Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to the field of video imaging devices, and specifically to a portable, handheld battery-operated video imaging camera. 
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Video imaging cameras, including analog and digital, and high-speed and low-speed cameras, are increasingly being made in portable, hand-held forms. Digital cameras using rectangular arrays of photo-detector picture elements (pixels) are replacing film cameras in the fields of motion capture, machine diagnostics, bio-analysis, ordnance characterization, and missile development. A camera assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a hand-held, rechargeable battery-operated, portable camera. The camera is disposed within a housing connected to a handle, wherein the handle comprises a grip portion with a trigger switch for initiating a recording session. The handle further comprises a bottom concavity for receiving a rechargeable battery which provides electrical power to the camera assembly. A power controller inside a top portion of the handle conditions the power received from the battery and delivers it to the camera. The power controller also generates a trigger signal that starts the camera recording upon depression of the trigger switch, and stops the camera recording when the trigger is released. The battery in the handle provides a counter-balance to the operator and serves to steady the camera when it is in use. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an embodiment of a camera assembly in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0004]      FIG. 2  is a left side view of an embodiment of a camera assembly in accordance with the present disclosure, in which the viewfinder is foldable. 
           [0005]      FIG. 3  is a left side view of an embodiment of the camera assembly in accordance with the present disclosure, in which the viewfinder is fixed. 
           [0006]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the camera assembly handle in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0007]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of an embodiment of the camera assembly in accordance with the present disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 6  is a rear cross sectional view of the camera assembly of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 7  is a side cross sectional view of the camera assembly of  FIG. 5 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram illustration of an embodiment of the camera assembly according to the present disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary power controller of the system depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart depicting exemplary architecture and functionality of the system depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 11  is a block diagram illustration of an embodiment of the camera assembly wherein an adapter is disposed between the handle and the camera housing. 
       
    
    
       [0014]    Repeat use of reference characters throughout the present specification and appended drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    The present invention and its advantages are best understood by referring to the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates one exemplary embodiment of a camera assembly  10 . A camera body  11  houses an optical sensor (not illustrated) and camera electronics (not illustrated). In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the camera body  11  is a charge coupled device (CCD) camera, though other cameras may be used in other embodiments of the invention. A camera lens  12  receives images, and may be a standard C-mount compatible lens. A substantially vertical handle  13  supports the camera assembly  10  in an upright position. The handle  13  connects to the bottom side  81  camera body  11  by a mounting screw  41  ( FIG. 2 ) turned by a thumb wheel  16 , the outer edge of which thumb wheel  16  protrudes through an opening  37  on left side  77  of the upper portion  18  of the handle. The upper portion  18  of the handle  13  is contoured to fit the user&#39;s hand (not illustrated) for a comfortable grip. 
         [0017]    A user (not illustrated) depresses trigger  15  with a finger (not illustrated) to start the camera  11  recording. Releasing the trigger  15  stops the recording. In an alternative embodiment, depressing the trigger  15  stops the recording and releasing the trigger starts the recording. 
         [0018]    A viewfinder  17  (illustrated in undeployed position in  FIG. 1 ) is used for aligning the camera assembly  10  to its subject (not illustrated). The viewfinder  17  may be of the type illustrated in  FIG. 1 , wherein a front viewfinder portion  20  and a rear viewfinder portion  21  are both foldable against the top  78  of the camera body  11  when not in use, as further illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In other embodiments, such as the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the viewfinder  17  may be fixed (i.e., not foldable). In still other embodiments, the viewfinder  17  may be replaced with an LCD display (not illustrated). 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a rechargeable battery (not illustrated) housed inside a battery  14  provides power for the camera assembly  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the battery  14  is a Hitachi EB1214S model battery that supplies 12V DC power at a minimum of 500 mA of current. 
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the interior of the handle  13  of the camera assembly  10 . The handle  13  is comprised of two side portions  33  and  34  which are joined together by a plurality of screws  38 . The side portions  33  and  34  are substantially hollow for receiving internal components such as the battery  14  ( FIG. 1 ), the thumb wheel  16 , and a power controller  30 . The side portions  33  and  34  may be fabricated from molded hard plastic, composite material, or any suitable rigid material. Although  FIG. 4  illustrates the interior of only one portion  34  of the two side portions  33  and  34 , the two side portions are substantially similar and generally mirror-imaged to one another. 
