Image processing apparatus, method of processing images, and storage medium

• US 20020090143A1
• Filed: 03/21/2001
• Published: 07/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Katayama, Akihiro, Endo, Takaaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,810,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/282
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/00 General purpose image data processing

Abstract

Video cameras 401 capture surrounding images, and time code generated by a time code generator 405 is attached to the images. Likewise, when the respective images are captured, the position and inclination of the car are measured by a GPS 406, three-axis angle sensor 407, and geomagnetic angle sensor 408, and attached to the respective images. A panoramic image can be produced by connecting together images having the same time code. Performing the aforementioned signal processing for a plurality of routes provides a series of panoramic images. When presenting a panoramic image to a viewer, a panoramic image that is captured at a point closest to a viewpoint of the viewer is identified so that images can be presented to the viewer according to a view direction of the viewer.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus, comprising:

storage means for capturing wide-angle images at positions on multidimensional grids by using a plurality of imaging means each of which captures a predetermined sight, said storage means storing positions at which the images are captured and a reference direction with respect to which the images are captured, said positions and reference direction being stored corresponding to the images;

control means for specifying a viewpoint of a viewer and a view direction of the viewer; and

presenting means for identifying an image that is captured at a point closest to the viewpoint of the viewer from among the images stored in said storage means, and then determining an image region according to a view direction of the viewer by using the reference direction, and finally presenting to the viewer an image that falls in the image region.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising sync signal generating means that provides a sync signal to the plurality of imaging means,

wherein the plurality of imaging means capture the images in synchronism with the sync signal.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising index generating means that generates and attaches an index to each of the images captured by each of the plurality of imaging means,

wherein images having a common index are stitched together to form a wide-angle image.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference direction is a front direction in which the images on the multidimensional grids are captured.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multidimensional grids are either two-dimensional grids or three-dimensional grids.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wide-angle images are panoramic images.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means is a joystick.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the positions are determined by a global positioning system.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference direction with respect to which the images are captured is determined through the use of an geomagnetic angle sensor and a three-axis angle sensor.

10. A method of processing images, comprising the steps of:

capturing wide-angle images at positions on multidimensional grids by using a plurality of imaging means each of which captures an image of a predetermined sight, and storing positions at which the images are captured and a reference direction with respect to which the images are captured, said positions and reference direction being stored corresponding to the images;

specifying a viewpoint and a view direction of a viewer; and

identifying an image that is captured at a point closest to the viewpoint of the viewer from among the images stored in said storage means, and then identifying an image region according to the view direction of the viewer by using the reference direction, and finally presenting to the viewer an image that falls in the region.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

generating a sync signal and attaching the sync signal to the plurality of imaging means, wherein the plurality imaging means capture the images in synchronism with the sync signal.

12. The method according to claim 10 further comprising the step of:

generating an index and providing the index to each of the images captured by each of the plurality of imaging means, wherein images having a common index are stitched together to form a wide-angle image.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13, further storing a program code that generates a sync signal and provides the sync signal to the plurality of imaging means, wherein the plurality imaging means capture the images in synchronism with the sync signal.

15. The storage medium according to claim 13, further storing a program code that generates an index and provides the index to each of the images captured by each of the plurality of imaging means, wherein images having a common index are connected together to form a wide-angle image.

13. A storage medium in which program codes are stored and from which a computer can read the program codes,

wherein wide-angle images at positions on multidimensional grids are captured by using a plurality of imaging means each of which captures an image in a predetermined sight, and a predetermined storage means stores positions at which the images are taken and a reference direction with respect to which the images are captured, the positions and reference direction being stored corresponding to the images;

wherein the medium stores;

a program code for specifying a viewpoint and a view direction of a viewer; and

a program code for identifying an image that is captured at a point closest to the viewpoint of the viewer from among the images stored in the predetermined storage means, and then identifying an image region according to a view direction of the viewer by using the reference direction, and finally presenting to the viewer an image that falls in the region.