HDReye™ Camera Details

Geometry

The HDReye Model 1 has six cameras arranged on the faces of a cube. Each camera consists of a 1.2 Mpixel color CMOS sensor and a color light meter. The standard lens configuration is 2.9 mm f/8.0 in an M12 mount, providing approximately a 145° field of view and a depth of field ranging from about six inches to infinity.

As illustrated in the figure, each camera captures one-sixth of the view. Color information, lens corrections, and panoramic stitching must be applied in post processing to produce a seamless full-sphere image. The figure also shows the relationship between cube faces and the images in the finished image strip.

Connections

Each camera face connects internally to a data buffer and controller subsystem that connects to a Windows XP PC over a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed port. The USB cable may extend up to 5 meters. Additional length is possible through the use of an active USB extension cable.

The camera system does not draw power from the USB cable. A separate connection is provided for an external battery. The standard cable assembly bundles the battery and USB cables together to permit the camera head to be placed up to 5 meters away from the controlling PC and battery pack. The camera is shipped with a long life Li-polymer battery to provide extended run time, suitable for use with a laptop at a remote location.

Customization

To support dimmer environments, 2.9mm f/2.0 lenses are also available, providing the same field of view and a depth of field running from about 1 foot to infinity.

To support brighter environments, ND Gel material may be placed behind the lens mounts. Installation of specific density Gel is an available configuration option for all models of the HDReye.

The underlying hardware platform can be customized to support from one to six camera sensors. Customization to use fewer sensors would primarily require adjustment to the physical packaging to accomodate the desired number of sensors in the desired arrangement.