Imaging device

• US 20020067411A1
• Filed: 09/27/2001
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dennis C. Leiner, Robert Lee Thompson
• Original Assignee: Dennis C. Leiner, Robert Lee Thompson
• Inventors: Leiner, Dennis C., Thompson, Robert Lee
• Granted Patent: US 6,744,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A camera that includes a camera head, an amplifier, and a camera control unit. The camera head includes a charge coupled device and at least one lens that is optically coupled to the charge coupled device to focus light energy onto the charge coupled device. The charge coupled device provides a plurality of signals indicative of the light energy incident upon a plurality of regions of the charge coupled device. The amplifier is electrically coupled to the charge coupled device to receive the plurality of signals from the charge coupled device and provide a plurality of amplified signals to the camera control unit, but, the amplifier is physically separated from the charge coupled device so that the amplifier is outside the camera head. The camera control unit is electrically coupled to the amplifier to receive the plurality of amplified signals from the amplifier and to process the plurality of amplified signals to form an image. In one embodiment, the camera head can move in numerous directions relative to other portions of the camera system, including rotationally, pivotally, and towards and away from a body of the camera.

Claims

1. A camera, comprising:

a camera head that includes a charge coupled device and at least one lens that is optically coupled to the charge coupled device to focus light energy onto the charge coupled device, the charge coupled device providing a plurality of signals indicative of the light energy incident upon a plurality of regions of the charge coupled device;

an amplifier that is electrically coupled to the charge coupled device to receive the plurality of signals from the charge coupled device and provide a plurality of amplified signals; and

a camera control unit that is electrically coupled to the amplifier to receive the plurality of amplified signals from the amplifier and to process the plurality of amplified signals to form an image;

wherein the amplifier is physically separated from the charge coupled device so that the amplifier is outside the camera head.

2. The camera of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible connection that electrically couples the amplifier to the charge coupled device.

3. The camera of claim 2, further comprising a camera body, wherein the camera head is movably mounted to the camera body, and wherein the amplifier is disposed within the camera body.

4. The camera of claim 2, further comprising an extendable support that movably mounts the camera head to the camera body.

5. The camera of claim 4, wherein the extendable support is rotatably mounted to the camera body.

6. The camera of claim 4, wherein the camera head is pivotally mounted to the extendable support.

7. The camera of claim 6, wherein the extendable support is rotatably mounted to the camera body.

8. The camera of claim 7, further comprising a display, coupled to the camera control unit and mounted to the camera body, to display the image formed by the camera control unit.

9. The camera of claim 8, further comprising a storage medium disposed within the camera body, to store the image formed by the camera control unit.

10. The camera of claim 9, wherein the camera head is movably mounted relative to the display so that an optical viewing axis of the charge coupled device and the at least one lens can be positioned independently of a viewing direction of the display.

11. The camera of claim 9, wherein the camera control unit is disposed within the camera body, and wherein the camera body includes a contoured surface that is adapted to mate with a hand of the user.

12. The camera of claim 3, wherein the camera head is rotatably mounted to the camera body.

13. The camera of claim 3, wherein the camera head is pivotally mounted to the camera body.

14. The camera of claim 3, further including a protective enclosure that encloses the camera head, wherein the camera head is movable within the protective enclosure.

15. The camera of claim 1, further including a protective enclosure that encloses the camera head, wherein the camera head is movable within the protective enclosure.

16. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one lens includes, in order from an object side:

a distal lens having a convex surface and a concave surface, the convex surface being proximate the object side;

a doublet lens in optical communication with the distal lens, the doublet lens having a concave surface and a convex surface, the convex surface of the doublet lens being proximate the convex surface of the distal lens; and

a bi-convex proximal lens in optical communication with the doublet lens.

17. The camera of claim 16, wherein the distal lens is a first distal lens, and wherein the at least one lens further includes a second distal lens in optical communication with the first distal lens between the object side and the first distal lens, the second distal lens having a convex surface proximate the convex surface of the first distal lens.

18. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one lens focuses the light energy onto the charge coupled device at an angle that is approximately perpendicular to the surface of the charge coupled device.

20. The camera system of claim 19, further comprising a camera body, the image receiving device being movably mounted to the camera body so that a direction of an optical viewing axis of the image receiving device is independently positionable with respect to the camera body.

21. The camera system of claim 20, further comprising an extendable support that movably mounts the image receiving device to the camera body.

22. The camera system of claim 21, wherein the image receiving device is pivotally mounted relative to the extendable support.

23. The camera system of claim 22, wherein the extendable support is rotatably mounted relative to the camera body.

25. The camera of claim 24, further comprising:

an image storage medium, disposed within the camera body, to store the images seen by the image receiving device.

26. The camera of claim 24, further comprising an extendable support that movably mounts the image receiving device to the camera body.

27. The camera of claim 26, further comprising a finger-operable control, disposed on the camera body, for extending and retracting the extendable support relative to the camera body.

28. The camera of claim 26, wherein the image receiving device is pivotally mounted to the extendable support.

29. The camera of claim 28, further comprising a finger-operable control, disposed on the camera body, for pivoting the image receiving device upwardly and downwardly relative to the extendable support.

30. The camera of claim 28, wherein the extendable support is rotatably mounted to the camera body.

31. The camera of claim 26, wherein the extendable support is rotatably mounted to the camera body.

32. The camera of claim 31, further comprising a finger-operable control, disposed on the camera body, for rotating the extendable support relative to the camera body.

33. The camera of claim 24, wherein the camera body includes a contoured surface that is adapted to mate with a hand of the user.

34. The camera of claim 24, further including a protective enclosure that encloses the image receiving device, wherein the image receiving device is movable within the protective enclosure.

36. The camera of claim 35, wherein the image receiving device is pivotally mounted to the second end of the support member.

37. The camera of claim 36, wherein the first end of the support member is rotatably mounted to the camera body.

38. The camera of claim 37, wherein the camera body includes a contoured surface that is adapted to mate with a hand of the user.

39. The camera of claim 35, wherein the first end of the support member is rotatably mounted to the camera body.

40. The camera of claim 35, further comprising a display, coupled to the image receiving device and mounted to the camera body, to display an image received by the image receiving device, wherein the image receiving device is movably mounted relative to the display so that the optical viewing axis of the image receiving device can be positioned independently of a viewing direction of the display.

41. The camera of claim 35, further comprising a storage medium, coupled to the image receiving device and disposed within the camera body, to store an image received by the image receiving device.

42. The camera of claim 35, further including a protective enclosure that encloses the image receiving device, wherein the image receiving device is movable within the protective enclosure.

53. The monitoring system of claim 51, wherein the at least one image receiving device is mounted to an exterior surface of the airplane.

54. The monitoring system of claim 53, further comprising a camera compartment that mounts the at least one imaging device to the airplane and houses the at least one image receiving device to shield the at least one image receiving device from extremes in environmental conditions.

55. The monitoring system of claim 54, wherein the at least one image receiving device is movably mounted within the camera compartment.

59. The monitoring system of claim 58, wherein the airplane includes a structurally rigid compartment within the airplane that is intended to retain its structural integrity when the airplane crashes, and wherein the storage medium is disposed within the structurally rigid compartment.

19. A camera system, comprising:

an image receiving device; and

a switch that enables images seen by the image receiving device to be stored on a storage medium when the switch is activated, the camera system having at least two modes of operation including a first mode that stores the images seen by the image receiving device at fixed intervals of time in response to activation of the switch; and

a second mode that stores only a single still image seen by the image receiving device in response to activation of the switch.

24. A camera, comprising:

a camera body adapted to be held by a user of the camera;

an image receiving device having an optical viewing axis, the image receiving device being mounted to the camera body; and

a display mounted to the camera body to display images seen by the image receiving device;

wherein the image receiving device is movably mounted to the camera body for movement relative to the camera body in at least one direction other than along the optical viewing axis of the image receiving device so that a direction of the optical viewing axis of the image receiving device can be altered without changing an orientation of the camera body.

