Image pickup apparatus and method for picking up a 3-D image using frames, and a recording medium that has recorded 3-D image pickup program

• US 20040252205A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Onoda, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US10/863,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252205A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/231.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00424 using a list of graphical elements, e.g. icons or icon bar
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00448 horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/178 Metadata, e.g. disparity information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/211 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2624 for obtaining an image which is composed of whole input images, e.g. splitscreen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8047 using transform coding

Abstract

In a digital camera as an image pickup apparatus, a plurality of frame group data, each comprising data on a plurality of frames of an object as viewed from a like number of angles for obtaining a 3-D pseudoimage are stored beforehand in a flash ROM. In image pickup, an image of an object to be picked up from an angle is displayed along with a corresponding frame on a display. A user aligns the image of the object with the frame on the display. When the user depresses the shutter button, the image of the object is picked up. Such image pickup is repeated for a respective one of the remaining images of the object as viewed from other angles, thereby providing the respective still images for forming a 3-D pseudoimage.

Claims

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image pickup unit that picks up an image of an object;

a display unit that displays the image picked up by the image pickup unit;

a memory that stores a plurality of frame data items representing a like number of frames of the object as viewed from a like number of angles; and

a control unit that displays a frame represented by one of the plurality of frame data items stored in the memory on the display unit.

2. The image pickup apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a recording unit that records thereon the image picked up by the image pickup unit;

a shutter that gives the recording unit a command to record the picked-up image; and

a second control unit, responsive to the command to record the pick-up image given by the shutter, for recording the picked-up image along with information to identify the frame displayed on the display unit.

3. The image pickup apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting data on the pick-up image;

a data transmission commanding unit that gives the transmitter a transmit command to transmit the picked-up image data, wherein;

the transmitter responds to the transmit command to transmit the picked-up image data along with the information that identifies the frame data displayed on the display unit when the object image was picked up.

4. The image pickup apparatus of claim 2, wherein each time the recording unit records one picked-up image in accordance with the command given by the shutter, the control unit displays a next one of the plurality of frame data items.

5. The image pickup apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a 3-D pseudoimage creating unit that creates a 3-D pseudoimage that comprises a plurality of images each picked up using a respective one of a plurality of frame data items and being replayed in a predetermined order.

6. The image pickup apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a supplementary image producing unit that produces a supplementary image of the object that could be viewed from an angle between adjacent angles from which the associated images of the objects were viewed and picked up, using the adjacent picked-up images, and

wherein the 3-D pseudoimage creating unit creates a 3-D pseudoimage that comprises the supplementary image and the plurality of images picked up and recorded, using the plurality of frame data items, the supplementary image and the plurality of images picked up and recorded being replayed in a predetermined order.

7. The image pickup apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a replay commanding unit that gives the control unit a 3-D pseudoimage replay command to replay the 3-D pseudoimage on the display.

8. The image pickup apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a rotating direction specifying unit that specifies the rotating direction of the 3-D pseudoimage, and wherein;

the control unit replays and displays the 3-D pseudoimage on the display such that the 3-D pseudoimage displays its rotating direction specified by the rotating direction specifying unit.

9. The image pickup apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control unit displays on the display unit a rotating direction in which the 3-D pseudoimage can rotate.

10. The image pickup apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control unit displays on the display unit the rotating direction of the 3-D pseudoimage specified by the rotating direction specifying unit.

11. The image pickup apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an operation unit that receives input given by a user; and

a correction unit that corrects the frame based on frame correction information as the input received by the operation unit and replaces the frame data stored in the memory with data on the corrected frame.

12. The image pickup apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an operation unit that receives input given by a user;

a third control unit that stores in the memory frame data as the input received newly by the operation unit.

13. An image pickup apparatus comprising:

an image pickup unit that picks up an image of an object;

a display unit that displays the image picked up by the image pickup unit;

a reception unit that receives a plurality of frame data items representing a like number of frames of the object as viewed from a like number of angles; and

a control unit that displays along with the object image a frame represented by an associated one of the plurality of frame data items on the display unit.

14. The image pickup apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting data on the pick-up image;

a data transmission command unit that gives the transmitter a transmit command to transmit the picked-up image data, wherein;

the transmitter responds to the transmit command to transmit the picked-up image data along with information that identifies the frame displayed on the display unit when the object image was picked up.

15. An image pickup method of picking up an image of an object and displaying the object image on a display unit, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a plurality of frame data items representing a like number of shapes of the object as viewed from a like number of angles; and

displaying along with the object image a frame represented by an associated one of the plurality of frame data items on the display unit.

16. The image pickup method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a command to record the picked-up image data;

recording the picked-up image data in response to the command; and

recording the picked-up image data along with information to identify the frame displayed when the image of the object was picked up.

17. The image pickup method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

creating a 3-D pseudoimage comprising a plurality of images picked up and recorded using the plurality of frames and being replayed in a predetermined order.

18. A recording medium that has stored a computer readable program that causes a computer, provided on an image pickup apparatus that comprises an image pickup unit that picks up an image of an object and a display unit that displays the object image, to:

obtain a plurality of frameS representing a like number of shapes of the object as viewed from a like number of angles; and

display along with the object image a frame represented by an associated one of the plurality of frames on the display unit.

19. The recording medium of claim 18, wherein the program further causes the computer to:

receive a command to record data on the picked-up image;

record the picked-up image data in response to the command; and

record along with the picked-up image data information to identify the frame displayed when the image of the object was picked up.

20. The recording medium of claim 19, wherein the program further causes the computer to:

create a 3-D pseudoimage comprising a plurality of images picked up and recorded using the plurality of frames and being replayed in a predetermined order.