KR20040080318A - method for merging photographic images to implement virtual realty - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for merging photographic images to implement virtual reality is provided to merge the photographic images without distortion. CONSTITUTION: Images are photographed in such a manner that portions of images are overlapped. The photographed images are digitalized. Overlapped portions of the photographed images are removed and the digitalized images are merged. While rotating around an object, a plurality of source images are photographed in such a manner that portions of the photographed images are overlapped. The photographed source images of the object are digitalized. The overlapped portions of photographed source images are removed, and the photographed source images are merged to an image of the object.

Description

Method for merging photographic images to implement virtual realty}

The present invention relates to a photo-realistic image synthesis method for realizing a virtual reality. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for synthesizing a photorealistic image to solve distortion and mis-match occurring in the boundary region of an image in synthesizing a plurality of images photographed with a camera.

Recently, the World Wide Web (WWW) has been expanded in the development and development of a description language for expressing three-dimensional virtual space. For example, a user can purchase a product by walking in a virtual space or visiting a store as if in a real world. The technology for the so-called Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) that enables the realization of such a virtual space is described by Mark Pesco, Learn About VRML: Building and Browsing Three-Dimensional Computer space "[1st ed. 25.1996, Prentis Hall], etc. To implement virtual space using the VRML technology, advanced technologies such as 3D rendering technology and texture mapping are required.

In order to give the user a more realistic feeling, the implementation of the 3D virtual space needs to be made based on the actual space. A typical way of moving real space into virtual space is to synthesize a number of photographic images taken with an optical camera. Photographic image based virtual reality displays a large number of digitized photorealistic images as the user chooses, ie as they move, so that the user feels as if they are looking at the real space. will be. As described above, the photorealistic image-based virtual reality has an optical perspective, and each of the photorealistic images can easily achieve perspective without additional work, which is advantageous compared to animations in which the reality is relatively low.

In general, there are two methods of implementing a realistic image-based virtual reality: a panorama and an object. The former is a camera that is maintained at a constant height to shoot a 360-degree turn of the actual scene divided into a number of pictures, and then stitching to remove the duplicate part of the live image to generate a long panorama image. Stitching of images is such as PhotoPicture from LivePicture, Quick Stitch from Enroute imaging, and Visual Stitcher from PanaView. Can be achieved using a program. The generated panorama image can be displayed by inserting a corresponding plug-in or executing Java in a web browser, which makes it feel as if the user rotates his head to look at the actual scene. On the other hand, the latter is a method of synthesizing an image using a program for the object after shooting while rotating the camera 360 degrees around the object (object). Such object stitching programs include Live Picture's Reality Studio and Apple's QuickTime VR.

In addition to the panorama image or the object image, the image may be continuously enlarged, reduced or changed in accordance with the movement, such as the user walking in the virtual street or changing its direction, based on the actual image. The present inventor has presented a method for realizing a virtual space by synthesizing a plurality of photorealistic images photographed by an optical camera in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2002-08817. According to the method, a plurality of source images obtained by photographing a real space by an optical camera are cut to a predetermined size to maintain mutual continuity, and then generated into subframes having mutually predetermined reduction ratios corresponding to the source images. . When the user inputs an event signal such as a mouse click, the subframes move on the monitor viewed by the user, and the corresponding images are enlarged or reduced to display the virtual space.

As described above, a common task in the implementation of the real image-based virtual reality is to stitch the live image captured by the camera. The stitcher programs described above combine a variety of images to create one broad omniview up to 360 degrees. The stitching process includes various steps such as correction of camera angle and tilt between successive overlapping images, image alignment and texture mapping. In addition, the stitching program can project various linear images in the form of spheres, cylinders or cubes. At this time, it is important that each image is connected without distortion or mis-match. Distortion that occurs during the synthesis of the real image is derived from the angle of view of the optical camera, which will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 1A photographs an image I _L at a position P _L using an optical camera Co having an angle of view Θ, and then moves the camera Co horizontally laterally to a position P _R , whereby the image ( I _R ) shows an example of shooting. The projections on the respective images I _L (I _R ) for the subject O _b photographed at both positions P _L (P _R ) are indicated by reference numerals O _L and O _R. Referring to this, in the image I _L , the subject O _b is photographed to the left with respect to the front side, while in the image I _R , the subject O _b is photographed to the right. Therefore, when each image I _L (I _R ) is simply synthesized by removing and stitching overlapped portions according to pixel information, the object O _b is distorted from the actual image in the synthesized image.

