Alignment of images for stitching
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsGabriel Beged-Dov, Michael J. Jones, Russell Mull
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The complexity of image stitching into a panoramic image is simplified with the use of one or more projectable fiducial marks that ease the establishment of a relationship between adjacent scenes of an image without leaving undesirable fiducial vestiges in the final image. A fiducial generator, having a controllable source of illumination, is positionable to project the fiducial into adjacent and overlapping scenes.
Claims19
A method of enabling the stitching of digital images together, comprising the steps of:
- generating a fiducial with a fiducial generator;
- positioning said fiducial generator to project said fiducial into a subject scene at a user determined location;
- capturing, as a first image, a first portion of said subject scene, including said projected fiducial;
- and
- capturing, as a second image, a second portion of said subject scene, including said projected fiducial, said second portion overlapping at least that part of said first portion containing said fiducial.
A digital image capturing apparatus adapted to image panoramic scenes comprising:
- a fiducial generator to project a fiducial into a scene at a user determined location;
- an electromagnetic to digital image signal converter;
- a memory;
- at least one user control;
- and
- a processor coupled to said fiducial generator to detect the presence of said fiducial generator and coupled to said electromagnetic to digital image signal converter and said memory to convert and store a first image representation containing said fiducial as a digital signal in a first storage location in said memory when said fiducial generator presence is detected and said at least one user control is activated.
A fiducial generating apparatus for an image capture device comprising:
- an illumination source that creates a projectable electromagnetic signal;
- a mask coupled to said illumination source to produce a fiducial character in said projectable electromagnetic signal;
- a power control circuit electrically coupled to said illumination source;
- and
- a control port coupled to said power control circuit and the image capture device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.