Image input method, image input apparatus, and recording medium

An image input apparatus for inputting wide-viewfield composite images by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic direction by rotating a camera mounted in a rotatable manner, projecting a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed obtained into a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image surface, wherein are provided:

• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism for setting the rotational center of said camera as a center of projection;
• determining a projection point so that an intersection point between a projection surface established in space and a straight line, which is parallel with a straight line connecting the viewpoint of said camera and a pixel in a partial image in an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said camera, is employed as said projection point of said pixel in said partial image, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing a composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus for inputting wide-viewfield composite images by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic direction by rotating a camera mounted in a rotatable manner, projecting a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed obtained into a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image surface, wherein are provided:

• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism for determining compositing positions of the partial images using said camera posture data from the time at which the partial images were obtained, and the positional correction amounts of the compositing positions obtained by the positioning mechanism, and in accordance with the compositing positions obtained, setting the rotational center of said camera as a center of projection, determining a projection point so that an intersection point between a projection surface established in space and a straight line, which is parallel with a straight line connecting the viewpoint of said camera and a pixel in a partial image in an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said camera, is employed as said projection point of said pixel in said partial image, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing a composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while changing the range of photography in the field to be photographed of a camera by rotating a mirror which is supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, projecting a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained onto a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image surface, wherein are provided:

• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism which uses the rotational center of said mirror as the center of projection during the compositing of said plurality of partial images, and which determines a projection point such that the intersection point between said projection surface which is established in space and a straight line, which is parallel to a reflection straight line indicating a reflected beam of light resulting from the reflection by said mirror of a light beam from the viewpoint of said camera which passes through a pixel of a partial image in an image plane formed by the partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said mirror, is employed as the projection point of said pixel of said partial image, and which composites said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and stores a composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while changing the range of photography in the field to be photographed of a camera by rotating a mirror which is supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, projecting a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained onto a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image surface, wherein are provided:

• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism for determining compositing positions of the partial images using said camera posture data from the time at which the partial images were obtained, and the positional correction amounts of the compositing positions obtained by the positioning mechanism, and in accordance with the compositing positions obtained, setting the rotational center of said mirror as the center of projection during the compositing of said plurality of partial images, determining a projection point such that the intersection point between said projection surface which is established in space and a straight line, which is parallel to a reflection straight line indicating a reflected beam of light resulting from the reflection by said mirror of a light beam from the viewpoint of said camera which passes through a pixel of a partial image in an image plane formed by the partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said mirror, is employed as the projection point of said pixel of said partial image, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing a composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus for inputting wide-viewfield composite images by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the direction of photography by rotating a camera supported in a rotatable manner, and compositing the plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are acquired, wherein are provided:

• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism for determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point on said projection surface from the intersection point between an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images obtained and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line connecting a point in said projection surface established in space at the time of the compositing of said plurality of partial images with the rotational center of said camera, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus for inputting wide-viewfield composite images by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the direction of photography by rotating a camera supported in a rotatable manner, and compositing the plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are acquired, wherein are provided:

• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism for determining compositing positions of the partial images using said camera posture data from the time at which the partial images were obtained, and the positional correction amounts of the compositing positions obtained by the positioning mechanism, and in accordance with the compositing positions obtained, determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point on said projection surface from the intersection point between an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images obtained and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line connecting a point in said projection surface established in space with the rotational center of said camera, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic range in the field to be photographed of a camera by rotating a mirror which is supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, and compositing a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained, wherein are provided:

• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism for determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point in a projection surface from an intersection point between an image plane formed by said partial images and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line indicating a reflected light beam resulting from a reflection by said mirror of a straight line connecting a point on said projection surface which is established in space at the time of the compositing of said plurality of partial images and the rotational center of said mirror, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic range in the field to be photographed of a camera by rotating a mirror which is supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, and compositing a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained, wherein are provided:

• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and
• an image compositing mechanism for determining compositing positions of the partial images using the posture data of the camera at the time of acquisition of said partial images stored in said second storage mechanism and said positional correction amounts of the compositing positions obtained from said positioning mechanism, and, in accordance with the compositing positions obtained, determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point in said projection surface from the intersection point between an image plane formed by said partial images and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line showing a reflected light beam resulting from the reflection by said mirror of a straight line connecting a point in said projection surface established in space and the rotational center of said mirror, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting wide-viewfield composite images by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic direction by rotating a camera which is supported in a rotatable manner, projecting a plurality of partial images of said field to be photographed which are obtained onto a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image surface,

• wherein are provided:
• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism for setting the rotational center of said camera as a center of projection, determining a projection point so that an intersection point between a projection surface established in space and a straight line, which is parallel with a straight line connecting the viewpoint of said camera and a pixel in a partial image in an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said camera, is employed as said projection point of said pixel in said partial image, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing a composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting wide-viewfield composite images by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic direction by rotating a camera which is supported in a rotatable manner, projecting a plurality of partial images of said field to be photographed which are obtained onto a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image surface,

• wherein are provided:
• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism for determining partial image compositing positions using said camera posture data obtained at the time of acquisition of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism and said positional correction amounts determined by said positioning mechanism, and in accordance with the compositing positions determined, setting the center of projection to the center of rotation of the camera, and determining the projection point such that the projection point of a pixel in a partial image is set to the intersection point between said projection surface established in space and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line connecting the viewpoint of said camera and said pixel in said partial image in an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said camera, and composites said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and stores a resulting composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium which stores a program for executing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic range of a camera in the field to be photographed by rotating a mirror supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, projecting a plurality of partial images of said field to be photographed obtained onto a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image plane,

