JP2002369060A - Method for arranging panorama camera and method for configuring the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for arranging a panorama camera capable of solving any dead angle or discrepancy of parallax to be generated due to a joint between pictures. SOLUTION: In this method for arranging a panorama camera, at least two digital cameras 1 and 2 to be used for preparing a panorama picture by compounding imaged pictures are arranged so that photographing optical axes O1 and O2 can be cross in a horizontal face, and that photographing lens 1A and 1B can be vertically overlapped with each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a panoramic camera capable of solving blind spots and inconsistencies in parallax generated at a joint between images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a panoramic camera mounted on a vehicle, as shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), photographic optical axes O1 and O2 of photographic lenses 1A and 2A are orthogonal to each other in a horizontal plane. The digital camera 1 and the digital camera 2 are arranged laterally with the photographing optical axes O1 and O2 inclined at 45 degrees with respect to the vehicle traveling direction line Z1.
These digital cameras 1 and 2 capture the subject areas Z2 and Z3 existing in the rear views θ1 and θ2, and combine the images of the subjects captured by the digital cameras 1 and 2 into images.
A device for creating a panoramic image is known. Note that reference numeral 1 'is a vehicle body.

However, in this conventional panoramic camera for a vehicle, if the range of the rear views θ1, θ2 is narrow, the subject area Z4 existing between the rear view θ1, θ2 and the view limit lines θ11, θ12 becomes a blind spot. In addition, when the panoramic image is subjected to image synthesis processing by the image synthesis processing device 3 and displayed on the screen 4a of the monitor device 4, an inconvenience that joints of subject images become discontinuous occurs.

[0004]

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the digital cameras 1 and 2 has a wide angle, and the range of the rear view θ1 of the digital camera 1 and the range of the rear view θ2 of the digital camera 2 are different. It is possible to make them overlap.

[0005] If the arrangement of the digital cameras 1 and 2 is devised in this way, the blind spot can be greatly reduced.

However, objects (object points) having different distances from the side closer to the digital cameras 1 and 2 on the vehicle traveling direction line Z1.
When the objects 5 and 6 are present and the object 5 and the object 6 are viewed from the digital camera 1, the far side has a small viewing angle (parallax), so that the object 5 appears to the right of the object 6, while the digital camera 2 When the object 5 and the object 6 are viewed from, for the same reason, the object 5 appears to the left of the object 6, and when the objects 5 and 6 are imaged by the digital camera 1,
In the case where the objects 5 and 6 are imaged by the digital camera 2,
The left and right positional relationship between the object 5 and the object 6 is reversed, and a mutual inconsistency occurs when a panoramic image is synthesized.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a method of arranging and constructing a panoramic camera capable of solving blind spots and inconsistencies in parallax generated at a joint between images. To provide.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a panoramic camera arranging method, wherein at least two digital cameras used to create a panoramic image by synthesizing captured images are photographed. It is characterized in that the photographing lenses are arranged so that the optical axes intersect each other in a horizontal plane and the photographing lenses are vertically overlapped with each other.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a panoramic camera arranging method, wherein the number of the digital cameras is two, the two digital cameras are installed in a vehicle, and the photographing optical axes of the respective digital cameras are mutually set in the vehicle traveling direction. It is characterized by being oriented symmetrically with respect to the line.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the two digital cameras are equivalently regarded as pinhole cameras, the pinhole positions of the pinhole cameras overlap in the vertical direction. It is characterized by having.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the method of arranging a panoramic camera, a line of sight of the digital camera is overlapped with a line of the vehicle traveling direction.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for constructing a panoramic camera, wherein the photographing optical axes of at least two photographing lenses used for creating a panoramic image by synthesizing photographed images are within a horizontal plane. Each of the photographing lenses is provided in one housing so as to overlap with each other in a direction crossing each other and each other, and each image sensor for receiving a subject imaged by each of the shooting lenses is provided in the one housing. It is characterized by being provided in.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method of constructing a panoramic camera, the number of the photographing lenses is two, and the two photographing lenses are installed in a vehicle, and the photographing optical axes of the respective photographing lenses are mutually set in the vehicle traveling direction. It is characterized by being oriented symmetrically with respect to the line.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the method of constructing a panoramic camera, the optical system from each of the photographing lenses to each of the image sensors is equivalently regarded as a pinhole camera. The pinholes are vertically overlapped with each other.

