Mobile and portable screen to view an image recorded by a camera

• US 10,331,024 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spatial Cam LLC
• Original Assignee: Spatial Cam LLC
• Inventors: Lablans, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Leron
• Application Number:
  US15/836,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20180095357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 348 46
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/00 Stereoscopic photography
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• 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 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to create and display screen stereoscopic and panoramic images are disclosed. Methods and apparatus are provided to generate multiple images that are combined into a stereoscopic or a panoramic image. An image may be a static image. It may also be a video image. A controller provides correct camera settings for different conditions. An image processor creates a stereoscopic or a panoramic image from the correct settings provided by the controller. A plurality of lens/sensor units is placed on a carrier. Lens/sensor units are rotationally aligned. A controller rotationally aligns images of lens/sensor units that are rotationally misaligned. The camera is enabled to communicate via a wired or via a wireless connection, with a separate, mobile, ultrathin, ultralight, display with a large display screen not smaller than 25 by 20 cm in a first embodiment of the present invention and not smaller than 20 by 15 cm in a second embodiment of the present invention to provide color images including video images in real-time. A compact controllable platform to hold and rotate a device with a lens/sensor unit is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for viewing by a user with a head of a video image of a scene, comprising:

activating a camera, the camera being part of a mobile phone with a screen;

establishing a wireless communication connection between the mobile phone with the screen and a handheld computing device with a screen;

activating with a control on the mobile phone the screen of the handheld computing device with the screen to display in real-time the video image of the scene recorded with the camera of the mobile phone with the screen; and

switching off with the control the screen of the mobile phone with the screen while keeping the camera activated.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

holding by the user of the mobile phone in a position above the head of the user; and

viewing by the user of the video image of the scene recorded with the camera of the mobile phone with the screen on the screen of the handheld computing device with the screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld computing device with the screen is selected from the group consisting of smartphones and computer tablets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile phone is a smartphone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the handheld computing device with the screen is not thicker than 5 mm.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

focusing a lens of the camera with a focus mechanism based on a focus setting determined with a focus sensor of the camera, the focus setting being one of a plurality of focus settings of the lens; and

focusing a lens of a second camera in the first portable and mobile computing device with a motor in one of a plurality of focus settings, the plurality of focus settings of the lens of the second camera corresponds with the plurality of focus settings of the camera, wherein the motor of the second camera is controlled by a signal based on a focus setting determined by the focus sensor.

7. A camera system to record a video image of a scene, comprising:

a handheld computing device containing at least a screen enabled to display the video image;

a mobile phone containing at least a camera and a screen, the handheld computing device and the mobile phone devices being wirelessly communicatively connectable with each other;

the camera of the mobile phone enabled to capture the video image of the scene;

the screen of the handheld computing device enabled to display the video image of the scene in real-time; and

a control on the mobile phone to switch a real-time display of the video image of the scene recorded by the camera of the mobile phone to the screen of the handheld computing device and to switch off the screen of the mobile phone while the camera remains switched on.

8. The camera system of claim 7, wherein the handheld computing device is enabled to control the camera of the mobile phone.

9. The camera system of claim 7, wherein handheld computing device a mobile phone.

10. The camera system of claim 7, wherein handheld computing device a computer tablet.

11. The camera system of claim 7, wherein the handheld computing device is not thicker than 5 mm.

12. The camera system of claim 7, further comprising:

the camera including a focus mechanism to place a lens of the camera in one of a plurality of focus settings determined by a focus sensor;

the mobile phone including a second camera including a lens to be placed by a motor in one of a plurality of focus settings that corresponds to the plurality of focus settings of the camera; and

the motor of the second camera is controlled by a signal based on a focus setting determined by the focus sensor.

13. The camera system of claim 7, wherein the mobile phone and the handheld computing device are smartphones.

14. A mobile phone to record a video image of a scene to be displayed in real-time on a screen of a handheld computing device, comprising:

the mobile phone including a camera to record the video image of the scene and a screen, the mobile phone enabled to establish a wireless communication connection with the handheld computing device;

a control on the mobile phone to activate the screen of the handheld computing device to display in real-time the video image of the scene recorded by the camera; and

the control on the mobile phone enabled to switch off the screen of the mobile phone while the camera continues to operate.

15. The mobile phone of claim 14, wherein the camera is enabled to be controlled by the handheld computing device.

16. The mobile phone of claim 14, wherein the handheld computing device is not thicker than 5 mm.

17. The mobile phone of claim 14, wherein the handheld computing device is not thicker than 3 mm.

18. The mobile phone of claim 14, wherein the mobile phone is a smartphone.

19. The mobile phone of claim 14, wherein the handheld computing devices is selected from the group consisting of mobile phones and computer tablets.

20. The mobile phone of claim 14, further comprising:

the camera including a focus mechanism to place a lens of the camera in one of a plurality of focus settings determined by a focus sensor;

a second camera including a lens to be placed by a motor in one of a plurality of focus settings that corresponds to the plurality of focus settings of the camera, wherein the motor of the second camera is controlled by a signal based on a focus setting determined by the focus sensor.