         [0021]    The thumb wheel  16  turns the mounting screw  41  that makes the physical connection between the handle  13  and the camera body  11  ( FIG. 1 ). When the side portions  33  and  34  are joined together, the thumb wheel  16  fits into a recess  42  on the side portions  33  and  34 , and an outer edge  45  of the wheel  16  protrudes through the opening  37 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . Although  FIG. 4  illustrates only the opening  37  on side portion  33  of the handle  13 , side portion  34  comprises an identical opening, such that the wheel  16  protrudes through openings  37  on both sides of the handle  13 . 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , an aperture  40  is a hole in the top surface  44  of the handle  13  created by the joining of portions  33  and  34 . The mounting screw  41  protrudes through the aperture  40  and threads into an opening (not illustrated) on the lower side  81  ( FIG. 1 ) of the camera body  11  to secure the camera body  11  to the handle  13 . 
         [0023]    The trigger  15  is held in position by a trigger alignment shelf  36 , which is a raised portion of the interiors of handle portions  33  and  34 . The trigger alignment shelf  36  is bounded by an upper stop  51  and a lower stop  52 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . When the handle portions  33  and  34  are joined, the alignment shelf  36  “sandwiches” the trigger  15  to prevent the trigger  15  from dislocating in the ±x direction (see  FIG. 4 ), and the upper and lower stops  51  and  52  prevent it from dislocating in the ±y direction (see  FIG. 4 ). Depressing the trigger  15  activates a switch  32 , which allows a trigger signal generated in the power controller  30  to be transmitted to the camera assembly  10  to start the recording process. 
         [0024]    The power controller  30  comprises a circuit hoard that fits into a recess  43  in the handle portions  33  and  34  and is secured via a plurality of screws  35 . The power controller  30  further comprises power filtering circuitry (not shown) and a synch pulse generator (not shown). A pair of contacts  31  protruding from the power controller  30  makes electrical contact with contacts on the battery (not illustrated). The power controller  30  receives 12 VDC power from the battery  14  and filters and conditions the power received from the battery  14  and then provides the power to the camera body  11 . 
         [0025]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a bottom concavity  39  is defined by the flared bottom portion  50  of handle portions  33  and  34  for receiving the battery  14  ( FIG. 1 ). The bottom concavity  39  detachably receives the battery  14 . The contacts  31  extend from the power controller  30  into the bottom concavity  39  for connection to the battery contacts (not illustrated). 
         [0026]    Right side notch portion  46   a  on side portion  34  forms a notch (not shown) when joined with left side notch portion  46   b  on side portion  33 . The notch comprised of  46   a  and  46   b  fits into a mating hole on the bottom of the camera body  11  ( FIG. 1 ) to prevent the camera body  11  from rotating about the mounting screw  41  when installed. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , with further reference to  FIG. 7 , when a user (not illustrated) depresses the finger-operated trigger  15 , the trigger  15  moves in the −z direction sufficiently to cause the switch  32  to close, sending power from the battery (not illustrated) to the power controller  30 , and then to the camera body  11 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a rear view of the camera assembly  10  according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Two (2) light-emitting diodes (LEDs)  26  and  27  are disposed on the rear side  79  of the handle  13 . In the illustrated embodiment, a green LED  27  activates when the camera assembly  10  is powered on to provide a visual indication to the user (not illustrated) that the camera assembly  10  is powered. The camera assembly  10  powers on (and the green LED  27  activates), as soon as a battery  14  is installed into the handle  13 . The green LED  27  will remain activated for as long as the voltage received by the power controller  30  is within a predetermined range for optimal operation of the camera assembly  10 . For example, a particular camera may require 10V for operation, and the 12V battery  14  will eventually drop below 10V. In such an event, the power controller  30  shuts off power to the camera and the green LED  27  deactivates as a visual indication that the camera is not powered. 
