Apple Inc. (AAPL) Patents 3-Lens iPhone Camera

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Apple Inc. (AAPL) Patents 3-Lens iPhone Camera

Apple Files Patents For 3 Sensors And 3 Lenses

In efforts to improve the overall iPhone experience, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) recently filed patents for 3 sensors and 3 lenses to improve the camera. This particular patent called No. 8,497,897 and it’s for ‘Image Capture using luminance and chrominance sensors’. It is described as a multi-sensor camera system that can be used on devices such as the iPhone.

According to Apple Insider,”The main thrust of the patent is to combine three separate images generated by one luminance sensor disposed between two chrominance sensors. Each sensor has a “lens train,” or lens assembly, in front of it that directs light toward the sensor surface. The document notes that the sensors can be disposed on a single circuit board, or separated.”

Higher Quality Photos

The layout is key to the system’s functionality. The lumininace sensor is flanked on both sides with with the chrominance sensors. This positioning allows for the camera to compare info from the three sensors. It was best described as, ” For example, an image processing module can take raw data from the three sensors, comprising luminance, color, and other data, to form a composite color picture. The resulting photo would be of higher quality than a system using a single unified sensor.”

For those who want to know how this is going to work exactly, there was a stereo map to show how the differences can be measured. It shows that depending on the situation and filters, the map is processed and it’s combined with data from the luminence censor to accurately display the scene representation.

This maps also shows a solution to the “blind spot” problem that involves using three sensors and three lenses. The patent displays an example with an object within the foreground that obscures the object in the background as seen in the top illustration. A better camera could be key to improving overall iPhone experience.

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