# US 10,482,644 B2 · Method, apparatus and electronic device for processing panoramic image > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,482,644 B2 - Document ID: US10482644B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/868,131 - Filed: 2018-01-11 - Published: 2018-09-06 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-02 - Assignees: Ricoh Company, Ltd. - Applicants: Chaofeng Li; Hong Yi; Liyan Liu; Haihua Yu; Hongyi Liu - Inventors: Chaofeng Li; Hong Yi; Liyan Liu; Haihua Yu; Hongyi Liu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10482644B2 ## CPC - G06T 3/12: Panospheric to cylindrical image transformations - G06T 7/11: Region-based segmentation - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - G06T 11/60: Creating or editing images; Combining images with text - H04N 23/698: for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A method, an apparatus and an electronic device for processing a panoramic image are provided. The method includes converting a first planar projection image of the panoramic image into a spherical image; determining a position of a region of interest in the spherical image; and cutting and expanding the spherical image based on the position of the region of interest in the spherical image, and obtaining a second planar projection image of the panoramic image. A distance between the region of interest in the second planar projection image and a center point of the second planar projection image is shorter than a distance between the region of interest in the first planar projection image and a center point of the first planar projection image. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for processing a panoramic image, the method comprising: converting a first planar projection image of the panoramic image into a spherical image; determining a position of a region of interest in the spherical image; and cutting and expanding, based on the position of the region of interest in the spherical image, the spherical image, and obtaining a second planar projection image of the panoramic image, wherein a distance between the region of interest in the second planar projection image and a center point of the second planar projection image is shorter than a distance between the region of interest in the first planar projection image and a center point of the first planar projection image, and the cutting and expanding of the spherical image based on the position of the region of interest in the spherical image includes: determining longitude α of a center point of the region of interest in the spherical image, determining an intersection A between a meridian of α+180° longitude of the spherical image and an equator of the spherical image, cutting the spherical image along a cutting line on the equator, a length of the cutting line being equal to half of a length of the equator, and a center point of the cutting line being the intersection A, and expanding the cut spherical image in a first direction and a second direction, respectively, the first direction being a direction from the intersection A to a south pole of the spherical image, and the second direction being a direction from the intersection A to a north pole of the spherical image. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method for processing a panoramic image according to claim 1, wherein the first planar projection image is a first equidistant cylindrical projection image, and wherein converting the first planar projection image of the panoramic image into the spherical image includes mapping a longer side at the top of the first equidistant cylindrical projection image and a longer side at the bottom of the first equidistant cylindrical projection image to a north pole of the spherical image and a south pole of the spherical image, respectively; and merging two shorter sides of the first equidistant cylindrical projection image at 0° longitude of the spherical image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method for processing a panoramic image according to claim 1, wherein determining the position of the region of interest in the spherical image includes detecting the position of the region of interest in the spherical image by a method of color detection, motion detection or artificial feature detection. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method for processing a panoramic image according to claim 1, wherein obtaining the second planar projection image of the panoramic image includes obtaining, based on pixel values of integer pixels in the first planar projection image, pixel values of corresponding points in the second planar projection image, and obtaining, by interpolation or extrapolation based on the pixel values of the corresponding points, pixel values of integer pixels adjacent to the corresponding points in the second planar projection image; or determining corresponding points in the first planar projection image corresponding to integer pixels in the second planar projection image, obtaining, by interpolation or extrapolation based on pixel values of integer pixels adjacent to the corresponding points in the first planar projection image, pixel values of the corresponding points, and obtaining, based on the pixel values of the corresponding points, pixel values of the integer pixels in the second planar projection image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method for processing a panoramic image according to claim 1, the method further comprising: performing image detection for the region of interest in the second planar projection image, after obtaining the second planar projection image of the panoramic image. ### Claim 6 An apparatus for processing a panoramic image, the apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory storing program instructions that cause the processor to: convert a first planar projection image of the panoramic image into a spherical image; determine a position of a region of interest in the spherical image; and cut and expand, based on the position of the region of interest in the spherical image, the spherical image to obtain a second planar projection image of the panoramic image, wherein a distance between the region of interest in the second planar projection image and a center point of the second planar projection image is shorter than a distance between the region of interest in the first planar projection image and a center point of the first planar projection image, and the cutting and expanding of the spherical image based on the position of the region of interest in the spherical image includes: determining longitude α of a center point of the region of interest in the spherical image; determining an intersection A between a meridian of α+180° longitude of the spherical image and an equator of the spherical image, cutting the spherical image along a cutting line on the equator, a length of the cutting line being equal to half of a length of the equator, and a center point of the cutting line being the intersection A; and expanding the cut spherical image in a first direction and a second direction, respectively, the first direction being a direction from the intersection A to a south pole of the spherical image, and the second direction being a direction from the intersection A to a north pole of the spherical image. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus for processing a panoramic image according to claim 6, wherein the first planar projection image is a first equidistant cylindrical projection image, and the program instructions further cause the processor to: map a longer side at the top of the first equidistant cylindrical projection image and a longer side at the bottom of the first equidistant cylindrical projection image to a north pole of the spherical image and a south pole of the spherical image, respectively; and merge two shorter sides of the first equidistant cylindrical projection image at 0° longitude of the spherical image. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus for processing a panoramic image according to claim 6, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to: detect the position of the region of interest in the spherical image by a method of color detection, motion detection or artificial feature detection. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus for processing a panoramic image according to claim 6, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to: obtain, based on pixel values of integer pixels in the first planar projection image, pixel values of corresponding points in the second planar projection image, and obtain, by interpolation or extrapolation based on the pixel values of the corresponding points, pixel values of integer pixels adjacent to the corresponding points in the second planar projection image; or determine corresponding points in the first planar projection image corresponding to integer pixels in the second planar projection image, obtain, by interpolation or extrapolation based on pixel values of integer pixels adjacent to the corresponding points in the first planar projection image, pixel values of the corresponding points, and obtain, based on the pixel values of the corresponding points, pixel values of the integer pixels in the second planar projection image. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The apparatus for processing a panoramic image according to claim 6, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to: perform image detection for the region of interest in the second planar projection image, after obtaining the second planar projection image of the panoramic image. ### Claim 11 An electronic device for processing a panoramic image, the electronic device comprising: a memory storing computer-readable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the computer-readable instructions such that the one or more processors are configured to convert a first planar projection image of the panoramic image into a spherical image; determine a position of a region of interest in the spherical image; and cut and expand, based on the position of the region of interest in the spherical image, the spherical image, and obtain a second planar projection image of the panoramic image, wherein a distance between the region of interest in the second planar projection image and a center point of the second planar projection image is shorter than a distance between the region of interest in the first planar projection image and a center point of the first planar projection image, and the cutting and expanding of the spherical image based on the position of the region of interest in the spherical image includes: determining longitude α of a center point of the region of interest in the spherical image; determining an intersection A between a meridian of α+180° longitude of the spherical image and an equator of the spherical image; cutting the spherical image along a cutting line on the equator, a length of the cutting line being equal to half of a length of the equator, and a center point of the cutting line being the intersection A; and expanding the cut spherical image in a first direction and a second direction, respectively, the first direction being a direction from the intersection A to a south pole of the spherical image, and the second direction being a direction from the intersection A to a north pole of the spherical image.