This distortion of the image appears not only in the lateral movement of the camera but also in the forward and backward movement, which is shown in FIG. 1B. The camera Co captures a scene including the subject O _b at position P _B to obtain an image I _B , and then advances the camera Co a predetermined distance to produce the image at position P _F. I _F ) was taken. In this case, when two images (I _B ) and (I _F ) are removed and synthesized according to a predetermined reduction ratio, it can be seen that distortion occurs in the image including the subject as in the case of FIG. 1A.

The distortion and inconsistency of the above image is inevitably a problem because the optical camera has an angle of view. In other words, since the camera has an angle of view, when the position of the camera with respect to the subject is changed, the shortest incident angle incident from the subject into the camera is changed accordingly, thereby synthesizing a plurality of images taken at different shooting angles. In this case, the distortion of the image cannot be prevented.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an object of providing a real image synthesis method for synthesizing a photographed real image without distortion in implementing a real image based virtual reality.

1A is a schematic diagram showing distortion of a composite image photographed according to a lateral shift of a conventional optical camera.

Figure 1b is a schematic diagram showing the distortion of the composite image taken in accordance with the front-rear position shift of the conventional optical camera.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of an optical tube assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the structure of an optical tube assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4A to 4C show the lens arrangement of the optical tube assembly according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A shows a case in which the angle of view θ is zero, and FIG. 4B shows a case in which the angle of view Θ is positive. Denotes the case where the angle of view Θ is negative, respectively.

5A is a schematic diagram showing an example of synthesizing a photographed image by lateral position shift using a camera employing an optical tube assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5B is a schematic diagram showing an example of synthesizing a photographed image according to a forward-backward position movement using a camera employing an optical tube assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a perspective view schematically showing an arrangement of lenses employed in an optical tube assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7A is a schematic diagram showing an example of synthesizing a panoramic foreground using a camera employing an optical tube assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7B is a schematic diagram showing an example of synthesizing an object image using a camera employing an optical tube assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a schematic plan view of a three-dimensional real space for explaining a process of photographing an image according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a diagram illustrating an example of photographing a source image using a camera employing an optical tube assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a diagram for describing a method of photographing a three-dimensional real space according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a view for explaining an example of synthesizing source images according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for describing an example of implementing a virtual reality space using the composite image of FIG. 11 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of synthesizing an omnidirectional panoramic image into a hexahedron according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a view schematically illustrating a development view of the hexahedron composite image illustrated in FIG. 13.

15 is a view showing an example of synthesizing a panoramic image and each thermal image according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for describing an example of implementing a virtual reality space using the composite image of FIG. 15, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

17 is a diagram illustrating an example of displaying a virtual reality space on a monitor screen according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

18A and 18B illustrate an example of capturing a source image by using a camera employing an optical tube assembly according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

19 is a schematic plan view of a three-dimensional real space for explaining a process of photographing an image according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

20 is a view showing an example of combining a panoramic image and each thermal image according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, the method of synthesizing the photorealistic image according to the present invention is

Photographing a plurality of photorealistic images such that a part of the image is overlapped while the photographing angle of view is zero;

Digitizing the photographed live-action image; And

And removing the overlapped area and synthesizing the digitized photorealistic image.

According to another aspect of the invention,

Photographing a plurality of object source images such that a part of the image is overlapped while rotating around the subject with a photographing angle of view negative;

Digitizing the photographed object source image; And

A method of synthesizing an image is provided, including: removing a duplicate area of the object source image and synthesizing it into an object image.

According to another aspect of the invention,

Setting the photographing angle of view of the camera to be zero in a direction of providing perspective, and setting the photographing angle of view to have a positive value with respect to a rotation direction perpendicular to the perspective providing direction;

Generating a plurality of source images by capturing an actual space intermittently and continuously by simultaneously moving and rotating the camera at predetermined intervals in a direction to impart the perspective;

Removing overlapping regions between source images in the rotation direction and synthesizing them to obtain respective thermal images; And

There is provided a method of synthesizing an image including a step of removing overlapping regions of each column image in a direction to impart the perspective and synthesizing them.

