Foveated panoramic camera system

• US 20050117015A1
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cutler, Ross G.
• Application Number:
  US11/027,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20050117015A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A foveated panoramic camera system includes multiple cameras oriented so that individual images captured by the cameras can be combined to form a panoramic image. Each of the cameras includes a lens having a focal length that corresponds to a field of view for the camera. A field of view for a camera overlaps with the field(s) of view of each adjacent camera. At least one of the cameras has a field of view that differs from fields of view of other cameras for capturing images that are situated at a greater distance from the camera system than are images captured by the other cameras. As a result, a more uniform resolution is achieved across all images captured by the multiple cameras. A mirror assembly is utilized to reflect object images into the multiple cameras to achieve a near center of projection for the camera system.

Claims

1. A camera system, comprising:

at least one first camera lens having a first focal length corresponding to a first field of view;

a plurality of second camera lenses having a second focal length corresponding to a second field of view, the first field of view being less than the second field of view; and

wherein an aggregate field of view of the at least one first camera lens and the plurality of second camera lenses is greater than one hundred and eighty degrees (180°

).

2. The camera system as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of second camera lenses further comprises a plurality of pairs of second camera lenses.

3. The camera system as recited in claim 2, wherein the plurality of pairs of second camera lenses further comprises two pairs of second camera lenses.

4. The camera system as recited in claim 3, wherein each of the two pairs of second camera lenses further comprise two camera lenses oriented in opposite positions.

5. The camera system as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an image reception unit configured to receive image inputs from the at least one first camera lens and the plurality of second camera lenses; and

an image stitching module configured to assemble images received by the image reception unit into a panoramic image.

6. The camera system as recited in claim 5, wherein:

the panoramic image spans a three hundred and sixty degrees (360°

) view; and

the aggregate field of view is greater than hundred and sixty degrees (360°

).

7. The camera system as recited in claim 5, wherein:

the panoramic image has a view span of greater than one hundred and eighty degrees (180°

); and

the aggregate field of view is greater than the panoramic image view span.

8. The camera system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one first camera lens further comprises two first camera lenses, each first camera lens being oriented opposite the other first camera lens.

9. The camera system as recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of second camera lenses further comprises two pairs of second camera lenses.

10. The camera system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a mirror assembly having a mirror facet corresponding to each camera lens, each mirror facet being configured to reflect object images to the corresponding camera lens.

11. A panoramic camera system for capturing a wide-angle image of greater than one hundred and eighty degrees (180°

), comprising;

one or more first cameras each having a first field of view;

at least two second cameras each having a second field of view;

wherein;

each field of view overlaps at least one other field of view; and

an aggregate field of view derived from combining the first fields of view and the second fields of view is equal to the wide-angle image plus the amount of overlap of the fields of view.

12. The panoramic camera system as recited in claim 11, wherein:

the one or more first cameras further comprises two first cameras oriented in opposite positions; and

the at least two second cameras further comprises one or more pairs of second cameras, each pair of second cameras being oriented in opposite positions.

13. The panoramic camera system as recited in claim 12, wherein the one or more pairs of second cameras further comprises two pairs of second cameras.

14. The panoramic camera system as recited in claim 11, further comprising an image stitching module configured to assemble individual images recorded by the first cameras and the second cameras to create the wide-angle image.

15. The panoramic camera system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a mirror assembly having a mirror facet corresponding to each of the first and second cameras, wherein the first and second cameras are configured to record images reflected by respective corresponding mirror facets.

16. The panoramic camera system as recited in claim 11, wherein each of the first and second fields of view further comprises a field of view of less than seventy-five degrees (75°

).

17. A camera system, comprising:

at least a pair of first cameras each having a first field of view;

at least a pair of second cameras each having a second field of view that is greater than the first field of view;

a stitching module configured to combine an image from each of the first and second cameras to form a three hundred and sixty degree (360°

) panoramic image; and

wherein each field of view overlaps at least one other field of view.

18. The camera system as recited in claim 17, wherein each pair of first cameras and each pair of second cameras includes two cameras that are oriented in opposite directions.

19. The camera system as recited in claim 17, wherein each first field of view and each second field of view further comprises a field of view of less than seventy-five degrees (75°

).

20. The camera system as recited in claim 17, further comprising multiple mirror facets disposed in relation to the first cameras and the second cameras so as to reflect object images that are imaged by the first cameras and the second cameras.