TWM484708U - Panoramic imaging system - Google Patents

Description

Panoramic imaging system

The present invention relates to a panoramic imaging system, and more particularly to a panoramic mirror with a single image sensing device or a single projection device, so that the sensed image or the projected image has better resolution and brightness. Panoramic imaging system.

Press, in the field of photography, film photography, and projection, there are specifications of the Field of View (FOV). The FOV is further divided into a horizontal perspective (HFOV) and a vertical perspective (VFOV). The HFOV of the panoramic imaging system is 360 degrees, and the angle of the VFOV is not necessarily.

In the technical aspect of panoramic photography, since the light source projected on the photosensitive material, CMOS image sensor or charge-coupled component is reflected by the curved surface of the mirror, there is overlap and energy cannot be evenly distributed in each array capacitor (or photodiode). Above, the capacitance (or photodiode) is different in the intensity of the received optical energy, that is, the uneven density of the projection causes the optical energy to be unevenly distributed in each CMOS image sensor photosensitive diode or charge coupling. The light above the component causes blurring of the image. The reason why the intensity density of the signal charge received by the CMOS image sensor or the charge coupled device is uneven is because the radius of curvature of the curved mirror causes the reflected light to be incident on the CMOS image sensor or the charge coupled device, and is projected on the photosensitive diode. The optical signal on the signal is converted to a density unevenness of the signal charge. The larger the radius of curvature of the curved surface is, the higher the density of the photodiode or the charge coupled device projected on the CMOS image sensor is. The smaller the radius of curvature is projected in the CMOS image sensing. The lower the density on the device or charge coupled device.

A panoramic imaging method and system employing a pyramid mirror is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 5,990,934, but it is to use four cameras (or image sensing devices). The cost is relatively high. It also has a disadvantage: the closer the image is to the center of the pyramid mirror, the lower the resolution. Vishvjit S. Nalwa, the method and system proposed in his 1996 technical report, is identical to US 5,990,934. US 5,793,527 further combines the lower resolution images obtained by the pyramid mirror into a higher resolution panoramic image using four lenses and four cameras.

The 1997 document by S. K. Nayar discloses another method of panoramic imaging, using a panoramic imaging method similar to a parabolic mirror surface (see the paper for surface equations), and using only one camera (or image sensing device). It has improved the shortcomings of the US 5,990,934 camera. It also has two disadvantages: first, the closer the image is to the center of the mirror surface, the less uniform the resolution, the lower the resolution, and the darker the brightness. Second, the panoramic image falls within a circular area, and the image sensing device The four corners are idle and useless. Products currently on the market are mostly products that use this method.

China Patent Publication No. TWI268102 discloses an image processing unit suitable for an image sensor. The image processing unit includes a plurality of photosensitive diodes arranged in an image sensor, and the photosensitive diodes are different in position. The photosensitive area with different sizes, wherein the photosensitive areas of the photosensitive diodes are sequentially increased outward from the central area to compensate for the problem that the incident angle of the light is too large to reduce the sensitivity, thereby improving the quality of image capturing. The features of this patent happen to be contrary to the needs of panoramic imaging.

A panoramic projection system using a pyramid mirror and four projection devices is disclosed in US Patent No. 5,539,483. The principle is the same as that of US 5,990,934, except that the light source is reversed to form a projection system. Because of the same principle and the same characteristics, it must use four projection devices. The cost is relatively high. It also has a disadvantage: the closer to the projection of the center point of the pyramid mirror, the lower the image resolution.

In image processing, a CMOS image sensor or a charge-clamping component captures an image through a pixel unit formed by an array of photodiodes, and the sensitivity of each pixel unit is projected onto the photodiode. The optical signal is converted into the intensity of the signal charge. If the sensitivity of the photodiode to light is reduced, the density of the received signal charge becomes lower, which directly affects the realism and saturation of the image capture. Moreover, because the MOSFET image sensor or the array of charge storage elements of the charge coupled device causes the signal charge density of the signal charge stored in different charge storage elements to be different, the captured image is relatively blurred.

