WO2012131151A1

WO2012131151A1 - Methods and apparatuses for generating a panoramic image

Info

Publication number: WO2012131151A1
Application number: PCT/FI2012/050204
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gururaj PUTRAYA; Pranav Mishra; Krishna Annasagar Govindarao
Original assignee: Nokia Corporation
Priority date: 2011-03-28
Filing date: 2012-03-01
Publication date: 2012-10-04

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses are provided for generating a panoramic image. A method may include receiving a reference image having a first image quality level (500). The method may further include receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level (510). The second image quality level may be greater than the first image quality level. Each of the subimages may depict a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image. The method may additionally include using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images (520). The panoramic image may depict the scene depicted by the reference image and at the second image quality level. Corresponding apparatuses are also provided.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR GENERATING A PANORAMIC IMAGE

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Example embodiments relate generally to imaging technology and and, more particularly, relate to methods and apparatuses for generating a panoramic image.

BACKGROUND

The modern computing era has brought about a tremendous expansion in computing power as well as increased affordability of computing devices. This expansion in computing power has led to a reduction in the size of computing devices and given rise to a new generation of mobile devices that are capable of performing functionality that only a few years ago required processing power provided only by the most advanced desktop computers. Consequently, mobile computing devices having a small form factor have become ubiquitous and are used by consumers of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

As a result of the expansion in computing power and reduction in size of mobile computing devices, mobile computing devices are being marketed with an ever increasing array of features. Among features now found on many mobile computing devices is image capture functionality. In this regard, increased processing power has enabled the capture of higher quality digital images. Further, improvements in memory capacity of mobile computing devices have enabled the capture and storage of greater numbers of images by mobile computing devices. Consequently, use of mobile computing devices to capture digital images is becoming increasingly prevalent and is replacing traditional film-based image capture.

BRIEF SUMMARY Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are herein provided for generating a panoramic image. Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products in accordance with various embodiments may provide several advantages to computing devices and computing device users. Some example embodiments enable the generation of a panoramic image without requiring that images which are combined to form the panoramic image be captured in any specific order. In this regard, some example embodiments provide for generation of a panoramic image on the basis of a reference image depicting a scene (e.g., a field of view) desired for the panoramic image, but which has an image quality level that is less than that desired in the panoramic image. In accordance with such example embodiments, a set of sub-images having a desired image quality level and depicting a portion of the scene of the reference image may be used to generate the panoramic image. Further, some such example embodiments may track which portions of the scene depicted by the reference image have been captured in a sub-image and provide an indication of portions of the scene of the reference image which still need to be captured.

In a first example embodiment, a method is provided, which comprises receiving a reference image having a first image quality level. The method of this example embodiment further comprises receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level. The second image quality level of this example embodiment is greater than the first image quality level. Each of the sub-images of this example embodiment depicts a portion of a field of a scene depicted by the reference image. The method of this example embodiment additionally comprises using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub- images. The generated panoramic image of this example embodiment depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level.

In another example embodiment, an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code is provided. The at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus of this example embodiment to at least receive a reference image having a first image quality level. The at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to further cause the apparatus of this example embodiment to receive a set of sub-images having a second image quality level. The second image quality level of this example embodiment is greater than the first image quality level. Each of the sub-images of this example embodiment depicts a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image. The at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to additionally cause the apparatus of this example embodiment to use the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images. The generated panoramic image of this example embodiment depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level.

In another example embodiment, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product of this example embodiment includes at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored therein. The program instructions of this example embodiment comprise program instructions configured to cause an apparatus to perform a method. The method of this example embodiment comprises receiving a reference image having a first image quality level. The method of this example embodiment further comprises receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level. The second image quality level of this example embodiment is greater than the first image quality level. Each of the sub-images of this example embodiment depicts a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image. The method of this example embodiment additionally comprises using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images. The generated panoramic image of this example embodiment depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level. In another example embodiment, an apparatus is provided that comprises means for receiving a reference image having a first image quality level. The apparatus of this example embodiment further comprises means for receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level. The second image quality level of this example embodiment is greater than the first image quality level. Each of the sub-images of this example embodiment depicts a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image. The apparatus of this example embodiment additionally comprises means for using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images. The generated panoramic image of this example embodiment depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level.

The above summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above described example embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of various embodiments in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the invention encompasses many potential embodiments, some of which will be further described below, in addition to those here summarized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described embodiments in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an example embodiment;

FIGs. 3a-3c illustrate capture of images for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart according to an example method for capturing images for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart according to an example method for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart according to an example method for facilitating capture of sub- images for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments. Indeed, various embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms "data," "content," "information" and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, received, displayed and/or stored in accordance with various example embodiments. Thus, use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Further, where a computing device is described herein to receive data from another computing device, it will be appreciated that the data may be received directly from the another computing device or may be received indirectly via one or more intermediary computing devices, such as, for example, one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, base stations, and/or the like.

The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to any medium configured to participate in providing information to a processor, including instructions for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., non-volatile media, volatile media), and transmission media. Transmission media include, for example, coaxial cables, copper wire, fiber optic cables, and carrier waves that travel through space without wires or cables, such as acoustic waves and electromagnetic waves, including radio, optical and infrared waves. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include a floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic storage medium, a compact disc read only memory (CD- ROM), compact disc compact disc-rewritable (CD-RW), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu- Ray, any other optical medium, a random access memory (RAM), a programmable read only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), a FLASH- EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other non-transitory medium from which a computer can read. The term computer-readable storage medium is used herein to refer to any computer-readable medium except transmission media. However, it will be appreciated that where embodiments are described to use a computer-readable storage medium, other types of computer-readable mediums may be substituted for or used in addition to the computer-readable storage medium in alternative embodiments.

