US20130169745A1 - Panoramic Camera With Multiple Image Sensors Using Timed Shutters - Google Patents
Panoramic Camera With Multiple Image Sensors Using Timed Shutters Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20130169745A1 US20130169745A1 US13/780,493 US201313780493A US2013169745A1 US 20130169745 A1 US20130169745 A1 US 20130169745A1 US 201313780493 A US201313780493 A US 201313780493A US 2013169745 A1 US2013169745 A1 US 2013169745A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- image
- image sensor
- camera
- camera apparatus
- capturing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H04N5/23238—
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
- H04N23/60—Control of cameras or camera modules
- H04N23/66—Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
- H04N23/60—Control of cameras or camera modules
- H04N23/698—Control of cameras or camera modules for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
- H04N23/70—Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
- H04N23/73—Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene by influencing the exposure time
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N23/00—Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
- H04N23/90—Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/40—Extracting pixel data from image sensors by controlling scanning circuits, e.g. by modifying the number of pixels sampled or to be sampled
- H04N25/41—Extracting pixel data from a plurality of image sensors simultaneously picking up an image, e.g. for increasing the field of view by combining the outputs of a plurality of sensors
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N25/00—Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof
- H04N25/50—Control of the SSIS exposure
- H04N25/53—Control of the integration time
- H04N25/531—Control of the integration time by controlling rolling shutters in CMOS SSIS
Abstract
The present invention relates to the field of panoramic still and motion photography. In a first embodiment, a camera apparatus for panoramic photography includes a first image sensor positioned to capture a first image. The first image sensor has a rolling-shutter readout arranged in portrait orientation. The camera apparatus also includes second image sensor positioned to capture a second image. The second image sensor has a rolling-shutter readout arranged in portrait orientation. Finally, the camera apparatus includes a controller configured to signal the second image sensor to start capturing the second image before the first image sensor finishes capturing the first image. At least a portion of the first image is in front of the second image relative to a forward direction of the camera apparatus.
Description
- This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/368,014 filed Feb. 9, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Appl. No. 61/027,237, filed Feb. 8, 2008, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to the field of panoramic still and motion photography.
- 2. Related Art
- Imaging systems exist that include more than one camera in a rosette formation attached to a vehicle. Those imaging systems may be used to capture panoramic images, for example, along a street. Each camera includes an entrance pupil. Having multiple entrance pupils at different locations can cause spatial parallax. Parallax refers to a perceived shift of an imaged object against a background caused by the different viewpoints of the entrance pupils of the cameras. Parallax is a particular problem when stitching together images from multiple cameras, since it can cause ghosting of foreground objects when background objects are aligned in the region where adjacent images overlap.
- Mirrors have been used to avoid parallax in panoramic imaging. For example, Disney's Circle-Vision 360° system uses mirrors to view the world through multiple co-located entrance pupils. This can result in zero parallax. However, making and using the necessary large mirrors is difficult. Also, this technique limits the vertical field of view.
- Each camera in the rosette formation includes an image sensor that converts an optical signal into an electrical signal to form an image. Two types of image sensors avoid the need for a mechanical shutter—an interline-shutter charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor.
- The CMOS sensor typically has a rolling shutter, which exposes different lines of the scene at slightly different times, in a sequence that rolls across the image. The rolling shutter can lead to image distortion, such as warping, when the camera is moving relative to the scene or subject. Some work has been done to compensate for the image distortion. Wilburn et al. describes using a rolling shutter timing offset to process and correct distortions induced by motion of a subject of an image. See Wilburn et al., “High-Speed Videography Using a Dense Camera Array”, 2004 IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR'04), Vol. 2, pp. 294-301
- The interline-shutter CCD avoids the image distortion issues of the rolling shutter CMOS sensor. However, the interline-shutter CCD can suffer from blooming and streaking. Blooming and streaking occur when a portion of the sensor is over-exposed, causing light to spillover to adjacent pixels or into the readout CCD structure.
- What is needed is an imaging apparatus that reduces distortion and spatial parallax, while avoiding the blooming and streaking issues associated with CCDs.
- The present invention relates to the field of panoramic still and motion photography. In a first embodiment, a camera apparatus for panoramic photography includes a first image sensor positioned to capture a first image. The first image sensor has a rolling-shutter readout arranged in portrait orientation. The camera apparatus also includes second image sensor positioned to capture a second image. The second image sensor has a rolling-shutter readout arranged in portrait orientation. Finally, the camera apparatus includes a controller configured to signal the second image sensor to start capturing the second image before the first image sensor finishes capturing the first image. At least a portion of the first image is in front of the second image relative to a forward direction of the camera apparatus.
- In a second embodiment, a method for panoramic photography includes the steps of: capturing a first image with a first image sensor and starting to capture a second image with a second image sensor prior to completion of the capturing of the first image. The first and second image sensors have a rolling-shutter readouts arranged in landscape orientation. At least a portion of the first image is in front of the second image relative to a forward direction of a camera apparatus comprising the first and second image sensors.
- In a third embodiment, a camera apparatus for motion photography includes a first camera having a first entrance pupil. During forward motion of the camera apparatus, the first camera captures a first image. A camera apparatus also includes a second camera having a second entrance pupil. During the forward motion of the camera apparatus, the second camera captures a second image. Motion of the camera apparatus results in motion parallax. The timing of when the first camera captures a first image relative to when the second camera captures the second image uses the motion parallax to reduce the effect of spatial parallax between the first camera and the second camera.
- In a fourth embodiment, a method for motion photography with a camera apparatus includes: capturing a first image with a first camera in the camera apparatus at a first time during forward motion of the camera apparatus, and capturing a second image with a second camera in the camera apparatus at a second time the during forward motion of the camera apparatus. Motion of the camera apparatus results in motion parallax. The timing of when the capturing (a) occurs relative to when the capturing (b) occurs uses the motion parallax to reduce the effect of spatial parallax between the first camera and the second camera.
- In this way, embodiments of the present invention reduce distortion and spatial parallax,
- Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the invention, as well as the structure and operation of the various embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to accompanying drawings.
- The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention.
-
FIG. 1A includes a diagram illustrating a camera that includes a rolling-shutter CMOS sensor. -
FIG. 1B includes a diagram illustrating a camera having a rolling-shutter CMOS sensor with groups of photodiodes arranged in columns substantially perpendicular to the ground, according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIGS. 2A-C include diagrams illustrating a portion of a camera rosette which may be used in panoramic imaging, according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 includes a diagram showing the operation of the camera rosette shown inFIGS. 2A-C in further detail. -
FIGS. 4A-B show how positioning of the entrance pupils of a camera impacts parallax. -
FIG. 5 shows a diagram illustrating timing the exposure of cameras in a camera rosette to reduce spatial parallax, according to an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 6 shows a diagram of a camera rosette affixed to a vehicle. - The drawing in which an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit or digits in the corresponding reference number. In the drawings, like reference numbers may indicate identical or functionally similar elements.
- Embodiments of present invention reduce distortion and spatial parallax in panoramic images taken from a camera rosette affixed to a vehicle. Each camera in the camera rosette includes an image sensor. The image sensor may expose to capture an image while the vehicle is moving. This movement can cause distortion in the resulting image. In an embodiment of the present invention, the CMOS sensor is arranged in “portrait” orientation. As is described in detail below, this reduces the image distortion.
- Having multiple cameras in different locations on the camera rosette can cause spatial parallax. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the motion parallax of the vehicle is employed to cancel out spatial parallax. In that embodiment, as the vehicle moves, exposure of the cameras in the camera rosette is timed such that the entrance pupils of the cameras are in approximately the same location when each sensor is exposed. This embodiment is described in detail below.
