Dual camera mounting arrangement for a wide screen imaging system

• US 20040201754A1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: McAlister, Micheal J.
• Application Number:
  US09/976,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20040201754A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00

Abstract

A dual camera arrangement for capturing a wide field image of a scene, composed of left and right overlapping fields of view, includes a first camera having an optical section imaging the right field of view along its optical axis onto a first image sensor and a second camera having an optical section imaging a left field of view along its optical axis onto a second image sensor. A camera mount supports the first camera at an angle adjacent to the second camera such that their optical axes intersect between the camera mount and the captured scene whereby the left side of the right field of view overlaps the right side of the left field of view. This creates an overlap region where the left and right fields of view obtained from the respective image sensors may be combined to form the wide field view of the scene.

Claims

1. A camera arrangement for capturing a wide field image of a scene composed of left and right overlapping fields of views, said camera arrangement comprising:

a first camera having an optical section imaging the right field of view along a first optical axis onto a first image sensor;

a second camera having an optical section imaging a left field of view along a second optical axis onto a second image sensor; and

a camera mount for supporting the first camera at an angle adjacent to the second camera such that their optical axes intersect between the camera mount and the captured scene and the left side of the right field of view overlaps the right side of the left field of view, thereby creating an overlap region where the left and right fields of view obtained from the respective image sensors may be combined to form the wide field view of the scene.

2. The camera arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the angle provided by the camera mount between the first and second cameras is sufficient to cause approximately a 10 percent overlap between the fields of view.

3. The camera arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cameras each provide a predetermined resolution and the angle provided by the camera mount between the first and second cameras is sufficient to cause approximately a doubling in resolution between the predetermined resolution of the cameras and a resolution of the wide field image.

4. Apparatus for supporting a pair of cameras that capture a wide field image of a scene composed of left and right overlapping fields of views, said apparatus comprising a camera mount for supporting a first camera at an angle adjacent to a second camera such that their optical axes intersect between the camera mount and the captured scene whereby the left side of the right field of view overlaps the right side of the left field of view.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the angle provided by the camera mount between the first and second cameras is sufficient to cause approximately a 10 percent overlap between the fields of view.

6. A film image recording system for capturing a wide field image of a scene composed of left and right overlapping fields of views, said film image recording system comprising:

a first video camera having an optical section imaging the right field of view along a first optical axis onto a first image sensor;

a second video camera having an optical section imaging a left field of view along a second optical axis onto a second image sensor; and

means for supporting the first camera at an angle adjacent to the second camera such that their optical axes intersect between the camera mount and the captured scene and the left side of the right field of view overlaps the right side of the left field of view, thereby creating an overlap region where the left and right fields of view obtained from the respective image sensors may be combined to form the wide field view of the scene;

a digital processor including an algorithm for stitching the left and right fields of view together in the overlap region, there providing a wide screen image; and

a film writer for writing the wide screen image onto a photographic film element.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the angle provided by the camera supporting means between the first and second cameras is sufficient to cause approximately a 10 percent overlap between the fields of view.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the cameras each provide a predetermined resolution and the angle provided between the first and second cameras is sufficient to cause approximately a doubling in resolution between the predetermined resolution of the cameras and a resolution of the wide screen image.