Additionally, as used herein, the term 'circuitry' refers to (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog circuitry and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits and computer program product(s) comprising software and/or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that work together to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of 'circuitry' applies to all uses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term 'circuitry' also includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and/or portion(s) thereof and accompanying software and/or firmware. As another example, the term 'circuitry' as used herein also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network device, and/or other computing device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an apparatus 102 for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment. It will be appreciated that the apparatus 102 is provided as an example of some embodiments and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the invention in any way. In this regard, the scope of the disclosure encompasses many potential embodiments in addition to those illustrated and described herein. As such, while FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a configuration of an apparatus for generating a panoramic image, other configurations may also be used to implement various embodiments.

The apparatus 102 may be embodied as a desktop computer, laptop computer, mobile terminal, mobile computer, mobile phone, mobile communication device, one or more servers, one or more network nodes, game device, digital camera/camcorder, audio/video player, television device, digital video recorder, positioning device, chipset, a computing device comprising a chipset, any combination thereof, and/or the like. In this regard, the apparatus 102 may comprise any computing device or other apparatus that is configured to generate a panoramic image in accordance with one or more example embodiments disclosed herein. In an example embodiment, the apparatus 102 is embodied as a mobile computing device, such as the mobile terminal illustrated in FIG. 2.

In this regard, FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile terminal 10 representative of one embodiment of an apparatus 102. It should be understood, however, that the mobile terminal 10 illustrated and hereinafter described is merely illustrative of one type of apparatus 102 that may implement and/or benefit from various embodiments and, therefore, should not be taken to limit the scope of the disclosure. While several embodiments of the electronic device are illustrated and will be hereinafter described for purposes of example, other types of electronic devices, such as mobile telephones, mobile computers, portable digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, gaming devices, televisions, and other types of electronic systems, may employ various embodiments.

As shown, the mobile terminal 10 may include an antenna 12 (or multiple antennas 12) in communication with a transmitter 14 and a receiver 16. The mobile terminal 10 may also include a processor 20 configured to provide signals to and receive signals from the transmitter and receiver, respectively. The processor 20 may, for example, be embodied as various means including circuitry, one or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without an accompanying digital signal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more controllers, processing circuitry, one or more computers, various other processing elements including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array), or some combination thereof. Accordingly, although illustrated in FIG. 2 as a single processor, in some embodiments the processor 20 comprises a plurality of processors. These signals sent and received by the processor 20 may include signaling information in accordance with an air interface standard of an applicable cellular system, and/or any number of different wireline or wireless networking techniques, comprising but not limited to Wi-Fi, wireless local access network (WLAN) techniques such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, 802.16, and/or the like. In addition, these signals may include speech data, user generated data, user requested data, and/or the like. In this regard, the mobile terminal may be capable of operating with one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, access types, and/or the like. More particularly, the mobile terminal may be capable of operating in accordance with various first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, third-generation (3G) communication protocols, fourth-generation (4G) communication protocols, Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) communication protocols (e.g., session initiation protocol (SIP)), future communication, and/or the like. For example, the mobile terminal may be capable of operating in accordance with 2G wireless communication protocols IS- 136 (Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), IS-95 (Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)), and/or the like. Also, for example, the mobile terminal may be capable of operating in accordance with 2.5G wireless communication protocols General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), and/or the like. Further, for example, the mobile terminal may be capable of operating in accordance with 3G wireless communication protocols such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Time Division- Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and/or the like. The mobile terminal may be additionally capable of operating in accordance with 3.9G wireless communication protocols such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) and/or the like. Additionally, for example, the mobile terminal may be capable of operating in accordance with fourth-generation (4G) wireless communication protocols and/or the like as well as similar wireless communication protocols that may be developed in the future.

Some Narrow-band Advanced Mobile Phone System (NAMPS), as well as Total Access Communication System (TACS), mobile terminals may also benefit from embodiments, as should dual or higher mode phones (e.g., digital/analog or TDMA/CDMA/analog phones). Additionally, the mobile terminal 10 may be capable of operating according to Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) protocols. It is understood that the processor 20 may comprise circuitry for implementing audio/video and logic functions of the mobile terminal 10. For example, the processor 20 may comprise a digital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, an analog-to-digital converter, a digital-to-analog converter, and/or the like. Control and signal processing functions of the mobile terminal may be allocated between these devices according to their respective capabilities. The processor may additionally comprise an internal voice coder (VC) 20a, an internal data modem (DM) 20b, and/or the like. Further, the processor may comprise functionality to operate one or more software programs, which may be stored in memory. For example, the processor 20 may be capable of operating a connectivity program, such as a web browser. The connectivity program may allow the mobile terminal 10 to transmit and receive web content, such as location-based content, according to a protocol, such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and/or the like. The mobile terminal 10 may be capable of using a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to transmit and receive web content across the internet or other networks.

The mobile terminal 10 may also comprise a user interface including, for example, an earphone or speaker 24, a ringer 22, a microphone 26, a display 28, a user input interface, and/or the like, which may be operationally coupled to the processor 20. In this regard, the processor 20 may comprise user interface circuitry configured to control at least some functions of one or more elements of the user interface, such as, for example, the speaker 24, the ringer 22, the microphone 26, the display 28, and/or the like. The processor 20 and/or user interface circuitry comprising the processor 20 may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more elements of the user interface through computer program instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on a memory accessible to the processor 20 (e.g., volatile memory 40, non-volatile memory 42, and/or the like). Although not shown, the mobile terminal may comprise a battery for powering various circuits related to the mobile terminal, for example, a circuit to provide mechanical vibration as a detectable output. The display 28 of the mobile terminal may be of any type appropriate for the electronic device in question with some examples including a plasma display panel (PDP), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), an organic light-emitting diode display (OLED), a projector, a holographic display or the like. The user input interface may comprise devices allowing the mobile terminal to receive data, such as a keypad 30, a touch display (not shown), a joystick (not shown), and/or other input device. In embodiments including a keypad, the keypad may comprise numeric (0-9) and related keys (#, *), and/or other keys for operating the mobile terminal.

