Adaptive image combination according to image sensing condition
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsTatsushi Katayama, Hideo Takiguchi, Kotaro Yano, Kenji Hatori
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Abstract
There is disclosed an image combining apparatus for generating a single image by combining a plurality of sensed images. When the panoramic image sensing mode is set, the image sensing angle is detected, and is stored together with a plurality of sensed image obtained in the panoramic image sensing mode. Upon combining the plurality of sensed images, a combining method is adaptively selected on the basis of the angle information.
Claims26
An image combining apparatus for generating a combined image by combining a plurality of images of an object sensed so that frames partially overlap each other, comprising:
- detection means for detecting an image sensing condition upon sensing the plurality of images;
- storage means for storing the plurality of images, and the image sensing condition detected by said detection means in correspondence with the images;
- image combining means for generating a combined image by combining a series of images stored in said storage means, said image combining means having a plurality of combining means corresponding to individual image sensing conditions;
- and
- control means for controlling said image combining means to select one of said plurality of combining means and to combine the series of images into a single image on the basis of an image sensing condition corresponding to the series of images,
- wherein said image combining means comprises:
- corresponding point detection means for detecting a set of corresponding points in an overlapping area of the series of images;
- coordinate transforming means for generating the combined image by performing coordinate transforming processing for the series of images;
- and
- parameter generation means for generating an image sensing parameter on the basis of the set of corresponding points detected by said corresponding point detection means, wherein said coordinate transforming means performs the coordinate transforming processing using the image sensing parameter generated by said parameter generation means.
An image combining apparatus for generating a single image by combining a plurality of sensed images, comprising:
- means for setting a panoramic image sensing mode;
- means for detecting an image sensing angle;
- means for holding the image sensing angle information together with a plurality of sensed images obtained in the panoramic image sensing mode;
- and
- means for combining the plurality of sensed images,
- wherein a combining method is adaptively selected on the basis of the image sensing angle information upon combining the plurality of sensed images.
An image combining apparatus for generating a single image by combining a plurality of sensed images, comprising:
- means for setting a panoramic image sensing mode;
- means for detecting an image sensing position;
- means for holding the image sensing position information together with a plurality of sensed images obtained in the panoramic image sensing mode;
- and
- means for combining the plurality of sensed images,
- wherein a combining method is adaptively selected on the basis of the image sensing position information upon combining the plurality of sensed images.
An image combining method for generating a combined image by combining a plurality of images of an object sensed so that frames partially overlap each other, comprising the steps of:
- a detection step of detecting an image sensing condition upon sensing a plurality of images;
- a storing step of storing the plurality of images, and information relative to a respective image sensing condition associated with each sensed image detected by said detection step;
- an image combining step of generating a combined image by combining a plurality of images stored in said storing step, by using a plurality of combining algorithms corresponding to individual image sensing conditions;
- and
- a control step of controlling said image combining step to select the most suitable one of said plurality of combining algorithms on the basis of a respective image sensing condition corresponding to each stored image to combine the plurality of images into a single image
- wherein said image combining step includes:
- corresponding point detection steps of detecting a set of corresponding points in an overlapping area of the series of images;
- coordinate transforming step of generating the combined image by performing coordinate transforming processing for the series of images;
- and
- parameter generation step of generating an image sensing parameter on the basis of the set of corresponding points detected in said corresponding point detection step, wherein said coordinate transforming step performs the coordinate transforming processing using the image sensing parameter generated in said parameter generation step.
An image combining method for generating a single image by combining a plurality of sensed images, comprising the steps of:
- a setting step of a panoramic image sensing mode;
- a detection step of detecting an image sensing angle;
- a storing step of storing the image sensing angle information together with a plurality of sensed images obtained in the panoramic image sensing mode;
- and
- an image combining step of combining the plurality of sensed images by using the most suitable combining method adaptively selected from a plurality of combining methods on the basis of the image sensing angle information upon combining the plurality of sensed images.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.