- In the detailed description of the invention that follows, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
- The term “camera rosette” used herein refers to two or more cameras arranged to capture a panoramic image. Each camera captures an image. The images may be stitched together to form the panoramic image. This stitching may, for example, be done by well-known software techniques.
- The term “camera” used herein refers to a device that captures a photographic image. A camera includes an image sensor, and a lens having an entrance pupil.
- The term “image sensor” used herein refers to a device that converts optical signals into electrical signals to capture an image when exposed.
-
FIG. 1A includes a diagram 100 illustrating a camera that includes a rolling-shutter CMOS image sensor. Diagram 100 shows a camera and its image sensor at two points in time. At a first point in time, the camera is at aposition 102 and its image sensor is at aposition 104. At a second point in time, the camera is at aposition 112 and its image sensor is at aposition 114. The dot in the figure represents the entrance pupil of the lens, and rays are shown projecting through it in the manner of a pinhole camera for simplicity. - In an example, the camera may be attached to a vehicle, and movement of the vehicle may have caused the camera to move. As mentioned above, the image sensor may be a rolling shutter CMOS sensor. A rolling shutter CMOS sensor may include groups of photodiodes that capture light and convert the light into electrical signals during exposure. A rolling shutter CMOS sensor may expose different groups of photodiodes at different times. A rolling shutter CMOS sensor has a readout time. The readout time is the time necessary to read out all the groups of photodiodes at the ends of their respective exposure times. In the example shown in
FIG. 1A , the CMOS sensor is in “landscape” orientation, meaning that the groups of photodiodes are arranged as rows running parallel to the ground. - The rolling shutter sensor may be exposed while the vehicle is in motion. In an example, a rolling shutter sensor may require 100 ms of readout time to capture an image. While the image is captured, the vehicle and camera may have moved forward 1 m. The movement causes the objects captured by the image sensor to change as shown at 106. This causes distortion in the resulting image. Because different rows of photodiodes in the CMOS sensors are exposed at different times, the image may appear warped, e.g. vertical features may be slanted. An image sensor that does not have a rolling shutter and is exposed in its entirety, such as an interline-shutter CCD sensor, may reduce or avoid warping. However, as mentioned earlier, interline-shutter CCD sensors may suffer from blooming and streaking.
- To deal with the problem of warping due to rolling shutter sensors, embodiments of the present invention have rolling shutter image sensors arranged in “portrait” orientation as illustrated in
FIG. 1B .FIG. 1B includes a diagram 150 illustrating a camera having a rolling-shutter sensor, such as a CMOS sensor, in portrait orientation. Portrait orientation means that the groups of photodiodes are arranged in columns running perpendicular to the ground. - Diagram 150 shows a camera at different positions at different points in time. As mentioned earlier, the camera may be affixed to a vehicle, and the vehicle may be in motion. In an embodiment of the invention, the columns of photodiodes are exposed back-to-front in object space and front-to-back in image space.
- At a
position 152, the camera exposes aforward-most photodiode column 156 to capture an image including a back-most field ofview 154. Then, at aposition 160, the camera exposes aphotodiode column 158, which is behindphotodiode column 156. This exposure captures a field ofview 172, which is to the front of field ofview 154. As the camera moves to aposition 162 and aposition 164, columns continue to expose in a front-to-back manner, which captures objects from back-to-front. Finally, when the camera is at aposition 166, the camera exposes aback-most photodiode column 168 to capture an image including a forward-most field ofview 170. - Positioning the image sensor in portrait orientation avoids the warping of vertical features that occurs in landscape orientation. Instead, objects may appear stretched by an amount that depends on their distance. Stretching is not as visually unappealing as warping. In fact, stretching may be a positive feature. Stretching makes foreground objects thinner with respect to background objects, rather than fatter, when the rolling shutter is arranged in the direction described. As result, the foreground objects occlude less of the scene behind them. This may be a benefit in many applications related to panoramic imaging.
- Panoramic imaging often includes taking images from multiple cameras oriented in different directions. The multiple images may then be stitched together into a panorama using well-known software techniques. When multiple cameras are used in this way, an object may exist in the field of view of more than one camera. In motion photography, objects may move or change over time relative to the cameras. If multiple cameras expose the object at different times, then the object may appear differently in the multiple images to stitch together into a single panorama. The resulting panorama may have ghosting or other undesirable image problems. To deal with this, exposure needs to be coordinated between the multiple cameras to capture objects at the same time or close to the same time. This becomes even more challenging with rolling shutter image sensors because different portions of each image sensor are exposed as different times. To deal with this, embodiments of the present invention time exposure of multiple image sensors as illustrated in
FIGS. 2A-C . -
FIGS. 2A-C include diagrams illustrating a portion of a camera rosette, which may be used in panoramic imaging. Each camera in the camera rosette includes a rolling-shutter image sensor, such as a rolling-shutter CMOS sensor, in portrait orientation as described with respect toFIG. 1B . -
FIG. 2A includes a diagram 200. Diagram 200 shows a camera rosette withcameras Camera 202 hasphotodiode column 204 exposed to a field ofview 220. -
FIG. 2B includes a diagram 230. Diagram 230 shows the rosette shown inFIG. 2A at a later point in time.Camera 202 has a total field ofview 224, andcamera 210 has a total field ofview 234. Ascamera 202 scans across field ofview 224 back-to-front (in object space),camera 202 begins to expose photodiode columns from a group ofphotodiode columns 206. Group ofcolumns 206 captures objects within field ofview 222. Field ofview 222 overlaps withcamera 210's total field ofview 234 for distant objects. - When
camera 202 begins to expose photodiode columns from group ofcolumns 206,camera 210 begins to expose photodiode columns from a group ofphotodiode columns 208.Camera 210 exposes photodiode columns in group ofcolumns 208 back-to-front (in object space) to capture field ofview 226. Field ofview 226 overlaps withcamera 202's total field ofview 224 for distant objects. Effectively,camera 202 exposes photodiode columns in group ofcolumns 206 simultaneously withcamera 210 exposing photodiode columns in group ofcolumns 208. Whencamera 202 completes exposure of group ofcolumns 206,camera 202 finishes its exposure. However,camera 210 continues to expose photodiode columns, as shownFIG. 2C . -
FIG. 2C shows a diagram 240. Diagram 240 shows the rosette shown inFIG. 2B at a later point in time aftercamera 202 has completed its exposure. In diagram 240, aphotodiode column 232 is exposed, capturing a field ofview 228. Ascamera 210 continues its exposure, it may overlap with an field of view with another camera (not shown) and the process may continue for an entire camera rosette as is described with respect toFIG. 3 . - The embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 2A-C is described with respect to an illustrative example. In an example, overlap field ofview 222 for distant objects betweencamera 202 andcamera 210 may be 10% of total field ofview 224 ofcamera 202. In that example, the delay between the time whencamera 202 starts exposure and the time whencamera 210 starts exposure may be 90% ofcamera 202 readout time.Camera camera 202 starts exposure and the time whencamera 210 starts exposure may be 90 ms. - The camera rosette may have at least one controller that synchronizes the cameras to capture images at specified time offsets. So, the controller may be pre-programmed with the delays indicating when each camera starts to capture an image.