In some example embodiments, the mobile terminal 10 may include a media capturing element, such as a camera, video and/or audio module, in communication with the processor 20. The media capturing element may be any means for capturing an image, video and/or audio for storage, display or transmission. For example, in an example embodiment in which the media capturing element is a camera module 36, the camera module 36 may include a digital camera capable of forming a digital image file from a captured image. In addition, the digital camera of the camera module 36 may be capable of capturing a video clip. As such, the camera module 36 may include all hardware, such as a lens or other optical component(s), and software necessary for creating a digital image file from a captured image as well as a digital video file from a captured video clip. Alternatively, the camera module 36 may include only the hardware for viewing an image, while a memory device of the mobile terminal 10 stores instructions for execution by the processor 20 in the form of software necessary to create a digital image file from a captured image. As yet another alternative, an object or objects within a field of view of the camera module 36 may be displayed on the display 28 of the mobile terminal 10 to illustrate a view of an image currently displayed which may be captured if desired by the user. As such, as referred to hereinafter, an image may be either a captured image or an image comprising the object or objects currently displayed by the mobile terminal 10, but not necessarily captured in an image file. In an example embodiment, the camera module 36 may further include a processing element such as a co-processor which assists the processor 20 in processing image data and an encoder and/or decoder for compressing and/or decompressing image data. The encoder and/or decoder may encode and/or decode according to, for example, a joint photographic experts group (JPEG) standard, a moving picture experts group (MPEG) standard, or other format.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 10 may also include one or more means for sharing and/or obtaining data. For example, the mobile terminal may comprise a short-range radio frequency (RF) transceiver and/or interrogator 64 so data may be shared with and/or obtained from electronic devices in accordance with RF techniques. The mobile terminal may comprise other short-range transceivers, such as, for example, an infrared (IR) transceiver 66, a Bluetooth™ (BT) transceiver 68 operating using Bluetooth™ brand wireless technology developed by the Bluetooth™ Special Interest Group, a wireless universal serial bus (USB) transceiver 70 and/or the like. The Bluetooth™ transceiver 68 may be capable of operating according to ultra-low power Bluetooth™ technology (e.g., Wibree™) radio standards. In this regard, the mobile terminal 10 and, in particular, the short-range transceiver may be capable of transmitting data to and/or receiving data from electronic devices within a proximity of the mobile terminal, such as within 10 meters, for example. Although not shown, the mobile terminal may be capable of transmitting and/or receiving data from electronic devices according to various wireless networking techniques, including Wi-Fi, WLAN techniques such as IEEE 802.11 techniques, IEEE 802.15 techniques, IEEE 802.16 techniques, and/or the like.

The mobile terminal 10 may comprise memory, such as a subscriber identity module (SIM) 38, a removable user identity module (R-UIM), and/or the like, which may store information elements related to a mobile subscriber. In addition to the SIM, the mobile terminal may comprise other removable and/or fixed memory. The mobile terminal 10 may include volatile memory 40 and/or non-volatile memory 42. For example, volatile memory 40 may include Random Access Memory (RAM) including dynamic and/or static RAM, on-chip or off-chip cache memory, and/or the like. Non-volatile memory 42, which may be embedded and/or removable, may include, for example, read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disk drives, magnetic tape, etc.), optical disc drives and/or media, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), and/or the like. Like volatile memory 40 non- volatile memory 42 may include a cache area for temporary storage of data. One or more of the volatile memory 40 or non-volatile memory 42 may be embodied as a tangible, non-transitory memory. The memories may store one or more software programs, instructions, pieces of information, data, and/or the like which may be used by the mobile terminal for performing functions of the mobile terminal. For example, the memories may comprise an identifier, such as an international mobile equipment identification (IMEI) code, capable of uniquely identifying the mobile terminal 10.

Returning to FIG. 1 , in some example embodiments, the apparatus 102 includes various means for performing the various functions herein described. These means may comprise one or more of a processor 1 10, memory 1 12, communication interface 1 14, user interface 1 16, camera module 1 18, or panoramic image generator 120. The means of the apparatus 102 as described herein may be embodied as, for example, circuitry, hardware elements (e.g., a suitably programmed processor, combinational logic circuit, and/or the like), a computer program product comprising computer-readable program instructions (e.g., software or firmware) stored on a computer-readable medium (e.g. memory 1 12) that is executable by a suitably configured processing device (e.g., the processor 1 10), or some combination thereof.

In some example embodiments, one or more of the means illustrated in FIG. 1 may be embodied as a chip or chip set. In other words, the apparatus 102 may comprise one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) including materials, components and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., a baseboard). The structural assembly may provide physical strength, conservation of size, and/or limitation of electrical interaction for component circuitry included thereon. In this regard, the processor 1 10, memory 1 12, communication interface 1 14, user interface 1 16, camera module 1 18, and/or panoramic image generator 120 may be at least partially embodied as a chip or chip set. The apparatus 102 may therefore, in some cases, be configured to or may comprise component(s) configured to implement one or more embodiments on a single chip or as a single "system on a chip." As such, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute means for performing one or more operations for providing the functionalities described herein and/or for enabling user interface navigation with respect to the functionalities and/or services described herein.

