Self-leveling camera head

• US 20050275725A1
• Filed: 06/01/2004
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seek Tech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seek Tech, Inc.
• Inventors: Lobree, Bret D., Cox, David A., Olsson, Mark S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,587,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/207.990
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8803 Visual inspection measuring projectors G01B9/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/954 Inspecting the inner surface of hollow bodies, e.g. bores
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/005 Photographing internal surfaces, e.g. of pipe, G03B37/02 - G03B37/06 take precedence; instruments for performing medical examinations of cavities or tubes of the body by photographic inspection A61B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• 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 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• 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

Abstract

A self-leveling camera head includes an eccentric leveling weight assembly that is supported inside an outer housing for free rotation about an axis. The leveling weight assembly can be removably coupled to a separate camera module assembly supported inside the outer housing for rotation about the axis so that its images will be “upright”, i.e. earth normal. A slip ring assembly includes a fixedly mounted connector assembly that removably mates with a contact assembly mounted to the camera module assembly. In an alternative embodiment the camera module assembly does not rotate within the outer housing. Instead a processing circuit processes a video output from a high resolution image sensing device in the camera module assembly, generates a sub-sampled region and rotates it into a predetermined orientation for display. The output of an orientation sensor in the camera head may be processed to achieve the predetermined desired orientation of the video that is stored or displayed.

Claims

1. A self-leveling camera head, comprising:

an outer housing;

a camera module assembly including an image sensor;

means for supporting the camera module assembly inside the outer housing for free rotation around a first axis;

a leveling weight assembly;

means for supporting the leveling weight assembly inside the outer housing separate from the camera module assembly for free rotation about a second axis as a result of a center of gravity of the leveling weight assembly being displaced from the second axis; and

means for enabling removable coupling of the leveling weight assembly and the camera module assembly so that the leveling weight assembly can turn the camera module assembly to a predetermined angular orientation.

2. The camera head of claim 1 wherein the removable coupling means comprises a key including mating portions of the leveling weight assembly and the camera module assembly.

3. The camera head of claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the leveling weight assembly includes a ball bearing assembly.

4. The camera head of claim 3 wherein the outer housing is cylindrical and the first and second axes substantially coincide with a central axis of the outer housing.

5. The camera head of claim 1 and further comprising a slip ring assembly that extends through the leveling weight assembly and connects to the camera module assembly.

6. The camera head assembly of claim 5 wherein the slip ring assembly includes a plurality of brushes having proximal ends mounted to a circuit board assembly.

7. The camera head of claim 5 wherein the slip ring assembly is separable into two portions when the camera module assembly is removed from the outer housing.

8. The camera head of claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the camera module assembly includes a bushing made of a low friction material.

9. The camera head of claim 1 and further comprising a plurality LEDs mounted to the camera module assembly for illuminating a field of view of the image sensor.

10. The camera head of claim 5 wherein the slip ring assembly includes a connector assembly that plugs into a contact assembly.

11. A camera head, comprising:

an outer housing;

a camera module assembly including an image sensor;

means for supporting the camera module assembly inside the outer housing for free rotation around an axis; and

a slip ring assembly including a connector assembly that removably mates with a contact assembly, the contact assembly being mounted to the camera module assembly for rotation therewith and the connector assembly being fixedly mounted within the outer housing.

12. The camera head of claim 11 and further comprising:

a leveling weight assembly;

means for supporting the leveling weight assembly inside the outer housing separate from the camera module assembly for free rotation about the axis as a result of a center of gravity of the leveling weight assembly being displaced from the axis;

and means for enabling removable coupling of the leveling weight assembly and the camera module assembly so that the leveling weight assembly can turn the camera module assembly to a predetermined angular orientation.

13. The camera head of claim 12 wherein the removable coupling means comprises a key including mating portions of the leveling weight assembly and the camera module assembly.

14. The camera head of claim 12 wherein the means for supporting the leveling weight assembly includes a ball bearing assembly.

15. The camera head of claim 12 wherein the connector assembly plugs into the contact assembly through the leveling weight assembly.

16. The camera head of claim 11 wherein the contact assembly includes a plurality of brushes having proximal ends mounted to a circuit board assembly.

17. The camera head of claim 11 and further comprising a lens assembly that can be adjusted to focus light onto the image sensor.

18. The camera of claim 11 and further comprising a plurality LEDs mounted to the camera module assembly for illuminating a field of view of the image sensor.

19. The camera head of claim 11 wherein the outer housing includes a rear housing assembly, a forward LED window and a coupling ring for joining the LED window and the rear housing assembly.

20. The camera head of claim 19 and further comprising an LED retainer that mates with the coupling ring to retain the LED window.

21. A camera head, comprising:

an outer housing;

a camera module assembly including an image sensor;

a camera module assembly supported inside the outer housing for free rotation around an axis; and

a slip ring assembly including a first portion mounted to the camera module for rotation therewith and a second portion fixedly mounted within the outer housing, the second portion being pluggable along the axis into the first portion;

whereby the slip ring assembly can be unplugged to allow for repair or replacement of the camera module assembly.

22. A video inspection system, comprising:

a camera head including a high resolution image sensing device;

a push cable connected to the camera head; and

a processing circuit connected to the push cable for processing a video signal from the camera head to generate a sub-sampled region and rotating the sub-sampled region into a predetermined orientation for display

23. The video inspection system according to claim 22 wherein the video singal comprises a sequence of low resolution frames, and the processing circuit is capable of selectively generating high-resolution still images for storage or display

24. A video inspection system, comprising:

a camera head including an image sensing device;

a push cable connected to the camera head;

an orientation sensor for sensing an angular orientation of the camera head; and

a processing circuit connected to the push cable for processing a video signal from the camera head and an output signal from the orientation sensor so that images that are stored or displayed have a predetermined orientation.

25. The video inspection system of claim 24 wherein the orientation sensor is selected from the group consisting of an accelerometer, a tilt indicator, a conductive ball sensor, a bubble sensor, single axis compass, multi-axis compass and a gyroscope

26. A camera head comprising:

a rear housing assembly with a female threaded forward end;

an illumination window;

an illumination window retainer having a forward end for holding the illumination window and a female threaded rearward end;

a male threaded coupling ring for having the rear housing assembly screwed over a rear portion of the coupling ring and the illumination window retainer screwed over a forward portion of the coupling ring; and

a camera module assembly supported inside the enclosure defined by the joining of the rear housing assembly, illumination window, illumination window retainer and coupling ring

27. The camera head of claim 26 and further comprising a rearward O-ring seal between the coupling ring and the rear housing assembly and a forward O-ring between the illumination window, illumination window retainer and coupling ring

28. The camera head of claim 26 wherein the coupling ring extends forward of the camera module assembly

29. The camera head of claim 26 wherein the illumination window is made of a transparent plastic

30. The camera head of claim 26 and further comprising a plurality of LEDs mounted within the enclosure for illuminating a field of view of the camera head through the illumination window