- In another embodiment, the delay time may be offset according to the vehicle's velocity. As is described below with respect to
FIG. 5 , this has the effect of using motion parallax from movement of the vehicle to cancel out spatial parallax caused by the multiple cameras. - As mentioned above, the operation of the two cameras described with respect to
FIGS. 2A-C may continue through an entire camera rosette. In one embodiment, a camera rosette may have a total of between six and ten cameras, inclusive, positioned to capture a 360 degree panorama. In a preferred embodiment, the camera rosette may have at least eight cameras, such as the rosette illustrated with respect toFIG. 3 . -
FIG. 3 shows a diagram 300 illustrating the operation of a camera rosette according to an embodiment of the present invention in further detail. In a preferred embodiment, a camera rosette may include nine cameras—eight in a horizontal ring, and one directed straight up. Diagram 300 shows the eight horizontal cameras. Each camera in the camera rosette includes a rolling shutter sensor in portrait orientation with columns of photodiodes. - The camera rosette begins capturing a panoramic image at the
rear-most cameras cameras FIG. 1B .Cameras FIG. 2B . - The rosette continues to scan forward until the
forward-most cameras camera 302 starts at a time defined by the start ofcamera 303 plus a delay. The delay may correspond to the size of the overlap in the field of view of adjacent cameras, as described with respect toFIG. 2B . The delay may also be offset according to the velocity of the vehicle, as is described with respect toFIG. 5 . - Each of the eight cameras in
FIG. 3 is at a different location and has an entrance pupil at a different location. Having entrance pupils at different locations causes spatial parallax as illustrated inFIGS. 4A-B . -
FIGS. 4A-B show how the positioning of the entrance pupils of two cameras impacts spatial parallax.FIG. 4A shows anexample imaging apparatus 400.Imaging apparatus 400 includes acamera 402 and acamera 404.Camera 402 has anentrance pupil 406, andcamera 404 has anentrance pupil 408.Entrance pupil 406 andentrance pupil 408 are separated by adistance 426. Eachcamera object 410. However there is a wide difference in the background ofobject 410 as it appears incameras large parallax angle 422. -
FIG. 4B shows anexample imaging apparatus 450.Imaging apparatus 450 includes acamera 416 and acamera 414.Camera 416 has anentrance pupil 418, andcamera 414 has anentrance pupil 420.Entrance pupil 418 andentrance pupil 420 are separated by adistance 428.Distance 428 is shorter thandistance 426 inFIG. 4A . Eachcamera object 412. There is a small difference in the background ofobject 412 as it appears incameras cameras FIG. 4A . This is shown by theparallax angle 424. Therefore,parallax angle 422 inFIG. 4B is less thanparallax angle 424 inFIG. 4A . - Thus, two cameras being in different places can cause spatial parallax. Similarly, motion parallax is caused by a camera being in different locations at different times. According to an embodiment of the present invention, motion parallax caused by motion of a camera rosette by cancel out or reduce the effect of spatial parallax caused by the entrance pupils of the different cameras on the camera rosette being located at different locations. This embodiment is illustrated in
FIG. 5 . -
FIG. 5 shows a diagram 500 illustrating timing the exposure of cameras in a camera rosette to reduce parallax, according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 4A-B , as camera entrance pupils get closer together, the spatial parallax between the cameras decreases. Diagram 500 shows how to time the exposure of the cameras during motion of the vehicle so that each of the cameras is exposed when its entrance pupil is located at approximately the same location. As result, in diagram 500 the motion parallax caused by the moving vehicle reduces the spatial parallax due to multiple cameras. - Diagram 500 shows a portion of a camera rosette at three
positions cameras Cameras entrance pupils - In the embodiment in
FIG. 5 , the image sensors may or may not have rolling shutters. The embodiment may be useful with rolling shutters. However, the embodiment may also reduce parallax with image sensors having “global” shutter, such as an interline CCD or an image sensor using a mechanical shutter. The image capture is described as happening at an instant, even though there will be some exposure duration and a small motion blur as a result. Atposition 510,camera 502 captures an image. Atposition 510,camera 502'sentrance pupil 508 is at alocation 524. Each subsequent camera is timed to take an image when that camera's entrance pupil is approximately located atlocation 524. - During a later point in time as the vehicle is moving, the camera rosette reaches
position 520. Atposition 520,entrance pupil 514 ofcamera 504 is approximately atlocation 524. At this point,camera 504 captures an image. Finally, atposition 530entrance pupil 512 ofcamera 506 reaches approximatelylocation 524, andcamera 506 captures an image. - The approximation may be due to inaccuracies in the vehicles velocity, or changes to the vehicle's direction. In an example, the approximation may be based on an average vehicle velocity as opposed to the actual velocity over the relevant period. Also, the approximation may be due to the fact that cameras are positioned two or three dimensionally on the camera rosette, whereas the movement of the rosette (e.g., on a vehicle) may be in only one direction. For example, in
FIG. 5 entrance pupil 508 is not at precisely the same location asentrance pupil 514 becauseentrance pupil 508 areentrance pupil 514 are at different locations on the axis perpendicular to the axis of motion. - In another embodiment, a virtual plane is perpendicular to the direction of motion of a camera rosette. Each camera in a camera rosette may expose when an entrance pupil of the camera passes through the plane. In this way, each camera exposes when its entrance pupil is at approximately the same location, reducing parallax.
- As noted earlier, the time to trigger each subsequent camera may be calculated according to vehicle velocity and a distance between the cameras, such as a
distance 522. In the example shown, the delay from a time whencamera 504 captures an image and a time whencamera 506 captures an image isdistance 522 divided by the vehicle's velocity. Supposingdistance 522 was 10 cm and the vehicle velocity was 10 m/s, then the delay between the time whencamera 504 captures an image and the time whencamera 506 captures an image would be 10 ms. In other words, the further rear camera (camera 506) starts to capture an image 10 ms after the more forward camera (camera 504). - As mentioned earlier, a vehicle velocity used to time the cameras may be an average vehicle velocity. Alternatively, the vehicle velocity may be determined in real time by a speedometer, a wheel encoder, or a GPS sensor. The velocity may be signaled to controllers in the cameras, which adjust the timing accordingly.
- In a preferred embodiment, the features shown in diagram 500 may be used in conjunction with the features described with respect to
FIGS. 2A-C .FIG. 2B describes timing camera exposure in a camera rosette where each camera includes a rolling-shutter CMOS sensor in portrait orientation. In that embodiment, each camera is timed to start exposure when the previous camera begins to scan an region where their fields of view overlap at a distance. Describing the embodiment with respect toFIG. 2B , a delay between whencamera 202 starts exposure and whencamera 210 starts exposure substantially satisfies the equation: -
- where t is the delay time, R1 is a rolling-shutter readout time of the first image sensor, F1 is a percentage of the field of view of the first image sensor which does not overlap with the field of view of the second image sensor, D12 is a distance between an entrance pupil of the first image sensor and an entrance pupil of the second image sensor, and v is a speed of the camera apparatus. It would be recognized that small changes such as small offsets and coefficients may be added to this equation.