Preferably, the photographing angle with respect to the subject during the actual space photographing is selectively set between 0 and 90 degrees.

Preferably, the method for synthesizing the photorealistic image of the present invention,

Generating a plurality of photorealistic images by photographing a real space in an omnidirectional direction at a location at which the first thermal image is captured;

Digitizing the photographed live-action image; Stitching the digitized photorealistic image to generate a norama image; And

And synthesizing the panoramic image and the end row image along a boundary line between the panoramic image and the end row image formed at the same positions of photographing incident light with respect to a subject.

Then, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Prior to this, terms or words used in the specification and claims should not be construed as having a conventional or dictionary meaning, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

According to the invention, an image of the real space is taken using an optical tube assembly designed so that no distortion occurs in the synthesis. Such an optical tube assembly can be simply attached to a general camera having a conventional field of view.

An optical tube assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Referring to the drawings, the optical tube assembly of the present invention includes a cylindrical case 10 incorporating a lens and other components.

According to the present invention, the cylindrical case 10 is provided with a plurality of lenses for converting the incident optical path. In the present embodiment, the lens is composed of a convex lens 20 for focusing incident light and a concave lens 30 for emitting incident light. Preferably, the convex lens 20 and the concave lens 30 are circumferentially gripped by the support rings 21 and 31 and the coupling ring 22 and 32 to be installed in the case 10. do. As will be described later, the light incident on the cylindrical case 10 is focused by the convex lens 20 and then refracted by the concave lens 30 so as to form an appropriate optical path. The convex lens 20 and the concave lens 30 are sequentially arranged so as to be incident through the opening of the lens barrel 2 at predetermined intervals from each other. Reference numeral 40 is a ring cap coupled to the rear end of the cylindrical case 10.

The optical tube assembly according to the invention is used detachably coupled to the objective lens barrel 2 of a conventional camera, which can be accomplished by conventional means known in the art, such as by combining camera filters. According to the present embodiment, a threaded protrusion 31b is formed in the support ring 31 for supporting the concave lens 30, and the protrusion 31b is a front end of the objective lens barrel 2 of the camera 1. By coupling to the thread formed on the inner peripheral surface, the optical tube assembly can be coupled to the camera. The manner of coupling the optical tube assembly to the objective barrel of the camera is not limited by this embodiment and it should be understood that various modifications may be employed.

According to the present invention, the lenses are configured such that a photographing angle θ of a subject (not shown) or a scene becomes zero. As used herein and in the claims, the "view angle" is defined as the viewing angle or photographing angle that the camera has in photographing a subject or a scene. Specifically, a camera having a positive photographing angle Θ can capture a view over a range larger than the cross-sectional area of the objective lens or lens barrel, which corresponds to a conventional conventional camera. That is, incident light focused from the subject to the objective lens is projected onto the film of the camera. For example, in the case of a fisheye lens having an angle of view of 180 degrees, an entire hemispherical view corresponding to the hemisphere may be captured as a single image. On the other hand, a camera having a negative angle of view Θ can capture only a view seen over a range smaller than the cross-sectional area of the objective lens or the lens barrel. That is, incident light emitted from the subject to the objective lens is projected onto the film of the camera. In addition, when the angle of view Θ is zero, only the view seen over the same area as the cross-sectional area of the objective lens or the lens barrel is photographed. This means that only light incident in parallel from the subject is projected onto the film of the camera.

The arrangement of the lenses employed in the optical tube assembly according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4A. In this figure, only the lens is schematically illustrated for convenience of explanation and other parts are omitted. Referring to the drawings, the convex lens 20 and the concave lens 30 are arranged such that the angle of view Θ of the optical tube assembly according to the present invention is zero. That is, since the convex lens 20 and the concave lens 30 are spaced apart by a distance Do, the light path is converted so that only light incident in parallel from the subject or the sight is formed on the film of the camera, and condensed or divergent light is emitted. This is not to be projected onto the film of the camera. Therefore, the photographing angle of view Θ of the optical tube assembly according to the present invention is zero, and the camera attached to the optical tube assembly can photograph only the foreground seen over the range corresponding to the area of the optical tube camera lens or the cross-sectional area of the cylindrical case. . The distance Do between the lenses may be calculated and set so that an angle of view θ becomes zero from the focal length of each lens. Although the structure of the lens has been described using the convex lens and the concave lens as an example in this embodiment, the lens configuration according to the present invention is not limited to this and various lenses having any structure that can make the angle of view Θ of the optical tube assembly zero. It should be understood to include arrays. For example, by properly disposing three or more lenses, the angle of view Θ can be zero.

