Camera assembly
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorAndrew Arthur Hunter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A camera assembly comprises a lens housing 24, an objective lens 21 mounted in the lens housing, and a stop 22 located in the lens housing. The stop 22 has a first surface 25 facing towards the objective lens 21, and this first surface is adapted to present information to a user viewing the first surface through the objective lens. The information presented is therefore visible to the user, but not exposed to wear and tear or tampering. This arrangement is particularly useful in a camera with a digital sensor, particular a low cost digital camera with a sensor such as a CMOS sensor. Such an arrangement can advantageously be used for a camera provided as an eye of a toy.
Claims15
A camera assembly, comprising:
- an optical element at a first end of the optical assembly to receive light entering the optical assembly;
- a stop, located in the optical assembly between the first optical element and the second end of the optical assembly, wherein the stop has a first surface facing towards the optical element, and wherein the first surface is adapted to present information to a user viewing the first surface through the optical element;
- and
- a sensor element to which light received through the optical element and not blocked by the stop is focussed.
A camera assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the information presented to the user relates to the nature or operation of the camera assembly, or of a device of which the camera assembly is a part.
A camera assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the camera assembly comprises one or more additional optical components.
A camera assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stop is an iris diaphragm.
A camera assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the stop is fixed to an optical element located in the lens housing.
A camera assembly as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sensor element is an optical detector which provides digital pixel values as an output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.