The processor 1 10 may, for example, be embodied as various means including one or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without an accompanying digital signal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more controllers, processing circuitry, one or more computers, various other processing elements including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array), one or more other types of hardware processors, or some combination thereof. Accordingly, although illustrated in FIG. 1 as a single processor, in some embodiments the processor 110 comprises a plurality of processors. The plurality of processors may be in operative communication with each other and may be collectively configured to perform one or more functionalities of the apparatus 102 as described herein. The plurality of processors may be embodied on a single computing device or distributed across a plurality of computing devices collectively configured to function as the apparatus 102. In embodiments wherein the apparatus 102 is embodied as a mobile terminal 10, the processor 110 may be embodied as or comprise the processor 20. In some example embodiments, the processor 110 is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 112 or otherwise accessible to the processor 110. These instructions, when executed by the processor 110, may cause the apparatus 102 to perform one or more of the functionalities of the apparatus 102 as described herein. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 110 may comprise an entity capable of performing operations according to one or more example embodiments while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 110 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 110 may comprise hardware configured for conducting one or more operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processor 110 is embodied as an executor of instructions, such as may be stored in the memory 112, the instructions may configure the processor 110 to perform one or more algorithms and operations described herein.

The memory 112 may comprise, for example, volatile memory, non- volatile memory, or some combination thereof. In this regard, the memory 112 may comprise a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Although illustrated in FIG. 1 as a single memory, the memory 112 may comprise a plurality of memories. The plurality of memories may be embodied on a single computing device or may be distributed across a plurality of computing devices collectively configured to function as the apparatus 102. In various example embodiments, the memory 112 may comprise a hard disk, random access memory, cache memory, flash memory, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM), an optical disc, circuitry configured to store information, or some combination thereof. In embodiments wherein the apparatus 102 is embodied as a mobile terminal 10, the memory 112 may comprise the volatile memory 40 and/or the non- volatile memory 42. The memory 112 may be configured to store information, data, applications, instructions, or the like for enabling the apparatus 102 to carry out various functions in accordance with various example embodiments. For example, in some example embodiments, the memory 112 is configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor 110. Additionally or alternatively, the memory 112 may be configured to store program instructions for execution by the processor 110. The memory 112 may store information in the form of static and/or dynamic information. The stored information may include, for example, images captured for use in generating a panoramic image. This stored information may be stored and/or used by the camera module 118 and/or panoramic image generator 120 during the course of performing their functionalities. The communication interface 114 may be embodied as any device or means embodied in circuitry, hardware, a computer program product comprising computer readable program instructions stored on a computer readable medium (e.g., the memory 112) and executed by a processing device (e.g., the processor 110), or a combination thereof that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/to another computing device. In an example embodiment, the communication interface 114 is at least partially embodied as or otherwise controlled by the processor 110. In this regard, the communication interface 114 may be in communication with the processor 110, such as via a bus. The communication interface 114 may include, for example, an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and/or supporting hardware or software for enabling communications with one or more remote computing devices. The communication interface 114 may be configured to receive and/or transmit data using any protocol that may be used for communications between computing devices. In this regard, the communication interface 1 14 may be configured to receive and/or transmit data using any protocol that may be used for transmission of data over a wireless network, wireline network, some combination thereof, or the like by which the apparatus 102 and one or more computing devices may be in communication. The communication interface 114 may additionally be in communication with the memory 112, user interface 116, camera module 118, and/or panoramic image generator 120, such as via a bus.

The user interface 116 may be in communication with the processor 110 to receive an indication of a user input and/or to provide an audible, visual, mechanical, or other output to a user. As such, the user interface 116 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screen display, a microphone, a speaker, and/or other input/output mechanisms. In embodiments wherein the user interface 116 comprises or is in communication with a display, the display may comprise, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), an organic light-emitting diode display (OLED), a projector (e.g., a projector configured to project a display on a projection screen, wall, and/or other object), a holographic display, or the like. Such display may be configured to serve as a viewfmder for a camera, such as the camera module 118, which may be embodied on or in operative communication with the apparatus 102 when such camera is in operation. Alternatively, the user interface 116 may comprise a display configured as a dedicated viewfmder for a camera. In embodiments wherein the user interface 116 comprises a touch screen display, the user interface 116 may additionally be configured to detect and/or receive an indication of a touch gesture or other input to the touch screen display. The user interface 116 may be in communication with the memory 112, communication interface 114, camera module 118, and/or panoramic image generator 120, such as via a bus. In some example embodiments, the apparatus 102 may comprise, or may otherwise be in operative communication with a camera, such as the camera module 118. The camera module 118 may operate under the control of the processor 110 and, as such, may be in communication with the processor 110. The camera module 118 may additionally or alternatively be in communication with and/or operate under the control of one or more of the memory 112, user interface 116, or panoramic image generator 120.

The camera module 118 may include a digital camera capable of forming a digital image file from a captured image. In addition, the digital camera of the camera module 118 may be capable of capturing a video clip. As such, the camera module 118 may, for example, include all hardware, such as a lens or other optical component(s), and software necessary for creating a digital image file from a captured image as well as a digital video file from a captured video clip. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the camera module 118 may include only the hardware for viewing an image. In such example embodiments, the processor 110 and/or panoramic image generator 120 may be configured to control creation of a digital image file from an image within a field of view of the camera module 118. An object or objects within a field of view of the camera module 118 may be displayed on a viewfinder or other display, such as may be implemented as part of the user interface 116. An image illustrated on a viewfinder may, for example, be captured in response to a command received via a user input to the user interface 116, a command received from the processor 110, a command received from the panoramic image generator 120, and/or the like. In embodiments wherein the apparatus 102 is embodied as a mobile terminal 10, the camera module 118 may comprise the camera module 36.

The panoramic image generator 120 may be embodied as various means, such as circuitry, hardware, a computer program product comprising computer readable program instructions stored on a computer readable medium (e.g., the memory 112) and executed by a processing device (e.g., the processor 110), or some combination thereof and, in some embodiments, is embodied as or otherwise controlled by the processor 110. In embodiments wherein the panoramic image generator 120 is embodied separately from the processor 110, the panoramic image generator 120 may be in communication with the processor 110. The panoramic image generator 120 may further be in communication with one or more of the memory 112, communication interface 114, user interface 116, or camera module 118, such as via a bus.

