109. ?ORIGAMI OPTICS? FOR ULTRA-THIN IMAGERS

Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering
Faculty Advisor(s): Joseph Ford

Primary Student
Name: Eric Julian Tremblay
Email: etrembla@ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-822-4406
Grad Year: 2008

Abstract
Most camera lenses refract light, leading to the familiar cylindrical tube geometry. In some cases, where extended focal length or reduced track length are required, concentric mirrors can be used to effectively reduce barrel length. Recent advances in diamond machining and image processing make it possible to take this approach to a new extreme. With up to 8 reflections, large ray angles, and a lens shaped more like a lens cap than a tube, so-called Origami Optics allow us to squeeze long focal lengths into a thin package and still collect enough light for fast sharp exposures. Applications may range from compact imagers for micro-UAV surveillance craft to a miniature telephoto lens for future cell phones.

This poster will present work on a new class of imagers developed under DARPA?s MONTAGE program. We will present the design, fabrication and testing of our Eight and Four-fold Origami Optics cameras- 5mm thick cameras with 38mm and 18 mm focal lengths respectively; as well as work on ?arc-sectioned? Origami Optics for extending the depth of field and further volume reduction. The resulting prototypes have yielded images comparable with much larger commercial ?compact? cameras.

In addition, we will present new results on the application ?pupil phase encoding? to Origami Optics. Pupil phase encoding is a hybrid optical-digital technique utilizing an asymmetrical modification to the optics combined with digital post-processing for increased depth of field and improved fabrication tolerances. Finally, we will present preliminary results from our Montage cluster camera: an ultra-thin 11 megapixel camera cluster spanning a 30 degree field of view using an array of 5.5 mm thick Origami Optic cameras.

Related Files:

1. oriami_optics1.png

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