- In an example given with respect to
FIG. 2B , overlap field ofview 222 betweencamera 202 andcamera 210 may be 10% of the total field of view ofcamera 202. In that example, 90% ofcamera 202's field of view does not overlap withcamera 210's field of view. In an example wherecamera 202's readout time is 100 ms, the delay between the time whencamera 202 starts exposure and the time whencamera 210 starts exposure may be 90 ms. In other words, the more forward camera (camera 210) starts to capture an image 90 ms after the further rear camera starts to capture an image (camera 202). As a result, cameras with overlapping fields of view capture images of objects in their overlap region at the same time, or from the same vehicle position. This timing is a first-order correction for parallax, in that it prevents the large parallax errors that would result if the objects in the overlap area were captured at very different times and very different vehicle positions, as would happen if the cameras started their rolling shutters simultaneously. However, there remains a smaller parallax error due to the entrance pupils of the cameras not being in the same place. - In an example of the embodiment incorporating both features in diagram 500 and
FIGS. 2A-C , the delay time is offset to further reduce spatial parallax. In the example given with respect toFIG. 5 , the further rear camera (camera 506) starts to capture an image 10 ms after the more forward camera (camera 504). In the example inFIGS. 2A-C , the more forward camera (camera 210) starts to capture an image 90 ms after the further rear camera starts to capture an image (camera 202). In the combined embodiment, the 90 ms delay is offset by 10 ms. Therefore, the more forward camera starts to capture an image 80 ms after the further rear camera starts to capture an image. This embodiment has reduced spatial parallax, accounting jointly for rolling-shutter readout delay, vehicle velocity, and entrance pupil separation. - In another embodiment, the timing offsets for reduced spatial parallax may only be applied to some of the cameras in a camera rosette. In an example, the offset may be applied to only those cameras pointed sideways from the vehicle motion. The cameras pointed sideways may be the cameras where typical vehicle motion moves the location of the entrance pupil of the more rear camera into the location where the camera took an image in, for example, 0.01 s or less. In this example, spatial parallax of forward-looking and backward-looking portions of the panorama may, not be cancelled by motion parallax, but objects in these directions tend to be distant enough to not have a large parallax problem.
- As an alternative embodiment, a rolling shutter with a very fast readout time may be useful. As the shutter readout time becomes faster, the delay computed to account for the rolling shutter (as described in
FIGS. 2A-C ) decreases. So, at a particular readout time, the delay for the rolling shutter and the offset to account for spatial parallax may cancel each other out. This readout time is the time it takes for the vehicle to move forward a distance equal to the distance between entrance pupils. In an example, a readout time of a first image sensor may be 10 ms. Ninety percent of the first image sensor's field of view may not overlap with a second, next forward-most image sensor. If the vehicle is stationary, the delay time between exposure of the first and second image sensor would be 9 ms. However, if the vehicle is moving at 9 m/s and the distance between the first and second image sensor is 10 cm, then the delay offset due to motion of the vehicle would also be 9 ms. Thus, the offsets would effectively cancel each other out. Similarly, an image sensor with a variable rolling readout time may be used. In that instance, the readout time may be adjusted according to a speed of the vehicle. -
FIG. 6 shows acamera rosette 604 affixed to avehicle 602.Camera rosette 604 includes numerous cameras, such as a camera 606. In an example,camera rosette 604 may be used to capture panoramic images of buildings running along a street. - Each of the cameras in the camera rosette is coupled to a controller 608. As mentioned earlier, controller 608 controls the timing of the exposure of each camera. Controller 608 may receive an input indicating a speed of the vehicle. Alternatively, controller 608 may be preprogrammed with timing offsets, such as offsets based on an average speed of the vehicle. A single controller 608 may be used. Alternatively, each camera may have its own controller.
- Controller 608 may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Controller 608 may be, for example, a general purpose computer running software to control the cameras' exposure. Controller 608 may have a processor and memory.
- The Summary and Abstract sections may set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments of the present invention as contemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limit the present invention and the appended claims in any way.
- The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments, without undue experimentation, without departing from the general concept of the present invention. Therefore, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance.
- The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims (18)
1. A camera apparatus for panoramic photography, comprising:
a first image sensor positioned to capture a first image, the first image sensor having a rolling-shutter readout arranged to sequentially activate columns of converters that each convert an optical signal into an electrical signal;
a second image sensor positioned to capture a second image, the second image sensor having a rolling-shutter readout arranged to sequentially activate columns of converters that each convert an optical signal into an electrical signal; and
a controller configured to signal the second image sensor to start capturing the second image before the first image sensor finishes capturing the first image,
wherein a delay time between when the second image sensor starts capturing the second image and when the first image sensor finishes capturing the first image corresponds to an amount of overlap between a field of view of the first image sensor and a field of view of the second image sensor,
wherein at least a portion of the first image is in front of the second image relative to a forward direction of the camera apparatus.
2. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to signal the second image sensor to start capturing the second image approximately when the first image sensor starts to capture an overlap of the fields of view of the first and second image sensors.
3. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the delay time is offset according to a velocity value of the camera apparatus to use motion parallax resulting from motion of the camera apparatus to cancel out spatial parallax between the first and second image sensors.
4. The camera apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the velocity value of the camera apparatus is an approximate or average velocity of the camera apparatus.
5. The camera apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the delay time is offset by a time between when an entrance pupil of the first image sensor passes a location and when an entrance pupil of the second image sensor passes the location during forward motion of the camera apparatus.
6. The camera apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the delay time approximately satisfies the following equation:
wherein t is the delay time,
wherein R1 is a rolling-shutter readout time of the first image sensor,
wherein F1 is a percentage of the field of view of the first image sensor which does not overlap with the field of view of the second image sensor,
wherein D12 is a distance between an entrance pupil of the first image sensor and an entrance pupil of the second image sensor, and
wherein v is a speed of the camera apparatus.
8. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second image sensors are attached to a vehicle.
9. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first image sensor exposes at least a first and second column of the first image sensor, the first column capturing a more rearward portion of the first image and the second column capturing a more forward portion of the first image relative to forward motion of the camera apparatus,
wherein the first column of the first image sensor starts exposure before the second column of the first image sensor,
wherein the second image sensor exposes at least a first and second column of the second image sensor, the first column capturing a more rearward portion of the second image and the second column capturing a more forward portion of the second image relative to the forward motion of the camera apparatus, and
wherein the first column of the second image sensor starts exposure before the second column of the second image sensor.
10. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least six additional image sensors, wherein a computer is able to stitch together images taken from the at least eight total cameras to create a panoramic image.
11. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second image sensors are CMOS image sensors.
12. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller determines the delay time between when the second image sensor starts capturing the second image and when the first image sensor finishes capturing the first image to prevent ghosting between the first and second images.
13. The camera apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each converter is a photodiode.
14. A method for panoramic photography, comprising:
(a) capturing a first image with a first image sensor, the first image sensor having a rolling-shutter readout arranged to sequentially activate columns of converters that each convert an optical signal into an electrical signal; and
(b) starting to capture a second image with a second image sensor at a delay time prior to completion of the capturing in (a), the delay time corresponding to an amount of overlap of a field of view of the first image sensor and a field of view of the second image sensor, wherein the second image sensor has a rolling-shutter readout arranged in to sequentially activate columns of converters that each convert an optical signal into an electrical signal,
wherein at least a portion of the first image is in front of the second image relative to a forward direction of a camera apparatus comprising the first and second image sensors.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the delay time is offset according to a velocity value of the camera apparatus to use motion parallax resulting from motion of the camera apparatus to cancel out spatial parallax between the first and second image sensors.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the delay time is offset by a time between when an entrance pupil of the first image sensor passes a location and when an entrance pupil of the second image sensor passes the location during forward motion of the camera apparatus.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the delay time approximately satisfies the following equation:
wherein t is the delay time,
wherein R1 is a rolling-shutter readout time of the first image sensor,
wherein F1 is a percentage of the field of view of the first image sensor which does not overlap with the field of view of the second image sensor,
wherein D12 is a distance between an entrance pupil of the first image sensor and an entrance pupil of the second image sensor, and
wherein v is a speed of the camera apparatus.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein further comprising:
(c) determining the delay time between when the second image sensor starts capturing the second image and when the first image sensor finishes capturing the first image to prevent ghosting between the first and second images.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein each converter is a photodiode.
