer surface on the upper side of the optical path bending element portion and the outer surface on the upper side of the lens portion are not on the same plane, H L <H P is.

[0071] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion includes two lens sub-sections, and the lens sub-section closer to the back focal length portion among the two lens sub-sections has a height H L2 has, H L2 <H L is.

[0072] In some of the above and below embodiments, the back focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion has an optical axis parallel to the second direction, and the optical axis in the back focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than the bottom surface.

[0073] In some of the above and below embodiments, the back focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion, the back focal length portion, and the image sensor share an optical axis, the optical axis in the back focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than the bottom surface, and the image sensor is positioned asymmetrically with respect to a substrate to which the image sensor is attached.

[0074] In some of the above and below embodiments, further includes a flash element disposed on the back focal length portion, and the height H of the flash elementFLASH is H FLASH ≤H P is the case.

[0075] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion has a width W L and W L >H L >H BFL is the case.

[0076] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL ≤H L2 and H BFL <H L is the case.

[0077] In some of the above and below embodiments, it further includes a flash element disposed on the lens sub-section closer to the back focal length portion, and the height H FLASH of the flash element is H FLASH ≤H P is the case.

[0078] In some of the above and below embodiments, it further includes a flash element disposed on a part of the back focal length portion and a part of the lens sub-section closer to the back focal length portion, and the height H FLASH of the flash element is H FLASH ≤H P is the case.

[0079] In some of the above and below embodiments, the back focal length portion has a top surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion, the back focal length portion, and the image sensor share an optical axis, the optical axis within the back focal length portion is closer to the top surface than the bottom surface, and the image sensor is positioned asymmetrically with respect to the substrate to which the image sensor is attached.

[0080] In some of the above and below embodiments, the top surface has an inner surface configured to prevent stray light from being directed towards the image sensor.

[0081] In some of the above and below embodiments, the upper surface has an inner surface configured to prevent stray light from being directed towards the image sensor.

[0082] In some of the above and below embodiments, the back focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion, the back focal length portion, and the image sensor share an optical axis, the optical axis within the back focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than the bottom surface, and the image sensor is positioned asymmetrically with respect to a substrate to which the image sensor is attached.

[0083] In some of the above and below embodiments, the upper surface has an inner surface configured to prevent stray light from being directed towards the image sensor.

[0084] In some of the above and below embodiments, a dual aperture camera is provided that includes a vertical camera and a flexible camera according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

[0085] In some of the above and below embodiments, the vertical camera has a vertical camera optical axis parallel to the first direction.

[0086] In some of the above and below embodiments, a portable electronic device including a flexible camera is provided.

[0087] In some of the above and below embodiments, it has bumps on the surface, the bumps surround the region including the flexible camera, and the length of at least one bump is H BFL <H P and H BFL <H L and is defined by the length of the combination of the optical path bending element portion and the lens portion.

[0088] In some of the above and below embodiments, a portable electronic device including a dual aperture camera is provided.

[0089] In some of the above and below embodiments, bumps are provided on the surface, the bumps surround the region including the dual-aperture camera, and the length of at least one bump is H BFL <H P and H BFL <H L and is defined by the length of the combination of the optical path bending element portion and the lens portion.

[0090] In some of the above and below embodiments, bumps are provided on the surface, the bumps surround the region including the folding camera, and the length of at least one bump is H BFL <H P and H BFL <H L and is defined by the length of the combination of the optical path bending element portion and the lens portion.

[0091] In some of the above and below embodiments, the bump has a length L defined along the second direction B and the dual-aperture camera has a length L defined along the second direction DC and L B <L DC is satisfied.

[0092] In some of the above and below embodiments, a method for manufacturing a folding camera, including an optical path bending element that bends the optical path from a first direction to a second direction, the height H of the optical path bending element for the outer surface in the first direction P providing an optical path bending element portion having, providing a back focal length portion having a back focal length portion height H for the outer surface in the first direction BFL providing a lens portion having a lens portion height H for the outer surface in the first direction L and H BFL <H L and the outer surface on the bottom side of the optical path bending element portion and the outer surfaces on the bottom sides of the lens portion and the back focal length portion are on the same plane, and the outer surface on the upper side of the lens portion and the outer surface on the upper side of the back focal length portion are not on the same plane, and a method for manufacturing a folding camera is provided.

