P3D interesting web site

[Eugene Mitofsky <LizMitofsky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I just came across an interesting web site, with stereo cameras and
EVERYTHING else!

http://www.patents.ibm.com

I found several NEW stereo patents, 
like Minoru Inaba (Japan) April 99 and Kazuami Ito (Japan) Nov. 98

Enjoy,
Gene Mitofsky, Chicago Stereo Camera Club

Here is a sample from one (this is the overview, the site has about 11
pages, with diagrams)

A stereo camera has an automatic collimation correcting function and
excellent operability of observing right and left pictures by one finder.
Right and left photographing lenses 4R and 4L are linearly obliquely moved
by an inter-optical axis distance/focus adjusting mechanism, and corrected
to an inter-optical distance adapted to a focal distance. A composite prism
5 for synthesizing one picture by inverting the outer one-half portions of
the photographing fields of the right and left photographing lenses is
interlocked to the focal adjustment by a prism moving cam 16 to be moved
back and forth, and the focal distance point on the central extension line
of the stereo camera is disposed at the center between the right and left
finder pictures irrespective of the inter-optical axes distance. The
lateral width of the subject image is changed in response to a focal
adjustment, and an accurate focus can be adjusted by varying the shape of
the image. 




------------------------------