Stereoscopic panoramic image capture device

• US 20030117488A1
• Filed: 08/10/2001
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DD Micoy Inc.
• Original Assignee: Micoy Corporation (Digital Domain Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Pierce, Donald, Good, Frederick, Grover, Trent, Herrnstadt, Steven M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,947,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/221 using the relative movement between cameras and objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/243 using three or more 2D image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0088 Synthesising a monoscopic image signal from stereoscopic images, e.g. synthesising a panoramic or high resolution monoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An imaging system comprising a plurality of first image capture devices. Overlapping rectilinear images are captured and halved, with the left halves being stitched and transformed into a first equirectangular image and the right halves being stitched and transformed into a second equirectangular image. The first equirectangular image, and second equirectangular image are displayed in a stereoscopic orientation to produce a stereoscopic equirectangular image. The imaging system may be utilized to capture a plurality of sequential images, to produce a full-motion stereoscopic equirectangular image.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

(a) a first image capture device;

(b) a second image capture device;

(c) a third image capture device;

(d) means for combining at least a first portion of a first image captured with said first image capture device with a portion of a second image captured with said second image capture device, to produce a first combined image;

(e) means for combining at least a second portion of said first image with at least a portion of a third image captured with said third image capture device to produce a second combined image; and

(f) wherein said second combined image does not comprise a majority of said first portion of said first image.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first image capture device, said second image capture device, and said third image capture device are provided arcuately relative to one another, no closer than about five degrees apart.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first image capture device, said second image capture device, and said third image capture device are provided arcuately relative to one another, no closer than about ten degrees apart.

4. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first image capture device, said second image capture device, and said third image capture device are provided arcuately relative to one another, no closer than about forty-five degrees apart.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first image capture device, said second image capture device, and said third image capture device are provided arcuately relative to one another, no closer than about twenty degrees apart.

6. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first portion of said first image is greater than about twenty percent of said first image, and wherein said portion of said second image is greater than about twenty percent of said second image.

7. The imaging system of claim 6, wherein said first portion of said first image is less than about eighty percent of said first image, and wherein said portion of said second image is less than about eighty percent of said second image.

8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first portion of said first image is less than about eighty percent of said first image, and wherein said portion of said second image is less than about eighty percent of said second image.

9. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first image and said second image are substantially rectilinear.

10. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said first combined image and said second combined image are at least partially equirectangular.

11. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein said second image and said third image are digital images.

12. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising means for sequentially displaying a plurality of combined images in a manner which conveys motion.

13. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising means for displaying said first combined image and said second combined image stereoscopically.

14. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising means for combining said first combined image with a sufficient plurality of images to produce a first combined panoramic image, representing at least about 90 degrees of a scene, and combining said second combined image with a sufficient plurality of images to produce a second combined panoramic image, representing about 90 degrees of a scene, and means for displaying said first combined panoramic image and said second combined panoramic image in a manner which produces a stereoscopic, panoramic effect.

15. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising means for combining said first combined image with a sufficient plurality of images to produce a first combined panoramic image, representing at least about 180 degrees of a scene, and combining said second combined image with a sufficient plurality of images to produce a second combined panoramic image, representing about 180 degrees of a scene, and means for displaying said first combined panoramic image and said second combined panoramic image in a manner which produces a stereoscopic, panoramic effect.

16. The imaging system of claim 14, further comprising displaying a first set of combined panoramic images and a second set of combined panoramic images in succession, in a manner which produces a succession of visual information.

17. The imaging system of claim 14, further comprising displaying a first set of combined panoramic images and a second set of combined panoramic images in succession, in a manner which produces a stereoscopic panoramic motion image.

18. The imaging system of claim 1, further combining said first combined image and said second combined image with a digital image, to produce a stereoscopic image within said digital image.

19. An imaging system comprising:

(a) a first image capture device having a first orientation;

(b) a second image capture device having a second orientation different from said first orientation;

(c) a third image capture device having a third orientation different from said second orientation;

(d) a fourth image capture device having a fourth orientation different from said third orientation;

(e) means for combining a first image captured with said first image capture device with a second image captured with said second image capture device to produce a first combined image; and

(f) means for combining a third image captured with said third image capture device with a fourth image captured with said fourth image capture device to produce a second combined image.

20. The imaging system of claim 19, further comprising means for displaying said first combined image and said second combined image as a stereoscopic image.

21. The imaging system of claim 19, wherein said first combined image displays at least about 180 degrees of a scene.

22. The imaging system of claim 19, wherein said first combined image represents at least about 300 degrees of a scene.

23. A method for producing a stereoscopic image comprising:

(a) obtaining a first image;

(b) obtaining a second image;

(c) obtaining a third image;

(d) combining a first portion of said first image with a portion of said second image to produce a first combined image;

(e) combining a second portion of said first image with a portion of said third image to produce a second combined image;

(f) displaying said first combined image and said second combined image in a manner which produces a stereoscopic image.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising picking up said first image, said second image, and said third image from a plurality of points defining an arcuate line.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said plurality of points are greater than about five degrees apart, and less than about forty-five degrees apart.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said plurality of points are greater than about ten degrees apart, and less than about twenty degrees apart.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising displaying a first plurality of combined images in sequence and a second plurality of combined images in sequence to produce a stereoscopic motion image.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein said stereoscopic motion image represents at least about 180 degrees of a scene.