Then, an image obtained when photographing an actual scene with a camera employing the optical tube assembly of the present invention having the structure as described above will be described. Figure 5a shows the result of the image taken with the horizontal lateral movement with a camera employing the optical tube assembly according to the present invention. Here, the camera and other components are not shown for convenience. Referring to the drawings, since the angle of view Θ of the optical tube assembly is 0 degrees, the image I ' _L photographed by the camera at the position P _L corresponds to the light incident in parallel from the subject into the lens 20. Area. In addition, the image I ' _R taken after moving the camera to the position P _R is also an area corresponding to light incident in parallel from the subject to the lens 20. Therefore, the specific subject O is always taken only in the front view even when the camera is horizontally moved laterally, and is not photographed by shifting to one side as in the conventional camera. As a result, even if the overlapped areas of the two images I ' _L and I' _R photographed at different positions are removed and synthesized, no distortion of the image occurs.

5B shows the imaging of an image following a forward and backward movement of a camera employing the optical tube assembly of the present invention. As shown, the images I ' _B and I' _F photographed at the positions P _B and P _F are all projected onto the film by light incident in parallel to the lens from the subject. Therefore, even in this case, even when the camera is advanced from the position P _B to the position P _F as in the case described above, only one side of the subject O _b is always photographed and not photographed in one side.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the lens may be configured as a planar-cylindrical lens as shown in FIG. 6. The illustrated lens is composed of a flat cylinder type concave lens 20 'and a flat cylinder type convex lens 30'. As is known, plain cylinder-type lenses are used to convert point imgae into line images and are widely used for line-detector-array illumination, such as laser printers.

In the state where the flat cylinder-type concave lens 20 'and the convex lens 30' are horizontally arranged as shown in FIG. 6, the subject may be photographed with only the length L being changed without changing the width W. FIG. In other words, in the optical tube assembly of the present invention having the flat cylindrical lenses 20 'and 30' as described above, the angle of view Θ becomes zero in the width W direction of the subject, and the length L direction of the subject. As a result, the angle of view Θ is positive.

According to the optical tube assembly of another preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the lenses for converting the optical paths can be shifted in position to adjust the field of view Θ. To this end, the optical tube assembly of the present invention has a means for shifting the position of at least one of the lenses, an example of which is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to the drawings, the moving means is installed in the cylindrical case 10, the inner cylinder 11 is formed with a plurality of long holes (11a) in the longitudinal direction and the support for supporting the convex lens 20 It protrudes on the outer circumferential surface of the ring 21 and includes a protrusion 21a on which a rack is formed. The inner cylinder 11 is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical case 10 and larger than the outer diameter of the support ring 21, when the support ring 21 is installed in the inner cylinder 11, the protrusion 21a It is located in the long hole (11a) is slidably coupled in the longitudinal direction. At this time, the thread 10a is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical case 10 so as to be screwed with the rack portion of the protrusion 21a. Then, the support ring 31 for supporting the concave lens 30 is inserted into the rear end of the inner cylinder 11 and fastened by coupling the screw 14 to the coupling hole 31a. The inner cylinder 11 inserted into the cylindrical case 10 is supported by a fastening flange 40 coupled by a screw 41 to a coupling hole 10b formed at the rear end of the cylindrical case 10.

In such a coupled state, when the cylindrical case 10 is rotated, the rotational movement of the cylindrical case 10 is supported by the screw thread 10a formed on the inner circumferential surface thereof and the rack formed on the protrusion 21a of the support ring 21. 21 and the linear convex motion of the convex lens 20 supported thereby. Therefore, when the user rotates the cylindrical case 10 in the clockwise or reverse direction, the protrusion 21a reciprocates while sliding along the long hole 11a of the inner cylinder 11, and thus the convex lens. 20 is relatively far from or close to the fixed concave lens 30. Preferably, when rotating the cylindrical case 10, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 10 may be further provided with an elastic member 13, such as rubber in order to prevent sliding.