Furthermore, the reason why the intensity density of the signal charge received by the CMOS image sensor or the charge coupled device is uneven is that the curvature radius of the curved mirror causes the reflected light to be incident on the CMOS image sensor or the charge coupled device, and is projected on the photosensitive The optical signal on the diode is converted into a density unevenness of the signal charge. The larger the radius of curvature of the curved surface, the higher the density of the CMOS image sensor or the charge coupled device, and the smaller the radius of curvature is projected on the CMOS image sensor. Or the lower the density on the charge coupled device. The effect of such edge attenuation directly affects the quality of the image, resulting in a darker centered brighter edge. Although in the optical compensation technology, the optical signal of the edge region can be enhanced by the focus of the software or microlens, or the effective area of the preferred photosensitive region can be calculated by the image size, but the effect is limited.

In view of the shortcomings of the above conventional panoramic imaging system, the present invention provides a panoramic imaging system to improve the above disadvantages.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a panoramic imaging system having a panoramic mirror having a tapered surface such that the density of the light signal projected by the light source through the panoramic mirror onto the photosensitive diode is more uniform during imaging. In the case of a rectangular image or a non-circular image, the problem of uneven resolution and the uselessness of the four corners are avoided.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a panoramic imaging system having a panoramic mirror, which may be a convex mirror, a concave mirror, a plane mirror, or a combination thereof, and the horizontal viewing angle of the projection result may be 121 degrees to 360 degrees. Degree, and the rectangular area is a rectangular area.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a panoramic imaging system having a panoramic mirror, wherein each of the four corners of the panoramic mirror has an extended mirror, and the images reflected by the four extended mirrors respectively fall on the image. Four corners of the sensing device.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a panoramic imaging system having a panoramic mirror whose curved surface is quadratic, and the gradient of the curved surface determines the linear relationship of the panoramic mirror projected on the image sensing device. .

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a panoramic imaging system in which the density of light projected by a rectangular light source onto a 360-degree screen through a panoramic mirror is more uniform during projection, thereby avoiding the problem of uneven resolution, so that the resolution is good.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a panoramic imaging system in which the area of the photosensitive element in the image sensing device is larger as the center of the image sensing device is larger, and the smaller the area is from the center point, the smaller the area is, so that the sensing is performed. The resulting image has better resolution and brightness.

For the above purposes, a panoramic imaging system of the present invention includes: a panoramic mirror, an elliptical cone having a curved surface for reflecting a light source from the periphery; and an image sensing device And being disposed on one side of the panoramic mirror for receiving a light source from the panoramic mirror to generate imaging information; and when the panoramic mirror projects a panoramic image on the image sensing device, the The panoramic image is projected into a rectangular area or a non-circular area.

For a purpose of the above, a panoramic projection system of the present invention includes: a storage device for storing image information sensed from an image sensing device; and a processing unit coupled to the storage device for the image The image processing device is coupled to the processing unit, and the image information is converted into a rectangular panoramic image or a non-circular image light source, and the image projection device is coupled to the video interface unit. Projecting the rectangular panoramic image or the non-circular image light source; a panoramic mirror is placed above or below the image projection device, which is an elliptical cone whose tapered surface is a curved surface for reflecting from the surrounding a light source; and a panoramic screen disposed around the panoramic mirror and surrounding the panoramic mirror; wherein a light source of a rectangular area or a non-circular area is projected by the panoramic mirror A 360-degree panoramic image on the panoramic screen.

For the purpose of the above, a panoramic image processing unit of the present invention is used in a panoramic imaging system, the panoramic image processing unit includes: a plurality of light sensing components arranged in the image sensing device, the light The sensing elements have different sizes of photosensitive areas depending on the position, wherein the photosensitive areas of the light sensing elements are determined by an elliptical cone surface of a panoramic mirror, and the lower the illuminance, the larger the photosensitive area, the illuminance The higher the area, the smaller the photosensitive area.

The detailed description of the drawings and preferred embodiments is set forth in the accompanying drawings.

10‧‧‧ panoramic mirror
11‧‧‧ Surface
12‧‧‧Extended mirror
20‧‧‧Image sensing device
21‧‧‧Light sensing components
30‧‧‧ lens
100‧‧‧ storage device
110‧‧‧Processing unit
120‧‧‧Video interface unit
130‧‧‧Image projection device
140‧‧‧ panoramic mirror
141‧‧‧ Surface
142‧‧‧Extended mirror
150‧‧‧ panoramic screen
160‧‧‧ lens

1a is a schematic view showing a panoramic imaging system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
1b is a schematic view showing an upper side view of a panoramic imaging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a schematic view showing a panoramic imaging system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention further having a lens.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a block diagram of a panoramic projection system according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a panoramic image processing unit according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1a to FIG. 2, FIG. 1a is a perspective view of a panoramic imaging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1b is a top view of a panoramic imaging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; The panoramic imaging system of a preferred embodiment of the present invention further has a schematic view of a lens.

