There's no way Apple would produce any of these things - they are more expensive and produce significant barrel distortion.
The good thing is that a patent prevents anybody else from using it, even if they could solve the engineering problems themselves. And I bet that they are all working on such designs, and will now have to abandon them, no matter how close they were to perfection.
Way to go Apple!
So Apple's patent prevent Sony from using a 3 element design rather than their own 4 element one. I suspect Sony will cope with 4.
I have prior art to invalidate this patent. My eye has a spherical retina with custom optics to reduce distortion as well. This idea has been around for millennia.
It's your brain that reduces the distortion, not just the retina.
Total axial length is 1.95mm and the width is 1.8mm. Positioning the lens vertically would gain .15mm! Then you need a mirror combination to reorient the camera to it's normal horizontal position. How much space is that going to take up? Doesn't seem remotely practical. In the past, camera manufacturers have decreased the size and weight of their lenses by recalculating what it takes to optimize the size. This has resulted in lenses that would have seemed impossible just 20 years ago! So I believe that their best bet is to continue minimizing the number of elements in the lens without sacrificing quality of image!
"It is unclear if Apple intends to apply its curved photosensor patent in future iPhones"
Don't worry at the end of the day iPhone will be using Sony curved sensor because not only Sony filed a curved sensor and lens patent 2 years before Apple.
"It is unclear if Apple intends to apply its curved photosensor patent in future iPhones"
Don't worry at the end of the day iPhone will be using Sony curved sensor because not only Sony filed a curved sensor and lens patent 2 years before Apple.
The implementation is different and even more compact. They may license the new implementation to Sony and whoever doing their optics (not Sony) though, cause they probably don't want to be doing either.
Total axial length is 1.95mm and the width is 1.8mm. Positioning the lens vertically would gain .15mm! Then you need a mirror combination to reorient the camera to it's normal horizontal position. How much space is that going to take up? Doesn't seem remotely practical. In the past, camera manufacturers have decreased the size and weight of their lenses by recalculating what it takes to optimize the size. This has resulted in lenses that would have seemed impossible just 20 years ago! So I believe that their best bet is to continue minimizing the number of elements in the lens without sacrificing quality of image!
I have prior art to invalidate this patent. My eye has a spherical retina with custom optics to reduce distortion as well. This idea has been around for millennia.
It's your brain that reduces the distortion, not just the retina.
Interesting...most people's brains seem to significantly increase distortion of every kind...
"It is unclear if Apple intends to apply its curved photosensor patent in future iPhones"
Don't worry at the end of the day iPhone will be using Sony curved sensor because not only Sony filed a curved sensor and lens patent 2 years before Apple.
The implementation is different and even more compact. They may license the new implementation to Sony and whoever doing their optics (not Sony) though, cause they probably don't want to be doing either.
As far as i can understand the only things different is the lens design other than that it's basically the same idea with curved sensor they can use simpler lens design and larger aperture so the overall camera module can be smaller and thinner and also with some improvments in image quality.
The only reason why Apple solutions can be more compact is because they use tiny sensor if your read Apple patent detailed discription. patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=9,244,253.PN.&OS=PN/9,244,253&RS=PN/9,244,253
You'll see that Apple use imaginary sensor with resolution from 1MP to 10MP and with Pixel size from 1.1µm to 1.2µm which if i'm not mistaken the maximum size of the sensor is no bigger than 1/3.2" that's even smaller than the sensor in iPhone 5s.
On the other hand Sony already released a 19MP 1/2.3" Curved sensor (the pixel size will be around little bit more than 1.2µm) with 21mm and F2.0 lens in Sony CyberShot KW1.
In case you didn't know 1/2.3" sensor is still bigger than the sensor in iPhone 6s/6s+.
Comments
Don't worry at the end of the day iPhone will be using Sony curved sensor because not only Sony filed a curved sensor and lens patent 2 years before Apple.
Curved sensor
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=2&hl=en&ie=UTF8&nv=1&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2012-09-26&usg=ALkJrhgmS7IHb2rkXS90ARdKmbHSO4LKhA
The lens.
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&nv=1&prev=/search?q=http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/+sony+curved&client=firefox-a&hs=dEi&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1920&bih=981&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&u=http://egami.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2013-04-05&usg=ALkJrhhSgQrOIQtNrAFgAOdWcj7cZhLl-g
But also by 2014 Sony showed a working prototype of FF and 2/3" curved sensor.
http://image-sensors-world.blogspot.co.id/2014/06/sony-curved-image-sensor-presentation.html?m=1
And also in the same year (2014) Sony also released Cyber-shot DSC-KW1 a selfie camera with 1/2.3" curved sensor and a 21mm F2.0 lens.
http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sony-confirms-kw1-perfume-selfie-camera-has-curved-sensor/
They may license the new implementation to Sony and whoever doing their optics (not Sony) though, cause they probably don't want to be doing either.
The only reason why Apple solutions can be more compact is because they use tiny sensor if your read Apple patent detailed discription.
patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=9,244,253.PN.&OS=PN/9,244,253&RS=PN/9,244,253
You'll see that Apple use imaginary sensor with resolution from 1MP to 10MP and with Pixel size from 1.1µm to 1.2µm which if i'm not mistaken the maximum size of the sensor is no bigger than 1/3.2" that's even smaller than the sensor in iPhone 5s.
On the other hand Sony already released a 19MP 1/2.3" Curved sensor (the pixel size will be around little bit more than 1.2µm) with 21mm and F2.0 lens in Sony CyberShot KW1.
In case you didn't know 1/2.3" sensor is still bigger than the sensor in iPhone 6s/6s+.