Panoramic Camera Support With Nodal Slide for Precise Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current panoramic camera mounts are cumbersome and time-consuming to adjust, leading to difficulties in properly aligning images for panoramic photography, especially when trying to eliminate aberrations and distortions at the edge regions of wide-angle views.
Innovation Solution
A panoramic gimbal device with adjustable clamps, rails, and a nodal slide system that allows for precise alignment of the camera lens with the scene, reducing parallax and simplifying the process of capturing panoramic images by using a combination of clamps, rails, and leveling bases with securement mechanisms like rotatable screws and quick-release clamps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional panoramic camera mounts are used, then the camera can be mounted for panoramic photography, but the device becomes cumbersome and time-consuming to adjust
Solution Approach 1:
The panoramic camera mount is divided into separate functional modules: a quick-release clamp assembly for mounting the camera, a pan-tilt head for angular adjustments, and a tripod interface. Each module can be independently adjusted and locked, allowing operators to make precise adjustments without manipulating the entire device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The mount incorporates dynamic adjustment mechanisms including a pan head with rotational capability for horizontal sweeping and a tilt mechanism for vertical angle adjustment. These dynamic elements allow the camera to be positioned at various angles while maintaining stability through locking mechanisms.
2Manufacturing precision
If the camera is not properly centered on the rotatable mount, then the mount structure remains simple, but aligning film strips or digital images to produce a panoramic picture becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The pan-tilt head features an asymmetric design with the camera mounting plane offset from the rotation axis, creating a nodal point configuration. This asymmetric arrangement ensures that the camera rotates around its optical center, eliminating parallax errors and enabling precise alignment of consecutive panoramic images without requiring complex calibration procedures.
3Reliability
If adjustable lens and motor-driven mechanisms are added to eliminate aberrations, then image quality improves, but the device becomes more complex and time-consuming to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The mount incorporates a built-in bubble level that automatically indicates when the camera is properly leveled horizontally and vertically. This self-leveling feature eliminates the need for manual alignment adjustments by the operator, ensuring consistent image quality while simplifying the setup process.
Data Source
AI summary
A support for an imaging device includes a first rotatable assembly supportable by a support that rotates in a generally horizontal plane and a horizontal locking member. The imaging device includes a second rotatable assembly that rotates in a generally vertical plane. imaging device includes an interconnection structure that interconnects the first rotatable assembly to the second rotatable assembly such that the second rotatable assembly is rotatable around the first rotatable assembly at an elevation higher than the first rotatable assembly and offset laterally from the first rotatable assembly. imaging device includes the first rotatable assembly including a panning structure that rotates the support in the generally horizontal plane and a leveling base that is rotatable in a non-coplanar manner relative to the panning structure.