In some example embodiments, the panoramic image generator 120 may be configured to receive a reference image. In this regard, the panoramic image generator 120 may be configured to receive a reference image captured by the camera module 118, access a reference image stored in the memory 112, or the like. The reference image may depict a scene to be captured in a panoramic image. In this regard, for example, the reference image may have a field of view which is equivalent to a desired field of view of a panoramic image to be generated. However, the reference image may have an image quality level which is less than a desired image quality level of the panoramic image to be generated. In this regard, the reference image may, for example, be captured at a first zoom level, which is less than a zoom level at which the sub-images used to generate the panoramic image are captured. Additionally or alternatively, the image quality levels may differ in that the reference image may be captured at a first resolution, which may be less than a resolution at which the sub- images used to generate the panoramic image are captured. In some example embodiments, the reference image may be captured without any zoom being set (e.g., lx zoom) and/or may be captured at a default resolution of a viewfinder of the camera module 118. In some example embodiments, the reference image may, itself be a panoramic image generated by stitching together multiple images, which may have been captured at the image quality level of the reference image. Accordingly, for example, the reference image may have a field of view that is wider and/or higher than the field of view of the viewfinder.

The reference image may, in some example embodiments, be scaled to match a resolution of the viewfinder in order to facilitate generation of the panoramic image. As an example, FIG. 3a illustrates a reference image 302, which may have a resolution greater than a resolution of a camera viewfinder. The reference image 302 may be scaled, or downsampled, to the resolution of the camera viewfinder, as illustrated by the scaled reference image 304.

Prior to capture of the sub-images that will be used to generate the panoramic image, the image quality level at which the sub-images are captured by the camera module 118 may be adjusted to the level desired of the panoramic image. Accordingly, for example, the zoom level may be increased to a desired zoom level. Additionally or alternatively, an image capture resolution may be increased to allow for higher image quality. A set of sub-images captured at the increased image quality level may be received by the panoramic image generator 120. In this regard, the panoramic image generator 120 may, for example, receive the sub-images as they are captured by the camera module 120. As another example, the panoramic image generator 120 may access a set of sub-images stored in the memory 112. As still a further example, the camera module 118 may capture a video clip at the desired image quality level and the panoramic image generator 120 may receive a set of sub-images by extracting a plurality of video frames from the captured video clip.

Each sub-image in the set of sub-images may depict a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image. In this regard, a sub-image may have a field of view depicting a portion of a field of view of the reference image at a greater image quality level than the reference image. Accordingly, the set of sub-images may collectively depict the entirety of the scene of the reference image.

The panoramic image generator 120 may be additionally configured to use the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images. The resulting panoramic image may depict the scene of the reference image, but may have an image quality level equal to that at which the sub-images were captured.

In generating the panoramic image, the panoramic image generator 120 may downsample respective sub-images to the image quality level of the reference image. The downsampled sub-image may be compared to at least a portion of the reference image to identify the position of the sub-image in the panoramic image. In this regard, referring to FIGs 3a and 3b, the sub-image 308 may depict a portion of the scene of the reference image 302. The sub- image 308 may be downsampled to produce the downsampled sub-image 310 having the same image quality level as the reference image. Accordingly, the downsampled sub-image 310 may be compared to the reference image to determine the region 306 and facilitate determination of placement of the sub-image 308 in the panoramic image.

Since the reference image may be used to guide arrangement and stitching of sub-images to generate the panoramic image, the sub-images may be captured in any order. As such, a user operating the camera module 118 may move the camera in some arbitrary manner around the approximate field of view of the reference image to capture the set of sub-images. Accordingly, some example embodiments may offer a beneficial user experience by not requiring the user to capture images to be stitched in a specific order, such as by capturing adjacent and/or overlapping images in a predefined direction (e.g., left to right) across the scene to be captured.

In some example embodiments, the panoramic image generator 120 may use the reference image to guide capture and/or collection of the set of sub-images used in generation of the panoramic image. As an example, an image having the desired image quality level may be captured or may be received from an image in the camera viewfmder. This received image may be downsampled to the image quality level of the reference image and compared to at least a portion of the reference image to determine whether the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image.

In an instance in which the panoramic image generator 120 determines that the image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, the panoramic image generator 120 may cause the received image to be added to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image. In this regard, if the image has already been captured, the panoramic image generator 120 may save the image as a sub-image for use in generating the panoramic image. As an example, if the image had been captured to a short term memory (e.g., a processor cache, system RAM, or the like), the image may be saved to another memory, such as the memory 112. As another example, a saved image may be designated as a sub-image or otherwise kept for usage in generating the panoramic image rather than being discarded. Alternatively, if the image has not already been captured (e.g., the received image is an image depicted in the camera viewfmder), the panoramic image generator 120 may cause capture of the image and save the captured image as a sub-image for use in generating the panoramic image. In causing capture of the image, the panoramic image generator 120 may, for example, command the camera module 118 to capture the viewfmder image. As another example, the panoramic image generator 120 may cause an indication to be provided to the user that the viewfmder image should be captured. This indication may be a visual indication, such as may be presented in the viewfmder, an audible indication, some combination thereof, or the like. Accordingly, the user may trigger capture of the viewfmder image as a sub-image in response to such an indication. If, however, the panoramic image generator 120 determines that the received image does not depict a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, the panoramic image generator 120 may cause the received image to be discarded such that it is not used for generation of the panoramic image. In this regard, the panoramic image generator 120 may delete and/or determine to not save the image as a sub-image. As another example, if the received image is a viewfmder image, the panoramic image generator 120 may signal the camera module 118 that the viewfmder image should not be captured as a sub-image and/or may provide an indication (e.g., a visual indication, audible indication, and/or the like) to the user that the viewfmder image should not be captured. The panoramic image generator 120 may be configured to screen captured sub-images based on one or more quality criterion when determining the set of sub-images to be used for generation of the panoramic image. As an example, some example embodiments may require that sub-images depicting adjacent regions of the scene depicted by the reference image have at least some overlap to facilitate stitching to generate the panoramic image. Accordingly, in an instance in which an image is received (e.g., captured, depicted in the camera viewfmder, and/or the like) that depicts a scene at least partially overlapping a scene depicted by a captured sub-image in the set of sub-images, the panoramic image generator 120 may determine whether the overlap between the scene depicted by the received image and the scene depicted by the captured sub-image satisfies a threshold amount of overlap (e.g., a minimum amount of overlap necessary to allow for stitching of adjacent images). In an instance in which the panoramic image generator 120 determines that the overlap satisfies the threshold amount of overlap, the panoramic image generator 120 may cause the received image to be added (e.g., captured and/or saved) to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image. However, if panoramic image generator 120 determines that the overlap does not satisfy the threshold amount of overlap, the panoramic image generator 120 may cause the received image to be discarded such that it is not used for generation of the panoramic image.

