Image altering device for an image producing apparatus

• US 6,963,375 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2000
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Lundberg, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, HEATHER RAE
• Application Number:
  US09/689,181
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 348/335, 348/340, 348/343, 348/344, 348/207.99, 348/36, 348/37, 348/38, 348/39, 348/375, 359/213, 359/214, 359/215, 359/877, 359/876, 359/696, 359/725, 250/234, 250/235
• US Class Current: 348/335
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors

Abstract

A digital camera has a plurality of fields of view combined with a panning and/or tilting functionality. The camera comprises: a camera housing (6) with an optical input (5), such as a lens or objective. The camera also has an image capturing unit for producing a digital image from light received through the optical input, a controller, a mirror (1) having a first plane surface (12) and a second curved surface (13), and a driving device (7) coupled to the mirror and adapted to rotate the mirror to a first position, where the first plane surface is inserted into an optical path (31) of the digital camera, thereby providing a first field of view of the digital camera. The driving device is also adapted to rotate the mirror to a second position, where the second curved surface is inserted into the optical path of the digital camera, thereby providing a second field of view of the digital camera.

Claims

1. An apparatus for varying a field of view of a camera having a panning mirror rotationally coupled to an objective of the camera for bending an optical input path to align with an optical axis of the objective, and for panning the optical input path about the optical axis, and the improvement comprising:

a tilt element rotationally coupled to the objective of the camera for concentric rotation aligned with the optical input path of the panning mirror about the optical axis and the tilt element having at least a first optically reflective planar surface and a second optically reflective convex surface displaced from one another arcuately about an axis of rotation of the tilt element; and

a driving device coupled to the tilt element for driving arcuate rotation of the tilt element about the axis of rotation of the tilt element to effect either a selection of a reflective surface by rotating a corresponding one of at least the first optically reflective planar surface and second optically reflective convex surface into the optical input path of the panning mirror, or a tilting of the selected field of view by tilting about the axis of rotation of the tilt element of a selected one of the at least first and second optically reflective surfaces.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second optically reflective convex surface forms a portion of a sphere.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first optically reflective planar surface has an angular displacement of 180 degrees with respect to the second optically reflective convex surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein further:

the tilt element including a third optically reflective surface with an optical characteristic different from the first optically reflective planar surface and the second optically reflective convex surface; and

the driving device for driving arcuate rotation of the tilt element about the axis of rotation of the tilt element to effect a selection of the third optically reflective surface by rotating the third optically reflective surface into the optical input path of the panning mirror.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the third optically reflective surface defines a plane.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the third optically reflective surface attenuates selected spectral components of the reflected light.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the third optically reflective surface uniformly attenuates all spectral components of the reflected light thereby operating as a grey filter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the axis of rotation of the tilt element aligns normal to the optical path.

9. A camera having a panning:

mirror rotationally coupled to an objective of the camera for bending an optical input path to align with an optical axis of the objective, and for panning the optical input path about the optical axis, and the improvement comprising;

a tilt element rotationally coupled to the objective of the camera for concentric rotation aligned with the optical input path of the panning mirror about the optical axis and the tilt element having at least a first optically reflective planar surface and a second optically reflective convex surface displaced from one another arcuately about an axis of rotation of the tilt element; and

a driving device coupled to the tilt element for driving arcuate rotation of the tilt element about the axis of rotation of the tilt element to effect either a selection of a reflective surface by rotating a corresponding one of the first optically reflective planar surface and second optically reflective convex surface into the optical input path of the panning mirror, or a tilting of the selected field of view by tilting about the axis of rotation of the tilt element of a selected one of the at least first and second optically reflective surfaces.

10. The camera of claim 9, wherein the second optically reflective convex surface forms a portion of a sphere.

11. The camera of claim 9, wherein the first optically reflective planar surface has an angular displacement of 180 degrees with respect to the second optically reflective convex surface.

12. The camera of claim 9, wherein further:

the tilt element including a third optically reflective surface with an optical characteristic different from the first optically reflective planar surface of and the second optically reflective convex surface; and

the driving device for driving arcuate rotation of the tilt element about the axis of rotation of the tilt element to effect a selection of the third optically reflective surface by rotating the third optically reflective surface into the optical input path of the panning mirror.

13. The camera of claim 12, wherein the third optically reflective surface defines a plane.

14. The camera of claim 12, wherein the third optically reflective surface attenuates selected spectral components of the reflected light.

15. The camera of claim 12, wherein the third optically reflective surface uniformly attenuates all spectral components of the reflected light thereby operating as a grey filter.

16. The camera of claim 9 wherein the axis of rotation of the tilt element aligns normal to the optical path.