Samsung is known for many innovative smartphones. The company’s Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ were the first mainstream phones to come with a variable aperture camera. The firm’s new utility patent demonstrates a new solution, which not only enables variable FoV (Field of View) but also variable aperture.
According to a report by LetsGoDigital, Samsung Electro-Mechanics filed a utility patent titled ‘Camera module and portable electronic device including the same’ with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in October 2020. The 19-page documentation for this patent was initially released on August 5, 2021.
According to the documentation, the patent uses multiple cameras that can move. Their movement helps in achieving variable FoV (Field of View) and variable aperture.
The patent sketches and images use a triple camera setup consisting of a wide-angle snapper, an ultra-wide unit, and a telephoto shooter. Users can move these cameras via touch input.
As per the example, when the wide-angle camera present in the middle moves downwards, the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras on the left and the right respectively slide inwards forming a triangle.
When the cameras are in a triangular shape, the aperture is narrow. This can be useful for landscape shots. Whereas, when the cameras are in a single line, the aperture is wide, which is useful for portrait photography. On top of this, the movement also changes FoV (Field of View).
We don’t think Samsung will ever release a mainstream smartphone with this tech. But maybe there could be a niche Galaxy smartphone with movable cameras in the future like the Galaxy A80 from 2019.
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