In some example embodiments, the panoramic image generator 120 may be configured to track which portions of the scene depicted by the reference image have been captured in a sub-image. The panoramic image generator 120 may accordingly cause an indication to be provided to a user of portions of the scene of the reference image which have not been captured and/or portions of the field of view of the reference image which have been captured. This indication may, for example, comprise a visual indication that may be displayed to the user in the camera viewfmder and/or other display of the user interface 116. In this regard, FIG. 3c illustrates an example visual indication that may be provided to a user to guide capture of sub-images for generating a panoramic image. In this regard, the shaded portions 312 of the reference image indicate portions of the scene depicted by the reference image which have been captured in at least one sub-image. Accordingly, the user may determine which portions of the scene still need to be captured. In such example embodiments, the panoramic image generator 120 may be configured to generate the panoramic image in response to a determination that all of the portions of the scene of the reference image have been captured in at least one sub-image. Referring now to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart according to an example method for capturing images for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment. The operations illustrated in and described with respect to FIG. 4 may, for example, be performed by, with the assistance of, and/or under the control of one or more of the processor 110, memory 112, user interface 116, camera module 118, or panoramic image generator 120. Operation 400 may comprise capturing an image having a desired field of view (e.g., capturing a desired scene) with a zoom factor less than Q, which may be a zoom factor to be used for capture of the sub-images as further described below. As an example, operation 400 may comprise capturing an image of a desired scene without the use of zoom. Operation 400 may further comprise scaling the captured image to the resolution of the camera viewfmder (VF). Alternatively, operation 400 may comprise extracting a viewfmder frame with a zoom factor of less than Q. The captured or extracted image may be stored for use as a reference image ("reflmage"). Operation 405 may comprise setting the camera zoom to Qx times, where Q comprises any value within the range of zoom power capability of the camera module 118. Operation 410 may comprise capturing a viewfmder frame and downscaling it by Qx times (e.g., to the zoom level of the reference image) as the user pans through the scene to capture sub-images for use in generating a panoramic image. Operation 415 may comprise determining whether there is a match of the viewfmder frame with any region in the reference image. In this regard, it may be determined whether a scene depicted by the viewfmder frame depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image. If it is determined that there is no match between the viewfmder frame and a region of the reference image, the viewfmder frame may be discarded and the method may return to operation 410. If, however, it is determined at operation 415 that there is a match between the viewfmder frame and a region of the reference image, the method may proceed to operations 420 and 425, which may comprise determining whether there is any overlap between the scene of the viewfmder frame and a scene depicted by a previously stored sub-image. If it is determined that there is such overlap, operation 430 may comprise determining whether the overlap satisfies a threshold amount of overlap. If the threshold amount of overlap is not satisfied, the viewfmder frame may be discarded and the method may return to operation 410. If, however, the threshold amount of overlap is satisfied, the viewfmder frame may be stored as a sub-image for stitching to form the panoramic image, at operation 435. Also, if it is determined in operation 425 that there is no overlap between the viewfmder frame and a previously stored sub-image, the method may proceed to operation 435 where the viewfmder frame may be stored as a sub-image for stitching to form the panoramic image. Operation 440 may comprise determining whether all of the regions of the scene of the reference image have been captured. If not, the method may return to operation 410, where another viewfmder frame may be captured. If, however, it is determined that all regions of the scene of the reference image have been captured, operation 445 may comprise exiting capture of the sub-images. The sub-images may then be stitched on the basis of the reference image to generate the panoramic image.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart according to another example method for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment. The operations illustrated in and described with respect to FIG. 5 may, for example, be performed by, with the assistance of, and/or under the control of one or more of the processor 110, memory 112, user interface 116, camera module 118, or panoramic image generator 120. Operation 500 may comprise receiving a reference image having a first image quality level. The processor 110, memory 112, user interface 116, camera module 118, and/or panoramic image generator 120 may, for example, provide means for performing operation 500. Operation 510 may comprise receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level. The second image quality level may be greater than the first image quality level. Each of the sub-images may depict a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image. The processor 110, memory 112, user interface 116, camera module 118, and/or panoramic image generator 120 may, for example, provide means for performing operation 510. Operation 520 may comprise using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images. The panoramic image may depict the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level. The processor 110, memory 112, and/or panoramic image generator 120 may, for example, provide means for performing operation 520. FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart according to an example method for facilitating capture of sub- images for generating a panoramic image according to an example embodiment. The operations illustrated in and described with respect to FIG. 6 may, for example, be performed by, with the assistance of, and/or under the control of one or more of the processor 110, memory 112, user interface 116, camera module 118, or panoramic image generator 120. Operation 600 may comprise tracking portions of the scene depicted by a reference image that have been captured in a sub-image. The processor 110, memory 112, and/or panoramic image generator 120 may, for example, provide means for performing operation 600. Operation 610 may comprise causing an indication of one or more portions of the scene of the reference image that have not been captured in a sub-image to be provided. The processor 110, memory 112, user interface 116, camera module 1 18, and/or panoramic image generator 120 may, for example, provide means for performing operation 610.

