Patent ID: 9442273
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: A61B,G02B,G06K,H04N

Claim Text:
1. A method for configuring an imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor and an optical assembly including an image-side surface and an object-side surface and configured for imaging an object plane onto an imaging surface of the image sensor, the method comprising: modifying a first imaging configuration of the imaging apparatus to achieve a second imaging configuration of said imaging apparatus, wherein modifying the first imaging configuration comprises interposing a refractive optical element between the image-side surface of the optical assembly and the imaging surface, wherein the interposed refractive optical element is configured to: (i) shift an image-side principal plane of the optical assembly, by a shift distance in the direction of the imaging surface; and (ii) shift an image-side focal plane of the optical assembly, by the shift distance in the direction of the imaging surface; wherein in the first imaging configuration, the optical assembly images onto the imaging surface, an in-focus image of an object positioned at a first object plane located a first object distance away from the object-side surface of the optical assembly; wherein in the second imaging configuration the optical assembly images onto the imaging surface, an in-focus image of an object positioned at a second object plane located a second object distance away from the object-side surface of the optical assembly, such that the second object distance is greater than the first object distance; and wherein the shift distance is a distance between a first image plane at which the optical assembly images an in-focus image of an object positioned at the first object plane, and a second image plane at which the optical assembly images an in-focus image of an object positioned at the second object plane.