Priority Applications (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/780,493 US20130169745A1 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2013-02-28 | Panoramic Camera With Multiple Image Sensors Using Timed Shutters |
US15/006,449 US9794479B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2016-01-26 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US15/711,128 US10397476B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2017-09-21 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US16/449,917 US10666865B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2019-06-24 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US2723708P | 2008-02-08 | 2008-02-08 | |
US12/368,014 US8493436B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2009-02-09 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US13/780,493 US20130169745A1 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2013-02-28 | Panoramic Camera With Multiple Image Sensors Using Timed Shutters |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/368,014 Division US8493436B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2009-02-09 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/006,449 Continuation US9794479B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2016-01-26 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20130169745A1 true US20130169745A1 (en) | 2013-07-04 |
Family
ID=40561834
Family Applications (5)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/368,014 Active 2032-01-18 US8493436B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2009-02-09 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US13/780,493 Abandoned US20130169745A1 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2013-02-28 | Panoramic Camera With Multiple Image Sensors Using Timed Shutters |
US15/006,449 Active US9794479B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2016-01-26 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US15/711,128 Active US10397476B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2017-09-21 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US16/449,917 Active US10666865B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2019-06-24 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/368,014 Active 2032-01-18 US8493436B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2009-02-09 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
Family Applications After (3)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/006,449 Active US9794479B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2016-01-26 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US15/711,128 Active US10397476B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2017-09-21 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US16/449,917 Active US10666865B2 (en) | 2008-02-08 | 2019-06-24 | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (5) | US8493436B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2253131B1 (en) |
JP (2) | JP5337170B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN102037720B (en) |
AU (1) | AU2009210672B2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2714492C (en) |
WO (1) | WO2009099667A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (54)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CA2714492C (en) * | 2008-02-08 | 2014-07-15 | Google, Inc. | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
US7974314B2 (en) * | 2009-01-16 | 2011-07-05 | Microsoft Corporation | Synchronization of multiple data source to a common time base |
US8698875B2 (en) | 2009-02-20 | 2014-04-15 | Google Inc. | Estimation of panoramic camera orientation relative to a vehicle coordinate frame |
CN101852979A (en) * | 2009-03-30 | 2010-10-06 | 鸿富锦精密工业(深圳)有限公司 | Panoramic camera |
US8862987B2 (en) * | 2009-03-31 | 2014-10-14 | Intel Corporation | Capture and display of digital images based on related metadata |
US20100271533A1 (en) * | 2009-04-28 | 2010-10-28 | Crispin Porter & Bogusky | Image Recordation Device with a Plurality of Lenses |
JP2011119785A (en) * | 2009-11-30 | 2011-06-16 | Fujitsu Ltd | Camera control apparatus, and method for controlling camera |
CN101877775A (en) * | 2010-04-06 | 2010-11-03 | 中兴通讯股份有限公司 | Telepresence system and camera group thereof |
WO2012089895A1 (en) * | 2010-12-31 | 2012-07-05 | Multitouch Oy | Rolling shutter compensation in camera array |
US20120320204A1 (en) * | 2011-06-20 | 2012-12-20 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Asset assessment system |
TWI526706B (en) * | 2011-10-05 | 2016-03-21 | 原相科技股份有限公司 | Image system |
JP5860663B2 (en) * | 2011-10-18 | 2016-02-16 | 日立オートモティブシステムズ株式会社 | Stereo imaging device |
US8937643B1 (en) * | 2012-02-28 | 2015-01-20 | Carlos Esteban | Offset rolling shutter camera model, and applications thereof |
US20130278715A1 (en) * | 2012-03-16 | 2013-10-24 | Mark Nutsch | System and method for discreetly collecting 3d immersive/panoramic imagery |
US9476970B1 (en) * | 2012-03-19 | 2016-10-25 | Google Inc. | Camera based localization |
NL2008639C2 (en) * | 2012-04-13 | 2013-10-16 | Cyclomedia Technology B V | Device, system and vehicle for recording panoramic images, and a device and method for panoramic projection thereof. |
US8941777B1 (en) * | 2012-10-31 | 2015-01-27 | Google Inc. | System and method for capturing images of a geographic area |
FR2998126B1 (en) * | 2012-11-15 | 2014-12-26 | Giroptic | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CAPTURING AND CONSTRUCTING A FLOW OF PANORAMIC OR STEREOSCOPIC IMAGES |
WO2014111814A2 (en) | 2013-01-15 | 2014-07-24 | Mobileye Technologies Limited | Stereo assist with rolling shutters |
US10179543B2 (en) * | 2013-02-27 | 2019-01-15 | Magna Electronics Inc. | Multi-camera dynamic top view vision system |
US9071732B2 (en) * | 2013-03-15 | 2015-06-30 | Tolo, Inc. | Distortion correcting sensors for diagonal collection of oblique imagery |
KR102077498B1 (en) * | 2013-05-13 | 2020-02-17 | 한국전자통신연구원 | Movement path extraction devices of mutual geometric relations fixed camera group and the method |
US9742991B2 (en) * | 2013-05-24 | 2017-08-22 | Robert Frank Latorre | 360 degree photobooth kiosk |
US9551854B2 (en) * | 2013-10-18 | 2017-01-24 | Light Labs Inc. | Methods and apparatus for controlling sensors to capture images in a synchronized manner |
US8811812B1 (en) | 2014-03-27 | 2014-08-19 | Michael Shawn Lawler | Camera rig |
WO2015171544A1 (en) | 2014-05-06 | 2015-11-12 | Niazi Zakariya | Imaging system, method, and applications |
JP6385212B2 (en) * | 2014-09-09 | 2018-09-05 | キヤノン株式会社 | Image processing apparatus and method, imaging apparatus, and image generation apparatus |
EP3366522B1 (en) | 2014-12-15 | 2021-02-03 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Monitoring system, and vehicle mountable with monitoring system |
EP3043202B1 (en) | 2015-01-09 | 2019-07-24 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Moving body system |
KR102362138B1 (en) | 2015-07-23 | 2022-02-14 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Image sensor module and image sensor device including the same |
DE102015214900A1 (en) * | 2015-08-05 | 2017-02-09 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Method and device for generating delay signals for a multi-camera system and generating fused image data for a multi-camera system for a vehicle and multi-camera system |
RU2592855C1 (en) * | 2015-08-25 | 2016-07-27 | Вячеслав Михайлович Смелков | Device for panoramic television-computer monitoring |
US10506006B2 (en) | 2015-09-09 | 2019-12-10 | Vantrix Corporation | Method and system for flow-rate regulation in a content-controlled streaming network |
US11108670B2 (en) | 2015-09-09 | 2021-08-31 | Vantrix Corporation | Streaming network adapted to content selection |
US11287653B2 (en) | 2015-09-09 | 2022-03-29 | Vantrix Corporation | Method and system for selective content processing based on a panoramic camera and a virtual-reality headset |
US10694249B2 (en) | 2015-09-09 | 2020-06-23 | Vantrix Corporation | Method and system for selective content processing based on a panoramic camera and a virtual-reality headset |
US10419770B2 (en) | 2015-09-09 | 2019-09-17 | Vantrix Corporation | Method and system for panoramic multimedia streaming |
US10033928B1 (en) | 2015-10-29 | 2018-07-24 | Gopro, Inc. | Apparatus and methods for rolling shutter compensation for multi-camera systems |
WO2017149875A1 (en) | 2016-02-29 | 2017-09-08 | ソニー株式会社 | Image capture control device, image capture device, and image capture control method |
US10044963B2 (en) * | 2016-03-30 | 2018-08-07 | Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | Imaging apparatus |
US10110813B1 (en) * | 2016-04-27 | 2018-10-23 | Ambarella, Inc. | Multi-sensor camera using rolling shutter sensors |
JP2018046430A (en) | 2016-09-15 | 2018-03-22 | ソニー株式会社 | Information processing device, method, and program |
US10527925B2 (en) | 2017-05-16 | 2020-01-07 | Nico Toutenhoofd | Fully-spherical imaging system, camera support for same, and associated methods |
KR101964919B1 (en) * | 2017-05-26 | 2019-08-13 | 주식회사 만도 | Method and Apparatus for controlling parking of vehicle |
DE102017215347A1 (en) * | 2017-09-01 | 2019-03-07 | Conti Temic Microelectronic Gmbh | Method for the predictable exposure control of at least a first vehicle camera |
JP2019062479A (en) * | 2017-09-27 | 2019-04-18 | 京セラ株式会社 | Imaging apparatus and movable body |
WO2019079211A1 (en) * | 2017-10-19 | 2019-04-25 | DeepMap Inc. | Lidar to camera calibration for generating high definition maps |
US10582181B2 (en) | 2018-03-27 | 2020-03-03 | Honeywell International Inc. | Panoramic vision system with parallax mitigation |
US11181619B2 (en) | 2018-06-14 | 2021-11-23 | Waymo Llc | Camera ring structure for autonomous vehicles |
KR102569375B1 (en) | 2018-10-24 | 2023-08-22 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Electronic device and controlling method thereof |
KR20200053125A (en) | 2018-11-08 | 2020-05-18 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Electronic device and control method thereof |
CN112308783A (en) | 2019-07-24 | 2021-02-02 | 株式会社理光 | Rolling effect correction method and device and computer readable storage medium |
JP2022021367A (en) * | 2020-07-22 | 2022-02-03 | キヤノン株式会社 | Imaging system, manufacturing system, information processing method, method for manufacturing article, program, and recording medium |
US11665330B2 (en) | 2021-01-27 | 2023-05-30 | Dell Products L.P. | Dynamic-baseline imaging array with real-time spatial data capture and fusion |
Citations (34)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4062045A (en) * | 1975-06-02 | 1977-12-06 | The President Of Hokkaido University | Three-dimensional television system |
US4532550A (en) * | 1984-01-31 | 1985-07-30 | Rca Corporation | Exposure time control for a solid-state color camera |
US5023723A (en) * | 1988-04-18 | 1991-06-11 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image sensing apparatus having plural image sensors and plural shutters |
US5128767A (en) * | 1988-09-20 | 1992-07-07 | Nikon Corporation | Electronic still camera |
US5495576A (en) * | 1993-01-11 | 1996-02-27 | Ritchey; Kurtis J. | Panoramic image based virtual reality/telepresence audio-visual system and method |
US5657073A (en) * | 1995-06-01 | 1997-08-12 | Panoramic Viewing Systems, Inc. | Seamless multi-camera panoramic imaging with distortion correction and selectable field of view |
US5703961A (en) * | 1994-12-29 | 1997-12-30 | Worldscape L.L.C. | Image transformation and synthesis methods |
US6108440A (en) * | 1996-06-28 | 2000-08-22 | Sony Corporation | Image data converting method |
US6141034A (en) * | 1995-12-15 | 2000-10-31 | Immersive Media Co. | Immersive imaging method and apparatus |
US20010015751A1 (en) * | 1998-06-16 | 2001-08-23 | Genex Technologies, Inc. | Method and apparatus for omnidirectional imaging |
US20010038413A1 (en) * | 2000-02-24 | 2001-11-08 | Shmuel Peleg | System and method for facilitating the adjustment of disparity in a stereoscopic panoramic image pair |
US6327381B1 (en) * | 1994-12-29 | 2001-12-04 | Worldscape, Llc | Image transformation and synthesis methods |
US20020122113A1 (en) * | 1999-08-09 | 2002-09-05 | Foote Jonathan T. | Method and system for compensating for parallax in multiple camera systems |
US6669346B2 (en) * | 2000-05-15 | 2003-12-30 | Darrell J. Metcalf | Large-audience, positionable imaging and display system for exhibiting panoramic imagery, and multimedia content featuring a circularity of action |
US20040001138A1 (en) * | 2002-06-27 | 2004-01-01 | Weerashinghe W.A. Chaminda P. | Stereoscopic panoramic video generation system |
US20040027451A1 (en) * | 2002-04-12 | 2004-02-12 | Image Masters, Inc. | Immersive imaging system |
US20040202381A1 (en) * | 2003-04-09 | 2004-10-14 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image processing apparatus, method, program and storage medium |
US20040212723A1 (en) * | 2003-04-22 | 2004-10-28 | Malcolm Lin | Image pickup apparatus and operating method |
US6839081B1 (en) * | 1994-09-09 | 2005-01-04 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Virtual image sensing and generating method and apparatus |
US20050018253A1 (en) * | 2003-07-22 | 2005-01-27 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image pickup apparatus for correcting image deterioration due to fixed pattern noise, and image pickup method |
US7012637B1 (en) * | 2001-07-27 | 2006-03-14 | Be Here Corporation | Capture structure for alignment of multi-camera capture systems |
US7015951B1 (en) * | 1998-05-08 | 2006-03-21 | Sony Corporation | Picture generating apparatus and picture generating method |
US20060157760A1 (en) * | 2005-01-04 | 2006-07-20 | Sony Corporation | Imaging apparatus and imaging method |
US20060268103A1 (en) * | 2005-05-26 | 2006-11-30 | Korea Advanced Institute Of Science And Technology | Apparatus for providing panoramic stereo image with single camera |
US20070014551A1 (en) * | 2005-07-13 | 2007-01-18 | Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. | Image sensing apparatus, imaging system, and operation program product therefor |
US20070081091A1 (en) * | 2005-10-07 | 2007-04-12 | Patrick Pan | Image pickup device of multiple lens camera system for generating panoramic image |
US20070116453A1 (en) * | 2005-11-24 | 2007-05-24 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Optical apparatus |
US20070182812A1 (en) * | 2004-05-19 | 2007-08-09 | Ritchey Kurtis J | Panoramic image-based virtual reality/telepresence audio-visual system and method |
US20080018774A1 (en) * | 2006-07-21 | 2008-01-24 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Image capture device |
US7567293B2 (en) * | 2006-06-07 | 2009-07-28 | Onlive, Inc. | System and method for performing motion capture by strobing a fluorescent lamp |
US20090295971A1 (en) * | 2008-05-30 | 2009-12-03 | Sony Corporation | Solid-state imaging device, imaging device and driving method of solid-state imaging device |
US20090322856A1 (en) * | 2006-04-25 | 2009-12-31 | Jacques Duparre | Image recording system providing a panoramic view |
US20100066897A1 (en) * | 2008-09-16 | 2010-03-18 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image pickup apparatus and control method thereof |
US20100165160A1 (en) * | 2008-12-26 | 2010-07-01 | Datalogic Scanning, Inc. | Systems and methods for imaging |