[0093] In some of the above and below embodiments, the optical path bending element portion has an optical path bending element height H in the first direction P such that the upper outer surface of the optical path bending element portion and the upper outer surface of the rear focal length portion are not in the same plane, H BFL <H P is satisfied.

[0094] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion includes at least two lens subsections, and the lens subsection closer to the rear focal length portion among the two lens subsections has a height H L1 such that H L1 <H L is satisfied.

[0095] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL ≦H L1 and H BFL <H L is satisfied.

[0096] In some of the above and below embodiments, the rear focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion has an optical axis parallel to the second direction, and the optical axis within the rear focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than to the bottom surface.

[0097] In some of the above and below embodiments, the rear focal length portion has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion, the rear focal length portion, and the image sensor share an optical axis, the optical axis within the rear focal length portion is closer to the upper surface than to the bottom surface, and the image sensor is positioned asymmetrically with respect to the substrate to which the image sensor is attached.

[0098] In some of the above and below embodiments, the image sensor is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the upper surface and the bottom surface of the rear focal length portion.

[0099] In some of the above and below embodiments, a method for reducing the bump occupation area of a smartphone is provided, which includes providing a smartphone and attaching the foldable camera to the outer surface of the smartphone, and the foldable camera provides a method for reducing the bump occupation area of the smartphone.

[0100] In some of the above and below embodiments, the bump occupation area has a length L B1 , a width W B1 , and a height H B1 . L B1 has a range of 5 to 50 mm, W B1 has a range of 1 to 20 mm, and H B1 has a range of 0.05 to 3 mm.

[0101] In some of the above and below embodiments, the height H BFL of the rear focal length part is lower than the height H P of the optical path bending element part, thereby enabling a shorter bump length L B1 .

[0102] In some of the above and below embodiments, a flash element is further incorporated into the bump occupation area.

[0103] In some embodiments, a foldable camera includes a) an optical path bending element that bends the optical path from a first direction to a second direction, and the height H PAn optical path bending element (OPFE) section having the same, b) mounted on a plane perpendicular to the second direction on a substrate having a height in the first direction, and being 5% to 30% of the height of the substrate in the first direction, an image sensor having an active section arranged asymmetrically with respect to the substrate, c) a lens section arranged between the optical path bending element and the image sensor, and d) a back focal length (BFL) section extending between the lens section and the image sensor, the back focal length section having an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens section having an optical axis parallel to the second direction, and the optical axis within the back focal length section being closer to the upper surface than the bottom surface, a folding camera is provided.

[0104] In some of the above and below embodiments, the OPFE section faces an object photographed in the first direction, and the image sensor is arranged asymmetrically with respect to the substrate in the first direction towards the object to be photographed.

[0105] In some of the above and below embodiments, the back focal length section has a back focal length section height H between the respective outer surfaces of the back focal length section in the first direction BFL and the lens section has at least one lens section height H between the respective outer surfaces of the lens section in the first direction L having.

[0106] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL < H L is.

[0107] In some of the above and below embodiments, H L < H P is.

[0108] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens section includes two lens subsections, and the lens subsection closer to the back focal length section of the two lens subsections has a height H L2 having, H L2 < H L is.

[0109] In some of the above and below embodiments, a flash element disposed on the rear focal length portion is further provided, and the height H of the flash element FLASH is, H FLASH ≦H P is satisfied.

[0110] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion has a width W L and W L >H L >H BFL is satisfied.

[0111] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL ≦H L2 and, H BFL <H L is satisfied.

[0112] In some of the above and below embodiments, a flash element disposed on the lens sub-section closer to the rear focal length portion is further provided, and the height H of the flash element FLASH is, H FLASH ≦H P is satisfied.

