Abstract:
The present invention relates to a mounting system for mounting a camera, or other similar devices, for afocal photographic viewing through a telescope eyepiece providing an attachment for the telescope which allows attachment of the telescope eyepiece and a yoke which locks and supports a supporting rail along which is mounted a camera platform which is designed to be adjustable to bring the camera or other light receptor device into axial alignment with the eyepiece of the telescope quickly and to hold the device in fixed axial alignment. The invention permits adjustment with four aspects: lateral perpendicular mutually exclusive movement in two axes to the optical axis; longitudinal movement along the optical axis; and tilting or pivoting movement in one of the two lateral perpendicular axes.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of priority to Provisional Application 60/269,391, filed herein on Feb. 16, 2001. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an adapter for mounting a camera or the like on a telescope for afocal photography; more specifically, to a universal camera mounting apparatus that provides for flexible adjustment of the camera on a pivoting and sliding mounting mechanism, which may be fixed in a given position for long exposures required from telescopic photography.  
           [0003]    A number of mounting devices for photographic equipment can be found in the prior art. Many of these prior art devices involved attaching fixed tubes screwably attached to the lens system or eyepiece of the telescope and providing a camera mount on the distal end of the tube for attachment of the camera. Other devices provided brackets which were mounted on the telescope which provided extensible arms for mounting a camera or videocamera to the bracket. These bracket were not readily aligned along the optical axis of the telescope and did not permit easy adjustment of the camera once attached to the bracket. None of the prior art devices offer the degrees of freedom to the mounting and adjustment offered by the universal camera mounting adapter of the present invention.  
           [0004]    A camera, which may be either single lens reflex or video camera, or charge coupled device (CCD) camera, may be affixed in front of the eyepiece of a telescope such as a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (SCT) using the apparatus herein described. A rear cell adapter is threaded onto the telescope. Into this rear cell adapter, the regular viewing lens for the telescope is removably attached. Affixed to the rear cell adapter is yoke assembly that provides means for securing the yoke against the rear cell adapter. The yoke also provides a profile parallel to the axis of the the telescope. Into this profile a generally square rail formed from aluminum is attached and held in the profile with set screws. Attached to this rail is the camera base platform assembly that provides a similar profile to fit the generally square rail on the distal end of the rail. The camera base assembly is likewise provided with set screws which permit it to be moved from the distal end of the rail to any point along the square rail.  
           [0005]    An attaching plate is affixed to the base of the camera and mates with the top of the camera base platform assembly. The attaching plate is grooved along one side to allow the camera to be moved laterally once attached to the platform. When the lens of the camera is aligned with the eyepiece on the telescope, another set screw may be engaged to hold the camera in a fixed position for the commencement of the photographic session.  
           [0006]    Once the camera is attached and aligned with the eyepiece on the telescope, the lens of the camera and the lens on the telescope are covered with a plasticized hood with provides resilient members along its edge to fit snuggly over the two lens to prevent ambient light from reaching the camera lens other than light which comes through the telescope lens. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective diassembled drawing of the universal camera adapter assembly shown providing a mount to a telescope.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is closer left posterior exploded view of the attachment plate and universal camera mounting platform.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 a  is a closer right posterior exploded view of the apparatus without camera attached.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a right side plan view of the platform assembly without mounted camera.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the platform assembly through the line  4 - 4  of FIG. 3.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a posteriof plan view of the platform assembly without mounted camera.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a cross section view of the platform assembly through the line  6 - 6  of FIG. 5.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a rear posterior view of the assembled universal camera mounting adapter with camera and SCT.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a left side plan view of the assembled universal camera mounting adapter with camera (SLR), hood, and SCT.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 is a right side plan view of the assembled universal camera mounting adapter with camera (SLR), hood, and SCT.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 is a left side plan view of the assembled universal camera mounting adapter with videocamera and SCT, but without the hood. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    As previously noted, the applicant is unaware of any camera mounting device which permits afocal photography without significant adjustment and preparation of the mounting system. All other devices known to applicant are specific to a particular camera or mounting device and cannot be used for more than one type or style of camera. Directing our attention to FIG. 1, any single lens reflex camera, videocamera, or CCD, including digital cameras, may be connected to the universal camera platform  200 . The universal camera platform is slideably engaged to a rail  100  which is slideably engaged in a yoke  30  which depends from a rear cell adapter  20  which is threaded on the rear plate of the telescope, for example as shown a Schmidt Cassegrain telescope SCT. It should be readily understood that the present apparatus might be also attached to other types of telescopes that permit the threaded attachment of the rear cell adapter  20 . A single lens reflex camera, such a 35 mm Nikon F camera, may be used, but it may be readily appreciated that any model of camera, videocamera, or CCD device could be mounted on the platform  200  by attaching the device to the camera plate adapter  260 . The camera plate adapter  260  is mounted on the camera in a universally available screw mounting provided on all cameras and the adapter is aligned to be flush with the lower front edge of the camera to align the groove or slot  261  which is cut in the front face of the adapter plate  260  with the focal plane of the camera or other device. This assures that the camera will align with the eyepiece of the telescope when moved into axial alignment.  
