Cable driven image steering and focusing device

• US 6,005,704 A
• Filed: 11/28/1997
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensar, Inc. (Advent International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sensar, Inc. (Advent International Corporation)
• Inventors: Killion, Chris, Van Sant, Glen, Chmielewski, Thomas A. Jr., Negin, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, James
• Application Number:
  US08/980,266
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 359/198, 359/199, 359/201, 359/202, 359/209, 359/210, 359/212-215, 359/223, 359/225, 359/226, 359/871, 359/872, 359/876, 359/877, 359/822-824, 382/291
• US Class Current: 359/210.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0816 by means of one or more reflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/207 Surveillance aspects at ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/207 using a single 2D image sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/246 Calibration of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/254 in combination with electromagnetic radiation sources for illuminating objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

A compact image steering and focusing device has a generally rotatable platform that carries a pan/tilt mirror. The rotatable platform, at least one motor driven lens and a camera are mounted on a housing. Two drive motors each with an associated cable are provided to rotate the rotatable platform and tilt the mirror. Light reflected from a subject is captured by the mirror and directed through the lens to the camera. The device can fit behind the cover plate of an automated teller machine. This system is preferably used with a narrow field of view camera and two wide field of view cameras. Images from the wide field of view cameras are used to focus the narrow field of view camera on one eye of the automated teller machine user to identify the user by iris analysis and comparison to an iris image on file.

Claims

1. A compact image steering and focusing device comprising:

a. a housing;

b. a platform rotatably attached to the housing for rotation about a pan axis;

c. a first stepper motor;

d. a cable drive connected between the platform and the first stepper motor to enable the first stepper motor to rotate the platform about the pan axis;

e. a pair of substantially parallel, spaced apart arms extending from the platform, there being a tilt axis passing between and equidistant from the arms;

f. a primary mirror pivotably attached between the arms and able to be rotated around the tilt axis;

g. a mirror drive motor attached to the platform;

h. a mirror cable drive connected between the primary mirror and the mirror drive motor in a manner to be able to rotate the primary mirror about the tilt axis;

i. a primary lens positioned on the housing and aligned with the primary mirror; and

j. a lens motor attached to the housing and connected to the primary lens in a manner to be able to move the lens along an optical path toward and away from the primary mirror.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the mirror cable drive is comprised of

a. an axle connected to the primary mirror;

b. a pulley on the axle; and

c. a cable connected between the mirror drive motor and the pulley.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the pulley is a split pulley.

4. The drive of claim 2 also comprising at least one angular contact bearing over which the cable runs.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the mirror drive motor has an output shaft and is positioned so that the output shaft is coincident with the pan axis.

6. The device of claim 1 also comprising a camera aligned with the primary lens in a manner so that light passing through the primary lens will go into the camera.

7. The device of claim 1 also comprising at least one secondary mirror positioned between the primary mirror and the primary lens.

8. The device of claim 1 also comprising a light source positioned so that a light beam emitted from the light source will be reflected from a subject to the primary mirror.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the light source can emit at least one of infrared light, visible light, a select band of frequencies, and both infrared and visible light.

10. The device of claim 8 wherein the light source is a strobe light.

11. The device of claim 10 also comprising:

a. a camera positioned to receive a light beam emitted from the light source, reflected by the primary mirror and reflected back from a scene; and

b. a synchronizer connected to the camera and the light source for synchronizing the operation of the camera with the strobing of the light source.

12. The device of claim 8 also comprising a strobing device connected to the light source.

13. The device of claim 8 wherein the light source is a light emitting diode.

14. The device of claim 1 also comprising at least one limit switch connected to one of the motors.

15. The device of claim 1 also comprising at least one position sensor mounted in a manner to determine positions of at least one of the primary mirror, the primary lens and the rotatable platform.

16. The device of claim 1 also comprising a second camera attached to the housing.

17. The device of claim 16 also comprising a third camera attached to the housing wherein the second camera and the third camera have overlapping fields of view.

18. The device of claim 17 also comprising an image processor which receives images of a subject in the overlapping fields of view from both the second camera and the third camera and processes those images to determine an x, y, z coordinate position relative to the second and third cameras for a point on the subject forward which point the first camera can be directed.

19. The device of claim 16 also comprising:

a. a first camera aligned with the primary lens in a manner so that light reflected from the primary mirror and passing through the primary lens will go to the first camera;

b. an image processor which receives images from the second camera and identifies at least one point in the images corresponding to a point on a subject being photographed by the second camera; and

c. a controller connected to the image processor and the mirror drive motor which activates the mirror drive motor to position the primary mirror so that light reflected from the point on the subject to the primary mirror will be reflected by the primary mirror to the first camera.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein the image processor is programmed to compare images from the second camera to determine if the subject is moving, calculate a motion path of a moving subject and direct the mirror drive motor to compensate for such motion.

21. The device of claim 1 also comprising:

a. a narrow field of view camera which receives light reflected from a subject to the primary mirror and is reflected from the primary mirror to the narrow field of view camera;

b. a wide field of view camera; and

c. an image processor which receives images from both cameras and identifies at least one point in images received from at least one camera which point corresponds to a point of interest on a subject being imaged.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the image processor identifies the at least one point in images received from the one of the narrow field of view camera and the whole field of view camera.

23. The device of claim 1 also comprising a controller connected to the first stepper motor and a position sensor connected to the controller wherein the position sensor provides signals to the controller and the controller supplies the stepper motor with corresponding drive signals.