According to a eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for constructing a panoramic camera, wherein a line of sight of each of the photographing lenses overlaps a line of the vehicle traveling direction.

[0016]

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b)
As shown in (2), two digital cameras 1 and 2 are prepared. The digital cameras 1 and 2 are arranged so as to overlap each other vertically. At that time, the photographing lenses 1A, 1
The digital cameras 1 and 2 are arranged so that the photographing optical axes O1 and O2 of B are symmetrical with each other and intersect with each other with respect to the vehicle traveling direction line Z1.

Further, the photographing views θ1 and θ2 of the digital cameras 1 and 2 are set to 90 degrees, and the photographing view limit lines θ11 and
θ12 overlaps the vehicle traveling direction line Z1.

By arranging the digital cameras 1 and 2 in this way, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of a blind spot area when images are taken by the digital cameras 1 and 2. Also, when objects 5 and 6 having different distances from the side closer to the digital cameras 1 and 2 on the vehicle traveling direction line Z1 are captured by the digital cameras 1 and 2 and image synthesis is performed. Since the images corresponding to each other can be superimposed and displayed for each of the objects 5 and 6, when the objects 5 and 6 are imaged by the digital camera 1 and when the objects 5 and 6 are imaged by the digital camera 2, The left and right positional relationship between the object 5 and the object 6 is reversed,
A situation where mutual inconsistency occurs when a panoramic image is synthesized can be avoided.

In FIG. 3B, the photographing lens 1 is shown for convenience.
The center O3 of A and the center O4 of the taking lens 1B are aligned with the optical axis O.
Although they are present on a center line O5 orthogonal to the optical axes O1 and O2, the photographing lenses 1A and 1B are generally formed of a plurality of lens groups in reality.
Does not always exist on the center line O5.

Ideally, assuming that the digital cameras 1 and 2 are equivalent to the pinhole cameras 10 and 11 having the photographic view angles θ1 and θ2 of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. The digital cameras 1 and 2 are arranged such that the photographing optical axes O1 and O2 of the cameras 10 and 11 are oriented at 45 degrees with respect to the vehicle traveling direction line Z1 in the horizontal plane, and their pinholes 10a and 11a are vertically overlapped. May be arranged.

Here, when the image of the subject picked up by each of the digital cameras 1 and 2 is synthesized by the image synthesizing processor 3 (see FIG. 1) and displayed on the screen 4a of the monitor 4, the vehicle travel direction line Although the problem that the image of the subject existing on Z1 shifts in the vertical direction occurs, the distance from the center O3 of the taking lens 1A to the center O4 of the taking lens 1B when the digital cameras 1 and 2 are vertically overlapped is 2 cm.
When it is used as an in-vehicle panoramic camera to capture and recognize an object several meters behind, the deviation in the height direction is practically negligible.

According to the first embodiment, using the commercially available digital cameras 1 and 2, the blind spot generated at the joint between the images,
The inconsistency of parallax can be solved.

According to the first embodiment, the two digital cameras 1 and 2 are arranged vertically to form a panoramic camera. However, three or more digital cameras are arranged vertically. To form a panoramic camera. (Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 1, a panoramic camera is arranged using two digital cameras. In Embodiment 2,
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, two photographing lenses 1A and 1B are provided in one housing 12, and photographing optical axes O1 and O2 of the photographing lenses 1A and 1B are in a horizontal plane. Each of the image sensors 13 and 14 for receiving an object imaged by each of the photographing lenses 1A and 1B is disposed in one housing 12 so as to face in a symmetrical direction with respect to the vehicle traveling direction line Z1. , A panoramic camera is constructed.

With this configuration, the vertical image shift of the subject is about the diameter Φ of the photographing lenses 1A and 1B, and the vertical image shift of the subject can be minimized.

Further, after the panoramic camera is manufactured, the position can be adjusted before shipment from the factory.
Since there is no need to make adjustments when assembling the vehicle, maintenance-free operation can be achieved.