Although the moving means of the lens has been described in accordance with the specific drawings and embodiments herein, it should be understood that the moving means is not limited to this and any modification that changes the distance between the lenses using known means may be employed.

According to the optical tube assembly of the present invention, the angle of view θ can be adjusted according to the relative distance of the lenses, an example of which is shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C.

4A shows the lens arrangement in the case where the angle of view Θ becomes zero as described above. That is, the distance Do between the lenses 20 and 30 is set so that the angle of view Θ is zero.

4B illustrates a case in which the angle of view Θ has a positive value. That is, when the cylindrical case 10 of the optical tube assembly shown in FIG. 1 is rotated in one direction and the one lens (ie, the convex lens) 20 is approached to the other lens (ie, the concave lens) 30, the optical path is reduced. As the angle of view changes, the angle of view Θ changes to a positive value. In this case, the distance D ₁ <Do between the lenses 20 and 30 is obtained.

On the other hand, Figure 4c shows a case in which the angle of view Θ has a negative value. That is, when the cylindrical case 10 of the optical tube assembly is rotated in the opposite direction and the one lens (ie, the convex lens) 20 is separated from the other lens (ie, the concave lens) 30, the optical path is converted and the angle of view Θ is changed. It will change to a negative value. In this case, the distance between the lenses 20 and 30 is D ₂ > Do.

Optical tube assembly according to the present invention having the above configuration can be used by selectively adjusting the angle of view θ according to the type of the desired composite image. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when the user wants to synthesize a panoramic image, the user combines the optical tube assembly of the present invention with the camera, and then adjusts the arrangement between the lenses so that the field of view Θ has a positive value. can do. Then, the light incident to the object from the center (O), even if since the vertical with each other, eliminating redundant image (I _OV) of the two, each taken from a different angle of the image (I _Θ1) (I _Θ2) and the composite image Distortion does not occur.

FIG. 7B shows an example of obtaining an object source image by continuously photographing a subject while rotating about the subject from the outside of the subject located at the center O. FIG. In this case, in the optical tube assembly of the present invention, the lens arrangement is adjusted such that the angle of view Θ has a negative value, that is, the optical path connecting the object and the lens passes through the center O. Then, as from a camera lens (not shown) light that is incident on the object, even if since the vertical with each other, eliminating redundant image (I _OV) of the two, each taken from a different angle of the image (I _Θ3) (I _Θ4) and synthesized Distortion does not occur in the synthesized object image.

Next, a method of creating a virtual space by photographing a real space and synthesizing the photographed image using the optical tube assembly according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 8 is a simplified plan view of a corridor-like space that extends from position O ₁ to position O ₂ , and then again turns at right angles at position O ₂ to the position O ₃ . According to the present invention, the complex space as described above may be realized by synthesizing a three-dimensional panoramic image and a parallel light image photographed using an optical tube assembly having an angle of view Θ.

9 shows an example of capturing a unit parallel light image according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In order to capture the unit parallel light image, the optical tube assembly of the present invention is attached to a general optical camera. Then, the arrangement between the lenses is adjusted by the moving means to adjust the lens interval D ₀ such that the angle of view Θ is zero as shown in FIG. 4A. The lenses used in the present embodiment are flat cylinder-type lenses 20 'and 30', in which case the flat cylinder is zero so that the angle of view θ becomes zero with respect to the direction of perspective, ie, the direction in which the user moves forward and backward in the space. The shaped lenses 20 'and 30' are aligned. In other words, the width W direction of the unit image Iu photographed by the camera Co coincides with the direction in which perspective is provided, for example, the direction in which the camera (user) moves in the hallway. Θ becomes zero. On the other hand, the angle of view θ with respect to the length (L) direction (that is, the rotation direction of the camera as described later) perpendicular to the width (W) direction of the unit image (Iu) to have a positive value to be relatively wide Allows you to shoot the area. The length L direction of the image Iu corresponds to the direction in which the camera rotates for imaging. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, the images photographed while rotating the camera having the positive angle of view θ from the center are not distorted even though they are combined with each other.

