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US 6,856,472 B2Granted
Panoramic mirror and system for producing enhanced panoramic images
AssigneeEyeSee360, Inc.
InventorsHerman Herman, Sanjiv Singh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to providing enhanced panoramic images with an improved panoramic mirror. A panoramic mirror is provided with a controlled vertical field of view. The controlled vertical field of view improves the resolution of a viewable panoramic image by eliminating portions of unwanted images from the viewable panoramic image.
Claims53
A panoramic photographic apparatus comprising:
- a mirror;
- and
- means for mounting the mirror on an axis;
- wherein the mirror includes a convex reflective surface symmetric about the axis, the surface forming a first angle C with respect to a first plane perpendicular to the axis substantially at a point of intersection between the axis and the mirror, the first angle C being at least about 0.5°, wherein the convex reflective surface comprises a surface of rotation defined by rotating around the axis a shape described by the equation:
- ⅆ
- r
- ⅆ
- (
- θ
- +
- A
- α
- )
- =
- r
-
-
- cot
-
- (
- k
-
-
- tan
-
- (
- θ
- +
- A
- α
- )
- +
- π
- 2
- )
- where θ is the angle that a light ray makes with the axis as it reflects off of a point on the surface of the mirror and into a camera lens, r is the length of a light ray between the camera lens and a point on the surface of the mirror, α is a constant defining the gain, and k is a constant defined by (−1−α)/2.
33 more elements
A panoramic photographic apparatus comprising:
- a rod positioned on an axis;
- and
- a mirror mounted at a first end of the rod;
- wherein the mirror includes a convex reflective surface symmetric about the axis, the surface forming a first angle E with respect to a first plane perpendicular to the axis at a point of intersection between the rod and the mirror, the first angle E being described by the equation:
- E=(atan(rR/rcamera)+α·atan(rR/rcamera)+A )/2
- where rR is the radius of the rcamera is the distance the mirror is placed from a camera, α is a constant defining the gain, and A is at least about 0.5°.
3 more elements
A system for providing enhanced panoramic images comprising:
- a mirror;
- means for mounting the mirror on an axis;
- wherein the mirror includes a convex reflective surface symmetric about the axis, the surface forming a first angle C with respect to a first plane perpendicular to the axis substantially at a point of intersection between the axis and the mirror, the first angle C being at least about 0.5°, wherein the convex reflective surface comprises a surface of rotation defined by rotating around the axis a shape described by the equation;
- ⅆ
- r
- ⅆ
- (
- θ
- +
- A
- α
- )
- =
- r
-
-
- cot
-
- (
- k
-
-
- tan
-
- (
- θ
- +
- A
- α
- )
- +
- π
- 2
- )
- where θ is the angle that a light ray makes with the axis as it reflects off of a point on the surface of the mirror and into a camera lens, r is the length of a light ray between the camera lens and a point on the surface of the mirror, α is a constant defining the gain, and k is a constant defined by (−1−α)/2;
- and
- a camera with a lens;
- wherein the camera is positioned so that the lens is substantially aligned with the axis.
35 more elements
A system for providing enhanced panoramic images comprising:
- a mirror;
- a rod positioned on an axis;
- means for mounting the mirror on the axis;
- wherein the mirror includes a convex reflective surface symmetric about the axis, the surface forming a first angle E with respect to a first plane perpendicular to the axis at a point of intersection between the rod and the mirror, the first angle E being described by the equation:
- E(atan (rR/rcamera)+α·atan(rR/rcamera)+A)/2
- where rR is the radius of the rod, rcamera is the distance the mirror is placed from a camera, α is a constant defining the gain, and A is at least about 0.5°;
- and
- a camera with a lens;
- wherein the camera is positioned so that the lens is substantially aligned with the axis.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.