FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention is in the field of camera mounts and supports, more particularly camera mounts that support multiple cameras to produce multiple simultaneous images that can be combined to produce a larger image than that produced by any single camera.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION:

Camera mounts, stands, tripods, and supports are well known. 360-degree camera mounts and resulting panoramic photographic works are also well known. Many camera mounts accommodate four, six, or more cameras, and thus the complexity of generating a contiguous mosaic of images is correspondingly complicated, with complexity increasing with the number of cameras. It is a goal of the present invention to create a three dimensional coverage of all spatial angles in a sphere, as well as to create 360 degrees of longitudinal coverage about a single polar axis, with finite angular coverage above and below a plane perpendicular to that single polar axis.

The present invention is a cost effect improvement to the existing available products. The present embodiment of the invention is designed to be used with certain cameras readily available in the marketplace such as GoPro-like cameras, and, specifically the GoPro Hero4. The current invention reduces the total cameras used to specifically three in one embodiment and two in another while all the competitive products require more then three. The PTRIG currently has specially designed fisheye lenses that are attached to the cameras. This invention also has a unique cover and retainer element which secures the cameras within the housing as well as esthetically forming a portion of the external form factor. SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In its present embodiment, the invention is a support structure that can house and contain three individual cameras, each of which is oriented at approximately 120 angular degrees from one another. Each camera, with the aid of a wide angle or fisheye lens, can produce an image representing greater than 120 angular degrees from the focal point of the camera along a horizontal axis. The respective images produced by all three cameras overlap, and thus can produce 360 angular degrees of visual coverage along a horizontal axis from the center line of the camera support structure. The image of the first camera overlaps the image of the second to the right and the third to the left, the image of the second camera overlaps the image of the third to the right and the first to the left, and the image of the third camera overlaps the image of the first to the right and the second to the left. With 180 degrees or greater coverage in the vertical, or 90 degrees above the horizontal axis or horizon and 90 degrees below the horizontal axis or horizon, full spherical coverage is achieved in both the horizontal and the vertical, or using a global analogy, in longitude and latitude. In other words, and using the global analogy, there can be coverage along the equator for a full 360 degree coverage along the equator, and there is vertical coverage from the north pole to the south pole.

In this embodiment, the invention can be a three camera support structure comprising of: at least one housing with a central vertical axis comprising of a first cavity and/or attachment zone in the housing to contain and align a first camera oriented to view a first image centered along a first optical axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis; a second cavity and/or attachment zone in the housing to contain and align a second camera oriented to view a second image centered along a second optical axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis and 120 degrees from the first optical axis; a third cavity and/or attachment zone in the housing to contain and align a third camera oriented to view a third image centered along a third optical axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis and 120 degrees from the second optical axis and 120 degrees from the first optical axis. There can be at least one hole and/or threaded hole to secure a removeable attachment bracket. There can be at least one first opening on the bottom of the housing to permit access to at least one electrical connector located on the first camera and at least one second opening on the bottom of the housing to permit access to at least one electrical connector located on the second camera and at least one third opening on the bottom of the housing to permit access to at least one electrical connector located on the third camera. There can also be at least one removeable attachment bracket securing with screws or other attachment device to the bottom of the housing. There can also be a retainer element or cover that forms a portion of the external form factor of the three camera support structure with a first hole and/or slot and a second hole and/or slot and a third hole and/or slot, and the retainer element or cover can slide over and mate with the housing to contain and secure the first camera and second camera and third camera, and the first hole and/or slot is oriented over the lens area of the first camera and the second hole and/or slot is oriented over the lens area of the second camera and the third hole and/or slot is oriented over the lens area of the third camera. At least one attachment screw or other device can attach the retainer element or cover to the housing. There can also be a first wide-angle and/or fisheye lens that affixes to the first camera and a second wide-angle and/or fisheye lens that affixes to the second camera and a third wide-angle and/or fisheye lens that affixes to the third camera. In this arrangement, the first image can overlap or align with the edge of both the second image and third image, the second image can overlap or align with the edge of both the first image and third image, and the third image can overlap or align with the edge of both the first image and second image.