As shown, the novel panoramic imaging system includes: a panoramic mirror 10; and an image sensing device 20 combined.

The panoramic mirror 10 has a shape such as, but not limited to, an elliptical cone, and the tapered surface is a curved surface 11 for reflecting a light source from the surroundings, wherein the surrounding light source is, for example but not limited to, a 360-degree light source; The panoramic mirror 10 is, for example but not limited to, a convex lens, a concave mirror, or a plane mirror. In addition, the horizontal viewing angle of the projection result of the panoramic mirror 10 may be 121 degrees to 360 degrees, and the curved surface 11 causes the panoramic image to be projected into the image sensing device 20, and the panoramic image is projected into a non-circular area. The non-circular area is preferably an elliptical area, and the elliptical area may be greater than or equal to the sensing area of the image sensing device 20.

The curved surface 11 of the panoramic mirror 10 has a quadratic curve shape, and the gradient of the curved surface 11 determines the linear relationship of the panoramic mirror 10 projected on the image sensing device 20 . In addition, the four corners of the panoramic mirror 10 respectively have an extended mirror 12, and each of the panoramic mirrors 10 has an elliptical cross section.

The image sensing device 20 is disposed above or below the panoramic mirror 10. In the present embodiment, the following is taken as an example, but not limited thereto, for receiving from the panoramic mirror 10. a light source for generating imaging information. When the panoramic image is projected onto the image sensing device 20 by the panoramic mirror 10, the panoramic image can be projected into a rectangular area or a non-circular area, and preferably a rectangle The image reflected by the four extended mirrors 12 will fall on the four corners of the image sensing device 20 (as shown in FIG. 1b) to improve the image sensing device 20 in the prior art. The disadvantage of being idle and useless.

The image sensing device 20 further includes a plurality of light sensing elements 21 for receiving electromagnetic radiation energy incident on the light sensing element 21 by the reflected light source, and generating a corresponding plurality of signal charges, wherein the light The sensing element 21 is, for example but not limited to, a charge coupled device, a photodiode, a complementary oxidized metal semiconductor image sensing element, or other photosensitive material.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the panoramic imaging system of the present invention further has a lens 30 disposed between the panoramic mirror 10 and the image sensing device 20, and the lens 30 can be enlarged ( Zoom in), zoom out, partial zoom, partial zoom, change depth of field or other functions. The lens 30 is, for example but not limited to, a convex mirror, a concave mirror, a plane mirror, or a combination thereof.

In the panoramic imaging system of the present invention, when the curved surface of the panoramic mirror 10 is projected, when the panoramic image is projected on the image sensing device 20, the panoramic image can be projected into a rectangular region or a non-circular region, and the projection density is Evenly distributed, in addition to improving the problem of uneven resolution and the uselessness of the four corners, it can also increase the vertical viewing angle (Vertical FOV, VFOV for short).

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a block diagram of a panoramic projection system according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the panoramic projection system of the present invention comprises: a storage device 100; a processing unit 110; a video interface unit 120; an image projection device 130; a panoramic mirror 140; and a panoramic screen 150. Founder.

The storage device 100 can store image information sensed by an image sensing device 20, wherein the storage device 100 is, for example, but not limited to, a memory. For the principle of the image sensing device 20, refer to the above description. It is not intended to repeat the details here.

The processing unit 110 is coupled to the storage device 100, and the image information can be processed and output. The processing unit 110 is, for example but not limited to, a microprocessor or a microcontroller.

The video interface unit 120 is coupled to the processing unit 110, and can convert the image information into a rectangular or non-circular panoramic image light source and output the image information.

The image projection device 130 is coupled to the video interface unit 120 to project the rectangular or non-circular panoramic image light source. The image projection device 130 is, for example but not limited to, a projector.