FIGs. 4-6 each illustrate a flowchart of a system, method, and computer program product according to an example embodiment. It will be understood that each block of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts, may be implemented by various means, such as hardware and/or a computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable mediums having computer readable program instructions stored thereon. For example, one or more of the procedures described herein may be embodied by computer program instructions of a computer program product. In this regard, the computer program product(s) which embody the procedures described herein may be stored by one or more memory devices of a mobile terminal, server, or other computing device (for example, in the memory 112) and executed by a processor in the computing device (for example, by the processor 110). In some embodiments, the computer program instructions comprising the computer program product(s) which embody the procedures described above may be stored by memory devices of a plurality of computing devices. As will be appreciated, any such computer program product may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (for example, an apparatus 102) to produce a machine, such that the computer program product including the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus creates means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block(s). Further, the computer program product may comprise one or more computer-readable memories on which the computer program instructions may be stored such that the one or more computer-readable memories can direct a computer or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the computer program product comprises an article of manufacture which implements the function specified in the flowchart block(s). The computer program instructions of one or more computer program products may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus (for example, an apparatus 102) to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus implement the functions specified in the flowchart block(s). Accordingly, blocks of the flowcharts support combinations of means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts, may be implemented by hardware-based computer systems, or by combinations of hardware and computer program product(s).

The above described functions may be carried out in many ways. For example, any suitable means for carrying out each of the functions described above may be employed to carry out various embodiments. In one embodiment, a suitably configured processor (for example, the processor 110) may provide all or a portion of the elements. In another embodiment, all or a portion of the elements may be configured by and operate under control of a computer program product. The computer program product for performing the methods of an example embodiment includes a computer-readable storage medium (for example, the memory 112), such as the non-volatile storage medium, and computer-readable program code portions, such as a series of computer instructions, embodied in the computer-readable storage medium.

Many modifications and other embodiments set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated within the scope of the invention. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method comprising:

receiving a reference image having a first image quality level;

receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level, wherein the second image quality level is greater than the first image quality level, and wherein each of the sub- images depicts a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image; and

using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images, wherein the panoramic image depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein using the reference image to generate the panoramic image, for a first sub-image in the set of sub-images, comprises:

downsampling the first sub-image to the first image quality level; and

comparing the downsampled first sub-image to a portion of the reference image to determine a position of the first sub-image in the panoramic image.

3. The method of any of Claims 1-2 further comprising creating the set of sub- images, where the creating comprises:

receiving an image having the second image quality level;

downsampling the received image from the second image quality level to the first image quality level;

comparing the downsampled image to at least a portion of the reference image to determine whether the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image; and

if it is determined that the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, causing the received image to be added to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image.

4. The method of Claim 3 further comprising if it is determined that the received image does not depict a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, causing the received image to be discarded.

5. The method of any of Claims 1-2 further comprising creating the set of sub- images, wherein the creating comprises:

receiving an image having the second image quality level and depicting a scene overlapping a scene depicted by a captured sub-image in the set of sub-images;

determining whether the overlap between the scene of the received image and the scene of the captured sub-image satisfies a threshold amount of overlap; and if it is determined that the overlap satisfies the threshold amount of overlap, causing the received image to be added to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image.

6. The method of Claim 5 further comprising if it is determined that the overlap does not satisfy the threshold amount of overlap, causing the received image to be discarded.

7. The method of any of Claims 1-5, wherein the set of sub-images are received without requiring receipt of the set of sub-images in a defined order.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

tracking portions of the scene of the reference image that have been captured in a sub- image; and

causing an indication of one or more portions of the scene of the reference image that have not been captured in a sub-image to be provided.

9. The method of any of Claims 1-8, wherein reference image is used to generate the panoramic image if substantial portions of the scene of the reference image have been captured by at least one sub-image in the set of sub-images.

10. The method of any of Claims 1-9, wherein receiving the set of sub-images comprises causing capture of the set of sub-images from a video having the second image quality level.

11. The method of any of Claims 1-10, wherein the first image quality level comprises a first zoom level and the second image quality level comprises a second zoom level, and wherein the second zoom level is greater than the first zoom level.

12. The method of any of Claims 1-11, wherein the first image quality level comprises a first resolution and the second image quality level comprises a second resolution, and wherein the second resolution is greater than the first resolution.

13. The method of any of Claims 1-12, wherein the reference image comprises a panoramic image having the first image quality level.

14. A computer program comprising computer-readable program instructions, the computer-readable program instructions cause an apparatus to perform:

receiving a reference image having a first image quality level;

receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level, wherein the second image quality level is greater than the first image quality level, and wherein each of the sub- images depicts a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image; and using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images, wherein the panoramic image depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level.

15. The computer program of Claim 14, wherein the program instructions further cause the apparatus to create a set of sub-images by performing:

receiving an image having the second image quality level;

if it is determined that the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, adding the received image to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image.

16. The computer program of Claim 15, wherein the program instructions further cause the apparatus to perform, if it is determined that the received image does not depict a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, discarding the received image.

17. The computer program of Claim 14, wherein the program instructions further cause the apparatus to create a set of sub-images by performing:

determining whether the overlap between the scene of the received image and the scene of the captured sub-image satisfies a threshold amount of overlap; and

if it is determined that the overlap satisfies the threshold amount of overlap, adding the received image to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image.

