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Posts Tagged ‘patents’

DJI patents land-based vehicle with built-in camera and new gimbal system

21 Dec

Newly discovered Chinese patents hint at the upcoming launch of two new DJI products, including a gimbal or sorts that looks like a smaller version of the Ronin 2, as well as a motorized vehicle with a built-in camera. The latter product may be a land-based alternative to the company’s expansive drone lineup, giving users a way to surveil an area from the ground and capture new types of action shots.

The camera car, which DroneDJ says is listed with the term ‘vehicle’ in the patents, resembles a mechanical rover with a camera attached to the top. Based on the patent illustration, the vehicle appears to have large rugged wheels, hinting at a design that may accommodate off-road use, as well as a series of shocks and dampeners to reduce vibrations.

According to DroneDJ, the patent reveals that the DJI camera car’s wheels can rotate 360-degrees and that the camera’s height can be adjusted.

Joining the camera car patent is another patent detailing a handheld device that looks like a gimbal similar to the company’s existing Ronin 2 product. The patent refers to this product as a ‘stabilizing device’ that includes a ‘handheld gimbal device.’ The product may feature a removable cage that makes it possible to attach the gimbal to different devices, potentially including the camera car detailed in the other DJI patent.

Based on the patent, this stabilizer features two handles, a removable camera, as well as physical controls that include a focus wheel and buttons.

As with any patent, it is possible that DJI will never actually bring either of these products to the market. However, the existence of both indicates the company is exploring an expansion of its product line that’ll appeal to filmmakers and that it may move beyond aerial vehicles to also offer land-based vehicles capable of transporting camera equipment.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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OPPO patents foldable phone with pop-up camera

12 Jun

Back in February at the 2019 Mobile World Congress, we saw the launch of a new form factor for smartphones: several manufacturers showed phones with folding displays, including Samsung with the Galaxy Fold and Huawei with the Mate X.

OPPO’s foldable prototype got less media coverage but the company had already filed for a foldable-phone-patent with the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) back in October 2018. Now the patent has been published, including several design sketches and full color renders.

The new design’s stand-out feature is the pop-up camera that allows for reduced bezel sizes and means that pictures and videos can be recorded in both in the phone’s folded and unfolded states. Additionally, the camera hardware could be used for selfie-shooting although camera control and image processing would likely have to be modified for front camera use.

As this is a design patent no specs are available but, like with the MWC prototype, the screen folds outwards and there’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Samsung’s foldable phone has been delayed indefinitely due to technical issues and the Mate X has not made it into shops yet. This said, it’s likely a temporary delay and it’s only question of time before consumers will hold foldable phones in their hands. We are looking forward to seeing how other manufacturers will design camera implementations for the new form factor and how the design can help take mobile photography to the next step.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung patents wraparound phone display with unique photography features

30 Apr

Dutch website Let’s Go Digital has uncovered a Samsung patent that details a wraparound mobile phone display. Unlike the company’s folding phone, this recently approved patent shows a flexible display that wraps from the front of the phone up over the top and down partially across the back. Among other uses, the rear display could be used to provide an image preview to the photo’s subjects.

An illustration from the patent showing how the secondary display can be used to help the subject see themself in the frame.

The patent describes multiple potential uses for the rear display, including as a camera preview. A translation of the section describing this potential use reads:

For example, at operation 1620, the electronic device may confirm to the user that he wants to selfie. When the self-portrait mode is selected, the control unit of the electronic device can activate the rear display provided in the same direction as the direction in which the camera is mounted. The preview image generated in operation 1660 may be displayed through the activated rear display.

Who needs a high-resolution front-facing camera when a secondary display can turn the main camera unit into a selfie cam?

Though the idea of a dual-display smartphone isn’t new, Samsung’s method — using a flexible OLED panel for a seamless wraparound screen — is unique. Of note, this arrangement could enable users to capture selfies using the device’s superior rear camera in lieu of the front-facing camera.

As with any patent, it’s possible Samsung may never bring a device featuring this technology to market.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung patents zoom camera in an S-Pen stylus

07 Feb

Samsung has recently been granted a camera-related patent, but not for technology used in the camera of a smartphone. Instead the patent, which was originally filed back in February of 2017, is for an S-Pen stylus with a built-in zoom camera.

