Digital camera or digital video camera and method for acquiring images

• US 7,436,433 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2001
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rainer Mockler
• Original Assignee: Rainer Mockler
• Inventors: Mockler, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho; Tuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DURNFORD GESZVAIN, DILLON
• Application Number:
  US10/258,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20030164880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/207.99
• 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

The invention relates to a digital camera or digital video camera comprising an circular objective, a sensor (5) for acquiring and digitizing image information and means for storing the digitized image information, in which all of the image information projected by the objective and contained in an image circle is acquired, disguised and stored for further processing. A digital camera of this type enables full use to be made of the objective capacity.

Claims

1. A method for capturing at least one of digitized single images and videos in a camera having a lens element with an image area, said method comprising:

capturing image information for the entire image area imaged by the lens element;

digitizing the captured image information to form a digitized image;

storing the digitized image;

equalizing or distorting a perspective of the digitized image by automatically equalizing the digitized image in response to an inclination angle measured by a first inclination sensor such that actual perpendicular lines are imaged as perpendicular lines, the inclination angle being the angle of inclination between the lens element and horizontal;

storing the equalized or distorted digitized image; and

storing the measured inclination angle with each recorded image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising manually distorting the digitized images.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting an image excerpt from one of a stored image and the image area.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of equalizing or distorting a perspective of the image excerpt.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said step of equalizing or distorting comprises automatically equalizing the image excerpt in response to the inclination angle measured by a first inclination sensor such that actual perpendicular lines are imaged as perpendicular lines.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising manually equalizing or distorting the image excerpt.

7. A device for reproducing digitized images including:

means for capturing an entire digitized image area imaged by a lens element;

a display for displaying the entire digitized image area imaged by the lens;

a first inclination sensor;

means for equalizing or distorting a perspective of the digitized images and displaying the equalized or distorted digitized image on said display, said means for equalizing or distorting comprising means for automatically equalizing the digitized image in response to an inclination angle measured by said first inclination sensor such that actual perpendicular lines are displayed as perpendicular lines on said display, the inclination angle being the angle of inclination between the lens element and horizontal; and

means for storing the equalized or distorted digitized image and storing the measured inclination with each recorded image.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising means for manually distorting the digitized images and displaying the equalized or distorted digitized image.

9. The device of claim 7, further comprising means for selecting an image excerpt from the image area and displaying the image excerpt.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising means for equalizing or distorting a perspective of the image excerpt and displaying the equalized or distorted image excerpt.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising means for manually equalizing or distorting the image excerpt.

12. A method for capturing at least one of digitized single images and videos in a camera having a lens element with an image area, said method comprising:

capturing image information imaged by the lens element;

digitizing the captured image information to form a digitized image;

storing the digitized image;

equalizing or distorting a perspective of the digitized image by automatically equalizing the digitized image in response to an inclination angle measured by a first inclination sensor such that actual perpendicular lines are imaged as perpendicular lines, the inclination angle being the angle of inclination between the lens element and horizontal; and

storing the equalized or distorted digitized image, wherein said step of automatically equalizing includes measuring the inclination by the first inclination sensor and storing the measured inclination with each recorded image.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of equalizing or distorting comprises manually distorting the digitized images.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting an image excerpt from one of a stored image and the image area.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of equalizing or distorting a perspective of the image excerpt.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of equalizing or distorting comprises automatically equalizing the image excerpt in response to the inclination angle measured by the first inclination sensor such that actual perpendicular lines are imaged as perpendicular lines.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising manually equalizing or distorting the image excerpt.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of detecting the oblique position of the camera around an axis extending perpendicular to the plane of the sensor by an oblique position sensor, and automatically correcting the oblique position into the horizontal.