Claims
- 1. A panoramic camera providing automatic exposure control, comprising:
- a camera housing;
- an optical assembly including a lens mounted to said camera housing and having an optical axis that points along a linear direction;
- means for sweeping said linear direction that said optical axis points about a panoramic field of view;
- means cooperative with said lens for exposing images of a panoramic subject as said optical axis of said optical assembly is swept about said panoramic field of view;
- means for providing a signal representative of existing lighting conditions including a light sensor and at least a one degree of freedom swivel mount to which said light sensor is mounted enabling the light sensor to be pointed anywhere along the one or more directions provided by said at least one degree of freedom swivel mount operative in at least a reflected sensor mode, where said sensor is pointed in generally the same direction that the linear direction of said optical axis of said lens points, and in an incident sensor mode, where said sensor is pointed in generally the opposite direction that the linear direction of said optical axis of said lens points; and
- means cooperative with said images exposing means for controlling the exposure in dependence on said signal as said optical axis of said optical assembly is swept about said panoramic field of view.
- 2. The panoramic camera of claim 1, wherein said images exposing means includes film, wherein said sweeping means includes a motor, and wherein said exposure controlling means includes a motor controller coupled to said motor of said sweeping means and responsive to a single reading of said signal to preset the rate at which said optical axis of said optical assembly is swept about said panoramic field of view so as to provide constant exposure of said film about the panoramic sweep.
- 3. The panoramic camera of claim 1, wherein said images exposing means includes a digital image recording device having an amplifier for controlling digital image recording device gain, and wherein said exposure controlling means includes a gain controller coupled to said amplifier for controlling digital image recording device gain of said images exposing means responsive to said signal to preset said digital image recording device gain so as to provide constant exposure about the panoramic sweep.
- 4. The panoramic camera of claim 1, wherein said images exposing means includes a digital image recording device having an input for controlling digital image recording device line time, and wherein said exposure controlling means includes a line time controller coupled to said input for controlling digital image recording device line time of said images exposing means responsive to said signal to preset said digital image recording device line time so as to provide constant exposure about the panoramic sweep.
- 5. The panoramic camera of claim 1, wherein said images exposing means includes a digital image recording device having an amplifier for controlling digital image recording device gain, and wherein said exposure controlling means includes a gain controller coupled to said amplifier for controlling digital image recording device gain of said images exposing means responsive to said signal to govern said digital image recording device gain so as to provide continuously variable exposure about the panoramic sweep.
- 6. The panoramic camera of claim 1, wherein said images exposing means includes a digital image recording device having an input for controlling digital image recording device line time, wherein said signal representative of existing lighting conditions providing means includes a light sensor, and wherein said exposure controlling means includes a line time controller coupled to said input for controlling digital image recording device line time of said images exposing means responsive to said signal to continuously vary said digital image recording device line time so as to provide continuously variable exposure about the panoramic sweep.
- 7. A panoramic camera providing automatic exposure control, comprising:
- a camera housing;
- an optical assembly including a lens mounted to said camera housing and having an optical axis that points along a linear direction;
- a motorized rotating mechanism operatively coupled to at least one of said camera housing and said optical assembly such that said linear direction that said optical axis points is swept about a panoramic field of view;
- an image capture device cooperative with said lens exposing images of a panoramic subject as said optical axis of said optical assembly is swept about said panoramic field of view;
- a light sensor providing a signal representative of existing lighting conditions relative to the angular phase of the panoramic field of view as said optical axis of said optical assembly is swept about its panoramic field of view; and
- an exposure controller including a processor cooperative with said image capture device controllably varying the exposure generally in inverse dependence on said signal as said linear direction sweeps.
- 8. A panoramic camera providing automatic exposure control, comprising:
- a camera housing;
- an optical assembly including a lens mounted to said camera housing and having an optical axis that points along a linear direction;
- means for sweeping said linear direction that said optical axis points about a panoramic field of view;
- means cooperative with said lens for exposing images of a panoramic subject as said optical axis of said optical assembly is swept about said panoramic field of view;
- a light sensor having a diffuser providing a signal taken at at least an acute angle to said linear direction of said optical axis of said optical assembly representative of lighting conditions generally above said camera that is invariable with variations in the direction that said optical axis of said optical assembly points as it is swept about its panoramic field of view; and
- means cooperative with said images exposing means for controlling the exposure in dependence on said signal as said optical axis of said optical assembly is swept about said panoramic field of view.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation in part of allowed, U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 08/320,455 entitled Panoramic Camera, filed Oct. 11, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,804, and is related to divisional application entitled Panoramic Camera filed on even date herewith of U.S. utility application Ser. No. 08/320,455, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,199, both of which are of the same inventive entity as herein.
US Referenced Citations (6)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (7)
Entry |
"Round Shot Super 35," 2 pages, author and date presently unknown. |
"Roundshot Super 220 VR," 3 pages, author and date presently unknown. |
"Roundshot Super 35," 3 pages, author and date presently unknown. |
"Roundshot 35/35S," 1 page, author and date presently unknown. |
"Roundshot 65/70mmEL," 2 pages, author and date presently unknown. |
"Roundshot Super 70mm," 1 page, author and date presently unknown. |
"Noblex Panorama," 6 pages, author and date presently unknown. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
320455 |
Oct 1994 |
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