A method of photographing the space shown in FIG. 8 with a camera employing an optical tube assembly having such a lens arrangement is shown in FIG. The camera (not shown) is located on the centerline Lo of the corridor, wherein the lenses of the optical tube assembly have a field of view θ of zero with respect to the direction of perspective, ie the centerline Lo of the corridor, and laterally perpendicular to it. Is arranged so that the angle of view Θ is positive. At this time, the photographing direction of the camera is perpendicular to the surface of the subject and 180 degrees with the ground surface (see FIG. 9).

In this state, the ceiling of the corridor is photographed to obtain the top source image I _{S1 -T of} the first row. Then, the camera is rotated 90 degrees laterally to take the same size of the right source image I _{S1 -R} . Next, the camera is rotated downward to take the lower source image I _{S1 -B} , and then rotates again to take the left source image I _{S1 -L} . In this manner, the plurality of first row source images I _S1-T (I _S1-R ) (I _S1-B ) (I _S1- while rotating the camera at right angles to the forward direction (perspective direction). _L ) can be obtained. Although this embodiment has been described as generating four source images, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the rotation angle and number of captured images of the camera can be properly adjusted according to the lateral angle of view θ of the optical tube assembly attached to the camera. Could be.

After the first shot is completed for the column, the source image for the camera back along the center line (Lo) which advances in the direction giving a perspective following the same way the second column, _{(I S2-T) (I} S2- R) (I S2 _-B ) (I _S2-L ) is obtained. In this case, the first column source image I _S1 and the second column source image I _S2 may be partially overlapped to be photographed as shown by a dotted line of FIG. 8 so that there is no area that is not photographed. The camera is advanced by the distance.

In this same process, the intermittent and continuous rotation images are taken while moving the camera a predetermined interval, and the third to seventh row source images I _S3-T (I _S3-R ) (I _S3-B ) (I _{S3 -L} ) to (I _S7-T ) (I _S7-R ) (I _S7-B ) (I _S7-L ). As used in this specification and claims, the term "intermittent and continuous rotating image" means a plurality of images taken by rotating the camera so that at least a part thereof is overlapped while the camera is advanced step by step. It must be interpreted according to such a definition.

The source images I _{S1 -T} to I _{S7 -L} are mutually synthesized or stitched to have an arrangement as shown in FIG. 11 after the overlapping regions are removed. In particular, the columns of each shown in Figure 10, for example, a first column top, right, bottom and left source image _{(I S1-T) (I} S1-R) (I S1-B) (I S1 _The areas overlapping each other between _-L ) are properly removed and stitched to each other, since the camera's angle of view Θ is a positive value, so that the source images I _S1-T (I _S1-R ) (I _S1-B ) from the camera are (I _S1-L ) The light incident on each is always vertical. Therefore, even if the overlapped regions of the source images I _{S1 -T} (I _{S1 -R} ) (I _{S1 -B} ) (I _{S1 -L} ) are removed and synthesized with each other, the distortion of the image does not occur. By such lateral image synthesis, the first to seventh column images I ₁ to I ₇ corresponding to each column are obtained.

Subsequently, each of the thermal images I ₁ to I ₇ is synthesized in a mutually advancing direction, that is, in a perspective giving perspective. In this case, the overlapping regions may be simply removed and stitched. Here, since the angle of view Θ in the forward direction becomes zero by the lens arrangement of the optical tube assembly, the light incident on each of the thermal images I ₁ to I ₇ from the camera is always vertical. Therefore, even though the columns are different, even if the columns are different, the photographing angles are not biased toward either side and the photographing angles are the same. Therefore, even if the respective thermal images I ₁ to I ₇ are simply stitched, the distortion of the image does not occur.

11 schematically shows a process of synthesizing each of the source images in the above manner. As shown, the respective thermal images I ₁ to I ₇ and the top, right, bottom and left images I _T (I _R ) (I _B ) (I _L ) can be synthesized without distortion. have. Stitching of these images can be accomplished by a known stitching program, as already illustrated above. As described above, the synthesized image may be configured as a three-dimensional virtual space by, for example, a separate program as illustrated in FIG. 12.