In this embodiment, the first camera, second camera, and third camera can be GoPro or GoPro-like cameras. The first camera and second camera and third camera can all be oriented such that each respective camera's horizontal axis is the vertical axis when mounted in the housing. The removeable attachment bracket can be a screw attachment component comprising of a planer element with three attachment holes for attachment to the housing; a centrally located hole with female threads to permit mating with and attachment to a support bolt and/or shaft possessing a male thread, and the planar element when attached to the housing positions the centrally located hole to be coaxial to the central vertical axis. The removeable attachment bracket can also be a swivel pin joint attachment component comprising of a planar element with three attachment holes for attachment to the housing; with a flange attached to and perpendicular to the planar element, with the flange comprising of two parallel planar members with holes which permit attachment to a receiving element with a male shaft and/or threaded male shaft that passes through the two parallel planar members with holes, thus permitting either rotation or compression and locking, and the planar element when attached to the housing can permit tilting about one axis of rotation, and this axis of rotation can be perpendicular to the central vertical axis. The removeable attachment bracket can also be a ball joint attachment component comprising of a planar element with three attachment holes for attachment to the housing; a centrally located ball or socket attaching to the planar element, thus permitting attachment to a mating socket or ball on a separate attachment structure; and the planar element when attached to the housing thus permitting tilting about any axis in the horizontal plane that is parallel to the bottom of the housing or permitting roll and pitch and yaw rotation about and between the housing and the separate attachment structure.

The housing and retainer element or cover, when mated can have an equilateral triangular prismatic shape with rounded edges, though is not limited to this shape and can be of another shape.

The invention can further comprise at least one stand and/or support removeably attachable to the removeable attachment bracket. The stand and/or support can permit at least one degree of freedom and/or rotation between the housing and at least one portion of the stand and/or support. The invention can further comprise a means to combine and/or stitch and/or mate three images resident in the memory on an external computing machine to produce one continuous and/or contiguous 360-image at an angle centered about and laying within the plane perpendicular to said central vertical axis and containing the first optical axis and the second optical axis and the third optical axis.

In the invention, the first image and second image and third image can cover an angle of 90 degrees or greater above and 90 degrees or greater below the plane perpendicular to the central vertical axis and containing the first optical axis and the second optical axis and the third optical axis.

The invention can further comprise a lighting or illumination system and/or a means to support a lighting or illumination system.

The invention can further comprise at least one external microphone and/or a means to support at least one external microphone and/or other audio component.

The invention can further comprise software to run on an external computing machine for editing three images and/or video data streams and/or content to produce a single contiguous image and/or data stream and/or content representing a panoramic 360-degree view about the central vertical axis, and the three images and/or video data streams can comprise of a first image and/or video data stream derived from a first camera mounted on the three camera support structure and a second image and/or video data stream derived from a second camera mounted on the three camera support structure and a third image and/or video data stream derived from a third camera mounted on the three camera support structure. The single contiguous image can be a single contiguous image with no gaps.

The three camera support structure can be such that said "third cavity and/or attachment zone in said housing to contain and align a third camera oriented to view a third image centered along a third optical axis " is more than one cavity and/or attachment zone in said housing to contain and align more than one camera oriented to view more than one image centered along more than one optical axis. The invention further comprises a method of use for a three camera support ^' structure comprising at least one of the following steps: removing at least one of the original lens from at least one camera or removing a first original lens from a first camera and a second original lens from a second camera and a third original lens from a third camera, placing at least one camera into the housing or placing a first camera into the housing and placing a second camera into the housing and placing a third camera into the housing, sliding the retainer element or cover over the housing to secure at least one camera or a first camera and a second camera and a third camera, securing the retainer element or cover to the housing with at least one screw, attaching at least one other lens to at least one camera or attaching at least one other first lens to at least one first camera and attaching at least one other second lens to at least one second camera and attaching at least one other third lens to at least one third camera, attaching the removeable attachment bracket to the bottom of the housing, and/or attaching the removeable attachment bracket to at least one stand and/or support.

