A camera module includes an imaging lens assembly and an image sensor, wherein the image sensor is located on an image side of the imaging lens assembly. The imaging lens assembly has an optical axis and includes a plastic lens barrel and a plurality of plastic lens elements, wherein the plastic lens elements are disposed in the plastic lens barrel. The plastic lens barrel includes an object-side outer surface, a lens barrel minimum opening, an object-side outer inclined surface and a reversing inclined surface. The object-side outer surface is a surface of the plastic lens barrel facing towards an object side being closest to the object side and is annular. The reversing inclined surface expands from the lens barrel minimum opening to the image side, wherein a connecting position of the reversing inclined surface and the object-side outer inclined surface forms the lens barrel minimum opening.

The invention relates to a liquid lens (1) with an adjustable optical power comprising at least the following components: a lens volume (VL) with a first transparent liquid (L1) arranged between a first transparent membrane (21) and a second transparent membrane (22) opposite the first membrane (21), wherein the first membrane (21) has a first side (21-1) facing outwards the lens volume (VL) and a second side (21-2) facing in the opposite direction particularly toward the lens volume (VL), wherein the second membrane (22) has a first side (22-1) facing toward the lens volume (VL) and a second side (22-2) facing in the opposite direction particularly outward the lens volume (VL), a lens shaping element (3) arranged on the first membrane (21), the lens shaping element (3) having a circumferential aperture (3a) defining a lens area (21a) of the first membrane (21) having an adjustable curvature, a rigid transparent window element (5) connected to the second membrane (22) covering a window portion (22a) of the second membrane (22), wherein the window element (5) is circumferentially surrounded by a free portion of the second membrane, such that the window element (5) can move relatively to the lens shaping element (3) thereby bending the free portion (22b) of the second membrane (22) and adjusting a liquid pressure in the lens volume (VL), such that a curvature of the first membrane (21) in the lens area (21a) and therefore the optical power of the lens (1) is adjusted.

A projection lens assembly includes a first lens group, a second lens group, a third lens group and a fourth lens group, all of which are arranged in order from a projection side to an image source side along an optical axis. The first lens group is with negative refractive power. The second lens group is with positive refractive power and includes a projection side surface and an image source side surface, wherein both of the projection side surface and the image source side surface are convex surfaces. The third lens group includes a convex surface facing the projection side. The fourth lens group is with positive refractive power and includes a convex surface facing the image source side. The projection lens assembly satisfies: 1.4<F<3.5, wherein F is an F-number of the projection lens assembly.

Methods and apparatus for implementing a camera having a depth which is less than the maximum length of the outer lens of at least one optical chain of the camera are described. In some embodiments a light redirection device, e.g., a mirror, is used to allow a relatively long optical chain with a relatively large non-circular outer lens. In some embodiments the light redirection device has a depth, e.g., front of camera to back of camera dimension, which is less than the maximum length of the aperture of the outer lens in the aperture's direction of maximum extent. Multiple optical chains with non-circular outer lenses arranged in different directions may and in some embodiments are used to capture images with the captured images being combined to generate a composite image.

An imaging lens system includes eight lens elements which are, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, a sixth lens element, a seventh lens element and an eighth lens element. Each of the eight lens elements has an object-side surface facing toward the object side and an image-side surface facing toward the image side. At least one lens element of the imaging lens system has at least one lens surface having at least one inflection point. The imaging lens system has a total of eight lens elements.

A compact low-profile low-cost imaging lens with an F-value of 2.4 or less which offers a wide field of view and corrects aberrations properly. It includes elements arranged from an object side: a first positive lens having a convex surface on the object side as a first optical element; a second negative lens having a concave surface on an image side as a second optical element; a third positive lens as a third optical element; a fourth negative lens as a double-sided aspheric lens having a convex surface on the image side as a fourth optical element; and a fifth lens as a double-sided aspheric lens having a concave surface on the image side as a fifth optical element. As a sixth optical element, one aberration correction optical element as a double-sided aspheric element with virtually no refractive power is located between the first lens and the image plane.

In the image capturing apparatus, the optical path difference producing member is disposed on the second optical path. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the amount of light when an optical image which is focused at the front of an optical image made incident into the first imaging device (front focus) and an optical image which is focused at the rear thereof (rear focus) are respectively imaged at the second imaging device and also to secure the amount of light on image pickup by the first imaging device. Further, in the image capturing apparatus, a position of the first imaging region and a position of the second imaging region on the imaging area are reversed with respect to the axis P in association with reversal of a scanning direction of the sample. Therefore, despite the scanning direction of the sample, it is possible to obtain a deviation direction of the focus position under the same conditions.

An illustrative example camera device includes a sensor that is configured to detect radiation. A first portion of the sensor has a first field of vision and is used for a first imaging function. A distortion correction prism directs radiation outside the first field of vision toward the sensor. A lens element between the distortion correcting prism and the sensor includes a surface at an oblique angle relative to a sensor axis. The lens element directs radiation from the distortion correcting prism toward a second portion of the sensor that has a second field of vision and is used for a second imaging function. The sensor provides a first output for the first imaging function based on radiation detected at the first portion of the sensor. The sensor provides a second output for the second imaging function based on radiation detection at the second portion.

The present invention provides a glass lens for a lens module. The glass lens includes an optical portion having an optical axis, and an extending portion surrounding a periphery of the optical portion. The optical portion includes an object-side surface and an image-side surface opposite to the object-side surface, and the extending portion includes a first extending surface extending from the object-side surface towards a direction far away from the optical axis and a second extending surface extending from the image-side surface towards the direction far away from the optical axis. The first extending surface and the second extending surface are respectively provided with a first recess and a second recess filled with a black substance, and the second recess is closer to the optical axis with respect to the first recess.

A camera module (170) includes a miniature scanning mirror (120), lens elements (163a to 163d) corresponding to thin lateral lens slices, and a short, wide imaging sensor (165). As the scanning mirror (120) pivots to scan a scene, the imaging sensor (165) captures successive image segments. Multiple image segments are stitched together by software running on a digital processor to provide a complete image. The assembly of lens elements (163a to 163d) may include moveable elements to allow variable focus, variable magnification and image stabilization, and may utilize refraction, reflection, diffraction and/or planar optical elements. The camera module (170) may be less than 5 millimeters thick while allowing long focal length lenses and increased light collecting area. Other embodiments include a switchable scan mirror with two apertures and a dual-camera system that provides binocular images and video.