Stereoscopic video camera with image sensors having variable effective position
First Claim
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;
a means for generating a left video signal by reading out the left image sensor and for generating a right video signal by reading out the right image sensor;
a signal processing means for generating image location signals from the left video signal and the right video signal, wherein the image location signals are indicative of the location of an image within the left video signal and the right video signal; and
a sensor position control means for controlling the effective position of at least a first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor relative to the housing in response to the image location signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic stereoscopic video camera for capture and playback of still or moving images. The camera of the invention employs a signal processing means to process the video output of left and right image sensors in order to locate the positions of left and right images in the camera'"'"'s left and right image fields, respectively. As a result of comparison of the left and right image locations, control signals are generated for adjusting the effective position of one or both of the sensors in relation to a set of fixedly mounted camera lenses. The invention permits rapid and accurate control of a variety of video camera parameters by employing a self-correcting closed loop servo means in which the unmodified output of the left and right image sensors of a camera serves as feedback for generating control signals. The control signals are employed to adjust the effective position of left and right camera sensors in relation to fixedly mounted camera lenses, to control the convergence or zero parallax setting of the camera, or camera recentration.
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Citations
19 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; a means for generating a left video signal by reading out the left image sensor and for generating a right video signal by reading out the right image sensor; a signal processing means for generating image location signals from the left video signal and the right video signal, wherein the image location signals are indicative of the location of an image within the left video signal and the right video signal; and a sensor position control means for controlling the effective position of at least a first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor relative to the housing in response to the image location signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for operating a stereoscopic video camera having a housing, a left lens fixedly mounted in the housing and having a first optical axis, a right lens fixedly mounted in the housing and having a 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, including the steps of:
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(a) generating a left video signal by reading out the left image sensor and generating a right video signal by reading out the right image sensor; (b) generating image location signals from the left video signal and the right video signal, wherein the image location signals are indicative of the location of an image in the left video signal and the right video signal; (c) generating a sensor control signal from the image location signals; and (d) controlling the effective position of at least a first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor relative to the housing by applying the sensor control signal to said first one of the left image sensor and the right image sensor control circuit. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification