Device for taking panoramic photographs with ordinary cameras

• US 4,593,982 A
• Filed: 10/26/1984
• Issued: 06/10/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ICC -Integrated Camera Complements SRL
• Original Assignee: ICC -Integrated Camera Complements SRL
• Inventors: Rosset, Ivo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gellner, Michael L.
• Application Number:
  US06/665,433
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 354/94-96, 354/98, 354/99
• US Class Current: 396/24
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/561 Support related camera accessories
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/02 with scanning movement of lens or cameras

Abstract

A rotating support (1) is placed on a fixed support (6) such as a traditional tripod, and an ordinary camera may be attached to the rotating support. This rotating support (1) is rotated with respect to the fixed support (6) by a geared motor (7) by means of a belt drive (72) with pulleys (52,71). A second geared motor (8), also by means of a belt drive (82) with pulleys (41,81) activates a connecting rotating element (44) which engages on the film rewind knob (45). A camera attachment piece with a window (9) is attached to the camera lens like an ordinary filter. This piece (9) consists of at least one opaque screen with a vertical slit (931), whose function is to reduce the width of the image, like the plate with a slit placed in front of the sensitive part of the film in panoramic cameras. Both geared motors (7 and 8) are provided with rotation rate detectors (73,83). An electronic device (90) monitors and regulates rotation rates and, in particular, causes controlled variation of the rotation rate of the geared motor (8) so that the film transfer rate will be constant.

Claims

1. A device for taking panoramic photographs with an ordinary camera, comprising:

a support means adapted to fixedly support a camera;

a first drive mechanism attached to said support means for causing said support means to be rotated with respect to a fixed support;

a second drive mechanism attached to said support means, said second drive means including means operatively connected to cause rotation of a rewind spindle of a camera mounted on said support means; and

control circuit means operatively connected to said first and second drive mechanisms for monitoring and regulating individually the rates of rotation of said first and second drive mechanisms, said control circuit means causing the rate of rotation of a camera body attached to said support means to be maintained constant and causing the rate of rotation of a rewind spindle of a camera body attached to said support means to be varied as the film is wound around the rewind spindle so that the advance rate of film being exposed in the camera body is regular and uniform.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said first drive mechanism includes a first geared motor and said second drive mechanism includes a second geared motor, the rotational speed of said first and second geared motors being individually regulated by said control circuit means.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said first drive mechanism includes a first sensor for detecting the rotation of said first geared motor, said second drive mechanism includes a second sensor for detecting rotation of said second geared motor, said control circuit means connected to said first and second sensors for receiving signals from said first and second sensors and for monitoring and controlling the rates of rotation of said first and second geared motors.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said control circuit means includes a rate selector (SV), said rate selector operative to set the camera rotation rate and corresponding film transfer rate in relation to the focal length of a camera lens which is used for taking a panoramic photograph;

said control circuit means connected to said rate selector (SV) for controlling the camera rotation rate and the film transfer rate in relation to the focal length of a camera lens.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said control circuit means includes a camera rotation motor regulator (RMRM) means, said camera rotation motor regulator means being operatively connected to said rate selector (SV) and said first geared motor for causing said support means to rotate at a constant rate of speed.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said control circuit means further includes data comparator (CD) means operatively connected to a first detector (RVM), a field width detector (RAC), said camera rotation motor regulator (RMRM) means and said rate selector (SV);

said first detector (RVM) being operatively connected to said first sensor for detecting the camera rotation rate;

said field width detector (RAC) being operatively connected to said first sensor for indicating the angle of rotation of the camera;

said data comparator (CD) means comparing signals from said first detector (RVM) and from said field width detector (RAC) to pre-set values stored in said rate selector (SV) for causing said camera rotation motor regulator (RMRM) means to stop rotation of said first geared motor when said support means has rotated the camera to a desired position.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein said control circuit means includes a film advance motor regulator (RMAP) means, said film advance motor regulator (RMAP) means being operatively connected to said rate selector (SV) and said second geared motor for causing said second geared motor to rotate a rewind spindle of a camera mounted on said support means, the rotation rate of said second geared motor being controlled by said film advance motor regulator (RMAP) means so that the rotation rate of the spindle is progressively reduced in direct relation to the increase in rewind diameter of film on the rewind spindle whereby film is advanced in the camera at a constant rate of speed.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said control circuit means further includes data comparator (CD) means operatively connected to a second detector (RVP), said rate selector (SV), said film advance motor regulator (RMAP) means and a field width selector (SAC);

said second detector (RVP) being operatively connected to said second sensor to detect the rate of rotation of a rewind spindle of a camera mounted on said support means;

said field width selector (SAC) and said rate selector (SV) having pre-set values which are supplied to said data comparator means;

whereby said data comparator (CD) means compares signals from said second detector (RVP) to pre-set values stored in said rate selector (SV) and in said field width selector (SAC) for causing said film advance motor regulator (RMAP) means to stop rotation of said second geared motor when said support means has rotated the camera to a desired position.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said control circuit means further includes an exposure counter (CF) means, said exposure counter means being operatively connected to said second sensor for sending signals to an exposure memory (MF) means, said exposure memory means being operatively connected to said data comparator (CD) means for causing signals from said exposure memory (MF) means to be transmitted through said data comparator (CD) means to said film advance motor regulator (RMAP) means and thereby control the speed of said second geared motor so that rotation of the rewind spindle is a function of the diameter of film taken up on the rewind spindle which is determined by the length of film stored in the exposure memory (MF) means.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein a camera is removably attached to said means to fixedly support a camera, said camera further including a camera attachment piece, said camera attachment piece having connection means for attaching said camera attachment piece to a camera body, said camera attachment piece including a conical casing extending from said connection means, said casing provided with at least one opaque diaphragm extending across said casing, said at least one opaque diaphragm having a slit therein for reducing the width of an image formed on a portion of a strip of film held in said camera.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said camera attachment piece includes three opaque diaphragms, said diaphragms each having a slit therein, each of said slits being aligned in a plane which is transverse to the width of film which is advanced in said camera.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said control circuit means further includes means to open and close the lens of a camera mounted on said support means, said control circuit means operative to delay opening of a lens of a camera mounted on said support means whereby alterations of an image on film in the camera caused by initial movement of the camera can be avoided.