Three dimensional camera device and method of controlling the same

• US 8,970,679 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Namgoong, Bo Ram, Lee, Hwang Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Christopher S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jebari, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US13/309,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20120147146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/47
• 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 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/001 Constructional or mechanical details

Abstract

A three dimensional camera device and a method of controlling the same are provided. The three dimensional camera device and the method enable a user to photograph a three dimensional image suitable for a photographing angle. Since a swing hinge rotates a left camera element and a right camera element about a mid-point between the left camera element and the right camera element, a user may photograph a three dimensional image suitable for a photographing angle.

Claims

1. A three dimensional camera device comprising:

a left camera element;

a right camera element;

a swing hinge for rotating the left camera element and the right camera element about the mid-point between the left camera element and the right camera element;

a left camera element driver for rotating the left camera element about a center of the left camera element; and

a right camera element driver for rotating the right camera element about a center of the right camera element,

wherein, when the rotating angle of the three dimensional camera devise is sensed, the swing hinge is rotated by the sensed angle of rotation in which the three dimensional camera is rotated, in a direction opposite to a direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated, and

wherein the left camera element and the right camera element are rotated by the sensed angle in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated, in a same direction as the direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated.

2. The three dimensional camera device of claim 1, further comprising a swing hinge driver for rotating the swing hinge about a center of the swing hinge.

3. The three dimensional camera device of claim 2, wherein the swing hinge driver rotates the swing hinge such that a transversal direction of the swing hinge is a horizontal direction.

4. The three dimensional camera device of claim 3, wherein the transversal direction of the swing hinge is a direction of a line passing from a center of the left camera element to the center of the right camera element.

5. The three dimensional camera device of claim 1, wherein the left camera element driver rotates the left camera element such that a reference direction of the left camera element is aligned with a reference direction of the three dimensional camera device.

6. The three dimensional camera device of claim 5, wherein the reference direction of the left camera element is a direction to which a part corresponding to a top of the left camera element faces when the three dimensional camera device takes a landscape pose.

7. The three dimensional camera device of claim 5, wherein the reference direction of the three dimensional camera device is a direction to which a part corresponding to a top of the three dimensional camera device faces when the three dimensional camera device takes a landscape pose.

8. The three dimensional camera device of claim 1, wherein the right camera element driver rotates the right camera element such that a reference direction of the right camera element is aligned with a reference direction of the three dimensional camera device.

9. The three dimensional camera device of claim 8, wherein the reference direction of the right camera element is a direction to which a part corresponding to a top of the right camera element faces when the three dimensional camera device takes a landscape pose.

10. A method of controlling a three dimensional camera device, the method comprising:

rotating a swing hinge, which rotates a left camera element and a right camera element about a mid-point between the left camera element and the right camera element, such that a transversal direction of the swing hinge is a horizontal direction;

rotating the left camera element about a center of the left camera element; and

rotating the right camera element about a center of the right camera element,

wherein the left camera element and the right camera element are rotated such that a reference direction of the left camera element and a reference direction of the right camera element are aligned with a reference direction of the three dimensional camera device,

wherein the rotating of the swing hinge comprises sensing an angle of rotation in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated, and rotating the swing hinge by the sensed angle of rotation in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated, in a direction opposite to a direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated, and

wherein the rotating of the camera elements comprises rotating the left camera element and the right camera element by the sensed angle in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated, in a same direction as the direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the rotating of the swing hinge comprises:

sensing an angle of rotation in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated;

determining whether the sensed angle of rotation in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated is within a range of −

90 degrees<

=X degrees<

=90 degrees;

rotating the swing hinge by X degrees in a direction opposite to a direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated when the sensed angle of rotation is determined to be −

90 degrees<

=X degrees<

=90 degrees; and

rotating the swing hinge by an angle of (180−

X) degrees in a same direction as the direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated in which the angle of rotation is determined to be 90 degrees<

X degrees<

270 degrees.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the rotating of the camera elements comprising:

rotating the left camera element and the right camera element by X degrees in the same direction as the direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated when the angle of rotation is determined to be −

90 degrees<

=X degrees<

=90 degrees; and

rotating the left camera element and the right camera element by an angle of (180−

X) degrees in the same direction opposite to the direction in which the three dimensional camera device is rotated when the angle of rotation is determined to be 90 degrees<

X degrees<

270 degrees.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the rotating of the swing hinge comprising:

sensing the reference direction of the three dimensional camera device and the transversal direction and a reference direction of the swing hinge;

determining whether the transversal direction of the swing hinge is the horizontal direction and whether the reference direction of the swing hinge is an upward direction; and

rotating the swing hinge such that the transversal direction becomes the horizontal direction and the reference direction of the swing hinge becomes the upward direction when the transversal direction is determined not to be the horizontal direction and when the reference direction of the swing hinge is determined not be the upward direction.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the rotating of the swing hinge comprises:

sensing the reference direction of the three dimensional camera device, the transversal direction and the reference direction of the swing hinge; and

determining whether the reference direction of the three dimensional camera device is the upward direction or the horizontal direction.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the rotating of the swing hinge comprises:

determining whether the transversal direction of the swing hinge is the horizontal direction and whether the reference direction of the swing hinge is an upward direction when the reference direction of the three dimensional camera device is determined to be the upward direction or the horizontal direction; and

rotating the swing hinge such that the transversal direction of the swing hinge becomes the horizontal direction and that the reference direction of the swing hinge becomes the upward direction when the transversal direction of the swing hinge is determined not to be the horizontal direction and when the reference direction of the swing hinge is determined not to be the upward direction.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the rotating of the swing hinge comprises:

determining whether the transversal direction of the swing hinge is the horizontal direction and whether the reference direction of the swing hinge is a downward direction when the reference direction of the three dimensional camera device is determined to be the downward direction; and

rotating the swing hinge such that the transversal direction of the swing hinge becomes the horizontal direction and that the reference direction of the swing hinge becomes the downward direction when the transversal direction of the swing hinge is determined not to be the horizontal direction and when the reference direction of the swing hinge is determined not the downward direction.