Furthermore, since there is only one housing 12, the size is reduced and the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, 2
Since the two image sensors 13 and 14 can be accommodated in one housing 12, the two image sensors (CCD) can be imaged by synchronizing the two image sensors (CCD) with one synchronization circuit. 3 (see FIG. 1),
The field memory for synchronization can be omitted, and the cost in digital processing can be reduced.

Also, by sharing the auto iris (brightness adjustment) function, the two image sensors 13 and 1
4, the brightness of the captured image can be determined at the same time, and the brightness of the image can be made the same.

Thus, each of the image sensors 13 and 14
In the case where the brightness of the image output from is adjusted independently, for example, the image sensor 13 of the digital camera to which the sunlight is directly incident and the image sensor 14 of the digital camera to which the sunlight is not directly incident are used. Is different, the situation occurs in which panoramic images of different brightness are combined. However, two photographing lenses 1A and 1B are provided in one housing 12, and two If a panoramic camera is constructed by providing the image sensors 1A and 1B, it is possible to combine images having the same brightness.

Also in the second embodiment, the taking lenses 1A and 1B
Are coincident with the photographing optical axes O1 and O2. However, since the photographing lens is actually composed of a plurality of lens groups, the photographing lenses 1A and 1B to the image sensors 13 and When the optical systems up to 14 are equivalently regarded as pinhole cameras, the photographing lenses 1A and 1B may be arranged such that the pinhole positions of the pinhole cameras vertically overlap.

[0030]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to solve the blind spot and the inconsistency of parallax generated at the joint between images.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a problem with a conventional panoramic camera arrangement method, in which FIG. 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a front view.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another problem of a conventional panoramic camera arrangement method.

3A and 3B are explanatory views of a method for arranging a panoramic camera according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a plan view and FIG. 3B is a front view.

FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining an arrangement method when the panoramic camera of the present invention is regarded as a pinhole camera.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of a method for constructing a panoramic camera according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 5A is a front view and FIG. 5B is a plan view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 ... digital camera 1A, 1B ... photographing lens O1, O2 ... photographing optical axis

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Toru Oki 5-35-2 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Clarion Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tokuyuki Sato 5-35-2 Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo Clarion F term in reference (reference) 2H054 AA01 2H059 BA11 BA15 5C022 AA04 AB01 AB45 AB61 AB68 AC21 AC54 AC77 5C054 AA01 AA04 CA04 CC02 CD00 CF01 CH01 EA05 FD02 FF03 HA30

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. At least two digital cameras used to create a panoramic image by synthesizing captured images are arranged in such a direction that their photographing optical axes intersect each other in a horizontal plane, and their photographing lenses are vertically A panoramic camera arrangement method, wherein the panorama camera is arranged so as to overlap with the camera. 2. The digital camera according to claim 1, wherein said digital camera comprises two digital cameras.
2. The panoramic camera arrangement method according to claim 1, wherein the digital cameras are installed in a vehicle, and the photographing optical axes of the respective digital cameras are directed symmetrically with respect to the vehicle traveling direction line. . 3. The pinhole camera according to claim 2, wherein when the two digital cameras are equivalently regarded as pinhole cameras, the pinhole positions of the respective pinhole cameras are vertically overlapped. The panoramic camera placement method described. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the line of sight of the digital camera overlaps with the direction of travel of the vehicle. 5. A photographing optical axis of at least two photographing lenses used for creating a panoramic image by synthesizing photographed images so that their photographing optical axes cross each other in a horizontal plane and vertically overlap each other. Wherein each of the photographing lenses is provided in one housing, and each image sensor for receiving a subject imaged by each of the photographing lenses is provided in the one housing. How to build a camera. 6. The two photographing lenses are mounted on a vehicle, and the photographing optical axes of the photographing lenses are symmetrically directed to each other with respect to the vehicle traveling direction line. The method for constructing a panoramic camera according to claim 5, wherein: 7. When the optical systems from each of the photographing lenses to each of the image sensors are equivalently regarded as a pinhole camera, the pinhole positions of the pinhole cameras vertically overlap each other. The method for constructing a panoramic camera according to claim 6, wherein: 8. The method for constructing a panoramic camera according to claim 6, wherein the visibility limit line of each of the photographing lenses overlaps a vehicle traveling direction line.