Inspection camera devices and methods with selectively illuminated multisensor imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10440332-B2
Application number	US-201514935878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2015
Priority date	Nov 7, 2014
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Camera head apparatus, systems, and methods for providing wide angle/panoramic images and/or video of the interior of pipes or other cavities using multiple imaging and illumination modules are disclosed.

First claim

We claim:

1. A camera head, comprising:
a housing, including:
a front housing element including a section having a rounded, half-spherical shaped section;
and;
a rear housing element coupled to the front housing element, the rear housing element including a substantially cylindrical longitudinal section;
a plurality of imaging modules disposed on or within the front element about the rounded section so as to capture images from circularly offset angles relative to each other; and
a plurality of illumination modules disposed on or within the front element between ones of the imaging modules so as the plurality of imaging modules including a first set of one or more imaging modules and a second set of one or more imaging modules;
wherein the illumination modules are selectively controlled in conjunction with an imaging operation of one or more of the imaging modules, where the operation includes adjusting the level of the light output from the first set of illumination modules so that the light output level from the first set of illumination modules is higher during a first imaging time interval than during non-imaging time intervals and the level of the light output from the second set of illumination modules is maintained at a low output level during the first time interval, and adjusting the light output of the second set of illumination modules so that the light output of the second set of illumination modules is higher during a second imaging time interval, different from the first imaging time interval while the level of the light output from the first set of illumination modules is maintained at a low output level during the second time interval; and
wherein a plurality of images captured by one or more of the imaging modules at different light output levels are combined to generate a high dynamic range (HDR) image or video.

2. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein the front housing element includes ones of a plurality of imaging module openings disposed around the rounded shape section, and wherein ones of the plurality of imaging modules are disposed on or within corresponding ones of the plurality of imaging module openings.

3. The camera head of claim 2 , wherein the front housing element further includes ones of a plurality of illumination module openings disposed between ones of the plurality of imaging module openings, and wherein ones of the plurality of illumination modules are disposed on or within corresponding ones of the plurality of illumination module openings.

4. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein the illumination modules include:
a light output window having an inner side and an outer side; and
a light emitting diode (LED) illumination element positioned in proximity to the inner side.

5. The camera head of claim 4 , wherein a cavity is formed on the inner side and wherein the LED is positioned at least partially within the cavity and against the light output window.

6. The camera head of claim 4 , wherein the illumination module includes a housing having an annular groove, an adhesive access feature, a window, and an injected adhesive between the window and housing to secure the window to the housing.

7. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein the illumination modules include:
a light output window having an inner side and an outer side; and
a laser illumination element positioned in proximity to the inner side.

8. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of imaging modules consists of six imaging modules, wherein a first imaging module is disposed at the front of the housing and the other five imaging modules are arranged on a circumference on the housing behind the first imaging module.

9. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of illumination modules comprises ten illumination modules distributed along a first and a second circumference of the housing behind the first imaging module.

10. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein each of the imaging modules include one or more imaging sensors, optics, and a transparent window.

11. The camera head of claim 10 , wherein the imaging modules include a housing having an annular groove, an adhesive access feature, and an injected adhesive between the transparent window and housing to secure the transparent window to the housing.

12. The camera head of claim 10 , wherein the field of view of ones of the plurality of imaging modules is about 160 degrees.

13. The camera head of claim 10 , wherein each of the imaging modules have a central optical axis that shares a common point or centroid in the camera head.

14. The camera head of claim 10 , wherein the field of view covered by the optics is projected entirely on an active imaging area of the imaging sensor.

15. The camera head of claim 10 , wherein the field of view covered by the optics is projected in part outside the active imaging area of the imaging sensor so that the projected FOV circumscribes the active imaging area of the imaging sensor.

16. The camera head of claim 1 , further comprising a processing element programmed to generate composite image or video output data from ones of outputs of the plurality of imaging modules.

17. The camera head of claim 16 , wherein the processing element digitally stitches or tiles imaging from the plurality of imaging modules to generate the composite image or video output.

18. The camera head of claim 16 , wherein ones of the plurality of imaging modules are synchronously controlled to generate the output image or video.

19. The camera head of claim 18 , wherein the ones of the plurality of imaging modules are synchronously controlled to have one or more of the same: ISO settings, gain settings, exposure settings, color balance settings, aperture settings, shutter timing, and exposure timing.

20. The camera head of claim 16 , wherein the light output of one or more of the illumination modules are selectively set to a maximum value during the imaging operations and selectively set to a lower value during the other time interval.

21. The camera head of claim 16 , further comprising one or more position, motion, or orientation sensors having outputs communicatively coupled to the processing element, and wherein output data from the one or more position, motion, or orientation sensors is associated and stored with the composite image or video output data in a memory of the camera head.

22. The camera head of claim 16 , further comprising a wireless communications module communicatively coupled to the processing element for transmitting the composite image or video data to an electronic computing system.

23. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein the illumination modules are LEDs and the light output of the LEDs is selectively controlled by raising the voltage applied to the LEDs.

24. The camera head of claim 23 , wherein the light output of the LEDs is periodically raised to a maximum level for at a duty cycle of about ten percent or less.

25. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein ones of the plurality of illumination modules are selectively controlled in synchronization.

26. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein ones of the plurality of illumination modules are selectively controlled to generate a maximum light output at different time intervals.

27. The camera head of claim 1 , wherein each of the illumination modules include a housing and a thermally conductive circuit element positioned in a thermal

Assignees

• Olsson Mark S
• Warren Alexander L
• Smith Nicholas A
• Martin Michael J
• Powell Scott A
• Seescan Inc

Inventors

• Olsson Mark S
• Warren Alexander L
• Smith Nicholas A
• Martin Michael J
• Powell Scott A

Classifications

• H04N23/63

  by using electronic viewfinders · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• G03B37/005 Primary

  Photographing internal surfaces, e.g. of pipe, (G03B37/02 - G03B37/06 take precedence; instruments for performing medical examinations of cavities or tubes of the body by photographic inspection A61B1/00) · CPC title

• H04N23/555

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title