In another embodiment a two camera support structure comprising of at least one housing with a central vertical axis comprising of a first cavity and/or attachment zone in said housing to contain and align a first camera oriented to view a first image centered along a first optical axis that is perpendicular to said vertical axis, a second cavity and/or attachment zone in said housing to contain and align a second camera oriented to view a second image centered along a second optical axis that is perpendicular to said vertical axis, at least one hole and/or threaded hole to secure a removeable attachment bracket; at least one first opening on the bottom of said housing to permit access to at least one electrical connector located on said first camera and at least one second opening on the bottom of said housing to permit access to at least one electrical connector located on said second camera and; at least one removeable attachment bracket securing with screws or other attachment device to the bottom of said housing; a retainer element or cover that forms a portion of the external form factor of said two camera support structure with a first hole and/or slot and a second hole, said retainer element or cover slides over and mates with said housing to contain and secure at least said first camera and said second camera, said first hole and/or slot oriented over the lens area of said first camera and said second hole and/or slot oriented over the lens area of said second camera; at least one attachment device and/or screw to attach said retainer element or cover to said at least one housing; at least one of each of: a first wide-angle and/or fisheye lens that affixes to said first camera and a second wide-angle and/or fisheye lens that affixes to said second camera; said first image overlaps or aligns with the edge of said second image, said second image overlaps or aligns with the edge of said first image.

The two camera support structure may use as said first camera and said second camera GoPro or GoPro-like cameras. Said first camera and said second camera and if present additional cameras are all oriented such that each respective camera's horizontal axis is the vertical axis when mounted in said housing. The two camera support structure uses as a removeable attachment bracket at least one of:

a screw attachment component comprising of:

a planer element with three attachment holes for attachment to said housing;

a centrally located hole with female threads to permit mating with and attachment to a support bolt and/or shaft possessing a male thread, said planar element when attached to said housing positions said centrally located hole to be coaxial to said central vertical axis; a swivel pin joint attachment component comprising of:

a planar element with three attachment holes for attachment to said housing;

a flange attached to and perpendicular to said planar element, said flange comprising of two parallel planar members with holes which permit attachment to a receiving element with a male shaft and/or threaded male shaft that passes through said two parallel planar members with holes, thus permitting either rotation or compression and locking;

said planar element when attached to said housing permits tilting about one axis of rotation, said axis of rotation being perpendicular to said central vertical axis; a ball joint attachment component comprising of:

a planar element with three attachment holes for attachment to said housing;

a centrally located ball or socket attaching to said planar element, thus permitting attachment to a mating socket or ball on a separate attachment structure;

said planar element when attached to said housing thus permitting tilting about any axis in the horizontal plane that is parallel to the bottom of said housing or permitting roll and pitch and yaw rotation about and between said housing and said separate attachment structure. The two camera support structure can further be comprised of a stand and/or support removeably attachable to said removeable attachment bracket wherein said stand and/or support permits at least one degree of freedom and/or rotation between said housing and at least one portion of said stand and/or support. The two camera support structure can further be comprised of a means to combine and/or stitch and/or mate two images resident in the memory or other storage on or in or attached to an external computing machine or other smart device to produce one continuous image at an angle centered about and laying within the plane perpendicular to said central vertical axis and containing said first optical axis and said second optical axis. The two camera support structure can be wherein said first image and said second image covers an angle of 90 degrees or greater above and 90 degrees or greater below the plane perpendicular to said central vertical axis and containing said first optical axis and said second optical axis.

The two camera support structure can be further comprising a lighting or illumination system and/or a means to support a lighting or illumination system.

The two camera support structure may further have at least one external microphone and/or a means to support at least one external microphone and/or other audio component.

The two camera support structure can further have software to run on or in connection with an external computing machine or other smart device for editing at least two images and/or video data streams and/or content to produce a single contiguous image and/or data stream and/or content representing a panoramic 360- degree view about said central vertical axis, said at least two images and/or video data streams comprising of a first image and/or video data stream derived from a first camera mounted on said two camera support structure and a second image and/or video data stream derived from a second camera mounted on said two camera support structure and if present additional images and/or video data stream.

The two camera support structure can be wherein said single contiguous image is a single contiguous image with no gaps.

