UniBody Dual-Lens Mount for a Spherical Camera

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016274338-A1
Application number	US-201615057896-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 1, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A spherical camera includes two oppositely-oriented lenses rigidly secured by a unibody dual-lens mount. The unibody dual-lens mount includes two lens barrel that are laterally offset from each other. Each lens barrel secures a lens and has a top, a midsection and a bottom along its axial length, where the midsection is located between the top and the bottom. A first base portion extends radially outward from the bottom of a first lens barrel to join the midsection of a second lens barrel. A second base portion extends radially outward from a bottom of the second lens barrel to join a midsection of the first lens barrel. The base portions may be approximately perpendicular to central axes of the lens barrels. Additionally, the first lens barrel can be approximately parallel to the second lens barrel, and the first base portion can be approximately parallel to the second base portion.

First claim

1 . A dual-lens mount comprising:
a first lens barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape, the first lens barrel having a top, a bottom and a midsection, the midsection of the first lens barrel being between the top of the first lens barrel and the bottom of the first lens barrel; a second lens barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape, the second lens barrel having a top, a bottom and a midsection, the midsection of the second lens barrel being between the top of the second lens barrel and the bottom of the second lens barrel; a first base portion extending in an outward radial direction from the bottom of the first lens barrel and joined with the midsection of the second lens barrel; a second base portion extending in an outward radial direction from the bottom of the second lens barrel and joined with the midsection of the first lens barrel; wherein the top of the first lens barrel extends past a bottom surface of the second base portion, and the top of the second lens barrel extends past a bottom surface of the first base portion.

2 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein the first lens barrel, the second lens barrel, the first base portion and the second base portion comprise a unibody construction having a common material.

3 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein the midsection of the first lens barrel includes a midpoint halfway between the top and the bottom of the first lens barrel, and the midsection of the second lens barrel includes a midpoint halfway between the top and the bottom of the second lens barrel.

4 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein the midsection of the first lens barrel is closer to the top of the first lens barrel than the bottom of the first lens barrel, and the midsection of the second lens barrel is closer to the top of the second lens barrel than the bottom of the second lens barrel.

5 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the first lens barrel is approximately equal to a diameter of the second lens barrel.

6 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein an axial length of the first lens barrel is approximately equal to an axial length of the second lens barrel.

7 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the first barrel connector is approximately equal to a thickness of the second barrel connector.

8 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein the first base portion and the second portion are approximately parallel to each other.

9 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein a central axis of the first lens barrel and a central axis of the second lens barrel are approximately parallel to each other.

10 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein the first base portion is approximately perpendicular to central axes of the first and second lens barrels, and the second base portion is approximately perpendicular to central axes of the first and second lens barrels.

11 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein thicknesses of the first base portion and the second base portion are less than axial lengths of the first lens barrel and the second lens barrel.

12 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein a distance between an outer cylindrical surface of the first lens barrel and an outer cylindrical surface of the second lens barrel is smaller than diameters of the first and second lens barrels.

13 . The dual-lens mount of claim 1 , wherein the first barrel connector and the second barrel connector are substantially rectangular.

14 . A dual-lens assembly comprising:
a first lens barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape, the first lens barrel having a top, a bottom and a midsection, the midsection of the first lens barrel being between the top of the first lens barrel and the bottom of the first lens barrel; a second lens barrel having a hollow cylindrical shape, the second lens barrel having a top, a bottom and a midsection, the midsection of the second lens barrel being between the top of the second lens barrel and the bottom of the second lens barrel; a first base portion extending in an outward radial direction from the bottom of the first lens barrel and joined with the midsection of the second lens barrel; a second base portion extending in an outward radial direction from the bottom of the second lens barrel and joined with the midsection of the first lens barrel; a first lens secured to the first lens barrel; and a second lens secured to the second lens barrel; wherein the top of the first lens extends past the bottom surface of the second base portion, and the second lens extends past the bottom surface of the first base portion.

15 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 14 , wherein the top of the first lens barrel extends past the bottom surface of the second barrel connector, and the top of the second lens barrel extends past the bottom surface of the first barrel connector.

16 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 14 , further comprising:
a first lens mount protruding from the first lens barrel, the first lens mount securing the first lens to the first lens barrel; and a second lens mount protruding from the second lens barrel, the second lens mount securing the second lens to the second lens barrel.

17 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 16 , wherein the first lens mount encases a bottom surface and an edge of the first lens, and the second lens mount encases a bottom surface and an edge of the second lens.

18 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 14 , further comprising:
a first circuit board; a first securing structure securing a top surface of the first circuit board to the bottom surface of the first base portion; a second circuit board; and a second securing structure securing a top surface of the second circuit board to the bottom surface of the second base portion; wherein the first lens extends past a bottom surface of the second circuit board, and the second lens extends past a bottom surface of the first circuit board.

19 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 18 , wherein the top of the first lens barrel extends past the bottom surface of the second circuit board, and the top of the second lens barrel extends past the bottom surface of the first circuit board.

20 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 18 , wherein the first and second securing structures each comprise one or more fasteners, the dual-lens assembly further comprising:
a compressible foam element positioned between at least one of the one or more fasteners and the first or second circuit board.

21 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 20 , wherein the first and second securing structures each comprise three fasteners, one of the three fasteners having a piece of compressible foam position between the fastener and the first or second circuit board.

22 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 18 , wherein the first and second circuit boards are approximately parallel to each other.

23 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 18 , wherein a first image circle of the first lens is off-center relative to a first photosite of a first image sensor mounted on the first circuit board;

24 . The dual-lens assembly of claim 23 , wherein a second image circle of the second lens is off-center relative to a second photosite of a second image sensor mounted on the second circuit board in a direction towards the first lens.

25 . A camera comprising:
a camera body; a first lens protruding from the camera body; a second lens protruding from the camera body; a unibod

Assignees

• Gopro Inc

Inventors

• Davies Joshua P
• Tolbert William H

Classifications

• H04N23/698

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

• H04N23/45

  for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images · CPC title

• H04N23/55

  Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof · CPC title

• G02B7/02

  for lenses {(supports for magnifying lenses G02B25/002)} · CPC title

• G02B13/06 Primary

  Panoramic objectives; So-called "sky lenses" {including panoramic objectives having reflecting surfaces} · CPC title