The document is titled ‘Electronic pen device having optical zoom’ and describes an S-Pen that comes with an optical system embedded towards the upper end. Four lens elements are aligned in front of an image sensor. The optical system is connected to a communications module which transmits the captured image data back to the host device. There is also a control key which could adjust the zoom factor or trigger other functions.

Image: Patently Mobile

In the technical drawing above you can see the the four main components of the system: optical system, image sensor, control key, and controller. The image also suggests the camera S-Pen could come with a future Galaxy Note smartphone but the patent text says the pen could also be used with laptops and computer displays.

As usual there is no way of knowing if or when the technology will make it into a production device but the capability to take zoom pictures with your S-Pen while leaving the device in your pocket seems like an interesting idea.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple patents correction system for smartphone accessory lenses

26 Jul

Accessory lenses for smartphones can be useful tools for expanding the photographic capabilities of your device. However, the process of physically attaching these lenses to the smartphone and centering them above the camera lens is prone to minor but important error as even a slight misalignment can result in a drop in image quality. Additionally, the accessory lens’ optical design can have a detrimental effect on the image output.

Apple has now been granted a patent that aims to fix the problem using a two-pronged approach: by using correction software and a movable built-in camera lens.

The document describes camera hardware and an analysis and processing software that can be used to analyze image quality and detect problems potentially caused by add-on lenses. By looking at certain image metrics, the system could compare image quality before and after attaching an accessory lens and then use software algorithms to correct accordingly.

Additionally, actuators would allow to change the position of the built-in camera lens on multiple axes, in order to correct for any misalignment of the accessory lens. This could include tilting the camera and varying the distance between the built-in lens and accessory lens.

The patent suggests electronics, magnets and radio sensing among other methods to detect if an accessory lens has been attached. If the smartphone knows what exact accessory is being used, additional options in the camera app could be utilized as well.

As usual, there is no way of knowing if and when this system will make it into a production device but it certainly looks like it could make the use of accessory lenses more appealing to many of us.

You can find the complete patent document on the USPTO website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon patents fingerprint reader for cameras and lenses

30 Jan

The ability to unlock your smartphone or computer using just your fingerprint has been an option for ages, but it looks like digital cameras might not be too far behind. A recent Canon patent shows how the Japanese camera giant could implement a fingerprint ID sensor into both its camera bodies and lenses to safeguard your images and make cameras less tempting for thieves.

The patent (US Patent Application 20180012061) was first spotted by Northlight Images, goes beyond a security lockout though. The fingerprint sensor could be customized like any Custom Function button—allowing you to use different fingers to control autofocus, image stabilization, and more by simply scanning your finger while you shoot.

You can have as many custom buttons as you have conveniently placed fingers.

On the security side, the fingerprint reader could be used to completely lock out your gear, or even customize the camera for multiple ‘registered’ users. So whether it’s you, your spouse, or one of your artistically inclined children picking up the DSLR, it would immediately default to their custom settings once scanned in.

The idea, so standard or even outdated on smartphones, seems positively futuristic when you apply it to cameras. Here’s hoping this is one patent that does eventually see the light of day in real Canon products.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon patents innovative lens adapter with built-in electronic ND filter

27 Jan

A Canon patent from October, 2017 resurfaced on the Canon rumor mill today, and it describes something pretty innovative from the Japanese camera giant. The patent shows a lens adapter—ostensibly designed for a mirrorless camera—that features a built-in variable-voltage ND filter.

The ND filter component is “formed from an electrochromic device [or a liquid crystal element] which changes light transmittance on application of a voltage.” That way, you could electronically and silently change the amount of light hitting your camera’s sensor without stopping down the lens.

As Canon News points out, this would be particularly useful for video shooting, since it’s silent, and it would allow you to separate depth-of-field control from brightness (i.e. shoot with a shallow depth-of-field in bright light).

We could see this technology more readily appearing in a Cinema EOS system, but Canon has (naturally) written the patent as broadly as possible so that no one else can use the idea for stills. Canon Rumors also speculates that it might be the patent behind a rumored EF/EF-S to EF-M adapter specifically designed to adapt cinema lenses to an EF-M mount camera.