         [0019]    The camera, shown both as element  31  in the FIG. 7 and SLR in FIG. 8, and the videocamera VC as shown in FIG. 10, for example, may be provided with a readily available camera lens such as a 28 mm lens normally sold with such cameras. No special lenses are required to use the present device that adapts to the optical system inherent in the telescope lens and the camera lens.  
         [0020]    The relationship between the rear cell adapter  20  which is screwed into the end of the telescope and provides interior throat to receive a standard telescope eyepiece  29 , such as (by way of example, only) a 55 mm PlossI eyepiece offered by Televue, a retailer of lens systems for telescopes. The yoke  30  is fitted around the rear cell adapter and secured to the adapter by manual set screws  60 . A generally square rail  100  is inserted in the longitudinal groove  85  formed on the outer edge of the yoke assembly  30 . The generally square profile of the groove mates with the square rail  100  to form a snug fit which inhibits twisting motion of the rail/platform system in use. The square rail  100  is fixed in the groove by manually set compression screw  90  that compressively engages in the profile  85  and holds the rail to prevent movement in the yoke assembly  30 . As may be further appreciated from FIG. 1, rail  100  is provided with a groove or slot  81  at its distal end to permit access to the ball set screw mechanism of the platform to adjust the angle or tilt of the platform after mounting the camera or other device. The rail  100  is also provided with set screws and holes at  80  and  80 ″ which may be inserted to prevent the rail from being accidentally moved out of the grooves  85  or  86  and thereby prevents the accidental removal of the camera platform  200  from the rail  100  during the period of set up and adjustment. Set screw  80  may be used to lock the rail into the yoke at hole adjacent the SCT yoke plate or to lock the rail into the camera platform at hole  80 ″ to prevent the movement of the camera platform back off of the rail while the operator&#39;s attention may be focused on viewing through the lens to set up the camera. Rail  100  is sufficiently strong to prevent any torque or twisting of the camera base in operation.  
         [0021]    The operation of the apparatus of the present invention may best be understood by viewing the cooperation of the parts of the platform  200  as more fully shown in a disassembled form in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a left posterior exploded view of the platform  200 . Camera adapter plate  260  is attached to the camera or other device with threaded bolt  265  and then inserted from the opposite face into a groove  261 . This adapter plate permits movement within the groove  261 , which engages lip or T-edge  261 ″, to permit axial alignment of the camera with the longitudinal axis of the SCT. This slideable engagement permits the user to align the camera shutter with the eyepiece of the telescope along what may be described as the x-axis as shown in FIG. 1. Once aligned the camera platform, with the adapter plate attached, may be locked by set screw  291  in any of the threaded holes on the back face  290  of the carrier.  
         [0022]    The camera  31  (as shown in FIG. 14, for example) or the videocamera VC shown in FIG. 17, and adapter plate  260  are then engaged in the platform  200  which is in turn attached to the rail  100  supported by the yoke  30  and rear cell adapter  20  which are mounted around the lens  29  on the telescope. The yoke  30  is held to the rear cell adapter  20  by manually engaged set screws  60  and the rail is held fast by manually engaged set screws  90 . Upon alignment of the camera lens with the telescope lens  29 , as noted in FIG. 2, set screw  270  is tightened to hold the platform  200  set on rail  100 . The movement of the camera platform  200  on the rail  100  may be described as movement along the y-axis in the context of FIG. 1.  
         [0023]    Knob  250 , which connects to platform carrier  320  by the engagement of screw  254 , may be used to selectively move the camera in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis (or optical axis) of the telescope, which therefore may best be described as the z-axis of this system as described in FIG. 1. As may be readily appreciated, the camera may be adjusted forwards and backwards along the rail  100 , and may be adjusted side to side along the slot or groove on the adapter plate  260 , and moreover, the plane of the camera may be adjusted by the movement of the adapter plate in the platform with knob  250 .  
         [0024]    Further, as shown in FIG. 2, once the camera lens is axially aligned with the telescope eyepiece, stop screw  281  may then be moved into engagement with camera adapter  260  to fix the point of alignment. A set screw in bore  282  is then set to engage the stop screw and maintain it at the appropriate setting for the camera to permit removal without disturbing the settings. Set screws  291  are engaged in set screw holes  290  to rigidly hold the camera adapter  260  against the T-edge  261 ″. Set screws are disengaged to permit the camera to be removed from the platform  200  without changing any of the settings for alignment purposes. It is expected that once all of the adjustments are made for a particular camera and lens combination, little or no time will be required by the operator to assemble and disassemble the camera and telescope together.  