[0113] In some of the above and below embodiments, a flash element disposed on a part of the rear focal length portion and a part of the lens sub-section closer to the rear focal length portion is further provided, and the height H of the flash element FLASH is, H FLASH ≦H P is satisfied.

[0114] In some of the above and below embodiments, the upper surface has an inner surface configured to prevent stray light from being directed toward the image sensor.

[0115] In some of the above and below embodiments, a dual-aperture camera including a vertical camera and the bendable camera according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is provided.

[0116] In some of the above and below embodiments, the vertical camera has a vertical camera optical axis parallel to the first direction.

[0117] In some of the above and below embodiments, a portable electronic device provided with the folding camera according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is provided.

[0118] In some of the above and below embodiments, it has bumps on the surface, the bumps surround the area including the folding camera, and the length of at least one bump is H BFL <H P and H BFL <H L It is defined by the length of the combination of the optical path bending element portion and the lens portion, where the optical path bending element portion has an optical path bending element portion height H between the respective outer surfaces in the first direction.

[0119] In some of the above and below embodiments, it is provided with a vertical camera, the folding camera and the vertical camera form a dual aperture camera, the bump has a length L defined along the second direction B and the dual aperture camera has a length L defined along the second direction DC L B <L DC is.

[0120] In some of the above and below embodiments, a portable electronic device provided with the dual aperture camera according to claim 13 is provided.

[0121] In some of the above and below embodiments, a method for manufacturing a folding camera, comprising: a) an optical path bending element that bends the optical path from a first direction to a second direction, and the height H of the optical path bending element portion between the respective outer surfaces of the optical path bending element portion in the first direction PAn optical path bending element (OPFE) unit having the same is provided, b) mounted on a plane perpendicular to the second direction on a substrate having a height in the first direction, and being 5% to 30% of the height of the substrate in the first direction and asymmetrically arranged with respect to the substrate, an image sensor having an active part is provided, c) a lens unit arranged between the optical path bending element and the image sensor is provided, d) a back focal length (BFL) unit extending between the lens unit and the image sensor is provided, the back focal length unit has an upper surface and a bottom surface, the lens unit has an optical axis parallel to the second direction, and the optical axis in the back focal length unit is closer to the upper surface than the bottom surface, and a method for manufacturing a folding camera is provided.

[0122] In some of the above and below embodiments, a method for reducing the bump occupation area of a smartphone, comprising: a) providing a smartphone; b) attaching the folding camera according to any one of claims 1 to 12 to the outer surface of the smartphone, the folding camera reducing the bump occupation area of the smartphone, is provided.

[0123] In some of the above and below embodiments, a vertical camera is attached to the outer surface of the smartphone, the vertical camera having a vertical camera optical axis parallel to the first direction.

[0124] In some embodiments, a folding camera includes an optical path bending element that bends an optical path from a first direction to a second direction, and an optical path bending element height H with respect to the outer surface in the first direction P An optical path bending element (OPFE) unit having the same, and a lens unit arranged between the optical path bending element and the image sensor, wherein at least one lens unit height H between the outer surfaces of the lens unit in the first direction L A lens unit having the same, and a back focal length (BFL) unit extending between the lens unit and the image sensor, wherein the back focal length unit height H in the first direction BFL being H BFL <H P and H BFL <H La rear focal length section configured as such, and a flash element disposed on the rear focal length section or on the lens section, wherein a height H of the flash element FLASH is H FLASH ≦H P and H FLASH represents the total height from the bottom of the folding camera to the top of the flash element, has bumps on the surface, the bumps surround the area including the folding camera, and the bumps have a length L defined along the second direction B and the length L B is the length L of the optical path bending element section p and the length L of the lens section L A portable electronic device including the folding camera is provided, including the combination length thereof.

[0125] In some of the above and below embodiments, the flash element is disposed on the lens sub-section closer to the rear focal length section.

[0126] In some of the above and below embodiments, the flash element is disposed on a part of the rear focal length section and a part of the lens sub-section closer to the rear focal length section.

