US 10,127,686 B2 · System including a seamless lens cover and related methods

Abstract

A seamless lens cover, and methods of forming such a seamless lens cover. The cap structure that covers a camera of a rotating panoramic camera system includes a seamless lens cover through which images are obtained by the camera. The cap structure may be injection molded at an initial lens cover thickness, and then a portion of the as molded initial lens cover thickness may be removed (e.g., by machining away) to achieve the final desired thickness. By such a method, the lens cover may be injection molded at thicknesses suitable for injection molding (e.g., about 0.06 to about 0.1 inch), after which most of the thickness may be machined away, to provide a seamless lens cover having a thickness of less than about 0.015 inch, exhibiting at least 60% transmittance to the thermal spectrum, no lensing characteristics, and no curvature effect.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A cap structure including a seamless lens cover, which cap structure forms a portion of a rotating camera system, the cap structure comprising:

a generally cylindrical hollow body including an open bottom end, a top end, and a generally cylindrical sidewall extending therebetween;
a top cap that is a separate piece relative to the top end of the generally cylindrical hollow body, the top cap being positioned or positionable over the top end of the generally cylindrical hollow body;
wherein the generally cylindrical sidewall is a lens cover through which a camera of the camera system directly obtains images, the cylindrical sidewall being seamless;
wherein the generally cylindrical sidewall has a substantially uniform thickness that is less than 0.025 inch.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System including a seamless lens cover and related methods

Life of this patent

System including a seamless lens cover and related methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19