The panoramic mirror 140 has a shape such as, but not limited to, an elliptical cone, and the tapered surface is a curved surface 141 for reflecting a light source from the periphery, wherein the curved surface 141 is a quadratic curve, and the surrounding light source For example, but not limited to, a 360 degree light source; the panoramic mirror 140 is, for example but not limited to, a convex mirror, a concave mirror, a flat mirror, or a combination thereof. In addition, the horizontal viewing angle of the projection result of the panoramic mirror 140 may be 121 degrees to 360 degrees. In addition, the four corners of the panoramic mirror 140 respectively have an extended mirror 142, and each of the panoramic mirrors 140 has an elliptical cross section.

The panoramic screen 150 is placed around the panoramic mirror 140 and the panoramic mirror 140 can be wrapped therein. The processing unit 110 corrects the image information according to the gradient of the curved surface 141 to be the same as the gradient of the panoramic mirror 140, so that the image information is restored on the panoramic screen 150.

In addition, the panoramic projection system of the present invention further has a lens 160 disposed between the panoramic mirror 140 and the image projection device 150, and the lens 160 can be enlarged, reduced, partially enlarged, and partially reduced. , change the depth of field or other features.

光源 A rectangular or non-circular light source having a uniform density is projected onto the panoramic screen 150 by the curved surface 141 of the panoramic mirror 140 to form a 360-degree panoramic image, which can improve the resolution unevenness problem and four In addition to the disadvantages of unused corners, vertical viewing angle (VFOV) can also be increased. And the lens 160 can achieve enlargement, reduction, partial enlargement, partial reduction, change of depth of field or other functions. Therefore, the panoramic projection system of the present invention is indeed more advanced than the conventional panoramic projection system.

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a panoramic image sensing device according to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the present invention also provides a panoramic image sensing device for use in a panoramic imaging system. The image sensing device 20 includes a plurality of light sensing elements 21 arranged in the image sensing device 20 The light sensing elements 21 have different photosensitive areas according to different positions. The photosensitive areas of the light sensing elements 21 are determined by the elliptical cone surface 11 of the panoramic mirror 10, and the illumination is lower. In the area, the larger the photosensitive area, the higher the illuminance, the smaller the photosensitive area. For the principle of the panoramic mirror 10, please refer to the above description, and the detailed description is not repeated here; wherein the surrounding light source is, for example but not limited to, a 360-degree light source. The gradient of the elliptical cone surface 11 determines the linear relationship of the panoramic mirror 10 projected onto the image sensing device 20.

The photo sensing element 21 is, for example but not limited to, a photodiode, a charge coupled device, a complementary oxidized metal semiconductor image sensing device, or other photosensitive material. As shown in the figure, the light sensing element 21 closer to the central region of the image sensor 20 has a larger light-sensing area because of its lower illuminance; the light sensing is closer to the peripheral region of the image sensor 20. The element 21 has a small light-sensing area because of its high illuminance. In this way, the conventional image sensor can be improved because the effect of edge attenuation directly affects the quality of the image, resulting in the disadvantage that the brighter edge of the center is darker.

The optical signal projected on the photosensitive diode 21 by the conventional panoramic imaging system is converted into density unevenness of the signal charge by the above-mentioned configuration, and the curvature radius of the curved surface 11 is projected on the light sensing element 21. The higher the density, the smaller the radius of curvature of the curved surface 11 and the lower the density projected onto the light sensing element 21. Therefore, the panoramic image sensing device of the present invention is indeed more advanced than the conventional panoramic imaging device.

In summary, the implementation of the panoramic imaging system of the present invention has: 1. A panoramic mirror having a special curved surface for optical signals projected by the panoramic mirror onto the photosensitive diode during imaging. The density is more uniform and is a rectangular image or a non-circular image, which avoids the problem of uneven resolution and the uselessness of four corners. 2. When projected, a rectangular or non-circular image source is projected through a panoramic mirror. The density of the light on the 360-degree screen is more uniform, avoiding the problem of uneven resolution, so the resolution is better; and 3. The area of the photosensitive diode in the image sensing device is closer to the center of the image sensing device. The larger the point, the smaller the area from the center point, the better the resolution and brightness of the sensed image. Therefore, the present case is more advanced than the conventional panoramic imaging system.

The disclosure of the present invention is a preferred embodiment. Any change or modification of the present invention originating from the technical idea of the present invention and being easily inferred by those skilled in the art will not deviate from the scope of patent rights of the present invention.

In summary, the case, regardless of its purpose, means and efficacy, is showing its technical characteristics that are different from the conventional ones, and its first creation is practical, and it is also in line with the new patent requirements. I will be granted a patent at an early date.