         [0025]    Tiltable platform  290 , which supports the camera platform  260 , may be pivoted about the axis formed by shoulder bolts  321  which engage the tiltable platform and connect it to the base platform  320 . As more readily shown in FIG. 2 a  (which is another posterior view as seen from the opposite side of FIG. 2), a ball-headed screw  325 , which slideably engages in the semi-circular profile  325 ″ on the lower side of tiltable platform  290 , may be screwed up and down in base platform  320  from below with an Allen wrench which fits the cap head screw below the ball. Referring back to FIG. 1, rail  100  provides a slit or groove  81  through which an Allen wrench may be inserted to screwably adjust the ball-headed screw  325  through hole  325 ″″″ in the base plate  201  and hole  325 ″″ in platform  300 .  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a left side plan view of the camera platform showing the threads  265  of the bolt which engage the camera (not shown in this view). FIG. 3 further shows the spaced relationship of the end plate  280  affixed to platform  320  by screws  283 . It further shows the set screw  281  which fixes the lateral movement of the camera carrier  260  which is then fixed by set screw  291 . Once the proper perpendicular movement brings the camera lens into axial alignment with the telescope eyepiece  29  through the movement of knob  250 , set screws  322  may be moved into engagement of platform  320  to fix the perpendicular movement of the system.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a posterior cross sectional view of the platform  200  through the line  4 - 4  of FIG. 3. Camera carrier  260  and mounting screw  265  slideably engage T-edge or rail  261 ″ and are titleably supported on carrier  290 . Knob  270  moves a compressive screw into space or groove  86  to fix the platform  200  in spaced relationship with the optical axis of the telescope and camera. As previously noted, knob  250  moves platform or base  320  in a plane perpendicular with the said optical axis of the telescope and camera to align the their respective optical center lines. Carrier or platform  320  is allowed to smoothly move in the body  200  by bearings  252  and  253  and screws  254  in the platform.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a posterior plan view of the camera adapter platform  200  showing the spaced relationship of many of the parts previously discussed as well as the slots  311  through which socket head shoulder screws  310  attach to the platform  320  to provide a limited range of movement in part  300 . This limited range of travel is necessary to prevent part  320  from detaching from the engagement screw  254  that in turn screw  254  is attached to knob  250 . Set screw  322 , upon engagement, clamps platform  320  fixing the said platform in the Z-axis context of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 also again shows the knobs  270  and  250  that are used to lock the platform  200  on the rail and move the interior platform  320 , respectively.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the platform  200  through the line  6 - 6  of FIG. 5 which further discloses the spaced relation of the parts of the platform. Each of the parts is consistently numbered throughout the drawings. This figure more clearly demonstrates the relationship between the adjustment passages  325 ″ and  325 ″″ which permit the manipulation of the ball headed screw  325  to tilt platform  290  to achieve a high degree of linear alignment of the camera lens with the optical axis of the telescope system to which it is attached. As previously noted, the rail  100  after insertion in slot  86  as shown in FIG. 1 is provided with slot  81  which allows an Allen wrench to be inserted into the body while the camera is in place to adjust the tilt of the camera platform.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a right posterior perspective view of the complete assembly showing the platform  200  mounting a single lens reflex camera  31  on rail  100  in spaced relationship with telescope lens  29  mounted a a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope SCT. As may be readily appreciated, there may be a substantial gap between the lens  29  of the SCT and the lens of the camera  31 . Accordingly, a further feature of this invention is the addition of a lens hood.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 shows hood  2  fabricated from a water resistant fabric incorporating a flexible wire frame on at least two edges to hold the fabric around the two lens system. The fabric may be made from any lightweight and opaque material. The hood could also be fabricated from lightweight elastomeric material. The hood  2  may be further connected or attached to the rail  100  by the flexible wire frame; or, alternatively, may be attached after alignment without attachment to the rail. FIG. 9 shows the hood  2  attached to rail  100  from the opposite side of the hood system shown in FIG. 8. Any method of attachment may be used such as the wrapping of the metal wire around the frame  100  such as shown in  2 ″, or by other well-known means of attachment.  
         [0032]    As previously noted, FIG. 10 shows the flexibility of the mounting system of the present invention. A videocamera VC is mounted in the manner previously described for mounting the single lens reflex camera to the top of the platform  200  and on rail  100  affixed to yoke  30 , and thereafter adjusted to put videocamera into axial alignment with the optical axis of the telescope. Similarly, a charge coupled device or digital videocamera could likewise by attached in the same manner to use the mounting system without departing from the spirit of the invention disclosed herein. Furthermore, larger optical devices could be mounted in a similar fashion using an larger adjustable platform adapted by the addition of an additional post to secure the larger instrument to the platform without departing from the scope or intent of the specification.  
         [0033]    The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only; the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the following claims.