• wherein are provided:
• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism which uses the rotational center of said mirror as the center of projection during the compositing of said plurality of partial images, and which determines a projection point such that the intersection point between said projection surface which is established in space and a straight line, which is parallel to a reflection straight line indicating a reflected beam of light resulting from the reflection by said mirror of a light beam from the viewpoint of said camera which passes through a pixel of a partial image in an image plane formed by the partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said mirror, is employed as the projection point of said pixel of said partial image, and which composites said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and stores a composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium which stores a program for executing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic range of a camera in the field to be photographed by rotating a mirror supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, projecting a plurality of partial images of said field to be photographed obtained onto a projection surface, and based on the results of this projection, conducting compositing on a composite image plane,

• wherein are provided:
• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism for determining compositing positions of the partial images using the posture data of the camera at the time of acquisition of said partial images stored in said second storage mechanism and said positional correction amounts of the compositing positions obtained from said positioning mechanism, and, in accordance with the compositing positions obtained, setting the rotational center of said mirror as the center of projection during the compositing of said plurality of partial images, determining a projection point such that the intersection point between said projection surface which is established in space and a straight line, which is parallel to a reflection straight line indicating a reflected beam of light resulting from the reflection by said mirror of a light beam from the viewpoint of said camera which passes through a pixel of a partial image in an image plane formed by the partial images, and which passes through the rotational center of said mirror, is employed as the projection point of said pixel of said partial image, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing a composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium for storing a program for executing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic direction by rotating a camera supported in a rotatable manner, and compositing a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained,

• wherein are provided:
• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism for determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point on said projection surface from the intersection point between an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images obtained and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line connecting a point in said projection surface established in space at the time of the compositing of said plurality of partial images with the rotational center of said camera, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium for storing a program for executing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic direction by rotating a camera supported in a rotatable manner, and compositing a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained,

• wherein are provided:
• a camera movement mechanism for changing the photographic direction of said camera;
• a posture control mechanism for directing said camera movement mechanism so as to change the photographic direction of said camera and for transmitting camera posture data to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and camera posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said camera received from said posture control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism for determining compositing positions of the partial images using the posture data of the camera at the time of acquisition of said partial images stored in said second storage mechanism and said positional correction amounts of the compositing positions obtained from said positioning mechanism, and, in accordance with the compositing positions obtained, determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point on said projection surface from the intersection point between an image plane formed by said plurality of partial images obtained and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line connecting a point in said projection surface established in space with the rotational center of said camera, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium which stores a program for realizing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic range of a camera in the field to be photographed by rotating a mirror supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, and compositing a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained,

• wherein are provided:
• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism for determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point in a projection surface from an intersection point between an image plane formed by said partial images and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line indicating a reflected light beam resulting from a reflection by said mirror of a straight line connecting a point on said projection surface which is established in space at the time of the compositing of said plurality of partial images and the rotational center of said mirror, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

A computer-readable recording medium which stores a program for realizing the functions of an image input apparatus for inputting a wide-viewfield composite image by photographing parts of a field to be photographed while altering the photographic range of a camera in the field to be photographed by rotating a mirror supported in a rotatable manner before said camera, and compositing a plurality of partial images of the field to be photographed which are obtained,

• wherein are provided:
• a mirror movement mechanism for altering the direction of said mirror so as to change the photographic direction of said camera;
• a mirror control mechanism for directing said mirror movement mechanism so as to change the orientation of said mirror and for transmitting posture data of said mirror to all parts;
• a first storage mechanism for storing partial images and composite images produced by compositing said partial images;
• a second storage mechanism for storing attribute data related to partial images and composite images and said mirror posture data from partial image acquisition;
• a partial image acquisition mechanism for incorporating images photographed by said camera and acquiring partial images from these incorporated images, and storing said partial images in said first storage mechanism, and for storing posture data from the acquisition of said partial images of said mirror received from said mirror control mechanism, and attribute data relating to said partial images and composite images, in said second storage mechanism;
• a positioning mechanism for determining positional relationships between partial images stored in said first storage mechanism, determining positional correction amounts of the composited positions of the partial images stored in said second storage mechanism based on the positional relationships obtained, and storing these in said second storage mechanism;
• and an image compositing mechanism for determining compositing positions of the partial images using the posture data of the camera at the time of acquisition of said partial images stored in said second storage mechanism and said positional correction amounts of the compositing positions obtained from said positioning mechanism, and, in accordance with the compositing positions obtained, determining a pixel on a composite image surface corresponding to a point in a projection surface from an intersection point between an image plane formed by said partial images and a straight line, which is parallel to a straight line indicating a reflected light beam resulting from a reflection by said mirror of a straight line connecting a point on said projection surface which is established in space at the time of the compositing of said plurality of partial images and the rotational center of said mirror, and which passes through the viewpoint of said camera, compositing said partial images with reference to the contents of said first and second storage mechanisms, and storing the composite image in said first storage mechanism.

An image input apparatus which is provided with:

• first and second cameras which are disposed so that the optical axes of the camera lens thereof are in agreement and they are in mutual opposition and which photograph a field to be photographed,
• a double-sided mirror, which is disposed between said first and second cameras and which alters the optical path of light reflected from the field to be photographed in the direction of the camera lens of the first and second camera,
• a mirror rotation mechanism for rotating said double-sided mirror about the optical axes of said first and second cameras, and
• a processing mechanism for compositing a plurality of images inputted from said first and second cameras in accordance with the rotation of said mirror and producing a wide view angle image.