Stereoscopic Camera Parallel Axes Adjustable Spacing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Stereoscopic image systems with toed-in cameras suffer from geometric distortions, such as keystone distortion, which reduce the user's feeling of presence and precision in remote operations, potentially causing nausea, fatigue, and visual phoria.
Innovation Solution
A stereoscopic camera with parallel optical axes and coplanar image sensors that allows for adjustable lens spacing while maintaining the geometrical relationship, reducing geometric distortions and enabling precise control in visual telepresence applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If cameras are positioned in a toed-in configuration to capture stereoscopic images, then binocular depth cues are provided, but geometric distortion occurs causing keystone-shaped images
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system dynamically adjusts the spacing between the two cameras along the optical axis, allowing the stereoscopic image scale to be varied while maintaining parallel optical axes. This dynamic adjustment enables optimization of depth perception without introducing geometric distortion, as the cameras remain in a non-toed-in configuration throughout the scaling process.
2Measurement precision
If camera spacing is increased to improve depth perception, then binocular depth cues are enhanced, but image scale changes causing geometric distortion
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of camera spacing along the optical axis while maintaining the parallel orientation of optical axes. This parameter adjustment allows the stereoscopic image scale to be varied (enlarged or reduced) without introducing keystone distortion, as the fundamental geometric relationship between cameras remains parallel rather than toed-in.
3Measurement precision
If stereoscopic image scale is enlarged to improve visibility, then detail inspection capability is enhanced, but geometric distortion increases reducing presence feeling
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system dynamically adjusts camera spacing to enlarge the stereoscopic image scale while maintaining parallel optical axes configuration. This dynamic scaling approach allows improved visibility of workpiece details and inspection capabilities without introducing the geometric distortion that would reduce the operator's feeling of presence.
4Manufacturing precision
If parallel optical axes are used to eliminate geometric distortion, then image geometric accuracy is improved, but depth cue effectiveness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the spacing parameter between cameras along the optical axis while maintaining parallel orientation. This allows the stereoscopic image scale to be adjusted to optimize depth cue effectiveness, ensuring that sufficient binocular disparity is captured to provide meaningful depth perception while avoiding geometric distortion through the parallel axes configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A stereoscopic camera and associated method for capturing a stereoscopic image pair are provided. As an example, a stereoscopic camera includes first and second lenses defining parallel optical axes. The stereoscopic camera also includes first and second image sensors for receiving optical signals from the first and second lenses. The first and second fields of view are defined so as to overlap to define a first area of coincidence when the first and second lenses are spaced apart by a first distance. The first and second lenses are configured to be repositioned to be spaced apart by a second distance with the first and second image sensors being correspondingly repositioned to alter a space therebetween such that the first and second fields of view overlap to define a second area of coincidence when the first and second lenses are spaced apart by the second distance.