Coordinated camera pan tilt mechanism

US7717629B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• LifeSize Communications, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Michael Kenoyer · Austin, US
• William V. Oxford · Austin, US
• Patrick Vanderwilt · Austin, US
• Hans-Christoph Haenlein · San Jose, US
• Jonathan Kaplan · San Francisco, US
• Branko Lukic · Menlo Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 14, 2006
• Grant date: May 18, 2010
• Expiry date: Jan 16, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04N23/695
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In various embodiments, a camera may be controlled by one or more motors in a base of the camera. Cables and other components may be used to manipulate the camera lens through the side arms of the camera. Putting the motors in the base may reduce the size of the outer case of the camera and add stability. A pan motor may pan the camera while a tilt motor may move a tilt pulley relative to a lens portion of the camera (which may or may not tilt the camera depending on the panning motion of the camera). In some embodiments, images from the camera may be converted into a serialized stream and transported over a cable from the lens through a center shaft of the camera.