According to the present invention, images photographed using an optical tube assembly having a field of view Θ can be combined with conventional panoramic images to realize a complete virtual reality space. Referring to FIG. 8 again, a plurality of source images are obtained by photographing an omnidirectional scene using a camera having a positive angle of view Θ at a center position O ₁ to obtain a panoramic image. As a photographing method at this time, for example, the camera is taken vertically upward with respect to the ground surface, and then the upper source image is photographed, and the upper and middle panorama source images are sequentially photographed while being rotated about 45 degrees and then rotated. Next, position the camera parallel to the ground, then rotate to shoot the intermediate panorama source images, again tilt it downward 45 degrees to get the bottom-to-mid panorama source images, and finally shoot the camera with the bottom To shoot the lower source image.

These source images are digitized and then composited together by a stitching program. Preferably, the panoramic source images may be synthesized and then converted into a cube shown in FIG. 13. For example, using Apple's QuickTime VR, etc., multiple panorama source images are stitched into hexahedral composite panoramic images (Icu), and then commercial programs such as Macromedia's Shockwave. Can be run on the Web.

Referring back to FIG. 8, on a plane P ₀₁ passing through the center O ₁ and perpendicular to the forward direction of the camera (user), that is, the direction giving perspective, the first column image I ₁ and Since all of the hexahedral panoramic images Icu are photographed with parallel incident light, distortion of the image does not occur at all even if two images are combined at this boundary line (the line indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 13). In addition, since the images on the right of the plane P ₀₁ are overlapped with the first column image I ₁ , they should be removed at the time of composition. This can be more clearly understood with reference to FIG. 14, which shows the hexahedral panoramic image Icu in a virtual exploded view. That is, the hexahedral panoramic image Icu, which is to be stitched continuously with the first column image I ₁ , is an image part corresponding to the entire side A image and half of each of the side surfaces B, C, D, and E indicated by hatching. Accordingly, FIG. 15 illustrates an example of synthesizing the hexahedral panoramic image Icu and the first to seventh column images I ₁ to I ₇ by removing overlapping portions. The synthesized image may be configured as shown in FIG. 16 using the above-described program to implement a 3D virtual reality space. In the positions O ₂ and O _{3 in the} same manner as described above, the hexahedral panoramic image and the image of each end row can be synthesized with each other.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a virtual reality space viewed from the position O ₂ of FIG. 8 to the position O ₁ . For example, an image obtained by synthesizing the panoramic image Icu and each column image I ₁ to I ₇ is displayed inside the screen boundary M of the monitor viewed by the user. At this time, the image I _{7 of} the seventh column closest to the user is relatively enlarged and displayed, and as the distance from the user increases, the size is reduced to a predetermined ratio. Preferably, the images are set to correspond to subframes in which the screen area of the monitor is divided, and may be enlarged and reduced in units of subframes according to a user's input signal, which is the Korean Patent Application No. 10 filed by the present inventor. It should be understood as an embodiment to which the present invention can be applied as a technique disclosed in -2002-08817.

In this embodiment, although each row is images taken vertically from the camera, the images once stitched can produce images when viewing the subject from different directions using image-based rendering techniques.

Furthermore, although the present embodiment has described an example of synthesizing a rectangular tunnel-shaped thermal images and a hexahedral panoramic image, as an alternative, each thermal image is synthesized in a cylindrical shape and is again a hemispherical panoramic image (Isp of FIG. 8). It is also possible to synthesize with reference. The image shape or the panoramic image shape of each column is deformable as necessary and can be selected using any existing stitching program and is not limited by the present embodiment.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the camera employing the optical tube assembly can photograph the subject while being inclined at a predetermined angle. 18A and 18B illustrate an example in which the optical tube assembly of the present invention is photographed in an inclined state such that an angle Θp = 45 degrees with a subject to be photographed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 18A, when photographing the first row source image I _{S1_T} of the corridor, the camera is positioned on the centerline Lo of the corridor and the tilt angle Θp = 45 degrees with respect to the centerline Lo. Tilt as much as possible. At this time, the lenses 20 'and 30' of the optical tube assembly are arranged such that the angle of view Θ is zero with respect to the direction of perspective, that is, the forward direction of the camera (user), as described above. Therefore, the incident angle of the camera with respect to the surface in the width W direction of the subject is 45 degrees. At this time, parallel light is incident in the width W direction of the subject, and as a result, the distortion of the image does not occur even if the camera synthesizes the source images photographed while moving forward. The optical tube assembly has a positive angle of view Θ in a length L direction of the subject, that is, a direction perpendicular to the forward direction. This arrangement exceeds the limit of the optical tube assembly capable of capturing only an image corresponding to the width of the objective lens 20 'or the width of the entrance opening of the cylindrical case, thereby increasing the width W of the subject to be photographed. The advantage is that it can be increased.

