Stereoscopic video cameras with image sensors having variable effective position
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A stereoscopic video camera, including:
- a housing;
a left lens having a first optical axis and a right lens having a second optical axis, wherein the left lens and the right lens are fixedly mounted in the housing with the first optical axis substantially parallel to the second optical axis;
a left image sensor mounted in the housing along the first optical axis and a right image sensor mounted in the housing along the second optical axis; and
means for controlling the effective position of a first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor to selectively expose said first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor to different portions of an image focused by a corresponding one of the left lens and the right lens.
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Abstract
A still or moving image electronic stereoscopic video camera for image capture and playback, with image sensors having variable effective position to avoid inherent geometric distortions which would otherwise cause undesirable vertical parallax. Horizontal shifting of the effective image sensor position is used to correctly converge the image without the introduction of distortion, and optionally also to control recentration of zoom optics, and to achieve interdigitated lenticular stereoscopic displays. In some embodiments, simple mechanical elements are provided for physically moving the imaging sensor.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A stereoscopic video camera, including:
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a housing; a left lens having a first optical axis and a right lens having a second optical axis, wherein the left lens and the right lens are fixedly mounted in the housing with the first optical axis substantially parallel to the second optical axis; a left image sensor mounted in the housing along the first optical axis and a right image sensor mounted in the housing along the second optical axis; and means for controlling the effective position of a first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor to selectively expose said first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor to different portions of an image focused by a corresponding one of the left lens and the right lens. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A stereoscopic video camera, including:
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a housing; a left lens having a first optical axis and a right lens having a second optical axis, wherein the left lens and the right lens are mounted in the housing with the first optical axis substantially parallel to the second optical axis; a first image sensor mounted in the housing along the first optical axis and a second image sensor mounted in the housing along the second optical axis; a third lens having a third optical axis, wherein the third lens is mounted in the housing with the third optical axis substantially parallel to the second optical axis; a third image sensor mounted in the housing along the third optical axis; and a means for selectively exposing the first image sensor to different portions of a first image focused thereon by the left lens, for selectively exposing the second image sensor to different portions of a second image focused thereon by the right lens, and for selectively exposing the third image sensor to different portions of a third image focused thereon by the third lens, wherein each of the first image sensor, the second image sensor, and the third image sensor is a solid state mosaic device having pixel rows and columns, and wherein the means for selectively exposing the first image sensor, the second image sensor, and the third image sensor includes a control circuit for activating selected ones of the pixel rows and columns.
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16. A stereoscopic video camera, including:
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a housing; a left lens having a first optical axis and a right lens having a second optical axis, wherein the left lens and the right lens are mounted in the housing with the first optical axis substantially parallel to the second optical axis; a left image sensor mounted in the housing along the first optical axis and a right image sensor mounted in the housing along the second optical axis; and means for selectively exposing a first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor to different portions of an image focused by a corresponding one of the left lens and the right lens, wherein the first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor is a solid state mosaic device having pixel rows and columns, and the means for selectively exposing the first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor includes a control circuit for activating selected ones of the pixel rows and columns. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A stereoscopic video camera, including:
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a housing; a left lens having a first optical axis and a right lens having a second optical axis, wherein the left lens and the right lens are mounted in the housing with the first optical axis substantially parallel to the second optical axis; a left image sensor mounted in the housing along the first optical axis and a right image sensor mounted in the housing along the second optical axis, wherein each of the left and the right image sensor is a solid state mosaic device having pixel rows and columns; and means for selectively exposing a first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor to different portions of an image focused by a corresponding one of the left lens and the right lens, including a control circuit for activating selected ones of the pixel rows and columns. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A stereoscopic video camera, including:
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a housing; a first lens having a first optical axis, a second lens having a second optical axis, and a third lens having a third optical axis, wherein the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens are fixedly mounted in the housing with the first optical axis, the second optical axis, and the third optical axis substantially parallel to each other; a first image sensor and a second image sensor mounted in the housing; and means for controlling the effective position of at least one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor to selectively expose said at least one of the first image sensor and the second image sensor to different portions of an image focused by a corresponding one of the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification