US 5,384,588 AGranted

System for omindirectional image viewing at a remote location without the transmission of control signals to select viewing parameters

AssigneeTeleRobotics International, Inc.

InventorsH. Lee Martin, Daniel P. Kuban

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A system for achieving perspective-corrected views at a location removed from the site of the creation of a distorted wide angle image without the transmission of control signals to the site of image creation. Angles of tilt, pan and rotation, as well as degrees of magnification, are achieved without the use of mechanical devices by using transform algorithms. The system provides for the transmission of signals related to an uncorrected image from a site where this distorted image is created, with the transmitted signals being received at one or more processing sites for creating the perspectively-corrected views. Transmission can be via telephone lines, with the system including signal compression and decompression units. Wireless transmission is also utilized where desired.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A system for providing perspective corrected views of a distorted wide angle image at a location removed from the site of the creation of the distorted wide angle image without transmitting control signals to the site of the creation of the distorted image, the system comprising:

a camera-imaging system at a first site for receiving optical images and for producing output signals corresponding to the optical images;
a wide angle lens at the first site associated with the camera imaging system for producing the optical images throughout the field of view of the lens for optical conveyance to the camera imaging system, the optical images being distorted by the wide angle lens;
a transmitter at the first site to receive the output signals of the camera imaging system to transmit the output signals from the first site to at least one second site;
a receiver at the second site to receive signals transmitted by the transmitter;
image capture circuitry at the second site for receiving and digitizing signals from the receiver corresponding to output signals of the camera imaging system;
input image memory circuitry at the second site for receiving digital signals from the image capture circuitry;
image transform processor at the second site for processing the digitized signals in the input image memory circuitry according to selected viewing angles and degree of magnification, and for producing output transform calculations signals according to a combination of the digitized signals, the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification;
output image memory circuitry at the second site for receiving the output signals from the image transform processor;
input means at the second site for selecting the viewing angles and degree of magnification;
microprocessor means at the second site for receiving the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification from the input means and for converting the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification for input to the image transform processor to control the processing of the transform processor;
and
output means at the second site connected to the output image memory circuitry to display the perspective corrected view according to the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification.

9 more elements

A system for providing perspective corrected views of a selected portion of a distorted wide angle image at a location removed from the site of the creation of the distorted wide angle image without transmitting control signals to the site of the creation of the distorted image, the system comprising:

a camera-imaging system at a first site for receiving optical images and for producing output signals corresponding to the optical images;
a wide angle lens at the first site associated with the camera imaging system for producing the optical images throughout the field of view of the lens for optical conveyance to the camera imaging system, the optical images being distorted by the wide angle lens;
a transmitter at the first site to receive the output signals of the camera imaging system to transmit the output signals from the first site to at least one second site;
a receiver at the second site to receive signals transmitted by the transmitter;
image capture circuitry at the second site for receiving and digitizing signals from the receiver corresponding to output signals of the camera imaging system;
input image memory circuitry at the second site for receiving digital signals from the image capture circuitry;
image transform processor at the second site for processing the digitized signals in the input image memory circuitry according to selected viewing angles and degree of magnification, and for producing output transform calculations signals according to a combination of the digitized signals, the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification;
output image memory circuitry at the second site for receiving the output signals from the image transform processor;
input means at the second site for selecting a portion of the distorted wide angle image, and selecting the viewing angles and degree of magnification;
microprocessor means at the second site for receiving the selected portion and selected viewing angles and degree of magnification from the input means and for converting the selected portion and selected viewing angles and degree of magnification for input to the image transform processor to control the processing of the transform processor;
and
output means at the second site connected to the output image memory circuitry to display and record the perspective corrected view according to the selected portion of the image and the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification.

9 more elements

a camera-imaging system at a first site for receiving optical images and for producing output signals corresponding to the optical images;
a wide angle lens at the first site associated with the camera imaging system for producing the optical images throughout the field of view of the lens for optical conveyance to the camera imaging system, the optical images being distorted by the wide angle lens;
a transmitter at the first site to receive the output signals of the camera imaging system to transmit the output signals from the first site to at least one second site;
a receiver at the second site to receive signals transmitted by the transmitter;
image capture circuitry at the second site for receiving and digitizing signals from the receiver corresponding to output signals of the camera imaging system;
input image memory circuitry at the second site for receiving digital signals from the image capture circuitry;
image transform processor at the second site for processing the digitized signals in the input image memory circuitry according to selected viewing angles and degree of magnification, and for producing output transform calculation Signals according to a combination of the digitized signals, the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification, the transformation being according to the equations ##EQU8## where:
A=(cos.phi.cos.differential.-sin.phi.sin.differential.cos.beta.)
B=(sin.phi.cos.differential.+cos.phi.sin.differential.cos.beta.)
C=(cos.phi.sin.differential.+sin.phi.cos.differential.cos.beta.)
D=(sin.phi.sin.differential.+cos.phi.cos.differential.cos.beta.)
and where:
R=radius of the image circle
.beta.=zenith angle
.differential.=Azimuth angle in image plane
.phi.=Object plane rotation angle
m=Magnification
u,v=object plane coordinates
x,y=image plane coordinates
output image memory circuitry at the second site for receiving the output signals from the image transform processor;
input means at the second site for selecting a portion of the distorted wide angle image, and selecting the viewing angles and degree of magnification;
microprocessor means at the second site for receiving the selected portion and selected viewing angles and degree of magnification from the input means and for converting the selected portion and selected viewing angles and degree of magnification for input to the image transform processor to control the processing of the transform processor;
and
output means at the second site connected to the output image memory circuitry to display and record the perspective corrected view according to the selected portion of the image and the selected viewing angles and degree of magnification.

21 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/189,585Filed 31 Jan 1994 · continuation in part
Priority: 13 May 1991
Granted: 24 Jan 1995
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification23 codes

H04N 23/698
Control of cameras or camera modules: for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
G06F 16/40
Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor: of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and…
G06T 3/047
Context-preserving transformations, e.g. by using an importance map: fisheye or wide-angle transformations
G06T 3/12
Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image: panospheric to cylindrical image transformations