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It's for a single axis curve, where the sensor is thinned and then bent over a form (presumably along the long axis), rather than a fully dished image plane. I
by ohazi 5y ago
It's for a single axis curve, where the sensor is thinned and then bent over a form (presumably along the long axis), rather than a fully dished image plane.
If the goal is reduced complexity / thinner optics, I guess this can make the design problem easier even if it doesn't solve it completely? Although I have to assume that you'd end up with a host of new distortion/aberration problems.
I'm also assuming that this is only being considered for smartphones and not for ILCs? For ILCs, most lenses can be adapted by knowing one number -- the flange focal distance. Needing to also deal with image plane curvature would throw a pretty big wrench into that...
- rbanffy 5y ago> Needing to also deal with image plane curvature would throw a pretty big wrench into that... While opening a host of opportunities for selling lenses.
- namibj 5y agoCheck out the Schmidt camera to see what little glass can give you great optical performance if you can live with a curved image plane. The Baker-Nunn camera puts this to the extreme: 500mm, f/1, 30 degree FOV. Even a simple Schmidt–Väisälä in 400mm f/2 can cover a 4000px wide sensor with 5.5 micrometer pixel size perfectly (even 3.5 micrometer pixels would still be useful, especially if color).
- nomel 5y ago> It's for a single axis curve This is required if you're to display the images on a square display, without distortion, correct?
- Doxin 5y agoNot really. As long as you've got a grid of pixels, it doesn't much matter what their shape is. Of course having a regular pixel sizing would end up with distorted images. Correcting for lens distortion isn't exactly a new trick, but if you want to be really fancy about it you could probably make non-uniform pixels too, correcting for it in hardware.