LIGHTWEIGHT LED ILLUMINATION ENCLOSURE FOR CONCURRENT USE WITH LIGHTWEIGHT CAMERA MODULE

• US 20170019573A1
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Published: 01/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casey Chambers, Jeff Skeen, Kenneth Joseph Good
• Original Assignee: Casey Chambers, Jeff Skeen, Kenneth Joseph Good
• Inventors: Chambers, Casey, Good, Kenneth Joseph, Skeen, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 9,756,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0514 Separate unit
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0542 watertight
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/62 Control of parameters via user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

A lightweight housing with a mount that can be attached to a user, sports equipment, or vehicle contains an illumination assembly but no camera. The illumination assembly may communicate via Bluetooth with a similarly-configured nearby camera module to provide illumination for subjects being imaged by the camera module.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a hollow parallelepiped shaped enclosure defining a front wall defining a center point, an aperture being formed in the front wall, the aperture defining a center offset from the center point of the front wall, the enclosure not containing an imaging device;

a hollow heat sink ring disposed in the aperture and completely circumscribing the aperture;

a focus element, wherein the heat sink ring and focus element together block the aperture in the front wall; and

at least one lamp disposed in the enclosure behind the aperture and positioned to emit light through the focus element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the focus element includes a lens.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the focus element includes a reflector.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one lamp includes at least one light emitting diode (LED).

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one lamp includes at least three LEDs.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising at least one battery engaged with the enclosure to energize the lamp.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, comprising at least two batteries engaged with the enclosure both to simultaneously energize the lamp.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising at least one sealing element disposed between the front wall and the heat sink ring to establish a seal therebetween.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising at least one sealing element disposed between the front wall or the heat sink ring and the focus element to establish a seal between the front wall or heat sink ring and the focus element.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising at least one near field communication (NFC) element in the enclosure configured for wirelessly communicating with at least one NFC element of at least one component spaced from the enclosure.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the NFC element includes a short range ultra high frequency (UHF) transceiver configured to operate in the range of 2.4 GHz to 2.485 GHz.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising at least one processor in the enclosure and at least one computer memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

receive input;

responsive to the input, cause the NFC element to send a wireless command to a camera module outside the enclosure to activate a camera in the camera module.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the input is to energize the lamp.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising at least one processor in the enclosure and at least one computer memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

receive, from a camera module via the NFC element, an activation command; and

responsive to the activation command, activate the lamp.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising at least one processor in the enclosure and at least one computer memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

intercept, from a remote control configured to activate a camera in a camera module using NFC, a camera activation signal configured to activate the camera in the camera module; and

responsive to the camera activation signal, activate the lamp.

16. Device separate from a camera module to provide illumination onto subjects imaged by the camera module, comprising:

a hollow housing defining a height of approximately two centimeters to seven centimeters, a width of approximately two centimeters to seven centimeters, and a depth of approximately one centimeter to five centimeters, and a weight of between thirty grams and one hundred fifty grams;

the housing defining a front face formed with a lens window structured so that at least one light emitting diode (LED) is substantially aligned with the lens windows when an LED assembly is secured within the camera housing, the LED assembly being disposed in the housing in lieu of a camera;

the housing including first and second housing portions movable relative to each other to expose an interior of the housing; and

at least one securing structure being coupled to the housing for securing the housing to at least one mounting device.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the LED assembly includes at least three LEDs.

18. The device of claim 16, comprising at least one battery in the housing to energize the LED.

19. The device of claim 18, comprising at least two batteries in the housing to simultaneously energize the LED.

20. The device of claim 16, comprising at least one near field communication (NFC) element in the housing configured for wirelessly communicating with at least one NFC element of at least one component spaced from the housing.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the NFC element includes a short range ultra high frequency (UHF) transceiver configured to operate in the range of 2.4 GHz to 2.485 GHz.

22. The device of claim 20, comprising at least one processor in the housing and at least one computer memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

receive input;

responsive to the input, cause the NFC element to send a wireless command to a camera module outside the housing to activate a camera in the camera module.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the input is to energize the LED.

24. The device of claim 20, comprising at least one processor in the housing and at least one computer memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

receive, from a camera module via the NFC element, an activation command; and

responsive to the activation command, activate the lamp.

25. The device of claim 20, comprising at least one processor in the housing and at least one computer memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

intercept, from a remote control configured to activate a camera in a camera module using NFC, a camera activation signal configured to activate the camera in the camera module; and

responsive to the camera activation signal, activate the lamp.

26. Apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive input;

responsive to the input, cause a near field communication (NFC) in a portable housing containing at least one lamp to send a wireless command to a camera module outside the housing to activate a camera in the camera module.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the input is to energize the lamp.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, comprising the at least one processor.

28. Apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

receive, from a camera module via a near field communication (NFC) element in an enclosure holding at least one lamp, an activation command, the camera module being spaced from the enclosure holding the NFC element and the lamp; and

responsive to the activation command, activate the lamp.

31. The apparatus of claim 28, comprising the at least one processor.

29. Apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer memory that is not a transitory signal and that comprises instructions executable by at least one processor to;

intercept, from a remote control configured to activate a camera in a camera module using near field communication (NFC), a camera activation signal configured to activate the camera in the camera module; and

responsive to the camera activation signal, activate a lamp in an enclosure spaced from the camera module.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, comprising the at least one processor.