CAMERA MODULE

• Main Authors: AOKI, Yoshiro, NAKATOGAWA, Hirondo, TANAKA, Hitoshi
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.08.2025
• Subjects: ACCESSORIES THEREFOR; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USINGWAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FORPROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; CINEMATOGRAPHY; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; HOLOGRAPHY; MEASURING; MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; NAVIGATION; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; SURVEYING; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TESTING

According to one embodiment, a camera module includes an imaging device, a liquid crystal panel, a lens, and a controller. The liquid crystal panel includes an aperture pattern that allows light to be made incident on the imaging device, and includes a liquid crystal layer and a driver driving the liquid crystal layer to form the aperture pattern. The lens is located between the imaging device and the liquid crystal panel. The controller calculates a distance to a subject in an image, based on light that is transmitted through the aperture pattern of the liquid crystal panel and the lens and that is made incident on the imaging device. The liquid crystal panel is arranged to surround the lens.