35. A camera, comprising:

a camera body;

an image receiving device having an optical viewing axis; and

a support member having a first end that is mounted to the camera body and a second end that is mounted to the image receiving device, the second end of the support member being movable toward and away from the camera body in a direction other than along the optical viewing axis of the image receiving device.

43. A lens system for a camera, comprising, in order from an object side:

a distal lens having a convex surface and a concave surface, the convex surface being proximate the object side;

a doublet lens in optical communication with the distal lens, the doublet lens having a concave surface and a convex surface, the convex surface of the doublet lens being proximate the convex surface of the distal lens; and

a bi-convex proximal lens in optical communication with the doublet lens.

44. The lens system of claim 43, wherein the distal lens is a first distal lens, and wherein the lens system further comprises a second distal lens in optical communication with the first distal lens between the object side and the first distal lens, the second distal lens having a convex surface proximate the convex surface of the first distal lens.

45. The lens system of claim 44, wherein the lens system has an effective focal length of 3.53 mm in air and an F number of approximately 11.

46. The lens system of claim 44, wherein the second distal lens is formed from a polycarbonate material having a thickness of approximately 0.38 mm.

47. The lens system of claim 43, wherein:

the distal lens has a thickness of approximately 0.53 mm, the convex surface of the distal lens has a radius of curvature of approximately 1.3 mm and the concave surface of the distal lens has a radius of curvature of approximately 2.38 mm;

the doublet lens has a thickness of approximately 1.58 mm, the concave surface of the doublet lens has a radius of curvature of approximately 0.95 mm and the convex surface of the doublet lens has a radius of curvature of approximately 1.72 mm; and

the bi-convex proximal lens has a thickness of approximately 1.5 mm, each convex surface of the bi-convex proximal lens having a radius of curvature of approximately 6.06 mm.

48. The lens system of claim 47, wherein an interior surface of the doublet lens has a convex surface having a radius of curvature of approximately 1.05 mm, and the doublet lens includes a first doublet lens having a thickness of 0.92 mm and a second doublet lens having a thickness of 0.66 mm.

49. The lens system of claim 47, wherein the distal lens and the second doublet lens each has an index of refraction of approximately 1.785 and a V number of approximately 26.1 and the first doublet lens and the biconvex proximal lens each has an index of refraction of approximately 1.639 and a V number of approximately 55.4.

50. The lens system of claim 43, in combination with a charge coupled device, wherein light rays from the object side are directed by the lens system so that they are incident upon a surface of the charge coupled device at an angle that is approximately perpendicular to the surface of the charge coupled device.

51. A monitoring system for an airplane, comprising:

at least one image receiving device, mounted to a surface of the airplane, that views a portion of the airplane.

52. The monitoring system of claim 51, wherein the at least one image receiving device is mounted to an interior surface of the airplane.

56. The monitoring system of claim 51, wherein the at least one image receiving device includes a plurality of image receiving devices, each image receiving device of the plurality or image receiving devices viewing a respective portion of the airplane.

57. The monitoring system of claim 51, further comprising:

a camera control unit, coupled to the at least one image receiving device, to form an image of the portion of the airplane viewed by the at least one image receiving device; and

a display, coupled to the camera control unit, to display the image formed by the camera control unit.

58. The monitoring system of claim 51, further comprising:

a camera control unit, coupled to the at least one image receiving device, to form an image of the portion of the airplane viewed by the at least one image receiving device; and

a storage medium, coupled to the camera control unit, to store the image formed by the camera control unit.

60. The monitoring system of claim 51, wherein the at least one image receiving device is movably mounted to the surface of the airplane to view different portions of the airplane.

61. The monitoring system of claim 51, wherein the airplane includes a warning system to detect problems with the airplane, and wherein the monitoring system further comprises:

means, coupled to the at least one image receiving device and the warning system, for directing the at least one image receiving device to view the portion of the airplane where the problem is detected.