OPTICAL DEVICE FOR CAPTURING IMAGES ACCORDING TO A 360° FIELD

• US 20130201281A1
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Giroptic SAS
• Original Assignee: Giroptic SAS
• Inventors: Ollier, Richard, Costa, Jos
• Application Number:
  US13/821,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201281A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/06 Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

An optical device (1) is described for capturing images, in a 360° field, by digital stitching of three images. The device includes three optical groups (2, 3, 4) having a longitudinal axis (20, 30, 40) for obtaining the three images. Each optical group (2, 3, 4) includes a head lens (21, 31, 41) followed by several lenses (211, 311, 411) on the same longitudinal axis (20, 30, 40) to project rays towards an image sensor (22, 32, 42). The three optical groups (2, 3, 4) are interlinked around an imaginary axis of rotation (5), and positioned to overlap in a triangular configuration, in the direction of the imaginary axis of rotation, the longitudinal axes (20, 30, 40) being inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the imaginary axis of rotation to allow the interlinking of the optical groups.

Claims

1. Optical device (1) for image capture, according to a 360°

field, by digital stitching of three images comprising three lenses (2, 3, 4) with a longitudinal axis (20, 30, 40) for the respective acquisitions of said three images, each optical group (2, 3, 4) having a head lens (21, 31, 41) followed, on the same optical axis (20, 30, 40) of said optical group, by several lenses (211, 311, 411) in order to project the rays transmitted to an image sensor (22, 32, 42), said three optical groups (2, 3, 4) being entangled together about an imaginary rotation axis (5) for them, and in which, in the direction of said imaginary rotation axis (5), the optical groups are positioned overlapping in a triangular geometric configuration, the longitudinal axis (20, 30, 40) of each optical group being inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to said imaginary rotation axis so as to enable said optical groups to be entangled.

2. Device according to claim 1, in which the relative positions of the three optical groups (2, 3, 4) are obtained by successive rotations through 120°

, on said imaginary rotation axis (5).

3. Device according to claim 1, in which the angle of inclination between the longitudinal axis (20, 30, 40) of each optical group (2, 3, 4) and said plane orthogonal to said imaginary rotation axis (5) is between 15°

and 30°

.

4. Device according to claim 1, in which the head lens (21, 31, 41) of one of the optical groups (2, 3, 4) is positioned overlapping the rear part of another of said optical groups (2, 3, 4).

5. Device according to claim 1, portable, comprising a casing (6) integrating the three optical groups (2, 3, 4) as well as control electronics (8).

6. Device according to claim 5, having a face (7) of said casing on which said device (1) can rest on a horizontal surface while positioning said imaginary rotary axis (5) vertically, said head lens (21, 31, 41) of the optical groups (2, 3, 4) oriented upwards.

7. Device according to claim 6, in which the control electronics (8) are positioned below said optical groups (2, 3, 4) when the device (1) is resting on said horizontal surface by means of said face (7) of said casing.

8. Device according to claim 5, in which the control electronics (8) have a memory for storing the images taken by said optical groups (2, 3, 4).

9. Device according to claim 5, in which the casing integrates a power supply source.

10. Device according claim 5, having a connection for data transmission.

11. A method for obtaining 360°

images comprising digital stitching of three images acquired by the device according to claim 1, said three images respectively corresponding to the three optical groups (2, 3, 4) of said device (1).

12. A webcam comprising the device of according to claim 1.