         [0029]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a yellow LED  26  activates when the camera assembly  10  is recording to provide a visual indication to the user (not illustrated) that the camera assembly  10  is recording. In other embodiments (not illustrated), no yellow LED  26  is present, and the green LED  27  will change from a solid green (indicating power on to camera) to a blinking green when the camera is recording. 
         [0030]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , port  24  provides an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet connection on the rear of the camera body  11 . Port  24  is a gigabit Ethernet port in the illustrated embodiment, but in other embodiments may be any other suitable data interface, either analog or digital, such as a CamLink interface. A trigger input port  22  receives the trigger signal (not shown) from the power controller  30 . A power input port  25  provides power to the camera body  11 . A power output port  29  houses a power cord (not illustrated) that delivers power to the power input port  25 . Remote activation port  28  provides a connection from the power controller  30  for remote activation of the camera by a computer (not illustrated). Remote activation of the camera assembly  10  may be used in lieu of manual depression of the trigger  15  to start and stop camera operation. 
         [0031]      FIGS. 6 and 7  are cross-sectional views of one embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating the battery  14  inserted into the bottom concavity  39  of the handle  13  of the camera assembly  10 . As illustrated, a top portion  60  of the battery  14  is enclosed in the bottom portion  50  of the handle  13 . The battery  14  is detachably restrained within the handle  13  via a friction fit and a standard latch (not shown). The bottom portion  61  of the battery  14  is larger than the top portion  60 . The size, shape, and weight of the battery  14  enables it to serve as a counter-balance such that it steadies the camera assembly  10  when it is in use. 
         [0032]    The bottom surface  80  of the battery  14  is substantially flat, such that the camera can be supported in operable orientation (i.e., with the handle  13  oriented vertically) when set on a generally flat surface. A threaded tripod-mounting hole (not shown) on the bottom surface  80  of the battery  14  connects to a standard camera tripod (not shown), if desired. Two (2) springs  98  and  99  ( FIG. 7 ) apply force against the trigger  15  from the inside of the handle  13  to maintain the trigger  15  in an outwardly-deployed orientation until it is depressed. 
         [0033]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram of one embodiment of the camera assembly  10  of the present disclosure. The camera body  11  comprises an image sensor  70  that receives images (not illustrated) through the lens  12 . A camera controller  71  contains processing components (not illustrated) for controlling camera operation. A standard digital interface  72  (e.g. USB, Firewire, Serial, Ethernet) interfaces with a remote host computer  73 , which contains memory  74 . 
         [0034]    The handle  13  comprises the battery  14  and the trigger  15 . Depression of the trigger  15  activates a switch  32 , which causes a synch pulse generator (not shown) in the power controller  30  to send trigger signals to the camera controller  71  to start the recording process. Releasing the trigger  15  stops the recording process. 
         [0035]    Power controller  30  further comprises power filtering circuitry (not shown) that prevents a short circuit that would damage the camera assembly  10 . Power controller  30  further comprises circuitry (not shown) that shuts off power to the camera if the voltage received from the battery  14  falls outside of a predetermined range. This feature protects the camera from being subject to depleted voltage from the battery  14 . 
         [0036]    In operation of the camera assembly  10  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user (not shown) installs the battery  14  into the handle  13 . Once the battery  14  is installed, power from the battery  14  flows to the power controller  30 , where it is conditioned and transmitted to the camera controller  71 . Green LED  27  activates when the battery  14  is both installed and providing power within a predetermined voltage range. 
         [0037]    Depression of the trigger  15  causes the switch  32  to close, and a pulse synch generator (not shown) within the power controller  30  generates a 200 hz pulse train which is sent to the camera controller  71  to start the recording process. Yellow LED  26  activates while the trigger  15  is depressed to server as a visual indicator that the camera is recording. The camera controller  71  receives image data (not illustrated) from the image sensor  70  and passes the image data in a frame buffered form to remote memory  74  or disk space within the remote host computer  73  The remote host computer  73  may be a laptop, PC, or any standard computer. When the trigger  15  is released, recording stops after a short delay of generally about a half a second. 