Furthermore, when photographing the first row source image I _{S1_R} corresponding to the right wall of the corridor, the camera and optical tube assembly is rotated as shown in FIG. 18B to still maintain the inclination angle Θp with respect to the centerline Lo at 45 degrees. do. At this time, the angle of view θ should be zero with respect to the direction to give a perspective is the same as described above. As described above, a schematic example of photographing with the camera tilted 45 degrees with respect to the corridor space is shown in FIG. 19.

In this manner, the first to seventh column source images I _{S1 -T} ) (I _{S1 -R} ) (I _{S1 -B} ) (I _{S1 -L} ) to (I _{S7 -T} ) (I _{S7 -R} ) (I _S7-B ) (I _S7-L ) are obtained. Each thermal image obtained is synthesized in the same manner as shown in FIG. Here, since the source images are all photographed by parallel incident light because the angle of view θ is zero in the direction of perspective, that is, the width direction, the distortion of the image does not occur even when stitching each other as described above.

In this embodiment, the photographing and synthesizing process for the hexahedral panoramic image Icu is the same as in the above-described embodiment. However, in synthesizing the hexahedral panoramic image Icu and the first row image I ₁ , as shown in FIG. 19, since the inclination angle of the camera is inclined at 45 degrees, the boundary area of the stitching is the center position O _1. ) Becomes the cone surface Pco with an inclination of 45 degrees. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, all the side A, B, C, D, and E images except for the side F image should be synthesized among the hexahedral panoramic images Icu, and the boundary of the synthesis is shown in FIG. 20. , Between the side B, C, D, and E images and the source image for each column. The synthesis of the panorama image and the source image of each column is not limited by the present embodiment, and a person skilled in the art may properly deform the image synthesis boundary according to the photographing inclination angle of the subject. Will be understood.

According to the present invention, the angle of view Θ can be adjusted to a positive value, zero, or negative value, so that the angle of view can be selectively adjusted and used as needed to implement a panoramic image, an object image, and a three-dimensional virtual reality space. .

In capturing and then composing an image using a camera employing the optical tube assembly of the present invention, only an image corresponding to light incident vertically from the camera is taken, thereby eliminating overlapping regions among a plurality of source images. Even when combined, no distortion of the image occurs.

In addition, the optical tube assembly of the present invention can be used by simply attaching to the camera, and since the image can be synthesized as it is without additional correction work on the camera, the operation is efficient and a complex program algorithm for image correction. Do not need. Accordingly, when the virtual reality space based on the photorealistic image is to be implemented, the virtual reality space may be easily taken by photographing the photorealistic image and using a known stitching program according to the method of the present invention.

Claims (5)

Photographing a plurality of photorealistic images such that a part of the image is overlapped while the photographing angle of view is zero; Digitizing the photographed live-action image; And And removing the redundant region and synthesizing the digitized photorealistic image. Photographing a plurality of object source images such that a part of the image is overlapped while rotating around the subject with a photographing angle of view negative; Digitizing the photographed object source image; And And removing the overlapped areas of the object source image and composing them into an object image. Setting the photographing angle of view of the camera to be zero in a direction of providing perspective, and setting the photographing angle of view to have a positive value with respect to a rotation direction perpendicular to the perspective providing direction; Generating a plurality of source images by capturing an actual space intermittently and continuously by simultaneously moving and rotating the camera at predetermined intervals in a direction to impart the perspective; Removing overlapping regions between source images in the rotation direction and synthesizing them to obtain respective thermal images; And And synthesizing the overlapping regions between the respective thermal images in a direction to impart the perspective to each other. The method of claim 3, And a photographing angle with respect to a subject is selectively set between 0 and 90 degrees when photographing the actual space. The method of claim 3, Generating a plurality of photorealistic images by photographing a real space in an omnidirectional direction at a location at which the first thermal image is captured; Digitizing the photographed live-action image; Stitching the digitized photorealistic image to generate a panoramic image; And And synthesizing the panoramic image and the end row image along the boundary line between the panoramic image and the end row image formed at the same positions of photographing incident light with respect to a subject.