As always with patents, it’s impossible to know what parts of this idea—if any—Canon plans to bring to market. But it’s a rather innovative design that we wouldn’t mind seeing in action.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon patents 400mm F5.6 catadioptric ‘mirror’ lens

16 Dec
This diagram of the light path through Canon’s newly-patented 400mm catadioptric lens shows how the mirrors help to ‘fold’ the light path and decrease the size of the lens.

A new Canon lens patent out of Japan has been raising eyebrows around the photo community this week. The patent describes a 400mm F5.6 lens, which wouldn’t necessarily be newsworthy… except that it’s a catadioptric lens (also known as a ‘mirror’ or ‘reflex’ lens).

Catadioptric lenses went ‘out of style’ so-to-speak many years ago, but for a time they offered economical and compact alternatives to standard long telephoto lenses. The optical design of these lenses use mirrors to both ‘fold’ the optical path and magnify the image coming in, allowing for a far more compact design.

Take, for example, this Vivitar Series 1 600mm F8 catadioptric lens:

Vivitar Series 1 600mm f/8 Solid Catadioptric Lens | Photo by pointnshoot (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Other advantages of a catadioptric lens design includes very nearly eliminating chromatic aberration and off-axis aberration; but, of course, this kind of lens design doesn’t come without its drawbacks.

There are two main issues, both of them caused by the central mirrors causing an obstruction in the middle of the lens.

The first of these is that you can’t use a standard diaphragm aperture system, a problem this Canon patent seems to ‘solve’ by using a variable density ‘electrochromic’ filter to ‘stop down’ the lens—although this will obviously not have any impact on depth of field.

The second problem is the donut-shaped bokeh produced by catadioptric lenses:

Donut Bokeh Example | Photo by Hustvedt (CC BY-SA 2.0)

In the end, it seems manufacturers (or consumers) decided that the drawbacks of catadioptric lenses were not worth the ultra-compact design. But as more and more photographers seek to lighten their kit, maybe Canon sees an opportunity to bring the ‘mirror lens’ back into public consciousness.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Corephotonics sues Apple over dual-camera zoom patents

08 Nov

Israel-based company Corephotonics—which is best known for its smartphone dual-camera systems—has filed a patent infringement case against Apple in federal court. The company claims that has used Corephotonics’ dual-camera zoom technology in the iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus without authorization.

According to the complaint, Corephotonics Chief Executive David Mendlovic had attempted to negotiate a partnership with Apple. However, while Corephotonics received positive feedback on their technology from Apple, the iPhone makers refused a licensing deal, suggesting Corephotonics patents could be infringed with little consequence.

From the lawsuit:

As one of its first acts as a company, Corephotonics reached out to Apple in the hopes of establishing a strategic partnership. Corephotonics received many encouraging reports and positive feedback from Apple about its technology, but the parties never concluded a license to the Corephotonics technology.

In fact, after one failed effort to negotiate a license, Apple’s lead negotiator expressed contempt for Corephotonics’ patents, telling Dr. Mendlovic and others that even if Apple infringed, it would take years and millions of dollars in litigation before Apple might have to pay something.

Corephotonics investors include Foxconn and chipmaker MediaTek, which are both suppliers to Apple. In the lawsuit the company is represented by legal firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, which also advised Samsung Electronics on its patent litigation with Apple.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Canon patents a huge, hinged and reversible DSLR LCD

22 Oct

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A newly published Canon Japan patent might reveal the future of Canon DSLR LCD screens… and that future is massive and flippable. Originally spotted by Canon Rumors, the patent details a hinged rear LCD that is so big it hides all of the controls on the back of the camera underneath it.

As you can see from the diagrams (or read in the patent itself) the LCD is capable of lifting upward, then reversing, and is specifically designed to avoid obstructing the camera’s viewfinder. This makes it possible to view an image from the uplifted LCD and use the viewfinder during the same session.

While a hinged DSLR rear display is nothing new, Canon’s patent shows a design that would allow for a large and reversible display unlike anything we’ve seen before. In fact, the LCD shown in the patent’s illustrations covers the entire back of the camera, making it necessary to tuck the rear dial and several buttons behind it, though several others are exposed on either side of the viewfinder.

As with every patent, there’s no indication of whether or not Canon has plans to incorporate this design into an upcoming camera, but it’s one of the more curious Canon patents we’ve run across.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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