Method for detecting movement of image sensors

• US 20040201705A1
• Filed: 03/20/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Huang, Chien-Chang, Lan, Jeng-Feng, Lin, Chun-Huang
• Granted Patent: US 7,151,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/145 Movement estimation for video coding H04N19/51

Abstract

A method to detect the movement of an image sensor according to captured images. An image region is captured from a first image. Then, a first corresponding region matching the first region is captured from a second image. A second image region is captured from the second image. Then, a second corresponding region matching the second captured image region is captured from the first image. Finally, the movement of the image sensor is determined according to the first region and the first corresponding region when a first relative distance between the first region and the first corresponding region is the same as a second relative distance of the second captured image region and the second corresponding region, but in the opposite direction.

Claims

1. A method for detecting movement of an image sensor, during the movement the image sensor capturing a first image at a first location and subsequently capturing a second image at a second location, the method comprising the following steps:

defining first image region within the first image;

locating a first corresponding region corresponding to the first image region within the second image;

determining a first relative distance between the first image region and the first corresponding region;

defining a second image region within the second image;

locating a second corresponding region corresponding to the second image region within the first image;

determining a second relative distance between the second image region and the second corresponding region; and

accumulating the movement of the image sensor according to the first relative and second relative distances.

2. The method for detecting movement of an image sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first image region is substantially centered within of the first image.

3. A method for detecting movement of an image sensor, during the movement the image sensor capturing a first image at a first location and subsequently capturing a second image at a second location, the method comprising the following steps:

defining an image region within the first image;

locating a corresponding region corresponding to the image region within the second image; and

accumulating the movement of the image sensor according to the image region and the corresponding region when a difference between the image region and the corresponding region is smaller than a predetermined error threshold value.

4. The method for detecting movement of an image sensor as claimed in claim 3, wherein the image region is substantially centered within the first image.

5. The method for detecting movement of an image sensor as claimed in claim 3, wherein the predetermined error threshold value is defined according to a resolution of the image sensor and the size of the image region.

6. A method for detecting movement of an image sensor, during the movement the image sensor capturing a first image at a first location and subsequently capturing a second image at a second location, the method comprising the following steps:

(a). defining an image region within the first image;

(b). locating a corresponding region corresponding to the image region within the second image;

(c). returning to step (a) when there are plural corresponding regions; and

(d). determining the movement of the image sensor according to the image region and the corresponding region.

7. The method for detecting movement of an image sensor as claimed in claim 6, wherein the image region is substantially centered within of the first image.

8. A method for detecting movement of an image sensor during the movement the image sensor capturing a first image at a first location and subsequently capturing a second image at a second location, the method comprising the following steps:

defining a first image region substantially centered within the first image;

locating a first corresponding region corresponding to the first image region within the second image; and

accumulating the movement of the image sensor according to the first image region and the first corresponding region.

9. The method for detecting movement of an image sensor as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the following steps:

determining a first relative distance between the first image region and the first corresponding region;

defining a second image region within the second image;

locating a second corresponding region corresponding to the second image region within the first image;

determining a second relative distance between the second image region and the second corresponding region; and

accumulating the movement of the image sensor according to the first relative and second relative distances.

10. The method for detecting movement of an image sensor as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of accumulating the movement of the image sensor according to the first image region and the first corresponding region when a difference between the first image region and the first corresponding region is smaller than a predetermined error threshold value.

11. The method for detecting movement of an image sensor as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of defining a second image region within the first image and locating a second corresponding region corresponding to the first image region within the second image again when there are plural corresponding regions.