         [0038]      FIG. 9  depicts an exemplary power controller  30  of the present disclosure. The exemplary power controller  30  generally comprises a processing unit  106 , an input port  108 , and an output port  109 . The power controller  30  further comprises power filter logic  105 , which can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof. The power controller  30  further comprises trigger logic  110 , which can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In the exemplary power controller  30 , power filter logic  105  and trigger logic  110  are shown as stored in memory  104 . 
         [0039]    The processing unit  106  may be a digital processor or other type of circuitry configured to run the power filter logic  105  and trigger logic  110  by processing and executing the instructions of the power filter logic  105  and trigger logic  110 . The processing unit  106  communicates to and drives the other elements within the power controller  30  via a local interface  107 , which can include one or more buses. 
         [0040]    In the exemplary power controller  30  of  FIG. 9 , the power filter logic  105  and trigger logic  110  are shown as being implemented in software and stored in the filter memory  104 . However, the power filter logic  105  and trigger logic  110  may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software in other embodiments. 
         [0041]    When stored in filter memory  104 , the power filter logic  105  and trigger logic  110  can be stored and transported on any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a “computer-readable medium” can be any means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium can be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. Note that the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via for instance optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a suitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. 
         [0042]    The power filter logic  105  may perform a plurality of functions. As an example, the power filter logic  105  may control the conditioning of power received from the battery  14 . The power filter logic may shut off power to the camera assembly  10  if the power from the battery  14  falls outside of a predetermined range. For example, if the battery  14  provides 12 VDC power, and the camera assembly  10  requires a minimum of 10 VDC power to operate, the power filter logic  105  shuts off power to the camera if the power from the battery  14  drops below 10 VDC. The power filter logic further may control power to the LEDs  26  and  27 . 
         [0043]    The trigger logic  110  may perform a plurality of functions. As an example, the trigger logic  110  may control the generation of the trigger pulse required to start and stop the recording of the camera. The trigger logic  110  initiates a trigger pulse of the pulse rate required by the particular camera used. 
         [0044]    The display unit  111  indicates the status of the camera assembly  10 . The display unit  111  may consist of the green LED  27  and the yellow LED  26 , as discussed above. 
         [0045]      FIG. 10  is a flowchart depicting exemplary architecture and functionality of a camera assembly  10  ( FIG. 1 ) of the present disclosure. Referring to step  201  of  FIG. 10 , a power source (e.g., battery  14 ) is connected to the digital camera controller  71  via the handle  13 , the handle  13  having the trigger  15  for actuating by a user. Referring to step  202 , a trigger pulse signal is generated for use by the digital camera controller  71  when the trigger  15  on the handle  13  is actuated. 
         [0046]      FIG. 11  illustrates in block diagram form an alternative embodiment of the camera assembly  10 , wherein an adapter  120  is disposed between the handle  13  and the camera housing  11 . The adapter  120  samples (without destroying) the data signal (not shown) received from the camera controller  71  through the digital interface  72  and converts it into a National Television System Committee (NTSC) signal via an A/D converter  121 . The adapter also passes the original digital data signal back out of the adapter to the remote host  73 . The NTSC signal (not shown) is then transmitted to a display monitor  123  that may be installed on top of the camera housing  11  in lieu of the viewfinder  17  ( FIG. 1 ). The purpose of the adapter  120  in this configuration is thus to split the data transmitted from the camera controller  71  for use by both the display monitor  123 , and the host computer. The adapter  120  could also or alternatively house a wireless interface (not shown) so that a wired connection to the remote host computer  73  is not required. In another embodiment of the camera assembly  10 , the adapter  120  might also intercept the power signal from the power controller  30  and split it out to provide power to a light or lights (not shown) mounted on the camera to illuminate the event of interest. 
         [0047]    This invention may be provided in other specific forms and embodiments without departing from the essential characteristics as described herein. The embodiments described are to be considered in all aspects as illustrative only and not restrictive in any manner. 
         [0048]    As described above and shown in the associated drawings and exhibits, the present invention comprises a portable high speed digital camera. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be understood, however, that the invention is not limited thereto, since modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. It is, therefore, contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications that incorporate those features or those improvements that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Technology Category: g