Introduced here are light sources for flash photography configured to produce high-fidelity white light that is tunable over a broader range of correlated color temperatures (CCTs) than conventional flash technologies. The light source can include multiple independently controllable color channels representing illuminants (e.g., light-emitting diodes) of different colors with varying degrees of saturation. Operating collectively, the multiple color channels can produce a high spectral quality white light corresponding to different CCTs (e.g., warm white light having a red hue, cool white light having a blue hue). Operating independently, these same color channels can be pre-flashed in a variety of prescribed sequences to probe the spectral characteristics of a scene, thereby allowing for an enhanced, spectrally matched white flash as well as collecting per-pixel reflectivity data that can be later used in during post processing of the captured image.

The present disclosure relates to optical systems, vehicles, and methods that are configured to illuminate and image a wide field of view of an environment. An example optical system includes a camera having an optical axis and an outer lens element disposed along the optical axis. The optical system also includes a plurality of illumination modules, each of which includes at least one light-emitter device configured to emit light along a respective emission axis and a secondary optical element optically coupled to the at least one light-emitter device. The secondary optical element is configured to provide a light emission pattern having an azimuthal angle extent of at least 170 degrees so as to illuminate a portion of an environment of the optical system.

Introduced here are multi-channel light sources able to produce a broad range of electromagnetic radiation. A multi-channel light source (also referred to as a multi-channel emitter) can be designed to produce visible light and/or non-visible light. For example, some embodiments of the multi-channel light source include illuminant(s) capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation within the visible range and illuminant(s) capable of emitting electromagnetic radiation in a non-visible range, such as the ultraviolet range or infrared range. By capturing images in conjunction with the visible and non-visible light, additional information on the ambient scene can be gleaned which may be useful, for example, during post-processing.

A Fresnel lens includes multiple different zones. At least one of the zones may be an asymmetric zone that is radially asymmetric. The asymmetric zone may redirect light received from a light source located within a focal length of the Fresnel lens to a portion of a field of view of an image sensor. In some embodiments, multiple asymmetric zones may be implemented within the same Fresnel lens, which may have different radial asymmetry.

In a thin flash module for a camera, a rectangular array of LEDs is mounted on a single lead frame. The lead frame connects the LEDs in series. The LEDs are much smaller than conventional LEDs in a flash module. The LEDs may be in 53 array or a 43 array, for example. An array of reflective cups is molded over the lead frame or attached to the lead frame, where each of the cups has a substantially square aperture to produce a square sub-beam. A layer of phosphor is located within each cup overlying its associated LED to produce white light. The aspect ratio of the array is selected to generally match the aspect ratio of the camera's field of view (e.g., 16:9). Since the LEDs are very small, the height of the cups may be small to form an ultra-thin flash module. Thin lenses may instead be used.

A method and apparatus of aligning a lens module with respect to an image sensor device for a capsule camera are disclosed. The image sensor device comprises multiple pixel arrays and the lens module comprises multiple lens sets to form multiple images corresponding to multiple fields of view associated with the multiple lens sets, and each lens set forms one image for one corresponding pixel array associated with one field of view. A method according to the present invention present invention, one or more test images are presented in the multiple fields of view associated with the lens module. Multiple images in the multiple fields of view are captured using the multiple pixel arrays. Metric measurement is derived based on the multiple images captured by the multiple pixel arrays. Lens alignment between the lens module and the image sensor device is then adjusted based on the metric measurement.

An imaging system includes a digital camera and illuminating devices. The digital camera includes an imaging optical system, a shutter, a shutter driving mechanism, an imaging element, an illumination control unit, and a wireless I/F. The shutter is a focal-plane shutter. In a case in which a main imaging operation is performed in a plural illumination control mode, the shutter driving mechanism drives the shutter to generate a transition period for which a partial exposure region is transferred to the lower side of an imaging area of the imaging element over time. The illumination control unit controls the emission times of the illuminating devices to be different times within the transition period.

A camera-puddle lamp integrated apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprising a lens module; an image sensor; a light source; and an optical unit, wherein the image sensor is spaced apart from a rear of the lens module so that the image sensor and the lens module are formed to operate as a camera, the light source is disposed to be coplanar with the image sensor and disposed at a peripheral portion of the image sensor, the optical unit is disposed in front of the light source so that light emitted from the light source is directed to a rear end of the lens module, and the camera-puddle lamp integrated apparatus is formed to operate as a puddle lamp by the light source and the optical unit.

A semiconductor light source includes at least one first emission unit, at least one second emission unit, and an optics, wherein the optical system has an inner region that converges radiation from the first emission unit, the optical system has an outer region that expands radiation from the second emission unit, a first light emission region of the inner region completely covers the first emission unit when viewed in plan view, and at least partially covers the second emission unit, a second light emission region of the outer region is partially or completely beside the second emission unit when viewed in plan view, and the inner region and the outer region have differently shaped light entry regions.

A Fresnel lens includes multiple different zones. At least one of the zones may be an asymmetric zone that is radially asymmetric. The asymmetric zone may redirect light received from a light source located within a focal length of the Fresnel lens to a portion of a field of view of an image sensor. In some embodiments, multiple asymmetric zones may be implemented within the same Fresnel lens, which may have different radial asymmetry.