Multi-view integrated camera system

• US 20060023106A1
• Filed: 07/28/2004
• Published: 02/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Yee, Dawson, Cutler, Ross
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/335
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/17 with reflectors arranged in beam forming the photographic image, e.g. for reducing dimensions of camera
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

A panoramic camera design that is lower cost, robust, stable and more user friendly than prior art designs. The camera design makes use of a unified molded structure of optical material to house a mirror, aligned sensor, and lens assembly. The unified molded structure of the camera keeps the sensed optical path enclosed to minimize dust and user'"'"'s fingers and maintain optical alignment.

Claims

1. A camera system comprising:

a unified block-structured housing of optical material, wherein said housing houses

a reflective surface;

a lens associated with said reflected surface and aligned to capture a reflected image in its associated reflective surface; and

a sensor aligned with said reflective surface and associated lens.

2. The camera system of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises an alignment surface to align said associated lens and reflective surface.

3. The camera system of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises alignment structures to align the sensor with the associated lens.

4. The camera system of claim 3 wherein the alignment structures are pins.

5. The camera system of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises a reflective alignment surface to align the reflective surface to capture the reflective image.

6. The camera system of claim 1 wherein the reflective surface is an alignment surface aligned to capture the reflective image.

7. The camera system of claim 1 wherein the reflective surface is back mirrored.

8. The camera system of claim 1 wherein said lens is tilted upward relative to the horizontal to capture a more usable vertical field of view.

9. The camera system of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises a prism on its vertical surfaces to capture a more usable vertical field of view.

10. The camera system of claim 1 wherein the housing further comprises a prism on its horizontal surfaces to capture a more usable vertical field of view.

11. The camera system of claim 1 wherein said housing houses

more than one reflective surface;

more than one lens element associated with said more than one reflected surface and aligned to capture a reflected image in its associated reflective surface; and

more than one sensor aligned with a reflective surface and associated lens element.

12. The camera system of claim 1 wherein outer surfaces of said housing are curved.

13. The camera system of claim 1 wherein outer surfaces of said housing are planar.

22. The process of claim 13 wherein the housing further comprises a prism on its horizontal surfaces to capture a more usable vertical field of view.

14. A process of capturing video for teleconferencing and meeting recording, comprising the following process actions:

capturing images of an event in up to 360 degrees with a camera array, wherein said camera array comprises a unified molded structure of optical material holding in place an N-sided mirror located above N cameras arranged to be equally spaced around the circumference of a circle in a circular fashion, and positioned to have a small distance between their virtual centers of projection, each capturing an image reflected in a different side of said N-sided mirror; and

stitching together said images captured by each of N cameras using a calibration surface to create a composite image.

15. The process of claim 14 wherein the housing further comprises alignment surfaces to align said associated lens element and reflective surface.

16. The process of claim 14 wherein the housing further comprises alignment structures to align the sensor with the associated lens element.

17. The process of claim 16 wherein the alignment structures are pins.

18. The process of claim 14 wherein the unified molded structure of optical material further comprises corners and wherein the virtual centers of projection are offset to achieve overlap of the said N cameras horizontal field of view and not image the corners the corners of the housing.

19. The process of claim 14 wherein the reflective surface is back mirrored.

20. The process of claim 14 wherein said lens element is tilted upward relative to the horizontal to capture a more usable vertical field of view.

21. The process of claim 20 wherein the housing further comprises a prism on its vertical surfaces to capture a more usable vertical field of view.

23. The process of claim 14 wherein each of said N cameras is a video sensor.

24. A camera system comprising:

a block-structured housing comprising sections of optical material, wherein said housing houses

at least one reflective surface;

a lens element associated with said at least one reflected surface and aligned to capture a reflected image in its associated reflective surface; and

a sensor aligned with said at least one reflective surface and associated lens element.

25. The camera system of claim 24 wherein the housing is made of plastic.

26. The camera system of claim 24 wherein the housing is made of glass.

27. The camera system of claim 24 wherein the block-structured housing comprising sections of optical material houses more than one set of reflective surfaces associated with a lens and aligned sensor configured so that the distance between the virtual center of projection of each reflective surface-lens-sensor set are offset to achieve an overlap between the horizontal field of view of adjacent reflective surface-lens-sensor set while not imaging the corners of the housing.

28. A camera system comprising:

a camera; and

a housing of optical material encasing said camera and providing desired optical qualities for capturing images using said camera.

29. The camera system of claim 28 wherein said housing provides the desired optical path.