A method of use for a two camera support structure can be comprised of at least one of the following steps:

removing at least one original lens from at least one camera or removing first original lens from a first camera and a second original lens from a second camera; placing at least one camera into the housing or placing a first camera into the housing and placing a second camera into the housing; sliding the retainer element or cover over the housing to secure at least one camera or a first camera and a second camera; securing the retainer element or cover to the housing with at least one screw; attaching at least one other lens to at least one camera or attaching at least one other first lens to at least one first camera and attaching at least one other second lens to at least one second camera; attaching the removeable attachment bracket to the bottom of the housing; attaching the removeable attachment bracket to at least one stand and/or support.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention should not be limited to the described preferred embodiments. Rather, various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 depicts an exploded diagram of the components of the camera support structure.

Fig. 2 depicts a view of the housing.

Fig. 3 depicts the retainer element or cover.

Fig. 4 depicts a typical fisheye lens.

Fig. 5 depicts one view of a removeable attachment bracket. Fig. 6 depicts another view of the same removeable attachment bracket depicted in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 depicts the removeable attachment bracket depicted in Fig. 6 and Fig. 5 as it would attach to an assembly.

Fig. 8 depicts a bottom view of the assembly with different style of removeable attachment bracket.

Fig. 9 depicts an assembled camera support structure attached to a multi-axis attachment arm.

Fig.10 depicts a view from above of the camera support structure.

Components:

housing 1

retainer element or cover 2

fisheye lens 3

fisheye lens 3 A

fisheye lens 3B

fisheye lens 3C

removeable attachment bracket 4A

different style of removeable attachment bracket 4B

camera 10A

camera 10B

camera IOC

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 depicts an exploded diagram showing the basic components of the camera support structure. Shown is the housing 1 (labeled) in which fits a first camera 10A within a first cavity and/or attachment zone, a second camera 10B within a second cavity and/or attachment zone, and a third camera IOC within a third cavity and/or attachment zone, not labeled. Camera 10A, camera 10B, and camera IOC are not part of the invention but are depicted to clarify the means in which the cameras attach to the invention. Also shown is the retainer element or cover 2 that fits over the housing 1 after the three cameras are inserted into their respective cavities. Not shown are attachment screws to secure the retainer element or cover 2 to the housing 1. Also shown is fisheye lens 3 (3 A) that attaches to camera 10A, fisheye lens 3 (3B) that attaches to camera 10B, and fisheye lens 3 (3C) not shown that attaches to camera IOC after the retainer element or cover 2 is securely in place and securing the three cameras. Also shown is removeable attachment bracket 4 (4 A) that attaches to the bottom of housing 1.

Fig. 2 depicts a view of the housing 1. The three cavities are seen which conform to and contain the three cameras.

Fig. 3 depicts the retainer element or cover 2. The large holes can be seen that fits over the lens area of each respective camera. Fig. 4 depicts a typical fisheye lens 3. The threads can be seen which screw into mating threads on a camera. In the embodiment depicted of the invention there are three lenses, fisheye lens 3 A that will screw into camera 10A, fisheye lens 3B that will screw into camera 10B, and fisheye lens 3C that will screw into camera IOC. Fig. 5 depicts one view of a removeable attachment bracket 4A. The three attachment holes will mate with three corresponding locations in the bottom of housing 1, and tilting can occur about a centerline that passes through the centers of the holes within the two parallel flanges at the bottom. Fig. 6 depicts another view of the same removeable attachment bracket depicted in Fig. 5. The three countersunk attachment holes mate with three corresponding locations in the bottom of housing 1 , and tilting can occur about a centerline that passes through the centers of the holes within the two parallel flanges at the bottom. Fig. 7 depicts the removeable attachment bracket 4A attached to the assembly containing the housing 1 , two cameras (with the third hidden and not seen because it is in the back), and the retainer element or cover 2. Fig. 8 depicts a bottom view of the assembly with different style of removeable attachment bracket 4B attached to the bottom of housing 1 in an assembly. In this different style of removeable attachment bracket 4B a centrally located female thread is shown and would mate with a male thread (not shown). Fig. 9 depicts an assembled camera support structure attached to a multi-axis tiltable attachment arm. Two f sheye lenses are shown attached to two cameras mounted at 120 angular degrees to one another.

Fig.10 depicts a view from above of the camera support structure. Two attached fisheye lenses are shown, each attached to its respective camera. A third fisheye lens is unattached. The overall triangular prismatic shape can be seen.

DEFINITIONS

GoPro-like camera(s): a camera that has the same form factor as the GoPro Hero4 camera.

