JPH0514751A - Panoramic picture fetching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable an exact joint, and to handle an animation by converting a dividedly photographed camera picture into a panorama picture, and joining it on a storage means. CONSTITUTION:The videos of cameras 9 and 10 to which a panning is operated only by an appropriate angle, are converted into the panorama pictures by geometric convertors 11A and 11B equivalent to a projection from a plane to a cylindrical face of an algorithm, and written in a picture memory 12. At that time, the writing starting addresses in a horizontal direction of two pictures are controlled by an address generator 13, and the panorama picture with a wide picture angle joined on the memory 12 is obtained. Thus, the panorama picture with the wide picture angle can be fetched by using a normal camera, and also the animation can be handled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for capturing a panoramic image having a wide angle of view.

[0002]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, in a device for capturing a panoramic image with a wide angle of view, a camera image captured by dividing the image is converted into a panoramic image, and the images are joined on a storage means to enable accurate joining. Also, it is designed to handle videos.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a conventional technique for capturing a panoramic image. In this figure, a vertical line sensor camera 3 is attached to the pan axis 2 to which the angle detector 1 is attached, and this can be rotated 360 degrees.

The output of the line sensor camera 3 is A / D converted by the A / D converter 4 and written in one line in the vertical direction of the frame memory 5. At this time, the writing position to the frame memory 5 is controlled by the rotation angle of the pan axis 2 so that the writing is performed at the position corresponding to the pan angle.

With this device, when the pan axis 2 is rotated by 360 degrees, an image for one rotation is obtained on the frame memory 5.

[0006]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, it takes a long time to rotate the line sensor camera (slit camera), so that a moving image cannot be captured and the line sensor camera (slit camera) cannot be captured. There was a problem that I had to use a special camera called.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to capture a panoramic image, which makes it possible to handle a moving image by generating a panoramic image by using an algorithm for accurately joining images divided by a general camera. To provide a device.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided geometric conversion means for obtaining image information obtained by projecting separately photographed camera images on a virtual cylindrical peripheral surface, and individual image information on the cylindrical peripheral surface. And a storage means for splicing in, and captures a panoramic image with a wide angle of view.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the camera images photographed in a divided manner are converted into panoramic images, which are then joined on the accumulating means so that accurate joining is possible and moving images can be handled.

[0010]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below.

First, an algorithm for joining the camera images obtained by the divided photographing will be described with reference to FIG.

Assuming that the position of the principal point of the camera lens is point O, the two images taken by panning the camera horizontally are
It is an image projected on the plane 6 and the plane 7 about the point O.

Now, with respect to the point O, consider a cylindrical surface 8 which is in contact with the planes 6 and 7. The image of the plane 6 is a cylindrical surface 8 about the point O.
Since the image projected onto the cylindrical surface 8 and the image projected onto the cylindrical surface 8 about the point O on the plane 7 are continuous on the cylindrical surface 8,
These can be joined by translating in the lateral direction. The image joined on the cylindrical surface 8 is a panoramic image.

Next, an embodiment of a panoramic image capturing device using the above algorithm will be described with reference to FIG. Images of the cameras 9 and 10 panned by an appropriate angle are displayed on the plane 6 in the algorithm of FIG.
To a cylindrical surface 8 (equivalent to the projection from the plane 7 to the cylindrical surface 8) is converted into a panoramic image by the geometric conversion devices 11A and 11B, and this is written in the image memory 12.

At this time, the address generator 13 controls the writing start addresses of the two images in the horizontal direction, thereby joining the two images on the image memory 12 to obtain a panoramic image with a wide angle of view. It is also possible to join three or more camera images by the same method.

The above is the method of using a plurality of cameras, but by using one camera to partially make a moving image,
A method for obtaining a panoramic image with a wide angle of view will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 3, a camera platform 1 capable of panning
A camera 15 is attached to 4 and an image panned at an appropriate interval is passed through a geometric transformation device 11 equivalent to that shown in FIG.
The image memory 12 is frozen, and first, a panoramic still image with a wide angle of view is captured.

Next, the camera 15 is aimed at a moving subject and fitted on the still image previously captured to generate a partially moving panoramic image.

Since only one camera is used in this method, there is a characteristic that there is no unnaturalness of the joint portion due to variations in camera characteristics.

[0020]

According to the present invention, it is possible to capture a panoramic image with a wide angle of view by using a normal camera.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to handle a moving image.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an algorithm for joining panoramic images to generate a panoramic image according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an apparatus for generating a panoramic image using two cameras.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an apparatus for generating a panoramic image using one camera.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a conventional technique for capturing a panoramic image.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 line sensor camera 6,7 plane 8 cylindrical surface 9,10 camera 11A, 11B geometric conversion device 12 image memory 13 address generator 14 camera platform 15 camera

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A geometric transformation means for obtaining image information obtained by projecting camera images obtained by dividing and photographing with one or a plurality of cameras onto a virtual cylindrical peripheral surface, and each of the images. A panoramic image capturing device, comprising: a storage unit for joining information on the circumferential surface of the cylinder, and capturing a panoramic image having a wide angle of view.