WEARABLE CAMERA SYSTEMS AND APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING AN EYEWEAR CAMERA

• US 20160037025A1
• Filed: 08/21/2015
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pogotec, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pogotec, Inc.
• Inventors: BLUM, RONALD D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,635,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• 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 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

A wearable camera system includes an eyewear which includes a temple and a lens and a camera coupled to eyewear, the camera having a field of view. The wearable camera system further includes a marker coupled to the eyewear, the camera, or both, the marker positionable on or in front of the lens of the eyewear at a location such that when a wearer of the eyewear aligns the marker with a target, the field of view of the camera includes the target.

Claims

1. A wearable camera system comprising:

an eyewear including a temple and a lens;

a camera coupled to the eyewear and having a field of view; and

a marker coupled to the eyewear, the camera, or both, and positioned on or in front of the lens of the eyewear at a location such that when a wearer of the eyewear aligns the marker with a target, the field of view of the camera includes the target.

2. The wearable camera system of claim 1, further comprising an alignment indicator comprising the marker, the alignment indicator pivotably coupled to the camera.

3. The wearable camera system of claim 2, wherein the alignment indicator comprises an arm coupling the marker to the camera and configured to pivot between a deployed position in which the marker is positioned in the location to a stowed position in which the marker is adjacent to the camera.

4. The wearable camera system of claim 3, wherein the arm is aligned with a horizontal orientation of the image capture device when the arm is in the deployed position.

5. The wearable camera system of claim 1, further comprising a sheet of static cling material comprising the market.

6. The wearable camera system of claim 5, wherein the sheet includes a camera portion comprising a camera aperture, the sheet further including an eyewear portion comprising the marker.

7. The wearable camera system of claim 6, wherein the camera aperture has a lateral dimension equal to or greater than a diameter of the camera lens.

8. The wearable camera system of claim 5, wherein the sheet includes a view finder window, and wherein the marker is located inside the view finder window.

9. The wearable camera system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the sheet is optically transparent.

10. The wearable camera system of claim 1, further comprising an image framing apparatus removably coupled to the eyewear and comprising the marker.

11. The wearable camera system of claim 10, wherein the imago framing apparatus includes a first image frame outline, wherein the marker is within the first image frame outline.

12. The wearable camera system of claim 11, wherein the image framing, apparatus includes a second image frame outline enclosed by the first image frame outline.

13. The wearable camera system of claim 11, wherein the camera is pivotably between a first orientation and a second orientation, and wherein the first image frame outline is configured to provide an approximation of an image to be captured by the camera when the camera is in the first orientation, and the image framing apparatus farther comprising a second image frame outline configured to provide an approximation of an image to be captured by the camera when the camera is in the second orientation.

14. The wearable camera system of claim 1, wherein the camera is movably coupled to the temple.

15. A method for capturing a digital image, the method comprising:

positioning a marker on or in from of a lens of eyewear, a camera coupled to the eyewear;

aligning the marker with a target; and

capturing an image with the camera while maintaining the target in alignment with the marker to include the target in the image.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said positioning a marker comprises attaching a sheet of static ding material to the lens, the sheet including the marker.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the marker is provided on a sheet of static cling material comprising a camera aperture, and wherein said positioning a marker comprises aligning the camera aperture of the sheet with the lens of the camera and attaching the sheet to a front portion of the camera.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the marker is attached to an arm pivotably coupled to the camera, and wherein said positioning a marker comprises rotating an arm from a first position to a second position.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the camera is movably coupled to the eyewear, the method further comprising rotating the camera or a front portion of the camera relative to the eyewear to align the arm with a horizontal direction.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said capturing an image includes capturing a first image in a landscape orientation, the method further comprising rotating the camera about a pivot joint to capture a second image in a portrait orientation.