10‧‧‧ panoramic mirror

11‧‧‧ Surface

12‧‧‧Extended mirror

20‧‧‧Image sensing device

21‧‧‧Light sensing components

Claims (15)

A panoramic imaging system comprising:
a panoramic mirror, which is an elliptical cone, and the tapered surface is a curved surface for reflecting the light source from the periphery; and an image sensing device is disposed on one side of the panoramic mirror for receiving the panoramic view a light source from the mirror to generate imaging information;
When the panoramic image is projected onto the image sensing device by the panoramic mirror, the panoramic image can be projected into a rectangular area or a non-circular area. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the panoramic mirror is a convex mirror, a concave mirror, a plane mirror, or a combination thereof, and the horizontal viewing angle of the projection result may be 121 degrees to 360 degrees, and the rectangle The area is a rectangular area. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the image sensing device is disposed above or below the panoramic mirror, and each of the four corners of the panoramic mirror has an extended mirror. The images reflected by the extended mirrors will respectively fall on the four corners of the image sensing device. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the curved surface of the panoramic mirror is quadratic, and the gradient of the curved surface determines a linear relationship between the panoramic mirror and the image projected on the image sensing device. . The panoramic imaging system of claim 1, wherein the image sensing device further comprises a plurality of light sensing elements for receiving electromagnetic radiation energy incident on the light sensing element by the reflected light source, and generating a phase Corresponding to a plurality of signal charges, wherein the light sensing component is a photodiode, a charge coupled component, a complementary oxidized metal semiconductor image sensing component or other photosensitive material. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a lens disposed between the panoramic mirror and the image sensing device, wherein the lens can be enlarged, reduced, and partially Zoom in, zoom out, change depth of field or other features. The panoramic imaging system of claim 2, wherein the tapered surface of the panoramic mirror causes the panoramic image to be projected into the image sensing device, and the panoramic image is projected into a non-circular region, wherein The non-circular area is an elliptical area, and the elliptical area may be greater than or equal to the sensing area of the image sensing device. A panoramic projection system comprising:
a storage device for storing image information sensed from an image sensing device;
a processing unit is coupled to the storage device, and the image information can be processed and output;
a video interface unit coupled to the processing unit, the image information can be converted into a rectangular or non-circular panoramic image light source and output;
An image projection device coupled to the video interface unit to project the rectangular or non-circular panoramic image light source;
a panoramic mirror disposed above or below the image projection device, which is an elliptical cone having a curved surface for reflecting a light source from the periphery; and a panoramic screen placed on the panoramic mirror Surrounding, and the panoramic mirror can be wrapped therein;
The light source of a rectangular area or a non-circular area is projected on the panoramic screen by the panoramic mirror to form a 360-degree panoramic image. The panoramic projection system of claim 8, wherein the panoramic mirror is a convex mirror, a concave mirror, a plane mirror, or a combination, and the horizontal viewing angle of the projection result may be 121 degrees to 360 degrees. The panoramic projection system of claim 8, wherein the storage device is a memory, the processing unit is a microprocessor or a microcontroller, and the video interface unit is a video interface card. The panoramic projection system of claim 8, wherein the surface of the panoramic mirror is quadratic, and the processing unit corrects the image information according to the gradient of the surface to make the panoramic mirror The gradients are the same so that the image information is restored on the panoramic screen. The panoramic projection system of claim 8, further comprising a lens disposed between the panoramic mirror and the image projection device, wherein the lens can be enlarged, reduced, and partially enlarged. , partial reduction, change of depth of field or other functions. A panoramic image sensing device is used in a panoramic imaging system, the image sensing device comprising:
A plurality of light sensing elements are arranged in the image sensing device, and the light sensing elements have different sizes of photosensitive areas depending on the position, wherein the photosensitive areas of the light sensing elements are formed by a panoramic mirror The area of the elliptical cone is determined by the fact that the lower the illuminance, the larger the photosensitive area and the higher the illuminance, the smaller the photosensitive area. The panoramic image sensing device of claim 13, wherein the light sensing component is a photodiode, a charge coupled component, a complementary oxidized metal semiconductor image sensing component or other photosensitive material. The panoramic image sensing device of claim 13, wherein the gradient of the elliptical cone surface determines a linear relationship between the panoramic mirror and the image projected on the image sensing device.