Panorama: An unobstructed and wide view of an extensive area. An extended pictorial representation of a landscape or other scene, often exhibited a part at a time before spectators. In the context of this invention, an unobstructed view can be so wide as to cover a full 360 degrees of angular coverage, thus forming contiguous or overlapping images. If three cameras can each record a respective image of greater than 120 angular degrees, then three images can guarantee that a first camera's image can intersect a second camera's image, and the second camera's image can intersect a third camera's image, and the third camera's image can intersect the first camera's image. The totality of the three combined images can be called a panoramic image or view. Also in the context of this invention, a panoramic view can include coverage above and below the horizon, or optical centerline, and this coverage can be up to, including, and greater than 180 angular degrees. Thus, this can guarantee full spherical coverage at any angle from the center of a sphere.

Pitch, roll, and yaw: using an airplane analogy, if the airplane is flying straight and level and parallel to the ground and oriented in an x, y, z coordinate system (in which x is perpendicular to y and z, y is perpendicular to x and z, and z is perpendicular to x and y), and the y axis is oriented through the fuselage from the front to the back, and the x axis is oriented through the wings from wingtip to wingtip, and the z axis is oriented vertically through the fuselage and perpendicular to the ground, then pitch is rotation about the x axis (or the rotation caused by action of the plane's elevator control surface), roll is rotation about the y axis (or the rotation caused by action of the plane's aileron control surfaces), and yaw is rotation about the z axis (or the rotation caused by action of the plane's rudder control surface). In a description of a ball joint which employs a ball and socket arrangement with a locking screw, pitch, roll, and yaw are permitted, and tightening a locking screw permits a three degree of freedom angular orientation between two elements to be temporarily set.

Spherical: Having the form of a sphere. Formed in or on a sphere, as a geometrical figure. Pertaining to a sphere or spheres.

Stand and/or support can be anything including but not limited to a free standing tripod, steadicam, a bracket customized for attachment to another machine, mechanism, vehicle, car, motorcycle, scooter, pushcart, bicycle, skate board, truck, train, tractor, tank, military vehicle of any kind, drone, helicopter, airplane, airship, balloon, boat, submarine, satellite, spaceship, missile and/or rocket propelled device, hat, helmet, human or animal, building, temporary or permanent structure, or device. The stand and/or support can contain any number of elements to enable proper and utilitarian interface between the removeable attachment bracket and another device.

Stitch: in the context of the invention, to stitch images together is to mate the left edge or side or a portion of the left side or edge of one image to the right edge or side or a portion of the right edge or side of another image to produce a resultant image that is comprising parts of each image. This can involve the alignment of the edge of one image with the edge of an adjacent image, thus producing a continuous or contiguous image across the boundaries of both images to produce a single resultant image. This can also involve the overlapping of one image with another, and combining redundant elements of both images. For instance, if image 1 is four inches vertically and ten inches horizontally, and image 2 is four inches vertically and ten inches horizontally, the right side of image 1 can be overlapped by one inch over the left side of image 2. Thus, for illustrative purposes only, a one inch strip of image on the right side of image 1 can be overlapped with a one inch strip of the left side of image two. There may not be total alignment between these two images in the overlapped region, and some mathematical averaging may be necessary to produce a contiguous stitched composite image that is four inches high and eighteen inches wide (with each image losing an inch of horizontal width due to the image overlapping). Three images can be stitched together in such a manner that the right side of a first image can be stitched to the left side of a second image, and the right side of the second image can be stitched to the left side of a third image, and the right side of the third image can be stitched to the left side of the first image, thus producing a 360-degree panoramic image produced from three individual images stitched together along three lines and/or strips and/or areas of overlap. This stitching function can produce images that cover a full 360 degrees horizontally and 180 degrees vertically, thus completely mapping full spherical coverage. Disclaimer

THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS OF THIS INVENTION ARE COMPATIBLE WITH AND WORKS WITH (USED IN CONNECTION WITH) GOPRO® HER04 CAMERAS. GOPRO, HERO, THESE CAMERA'S THEMSELVES ARE NOT PART OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION.

THE GOPRO LOGO, AND THE GOPRO BE A HERO LOGO ARE TRADEMARKS OF GOPRO, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.