Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation

Logitech Europe S.a.

Thomas R Rohlfing

W Paul Willes

Harold L Simonsen

Evan I Tree

Jeffrey B Lancaster

James H Houskeeper

Andrew J Hartsfield

Bruce E Erickson

This invention allows a video network camera to be mounted directly against a window or other transparent surface without any additional mounting hardware. The network camera can be mounted both inside and outside of a window without additional mounting hardware. A novel mounting apparatus in conjunction with an adjustable video sensor allows the user to quickly mount and make adjustments to the viewing angle of the network camera, thus reducing installation time and installation costs. In addition, the network camera can be mounted to walls, ceilings and other surfaces as necessary by using a second mounting assembly.

Network camera mounting system

A new method and apparatus for creating, positioning and manipulating a garbage matte which obscures everything outside of a three-dimensional physical set or blue stage. Effectively, the garbage matte is a 'negative' of a blue stage. What is important is that the garbage matte is created either as a virtual enclosure around all virtual objects in the virtual environment, or simply as a background color of the graphics engine generating the garbage matte. In this way, the garbage matte provides extensions of blue screens which comprise the blue stage, extending all the way around and behind the television cameras. Consequently, a compositor will not include in a composited output image those physical set elements which are masked by the virtual garbage matte. The compositor will replace areas hidden by the garbage matte with image data supplied by the computer image generator which stores the virtual environment. Furthermore, it is now possible to move the virtual location of the physical set (including the television cameras) within the virtual environment without having to readjust the position of the garbage matte relative to the model by anchoring virtual objects together so as to maintain relative position relationships at all times.

System for establishing a three-dimensional garbage matte which enables

A method and apparatus for performing a lens calibration procedure which is executed for each camera and lens pair. The calibration procedure is performed to determine the camera and lens nodal point offset and field of view, plus image offset in both the horizontal and vertical directions as a function of lens zoom and focus settings. The method includes the step of providing apparatus which enables the semi-automatic and rapid entry of data points representing lens zoom and focus setting information, thereby eliminating a source of human error. The general method includes the steps of creating a real environment and an identical virtual environment which is a copy of the real environment. The image from the virtual environment is superimposed on a monitor displaying the real environment. The camera's zoom and focus rings are incremented through a plurality of values by discrete steps. For each value, the virtual environment's settings are manipulated until the real and virtual images are identical. The values from the virtual environment are then recorded as a data point corresponding to a specific camera lens zoom and focus setting. A plurality of data points are then recorded to create the calibration dataset.

Method for measuring camera and lens properties for camera tracking

A patient-interactive method and apparatus for measuring eye refraction includes a display for producing, alternately, two spaced-apart light spots, and an aperture device for passing light from one spot through an aperture in one position, to travel to the eye, and for passing light from the other spot through an aperture in a second position, to travel to the eye. If the patient sees a single spot, the eye is properly refracting, but if he/she sees two spots, the eye is not properly refracting. Apparatus is provided to allow the patient to adjust the spacing of the light spots, and thus the angle that light enters the eye, until the patient views a single light spot. The amount of adjustment of the spacing of light spots is measured to thereby provide a measure of diopter correction necessary to correct the refraction error.

Growing community of inventors

Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Thomas R Rohlfing