A digital video camera for mounting on and capturing a moving person or object

摘要

An integrated point of view digital video camera operable for mounting to a person, a vehicle, or equipment and operable for capturing video during motion of the person, the vehicle, or the equipment. The camera includes a camera housing containing a lens and an image sensor. The camera housing defines a housing plane and the image sensor is operable for capturing light propagating through the lens and representing a scene during motion of the person, the vehicle, or the equipment. The image sensor produces image data representing an image of the scene that is oriented with respect to a horizontal image plane, and the lens and the image sensor have an orientation that is adjustable with respect to the housing plane. The camera includes a mounting mechanism for mounting of the camera housing to the person, the vehicle, or the equipment. The camera includes a horizon adjustment control for adjusting with respect to the housing plane an orientation of the horizontal image plane of the image of the scene. The horizon adjustment control forms part of the housing but is operationally independent of the mounting mechanism to enable adjustment of the orientation of the horizontal image plane when the camera housing is securely mounted to the person, the vehicle, or the equipment. A control axis extends through the camera housing. The horizon adjustment control has a rotary controller that is operable for rotation about the control axis to rotate the lens and the image sensor which are supported in rotational congruence with the rotary controller and thereby change the orientation of the horizontal image place with respect to the housing plane such that the image sensor is operable to produce image data with respect to the orientation of the horizontal image plane.