18. The computer program of Claim 17, wherein the program instructions further cause the apparatus to perform: if it is determined that the overlap does not satisfy the threshold amount of overlap, discarding the received image.

19. The computer program of any of Claims 14-18, wherein the program instructions further cause the apparatus to perform:

indicating one or more portions of the scene of the reference image that have not been captured in a sub-image to be provided.

20. The computer program of any of Claims 14-19, wherein the computer program is comprised in a computer program product comprising computer readable medium.

21. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:

receive a reference image having a first image quality level;

receive a set of sub-images having a second image quality level, wherein the second image quality level is greater than the first image quality level, and wherein each of the sub- images depicts a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image; and

use the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images, wherein the panoramic image depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level.

22. The apparatus of Claim 21, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus, for a first sub-image in the set of sub-images, to:

downsample the first sub-image to the first image quality level; and

compare the downsampled first sub-image to a portion of the reference image to determine a position of the first sub-image in the panoramic image.

23. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-22, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus, to create the set of sub-images, to:

receive an image having the second image quality level;

downsample the received image from the second image quality level to the first image quality level;

compare the downsampled image to at least a portion of the reference image to determine whether the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image; and

if it is determined that the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, add the received image to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image.

24. The apparatus of Claim 23, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

if it is determined that the received image does not depict a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image, discard the received image.

25. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-23, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus, to create the set of sub-images, to:

receive an image having the second image quality level and depicting a scene overlapping a scene depicted by a captured sub-image in the set of sub-images;

determine whether the overlap between the scene of the received image and the scene of the captured sub-image satisfies a threshold amount of overlap; and

if it is determined that the overlap satisfies the threshold amount of overlap, add the received image to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image.

26. The apparatus of Claim 25, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

if it is determined that the overlap does not satisfy the threshold amount of overlap, discard the received image.

27. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-26, wherein the set of sub-images are received without requiring receipt of the set of sub-images in a defined order.

28. The apparatus of any of Claims 27, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to:

track portions of the scene of the reference image that have been captured in a sub- image; and

indicate one or more portions of the scene of the reference image that have not been captured in a sub-image to be provided.

29. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-28, wherein the reference image is used to generate the panoramic image if substantial portions of the scene of the reference image have been captured by at least one sub-image in the set of sub-images.

30. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-29, wherein the at least one memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to receive the set of sub-images at least in part by causing capture of the set of sub- images from a video having the second image quality level.

31. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-30, wherein the first image quality level comprises a first zoom level and the second image quality level comprises a second zoom level, and wherein the second zoom level is greater than the first zoom level.

32. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-31, wherein the first image quality level comprises a first resolution and the second image quality level comprises a second resolution, and wherein the second resolution is greater than the first resolution.

33. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-32, wherein the reference image comprises a panoramic image having the first image quality level.

34. The apparatus of any of Claims 21-33, wherein the apparatus comprises or is embodied on a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device comprising user interface circuitry and user interface software stored on one or more of the at least one memory, wherein the user interface circuitry and user interface software are configured to: facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile computing device through use of a display; and

cause at least a portion of a user interface of the mobile computing device to be displayed on the display to facilitate user control of at least some functions of the mobile computing device.

35. An apparatus comprising :

means for receiving a reference image having a first image quality level;

means for receiving a set of sub-images having a second image quality level, wherein the second image quality level is greater than the first image quality level, and wherein each of the sub-images depicts a portion of a scene depicted by the reference image; and

means for using the reference image to generate a panoramic image from the set of sub-images, wherein the panoramic image depicts the scene depicted by the reference image at the second image quality level.

36. The apparatus of Claim 35, further comprising:

means for downsampling the first sub-image to the first image quality level; and means for comparing the downsampled first sub-image to a portion of the reference image to determine a position of the first sub-image in the panoramic image.

37. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-36 further comprising: means for receiving an image having the second image quality level;

means for downsampling the received image from the second image quality level to the first image quality level;

means for comparing the downsampled image to at least a portion of the reference image to determine whether the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image; and

means for causing the received image to be added to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image if it is determined that the received image depicts a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image.

38. The apparatus of Claim 37 further comprising: means for causing the received image to be discarded if it is determined that the received image does not depict a portion of the scene depicted by the reference image.

39. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-38 further comprising:

means for receiving an image having the second image quality level and depicting a scene overlapping a scene depicted by a captured sub-image in the set of sub-images;

means for determining whether the overlap between the scene of the received image and the scene of the captured sub-image satisfies a threshold amount of overlap;

means for causing the received image to be added to the set of sub-images for use in generating the panoramic image if it is determined that the overlap satisfies the threshold amount of overlap.

40. The apparatus of Claim 39 further comprising:

means for causing the received image to be discarded , if it is determined that the overlap does not satisfy the threshold amount of overlap.

41. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-40 further comprising:

means for tracking portions of the scene of the reference image that have been captured in a sub-image; and

means for causing an indication of one or more portions of the scene of the reference image that have not been captured in a sub-image to be provided.

42. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-41, wherein reference image is used to generate the panoramic image if substantial portions of the scene of the reference image have been captured by at least one sub-image in the set of sub-images.

43. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-42 further comprising means for causing capture of the set of sub-images from a video having the second image quality level.

44. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-43, wherein the first image quality level comprises a first zoom level and the second image quality level comprises a second zoom level, and wherein the second zoom level is greater than the first zoom level.

45. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-44, wherein the first image quality level comprises a first resolution and the second image quality level comprises a second resolution, and wherein the second resolution is greater than the first resolution.

46. The apparatus of any of Claims 35-45, wherein the reference image comprises a panoramic image having the first image quality level.