Family Cites Families (52)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5990941A (en) * | 1991-05-13 | 1999-11-23 | Interactive Pictures Corporation | Method and apparatus for the interactive display of any portion of a spherical image |
DE69417824T4 (en) * | 1993-08-26 | 2000-06-29 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Stereoscopic scanner |
US7630806B2 (en) * | 1994-05-23 | 2009-12-08 | Automotive Technologies International, Inc. | System and method for detecting and protecting pedestrians |
US6118475A (en) * | 1994-06-02 | 2000-09-12 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Multi-eye image pickup apparatus, and method and apparatus for measuring or recognizing three-dimensional shape |
US5473364A (en) * | 1994-06-03 | 1995-12-05 | David Sarnoff Research Center, Inc. | Video technique for indicating moving objects from a movable platform |
EP2309453A3 (en) * | 1998-07-31 | 2012-09-26 | Panasonic Corporation | Image displaying apparatus and image displaying method |
JP3298851B2 (en) * | 1999-08-18 | 2002-07-08 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Multi-function vehicle camera system and image display method of multi-function vehicle camera |
JP3300340B2 (en) * | 1999-09-20 | 2002-07-08 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Driving support device |
US6535114B1 (en) * | 2000-03-22 | 2003-03-18 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha | Method and apparatus for environment recognition |
US6778207B1 (en) * | 2000-08-07 | 2004-08-17 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Fast digital pan tilt zoom video |
US6853809B2 (en) * | 2001-01-30 | 2005-02-08 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Camera system for providing instant switching between wide angle and full resolution views of a subject |
US20020124260A1 (en) * | 2001-03-02 | 2002-09-05 | Creative Design Group, Inc. | Video production system for vehicles |
US6947059B2 (en) * | 2001-08-10 | 2005-09-20 | Micoy Corporation | Stereoscopic panoramic image capture device |
US20040164249A1 (en) * | 2003-02-26 | 2004-08-26 | Crosetto Dario B. | Method and apparatus for determining depth of interactions in a detector for three-dimensional complete body screening |
JP2006503375A (en) * | 2002-10-18 | 2006-01-26 | サーノフ・コーポレーション | Method and system for enabling panoramic imaging using multiple cameras |
CN1771741A (en) * | 2003-02-14 | 2006-05-10 | 李宗琦 | 3D camera system and method |
US7436429B2 (en) * | 2003-11-24 | 2008-10-14 | The Boeing Company | Virtual pan/tilt camera system and method for vehicles |
US7697028B1 (en) * | 2004-06-24 | 2010-04-13 | Johnson Douglas M | Vehicle mounted surveillance system |
US8027531B2 (en) * | 2004-07-21 | 2011-09-27 | The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University | Apparatus and method for capturing a scene using staggered triggering of dense camera arrays |
US20060028550A1 (en) * | 2004-08-06 | 2006-02-09 | Palmer Robert G Jr | Surveillance system and method |
US7750936B2 (en) * | 2004-08-06 | 2010-07-06 | Sony Corporation | Immersive surveillance system interface |
US7629995B2 (en) * | 2004-08-06 | 2009-12-08 | Sony Corporation | System and method for correlating camera views |
JP4531484B2 (en) * | 2004-08-16 | 2010-08-25 | パナソニック株式会社 | Camera system |
JP4551990B2 (en) | 2005-02-03 | 2010-09-29 | 名古屋市 | Panorama video creation method and creation device |
JP4512690B2 (en) | 2005-06-16 | 2010-07-28 | 独立行政法人産業技術総合研究所 | Monitoring system and method by image processing |
CN101292513B (en) | 2005-10-21 | 2012-04-11 | 诺基亚公司 | Method and apparatus for reducing motion distortion in digital image-forming |
JP4780385B2 (en) * | 2005-11-17 | 2011-09-28 | アイシン精機株式会社 | Perimeter monitoring system |
US8325220B2 (en) * | 2005-12-02 | 2012-12-04 | Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. | Stereoscopic image display method and apparatus, method for generating 3D image data from a 2D image data input and an apparatus for generating 3D image data from a 2D image data input |
JP2007214620A (en) | 2006-02-07 | 2007-08-23 | Sony Corp | Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program |
US7834910B2 (en) * | 2006-03-01 | 2010-11-16 | David M. DeLorme | Method and apparatus for panoramic imaging |
US20070237364A1 (en) * | 2006-03-31 | 2007-10-11 | Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. | Method and apparatus for context-aided human identification |
JP2007295429A (en) * | 2006-04-27 | 2007-11-08 | Fujifilm Corp | Digital still camera and its control method |
SG138491A1 (en) * | 2006-06-21 | 2008-01-28 | Generic Power Pte Ltd | Method and apparatus for 3-dimensional vision and inspection of ball and like protrusions of electronic components |
US7953295B2 (en) * | 2006-06-29 | 2011-05-31 | Google Inc. | Enhancing text in images |
US20080027599A1 (en) * | 2006-07-28 | 2008-01-31 | James Logan | Autonomous vehicle and systems and methods for the operation thereof |
US20080117288A1 (en) * | 2006-11-16 | 2008-05-22 | Imove, Inc. | Distributed Video Sensor Panoramic Imaging System |
US8094182B2 (en) * | 2006-11-16 | 2012-01-10 | Imove, Inc. | Distributed video sensor panoramic imaging system |
US7813843B2 (en) * | 2007-01-04 | 2010-10-12 | Cisco Technology, Inc | Ad-hoc mobile IP network for intelligent transportation system |
US7990394B2 (en) * | 2007-05-25 | 2011-08-02 | Google Inc. | Viewing and navigating within panoramic images, and applications thereof |
US20100133424A1 (en) * | 2007-05-26 | 2010-06-03 | Norman Matheson Lindsay | Electro-optical sensors |
US8072448B2 (en) * | 2008-01-15 | 2011-12-06 | Google Inc. | Three-dimensional annotations for street view data |
US20110178756A1 (en) * | 2008-02-05 | 2011-07-21 | Utah State University Research Foundation | Integrated, Predictive, Radiance Sensor Apparatus and Method |
CA2714492C (en) * | 2008-02-08 | 2014-07-15 | Google, Inc. | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters |
WO2009149413A1 (en) * | 2008-06-06 | 2009-12-10 | Real D | Blur enhancement of stereoscopic images |
US20110211040A1 (en) * | 2008-11-05 | 2011-09-01 | Pierre-Alain Lindemann | System and method for creating interactive panoramic walk-through applications |
JP2010204304A (en) * | 2009-03-02 | 2010-09-16 | Panasonic Corp | Image capturing device, operator monitoring device, method for measuring distance to face |
KR101647536B1 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2016-08-10 | 휴렛-팩커드 디벨롭먼트 컴퍼니, 엘.피. | Multi-projector system and method |
JP4903888B2 (en) * | 2010-08-09 | 2012-03-28 | 株式会社ソニー・コンピュータエンタテインメント | Image display device, image display method, and image correction method |
US8937643B1 (en) * | 2012-02-28 | 2015-01-20 | Carlos Esteban | Offset rolling shutter camera model, and applications thereof |
US8941777B1 (en) * | 2012-10-31 | 2015-01-27 | Google Inc. | System and method for capturing images of a geographic area |
KR102023587B1 (en) * | 2015-05-27 | 2019-09-23 | 구글 엘엘씨 | Camera Rig and Stereoscopic Image Capture |
US10671082B2 (en) * | 2017-07-03 | 2020-06-02 | Baidu Usa Llc | High resolution 3D point clouds generation based on CNN and CRF models |
-
2009
- 2009-02-09 CA CA2714492A patent/CA2714492C/en active Active
- 2009-02-09 EP EP09708701.9A patent/EP2253131B1/en active Active
- 2009-02-09 AU AU2009210672A patent/AU2009210672B2/en active Active
- 2009-02-09 JP JP2010545890A patent/JP5337170B2/en active Active
- 2009-02-09 US US12/368,014 patent/US8493436B2/en active Active
- 2009-02-09 CN CN2009801107588A patent/CN102037720B/en active Active
- 2009-02-09 WO PCT/US2009/000804 patent/WO2009099667A1/en active Application Filing
-
2013
- 2013-01-10 JP JP2013002323A patent/JP2013066247A/en active Pending
