Patent ID: 6850279

Claim:
An optical image recording system for electronic recording of optical information, said optical image recording system comprising a lens system ( 21 , 22 , 23 ), and a body ( 20 ); said body having a configuration with a low height (b) and with broad surfaces ( 201 , 202 ) through one of which broad surfaces said optical information is being received, and said body accommodating an image recording device ( 25 ) having a light sensitive area, a memory, and means for transferring and receiving electronic signals; CHARACTERIZED in that said lens system is accomodated in said body; that said lens system comprises: a front lens group ( 21 ) having a first optical axis ( 211 ), a back lens group ( 22 ) consisting of one or more lenses having a second optical axis ( 221 ), and a reflective element ( 23 ) folding the first optical axis ( 211 ) into the second optical axis ( 221 ) in an angle (a) of less than 180 degrees; and that said lens system has a ratio (S) of the optical system height (H) divided by the diameter (D) of the circumferential circle of the formed image ( 28 ) less than 4, said optical system height (H) being the maximum projected distance on the first optical axis from any part of the optical system including lenses, filters, aperture stop, image recoding device and the body thereof; and that said body has a height (b) so that said optical image recording system can be accomodated in a compact, flat camera which can be kept in a wallet or a small handbag designed for carrying credit cards.