[0127] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens section has at least one lens section height H between the outer surfaces of the lens section in the first direction L and H L <H P is satisfied.

[0128] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens section includes two lens sub-sections, and the lens sub-section closer to the rear focal length section of the two lens sub-sections has a height H L2 and H L2 <H L is satisfied.

[0129] In some of the above and below embodiments, the rear focal length portion has a top surface and a bottom surface, the lens portion has an optical axis parallel to the second direction, and the optical axis within the rear focal length portion is closer to the top surface of the rear focal length portion than to the bottom surface of the rear focal length portion.

[0130] In some of the above and below embodiments, the lens portion has a width W L and W L >H L >H BFL is true.

[0131] In some of the above and below embodiments, H BFL ≦H L2 and, H BFL <H L is true.

[0132] In some of the above and below embodiments, the top surface has an inner surface configured to prevent stray light from being directed toward the image sensor.

[0133] In some of the above and below embodiments, a vertical camera is provided.

[0134] In some of the above and below embodiments, the vertical camera has a vertical camera optical axis parallel to the first direction.

[0135] In some of the above and below embodiments, the vertical camera and the folding camera form a dual aperture camera, and the dual aperture camera has a length L defined along the second direction DC and L B <L DC is true. (Cross - reference to related applications) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 590,324, filed on November 23, 2017, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 618,304, filed on January 17, 2018, both of which have the same title as this application. The entire contents of both applications are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. 1. A bent camera, comprising: The optical path bending element includes only an optical path bending element that bends an optical path from a first direction to a second direction, and has a height H of an optical path bending element portion with respect to an outer surface in the first direction. Ｐ An optical path bending element (OPFE) portion having A lens assembly is disposed between the light path bending element and an image sensor, and the lens assembly has at least one lens height H between outer surfaces of the lens assembly in the first direction. Ｌ and a lens portion having The above-mentioned bending camera is H Ｌ <H Ｐ As it is, A folded camera, wherein the bottom outer surface of the optical path bending element section and the bottom outer surface of the lens section are on the same plane, and the upper outer surface of the optical path bending element section and the upper outer surface of the lens section are not on the same plane.

2. a back focal length (BFL) section extending between the lens section and the image sensor, the back focal length section having a height H in the first direction; ＢＦＬ a rear focal length section having a H ＢＦＬ ≦H Ｌ 2. The folded camera of claim 1, wherein:

3. The lens section includes two subsections, the lens subsection closer to the back focal length section has a height H Ｌ２ and H Ｌ２ <H Ｌ 3. The folded camera according to claim 2, wherein:

4. H Ｌ２ =H ＢＦＬ 4. The bent camera according to claim 3, wherein:

5. The rear focal length portion is disposed on the rear focal length portion, and has a height H ＦＬＡＳＨ ≦H Ｐ 3. The folded camera of claim 2, further comprising: a flash element having

6. A dual aperture camera comprising a folded camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5 together with a vertical camera.

7. The dual aperture camera of claim 6 , wherein the vertical camera has a vertical camera optical axis parallel to the first direction.

8. A portable electronic device comprising the bent camera according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. having bumps on a surface; the bump surrounds an area containing the folded camera; The portable electronic device of claim 8 , wherein a length of the at least one bump comprises a length of the bent camera.

10. The bump has a length L defined along the second direction. Ｂ having The dual aperture camera has a length L defined along the second direction. ＤＣ having L Ｂ <L ＤＣ The portable electronic device according to claim 9 .

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the portable electronic device is a smartphone.

12. A portable electronic device comprising the dual aperture camera according to claim 6.

13. having bumps on a surface; the bump surrounds an area containing the folded camera; The portable electronic device of claim 12 , wherein a length of the at least one bump comprises a length of the folded camera.

14. The bump has a length L defined along the second direction. Ｂ having The dual aperture camera has a length L defined along the second direction. ＤＣ having L Ｂ <L ＤＣ The portable electronic device according to claim 13 ,

15. The portable electronic device of claim 13, wherein the portable electronic device is a smartphone.

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