- 2013-02-28 US US13/780,493 patent/US20130169745A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2016
- 2016-01-26 US US15/006,449 patent/US9794479B2/en active Active
-
2017
- 2017-09-21 US US15/711,128 patent/US10397476B2/en active Active
-
2019
- 2019-06-24 US US16/449,917 patent/US10666865B2/en active Active
Patent Citations (34)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4062045A (en) * | 1975-06-02 | 1977-12-06 | The President Of Hokkaido University | Three-dimensional television system |
US4532550A (en) * | 1984-01-31 | 1985-07-30 | Rca Corporation | Exposure time control for a solid-state color camera |
US5023723A (en) * | 1988-04-18 | 1991-06-11 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image sensing apparatus having plural image sensors and plural shutters |
US5128767A (en) * | 1988-09-20 | 1992-07-07 | Nikon Corporation | Electronic still camera |
US5495576A (en) * | 1993-01-11 | 1996-02-27 | Ritchey; Kurtis J. | Panoramic image based virtual reality/telepresence audio-visual system and method |
US6839081B1 (en) * | 1994-09-09 | 2005-01-04 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Virtual image sensing and generating method and apparatus |
US6327381B1 (en) * | 1994-12-29 | 2001-12-04 | Worldscape, Llc | Image transformation and synthesis methods |
US5703961A (en) * | 1994-12-29 | 1997-12-30 | Worldscape L.L.C. | Image transformation and synthesis methods |
US5657073A (en) * | 1995-06-01 | 1997-08-12 | Panoramic Viewing Systems, Inc. | Seamless multi-camera panoramic imaging with distortion correction and selectable field of view |
US6141034A (en) * | 1995-12-15 | 2000-10-31 | Immersive Media Co. | Immersive imaging method and apparatus |
US6108440A (en) * | 1996-06-28 | 2000-08-22 | Sony Corporation | Image data converting method |
US7015951B1 (en) * | 1998-05-08 | 2006-03-21 | Sony Corporation | Picture generating apparatus and picture generating method |
US20010015751A1 (en) * | 1998-06-16 | 2001-08-23 | Genex Technologies, Inc. | Method and apparatus for omnidirectional imaging |
US20020122113A1 (en) * | 1999-08-09 | 2002-09-05 | Foote Jonathan T. | Method and system for compensating for parallax in multiple camera systems |
US20010038413A1 (en) * | 2000-02-24 | 2001-11-08 | Shmuel Peleg | System and method for facilitating the adjustment of disparity in a stereoscopic panoramic image pair |
US6669346B2 (en) * | 2000-05-15 | 2003-12-30 | Darrell J. Metcalf | Large-audience, positionable imaging and display system for exhibiting panoramic imagery, and multimedia content featuring a circularity of action |
US7012637B1 (en) * | 2001-07-27 | 2006-03-14 | Be Here Corporation | Capture structure for alignment of multi-camera capture systems |
US20040027451A1 (en) * | 2002-04-12 | 2004-02-12 | Image Masters, Inc. | Immersive imaging system |
US20040001138A1 (en) * | 2002-06-27 | 2004-01-01 | Weerashinghe W.A. Chaminda P. | Stereoscopic panoramic video generation system |
US20040202381A1 (en) * | 2003-04-09 | 2004-10-14 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image processing apparatus, method, program and storage medium |
US20040212723A1 (en) * | 2003-04-22 | 2004-10-28 | Malcolm Lin | Image pickup apparatus and operating method |
US20050018253A1 (en) * | 2003-07-22 | 2005-01-27 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image pickup apparatus for correcting image deterioration due to fixed pattern noise, and image pickup method |
US20070182812A1 (en) * | 2004-05-19 | 2007-08-09 | Ritchey Kurtis J | Panoramic image-based virtual reality/telepresence audio-visual system and method |
US20060157760A1 (en) * | 2005-01-04 | 2006-07-20 | Sony Corporation | Imaging apparatus and imaging method |
US20060268103A1 (en) * | 2005-05-26 | 2006-11-30 | Korea Advanced Institute Of Science And Technology | Apparatus for providing panoramic stereo image with single camera |
US20070014551A1 (en) * | 2005-07-13 | 2007-01-18 | Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. | Image sensing apparatus, imaging system, and operation program product therefor |
US20070081091A1 (en) * | 2005-10-07 | 2007-04-12 | Patrick Pan | Image pickup device of multiple lens camera system for generating panoramic image |
US20070116453A1 (en) * | 2005-11-24 | 2007-05-24 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Optical apparatus |
US20090322856A1 (en) * | 2006-04-25 | 2009-12-31 | Jacques Duparre | Image recording system providing a panoramic view |
US7567293B2 (en) * | 2006-06-07 | 2009-07-28 | Onlive, Inc. | System and method for performing motion capture by strobing a fluorescent lamp |
US20080018774A1 (en) * | 2006-07-21 | 2008-01-24 | Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. | Image capture device |
US20090295971A1 (en) * | 2008-05-30 | 2009-12-03 | Sony Corporation | Solid-state imaging device, imaging device and driving method of solid-state imaging device |
US20100066897A1 (en) * | 2008-09-16 | 2010-03-18 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Image pickup apparatus and control method thereof |
US20100165160A1 (en) * | 2008-12-26 | 2010-07-01 | Datalogic Scanning, Inc. | Systems and methods for imaging |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
Kaszubiak et al, Real-Time, 3-D-multi object position estimation and tracking, 2004. * |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20190313022A1 (en) | 2019-10-10 |
CA2714492A1 (en) | 2009-08-13 |
US20180077351A1 (en) | 2018-03-15 |
US10397476B2 (en) | 2019-08-27 |
JP5337170B2 (en) | 2013-11-06 |
US10666865B2 (en) | 2020-05-26 |
JP2011512735A (en) | 2011-04-21 |
EP2253131A1 (en) | 2010-11-24 |
AU2009210672B2 (en) | 2013-09-19 |
US9794479B2 (en) | 2017-10-17 |
JP2013066247A (en) | 2013-04-11 |
WO2009099667A1 (en) | 2009-08-13 |
US20160142632A1 (en) | 2016-05-19 |
AU2009210672A1 (en) | 2009-08-13 |
CN102037720A (en) | 2011-04-27 |
US8493436B2 (en) | 2013-07-23 |
US20090201361A1 (en) | 2009-08-13 |
EP2253131B1 (en) | 2014-06-25 |
CA2714492C (en) | 2014-07-15 |
CN102037720B (en) | 2013-11-06 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US10666865B2 (en) | Panoramic camera with multiple image sensors using timed shutters | |
JP5489641B2 (en) | Focus detection apparatus and control method thereof | |
US7340160B2 (en) | Imaging apparatus | |
US8654227B2 (en) | Focus detection apparatus, focus detection method, and image sensing apparatus | |
US8675116B2 (en) | Image sensor and focus detection apparatus | |
US8159599B2 (en) | Focus detection apparatus, focus detection method, and image sensing apparatus | |
US20100165176A1 (en) | Image sensing apparatus | |
US9357121B2 (en) | Image capturing apparatus and control method thereof | |
JP2009128579A (en) | Focus detector and imaging apparatus | |
JPH11258491A (en) | Focus detecting device and its method and storage medium readable through computer | |
US7782381B2 (en) | Generating an instant review image using fractional readouts | |
JPH11258489A (en) | Focus detecting device and its method and storage medium readable through computer | |
JPH10170816A (en) | Focusing information detector, focus detector, and camera using the same | |
JP3260745B2 (en) | 3D display device for camera | |
JP2024004307A (en) | Imaging device and control method thereof, program, and storage medium | |
JP5403117B2 (en) | Focus detection apparatus and imaging apparatus | |
JP2006217204A (en) | Imaging apparatus |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: GOOGLE INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:LYON, RICHARD F;EMBLER, GARY;MCCLATCHIE, IAIN RICHARD TYRONE;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:030963/0692 Effective date: 20090303 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |