Loading patent…
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorGyeongil Kweon
Estimating the term…
The present invention provides mathematically accurate image processing algorithms for extracting natural looking panoramic images and distortion-free rectilinear images from images acquired using a camera equipped with a wide-angle lens which is rotationally symmetric about an optical axis and devices implementing such algorithms. Imaging systems using this method can be used not only in security•surveillance applications for indoor and outdoor environments, but also in diverse areas such as video phone for apartment entrance door, rear view camera for vehicles, visual sensor for unmanned aerial vehicles and robots, camera phone, PC camera, and broadcasting camera. Also, it can be used to obtain panoramic or rectilinear photographs using a digital camera.
A method of obtaining a rectilinear image, the method comprising:
A method of obtaining a rectilinear image, the method comprising;
An imaging system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Panoramic or wide-screen photography
General purpose image data processing
Control of cameras or camera modules: by using electronic viewfinders
Control of cameras or camera modules: control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
About 3 years 10 months of term left · ends 22 Aug 2030 (estimated)
The present invention generally relates to mathematically precise image processing methods of extracting distortion-free rectilinear images and panoramic images, which appear most natural to the naked eye, from images acquired using a camera equipped with a wide-angle lens that is rotationally symmetric about an optical axis, as well as devices using the methods.
Panoramic camera, which captures the 360° view of scenic places such as tourist resorts, is an example of a panoramic imaging system. Panoramic imaging system is an imaging system that captures the views one could get by making one complete turn-around from a given spot. On the other hand, omnidirectional imaging system captures the view of every possible direction from a given position. Omnidirectional imaging system provides a view that a person could observe from a given position by turning around as well as looking up and down. In a mathematical terminology, the solid angle of the region that can be captured by the imaging system is 4π steradian.
There have been a lot of studies and developments of panoramic imaging systems not only in the traditional areas such as photographing buildings, nature scenes, and heavenly bodies, but also in security/surveillance systems using CCD (charge-coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) cameras, virtual touring of real estates, hotels and tourist resort, and navigational aids for mobile robots and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
FIG. 1 is a conceptual drawing of the latitude and the longitude.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual drawing of a map with an equi-rectangular projection scheme.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual drawing illustrating a cylindrical projection scheme.
Referring to FIG. 16 through FIG. 60, the preferable embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
FIG. 16 is a conceptual drawing illustrating the rectilinear projection scheme of the first embodiment of the present invention. By definition, a lens with a rectilinear projection scheme is a distortion-free lens, and in mathematical viewpoint, the characteristics of a rectilinear lens are considered identical to those of a pinhole camera. To acquire such an image with a rectilinear projection scheme, we assume an object plane (1631) and a processed image plane (1635) in the world coordinate system as shown in FIG. 16.
The imaging system of the present embodiment is heading in an arbitrary direction, and the third rectangular coordinate system takes the optical axis (1601) of the imaging system as the negative z″-axis, and the nodal point of the lens as the origin. Image sensor plane has a rectangular shape with a lateral width B and a longitudinal height V, and the image sensor plane is a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. On the other hand, the processed image plane has a rectangular shape with a lateral width W and a longitudinal height H. The x-axis of the first rectangular coordinate system, the x′-axis of the second rectangular coordinate system, the x″-axis of the third rectangular coordinate system and the X-axis of the world coordinate system are all parallel to the lateral side of the image sensor plane. Furthermore, the z-axis of the first rectangular coordinate system, the z′-axis of the second rectangular coordinate system, and the z″-axis of the third rectangular coordinate systems are all identical to each other and opposite to the Z-axis of the world coordinate system.